Holiday Celebrations

[alla]

With the holiday season fast approaching, I am curious as to how it is celebrated in other countries and cultures. My family has always celebrated Christmas (although we're not strictly religious). It is a time when we get together, usually near a beach, for the opening of presents in the morning, followed by a break to get the lunch together (usually huuge). It usually consists of cold meat and salad, since its too hot for hot meat here, at what is nearly the height of summer. Oh, and there's nearly always more dessert than there is normal food . After lunch, my cousins and I will go down to the beach until the "traditional" afternoon storm hits, at which point we leg it back to the house and wait it out.

Boxing Day is spent at the Boxing Day sales, which usually results in my cousins and I getting sick of battling the thousands of people who turn out to the local shopping centre and deciding to go to the movies. New Years is spent doing our own thing; usually getting together with friends and having a fun night.

So, what do you guys do?

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Christmas in New England

Well, we don't go to the beach. :-)

My family usually opens presents in the morning, and then has Christmas dinner around 2. Our tradition is to have "roast beast", thanks to the Grinch. :-) We might have cold beast sandwiches around supper time, if we actually have any room left.

Sometimes we go out to the movies afterward: I wouldn't call it much of a tradition, but we do it more often than not.

My Grandma in Rhode Island hosts a family Christmas Eve party. She used to throw it, but now that she's too old, she just supplies the space and the kids (my parents' generation) do all the prep. It's one of the big reasons we alternate Thanksgiving/Christmas between Maine and Rhode Island -- I couldn't bear to miss this party every year. :-)

[EricG1793]

First of all, we have a celebration at my grandmother (mom's mom)'s house that consists of pretty much everybody from my grandmother's side of her family. In addition to all of them, we have "The Crew", which is the usual group of people we have celebrations with: My grandmother's offspring and their offspring and their offspring. My mom's siblings, their children (my cousins), and their children (my second cousins).

At this party, we usually have a large selection of food (for the large amount of people). We usually have some sort of meat, and there are salads, casseroles... my favorite, though, is the lasagna. Every family that comes brings an item or two; we usually bring a pie or two.

Gifts are exchanged by parents giving their children one thing, and there are gift exchanges for the men and women; they put something in the "grab bag" and take something out later.

On Christmas Day, we have "the crew" at my grandmother's.

Celebrations at my grandmother's are always in the early afternoon; it's usually something along the lines of "Get here at 1, eat at 2." Although, I've made a habit of staying over there the night before celebrations to help out.

On Christmas Eve, we have my dad's side of the family (my dad's dad, my aunt and uncles and cousins) over to my house, and everyone brings a food item.

On Easter, we have my dad's side over at my house for dinner.

We alternating having my mom's side and my dad's side at my house for Thanksgiving. On years that my mom's side comes over (even years), we used to have "the crew" over... but the aunt and uncle that all (literally) the cousins and second cousins come from decided to do their own thing every Thanksgiving, leaving my family, my grandmother, and my mom's two sisters and their family for Thanksgiving. I wish everyone would come. I really like being with my family.

[Zirsta]

Well, at Christmas, on Christmas Eve, all of my family that live in Anchorage come to my family's house for dinner, and then I end up staying up really late with excitement, and wake up really early. In the morning, everyone has to wait for everyone else to wake up before we can start opening presents, and then we get started. Later we go to my grandma's house for dinner.

My birthday is usually pretty casual, partially because it's right before Christmas, and usually I just have a pretty normal day, get y presents, and I get to choose all of the menus that day. I also have a birthday party, but for the past couple of years, I've had it in the summer, for better weather.

[GingerPSH]

Holiday Celebrations

We do something odd. We go to my husbands ex-in-laws. Where we visit with his ex father-in-law, ex mother-in-law, ex brother-in-law, and of course his ex wife. It was uncomfortable for several years as his ex wife did not want us there by his ex father-in-law insisted we come.

Now we all get along except his ex wife husband no longer comes to dinner.

We eat a huge BBQ beef prime rib, lote of veggies and a large amt of deserts.
I bought my husband a dvr expander....I can't wait to see his surprise!!

