Holiday Traditions

[Christopher]

Usually buying some new decorations to replace the ones that the gremlin takes inbetween christmas'.

[Kitten Medli]

We have no traditions besides we seem to have desided we like to open our gifts on Christmas Eve and leave nothing for the next morning.

[Cassi]

We put some gifts out not long after we get our tree. I usually open one gift sometime the week before Christmas, and one Christmas Eve (usually PJs =P). Then my mum puts most the pressies under the tree during the night, and I open them in the morning. =)

Of course, if you wanted to go into more detail of the past few years, it'd be much more complicated, with my dad and my stepmom's family, and I'm sure things'll change this year...but that's the jist of it either way. (And does that even resemble the correct spelling for jist?)

[gundam_kola01]

I usually go with my church's choir visit church people's house and go carolling. I like Xmas!

But i like our Chinese New Year Season also! Usually, we chinese celebrate in the January or Febuary. We eat steamboat on the eve. Yummy. I love my grandma's cooking...

The best thing is: "Hong Baos" = red packet
Only the married ones will give the red packets to those not yet married.
The red packet contains some money. If you're lucky, you get 50 bucks or more.

The chinese love red because they believe red bring them luck. Therefore, more red atmosphere in our New Year. Therefore, if you have a chinese friend, please wear more red.

I love receiving Hong Baos!

[hyperflutterby]

In my family, we would do most of the celebrating on Christmas Eve. Part of that was we'd have the opportuntity to open 2 of our gifts that night. One we always get to open, that's new pajamas that we wear that night to bed. (Usually we get a good laugh as my mom spends 10-15 minutes trying to figure out which gift under the tree is the pajamas.) Then if we were well behaved all evening, we were allowed to open one gift of our choice. I really like this tradition, it's a lot of fun and I plan on doing it with my kids when I have them.

[jellyoflight]

I go to a christingle (is that the right spelling?) service at our local church, it's about the one night we do go

It's really cool, because everyone gets an orange with a red ribbon tied around it and fruits on sticks poking out of it and a candle at the top, then everyone lights their candles, and the lights go out and we all sing Away In A Manger.

The orange symbolises the world
The red ribbon smbolises the blood shed from Jesus (I think)
The fruits on sticks symbolise the fruits of the world
The candle symbolises either hope or light...can't remember


Also, we have an advent calender. Then buy another one half price mid-way into december Last year I had a dairy milk one, a Fimbles one and a Tweenies one This year I've got a Crunchie one and a Malteasers one, whoo!

[Pluto]

In my family, we would do most of the celebrating on Christmas Eve. Part of that was we'd have the opportuntity to open 2 of our gifts that night. One we always get to open, that's new pajamas that we wear that night to bed. (Usually we get a good laugh as my mom spends 10-15 minutes trying to figure out which gift under the tree is the pajamas.) Then if we were well behaved all evening, we were allowed to open one gift of our choice. I really like this tradition, it's a lot of fun and I plan on doing it with my kids when I have them.

Are you filipino hyperflutterby? O_o just wondering because thats a filipino tradition, to open your presents at midnight...hehe..that what we do on christmas. =D

[hyperflutterby]

Are you filipino hyperflutterby? O_o just wondering because thats a filipino tradition, to open your presents at midnight...hehe..that what we do on christmas. =D

Nope, I seriously doubt I have a drop of Filipino in me. I think my parents made it up. It is really good because my parents are divorced so another "tradition" since the divorce has been to wake up early on Christmas day to open the rest of our presents and then drive to the airport to hop on a plane to see my dad. So I celebrate with both sides of the family on Christmas day. Having part of the celebration on Christmas eve really helps because Christmas day is pretty much just unwrapping the presents and then rushing out the door (at least on my mom's side).

Oh and we don't open them at midnight really, we just have a nice Christmas dinner and family time, then probably an hour or so before bed (like 8 or 9) we open just our pajamas and the gift of our choice (if we were good, and we always are because we want to open that gift early).

[teddymon]

When decorating the tree, we make my mom put 1 decoration on the tree (she doesn't like doing it). We then say 'Aw, ANYWHERE but there would've been perfect.' Then we move it.

[Callie]

I got to do spring cleaning on Christmas day every year. My mum make all of us do it.

Well,do you have to do it again in spring?lol


I have an advent calendar thing that my mom made,it's fabric and you move all the little felt figures down from the tree into a box or the opposite way,one a day.

We also put up a nativity scene.
And a tree..


YOU CAN NOT forget the train

[Rachel]

Also, we have an advent calender. Then buy another one half price mid-way into december Last year I had a dairy milk one, a Fimbles one and a Tweenies one This year I've got a Crunchie one and a Malteasers one, whoo!

I love advent calendars! i have 2 this year coz of coming to australia half way through december it means i have chocolates way into january! hehe

We always put our christmas tree up after my dad's birthday, which is today, so christmas tree tomorrow baby! :)

[Squinchy]

I try to think of a cheesy, completely politically correct, non-religious (or organizational) name for the "winter holiday" every year. I usually end up with nothing presentable.

My family also visits George, our very Jewish neighbor whose birthday is the 25th of December, on Christmas Day.