Family Christmas Traditions

hemlynne · #1 (**permalink**) 11-12-2006, 05:02 AM

Just wondering what your family does as traditions? Have you carried things over from your childhood? Have you started your own traditions?

As a child, we used to go with mum, dad and gran to see the Myer (Store) Christmas windows and peoples gardens decorated. It was a real novelty back then (48 + years ago) , and something we did every year.

When my 2 were young we used to watch Carols by Candlelight on TV while I did baking, then have supper, put out the Santa sacks and food for Santa. On Christmas morning there was a choice of breakfast from the Kelloggs Variety packs for a treat - cocopops, fruitloops etc. If my now adult kids are around Christmas morning they still look or the breakfast packs!

Share your times with us.

hemlynne · #2 (**permalink**) 11-12-2006, 12:45 PM

Sorry for btb but I forgot the most important tradition - we always went to church Christmas morning, and also gran always came over about 6 am for presents.

barbszy · #3 (**permalink**) 11-13-2006, 11:04 AM

Lynne, I moved this to the Holidays section so more members could find it, who are interested!

megrayau · #4 (**permalink**) 11-13-2006, 12:27 PM

A tradition we began with our own kids has been a large fruit platter and croissants for breakfast on Christmas Day. Being summer, we have a huge choice of fruits and the kids love it. I figure if they have filled up on fresh fruit for breakfast, then whatever else they eat won't matter too much for this day!

We also buy a special ornament for each one each year. The plan is they will eventually have a nice stash of special ornaments to take with them when they begin their own family decorations!

mgoodcooke · #5 (**permalink**) 11-20-2006, 03:35 AM

we do the same as i'm sure many people do , make the Christmas cookies , hang up the stockings,buy gifts for each other , watch all of the specials we can see ,read Christmas stories ,write cards and of course the night before Christmas. Listen to Christmas music and baking the traditional Pillsbury Cinnamon buns for that special morning. I have since added to the traditions now we also have stocking hung up for the pets,we have gone out caroling with different groups for the homebound. Every year I have purchased an ornament for the kids since they were born so when they move out and have their own trees they will have at least 20 things to put on it.The Christmas specials are still important but somehow Charlie Brown's Christmas doesn't appeal to my kids,the Grinch now isn't the cartoon its the movie, the stockings hung with care are not long knee socks they are purchased ones.Every year we watch all of the the Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen and have now added Christmas with the Kranks to the list.The Night Before Christmas is illustrated by Jan Brett, the songs are not by Bing Crosby and Dean Martin anymore it's the singers of today and of course the traditonal Pillsbury cinnamon buns are the same. Funny the traditions are kind of the same with a new twist and as much as my family as kids loved Santa my kids hated going to see him, in fact when we told my daughter when she was little to hurry and go to sleep so Santa could come she stayed awake afraid a strange man i n a red suit was coming into the house. You find these things out years later of course. Also now the kids have the advent calendars to count down the days till Christmas,for them preferably with the candy behind the doors.It is fun to carry on the traditions from our childhoods but sometimes you have to modernize them a tad for the kids to get into them. but the letter to Santa is one that always stayed the same and mom trying to explain why you cant put the envelope in the mailbox for her afterall it is your letter and its important it get there on time. Special delivery :-)

hemlynne · #6 (**permalink**) 11-22-2006, 04:10 AM

mgoodcooke, I agree that some traditions HAVE to stay. And some need to be pepped up for todays kids. Guess the important thing is that we take time with them, as our parents took time with us.

Irish Angel · #7 (**permalink**) 10-28-2008, 08:02 PM

want to bump this so we can all start pickin our brains!
I will post mine later!

Sammi1961 · #8 (**permalink**) 12-12-2008, 11:28 AM

Traditions from when I was a kid were not to set up our tree until after my youngest brother's birthday which was dec. 19 but then decorating it together, hanging our stockings on Christmas eve, always getting a huge naval orange in the toe of our Christmas stocking then opening our gifts Christmas morning, eating a quick breakfast, rushing to my grandparents for another Christmas and Christmas dinner then off to the next set of grandparents house for yet another Christmas and Christmas dinner (and by that time we truly were over stuffed!)

With my children, we never set up our tree until after ds2's birthday which is Dec. 12. When setting up and decorating the tree, we drink egg nog and have It's a Wonderful Life on tv playing. (we own the video) My dks hang their stockings on Christmas eve. We always attend the candlelight Christmas eve service at church. Christmas morning we open our gifts then have a huge breakfast (scrambled eggs and cheese, orange juice, bacon, coffee and of course Pillsbury cinnamon rolls) then we rush to my mom's house (though now that she has passed away we won't do that this year we will go to my middle brother's) and then on to my mil's for Christmas dinner and gifts there. We spend the night and head back home either the next day or the day after. christmas day is always hectic and we often talk about just staying home but to me Christmas is mostly about family and i can't imagine not seeing our family members on that day. Also, several relatives give each of my dks a new Christmas oranment each year so that when they move out to their own homes they will take the ornaments with them for their own trees. I notice several other Fc members also do this tradition which I think is so cool.