[meteorite]

We've gotten into the habit of hosting meals on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as well as New Year's Day, for our friends who don't have family in the immediate area and aren't traveling to see them. We usually have 3-5 extra people in on those days, plus the past few years, my parents have been making the trip to our house. It makes it tricky, because we don't have space for a sit-down meal unless (like our friends) you are used to balancing your plate on your knees while you eat! This year everyone begged off or had to work but my parents on Christmas Eve, so we will have just enough room for the 4 of us, and I'll put together plates for the friends who had to work late that night and want to stop by after work. I think I'm going to declare it 'casual' for Christmas Day; my parents can sit at a card table and the rest of us can do the balancing plates thing.

[EricG1793]

Well, it seems as though we're having Christmas Eve at my grandfather's.

My first reaction is negative. My mom and I do all this decorating at our house only to have everyone go to my grandfather's. Plus, if I had been going to my grandfather's this weekend (my dad's horible-in-the-snow car sliding all over the road canceled that), it'd fall on me to help prepare the house and whatnot. It's traditional to have it at my house.

There are a few good things. It makes it convenient for my grandfather and I do to to mass at 4 and then come back to his house, which is closer to the church than mine. Also, since my grandmother died in 2001, we've only had a few formal parties at my grandfather's, so that'll be nice.

-----

The Christmas party for my mom's mom's side of the family was postponed from today to next Saturday. So, I'll just stay overnight at my grandmother's on Christmas night (I'll be over there for the usual Christmas day party anyway) and Friday night to help prepare for Saturday.

[Nella]

Alla this is a really good idea!

When I was littly my family used to host a relatively big Christmas party, even though we're not Christian, of about 12/20 people depending on the year. It was great, all people who didn't have family in the area and needed a place to celebrate. We'd make a big turkey and ham and kugel, yes kugel, because we'd mix Jewish foods into the menu. And like Alla there was always more desserts than main courses... That and a LOT of cheese and crackers and veggies and dip etc. People loved the platter appetizer things.
These days we just go to random peoples houses and mooch... Though since our most recent haunt wont be available I'm worried we'll end up ordering chinese takeout or something...
Which would be awful because I haven't eaten chinese takeout since I got food poisoning that time x.x

New Years we go to my grandmothers house, which means its a three person party watching the ball drop while my dad sleeps in the next room... Not very festive I know, but we've never been... Chanukkah constitutes of fattening potato things and setting wax on fire ever night.. And passover is pretty much a bunch of cheap jewish wine...

For some reason I always feel like my family is very unfestive... I wonder why...

XP and we go out to eat on Thanksgiving.

[meteorite]

Alla this is a really good idea!
Though since our most recent haunt wont be available I'm worried we'll end up ordering chinese takeout or something...
Which would be awful because I haven't eaten chinese takeout since I got food poisoning that time x.x

Agreed!

Chinese takeout... shades of A Christmas Story. At least you don't have to worry about the neighbors' dogs running off with the turkey!

I'm starting to get the sniffles; unsurprising since half of the people I work with, plus about 90% of our patrons, have come in with various degrees of colds. I hope I can fight it off so that I'm not sick for Christmas.

[Nella]

meteorite: I've never actually seen A Christmas Story. Though everyone tells me I should see it and my friends are always talking about how they watch it every year...

My family has the tradition of watching What About Bob around the holidays... Which while an amazingly funny movie, in my opinion, kind of doesn't make sense around this time of year...

Oh well.

And I hope you don't get sick you should take airborn *gags* though I kind of suggest you don't because the taste is... Less than satisfactory.

[kk]

Yay, Holiday Celebrations!

My family usually gets woken up by my little sister, but we aren't allowed to go open presents until my parents want to. Haha...

I have three pet rabbits, and we let them run around outside their cage, while we open presents. My mom even gets a present for them, and it's fun to watch them rip and chew apart the wrapping paper.

After opening a few presents, we go upstairs and eat breakfast (usually some type of cherry pastry), and then open the rest. After the presents, we hang up all of the Christmas cards that we've gotten, and just sit around in the basement (that's where the tree is), and do nothing for a very long time, except for playing with our new toys/gadgets/things, and the rabbits.

Then we go upstairs, and help my mom cook dinner, which we then eat. It's fun.

[Cress]

We have far too many Christmas traditions. We always have brunch with my family on Christmas Eve, and I always stay up until about 3:00 AM on Christmas Eve because I can never sleep. On Christmas morning we get up and open presents with my family and my grandma (who has to come see us for Christmas, otherwise it's not Christmas), then we hang out for a while and have leftovers from Christmas Eve brunch, then we go to a HUGE dinner at my aunt and uncle's with about 50 people and a TON of food. Mmm. Food.