<p>Since we were married, TheMom and I have always gotten each other a special ornament for the Christmas tree. Once D was born, we got her a special ornament every year. Some are merely unusual and pretty, others are iconic, which explains the number of bears, camels, geckos, French horns, and ballet dancer ornaments on the tree. (Though woe be unto a ballet ornament with bad posture…I never heard the end of it about one that had bent knees.) We also record them in a little notebook every year, giving us a record of when an ornament was acquired and whose it was. Mine this year was of a kilt-and-tamoshanter-clad Santa Claus playing the bagpipes.</p>
<p>We are also of the Midnight Mass tradition, waking up late on Christmas morning for a family day together and visiting but I suspect that is rather more common.</p>
<p>My family’s been doing new-ornament-per-year things since my first Christmas (I’m the oldest). As my brother and I got older (we’re both over 18 now, though only I’m away and in college), the tradition shifted toward a “family gift” to expand our growing “birds of prey” collection of statuettes (we’ll just pretend the blue bird, quail, sparrow and swan are vicious killers off-screen).</p>
<p>None of us is particularly religious, either, so we do our “Christmas day” on Christmas Eve after dinner, opening all our presents and eating cookies we’ve been baking. Christmas Day is reserved for going out to see whatever new movie just came out (and there’s ALWAYS something new right on or near Christmas release).</p>
<p>My wife’s sister decided that each of our girls, when they were very young, needed a sort of trademark or recurring theme. And she took it upon herself to assign them. For D1 it is rocking horses; for D2 it is bunnies. And Christmas tree ornaments is a favorite medium of expression. So that aunt has provided many rocking horse and bunny ornaments over the years. Even though they are now both teens grown taller than their mother, the new ornaments arrived this year - right on time.</p>
<p>Our cookie tradition involves each (5) of us to select and make one new type of cookie. There are one or two standards which get made in addition. We bring some of each to each place we visit during the holidays. Our son is usually the winner for selecting the general favorite of the year.</p>
<p>Since as far back as I can remember - and our kiddos wake up to their stockings on the end of their beds - can’t go to the tree til mom and dad are up and coffee is on.</p>
<p>Hey, concerneddad–we’re not Jewish, but we also do Chinese food on Christmas Eve, an enormous breakfast Christmas day, and a movie in the evening on Christmas.</p>
<p>Jeepmom–we always did the stockings at the end of the bed when they were younger–what a challenge it was to sneak the stockings out and then back in again, filled. ONce they became up-late-staying teenagers, we switched to stockings left outside their doors; I couldn’t out-stay them anymore.</p>
<p>We always go to a Christmas eve service; up until last year, we then drove to a nearby town to this house which had, beyond the usual lights, large-sized animated scenes (home-made), and real reindeer and farm animals. Unfortunately, we got there last year to find that they’d stopped doing it. It really was an amazing sight to see in a suburban yard.</p>
<p>My family has made it a tradition to buy at least one decoration for the tree or nativity scene (usually a little sheep) every time we travel. When it’s not a sheep, we try to get one that is representative of the trip (viking ship from Denmark, windmill from the Netherlands, White House from Washington DC, cowboy hat from Texas, etc). Over the years we have accumulated ornaments from all over North America and Europe.</p>
<p>After late Christmas Eve Mass, we come home to a roast ‘beast’ dinner (S is a carnivore, and we indulge him on this day- D says it’s his Christmas present from her, as she’s a health food nut). We do the ornament exchange, too- and, TheDad, like your ballerinas, we have been razzed about some of the Irish Dancer ones- “look at those turned-in feet!”</p>
<p>The one thing we do consistently is to buy DD a special ornament each year. When she marries, she will take all of those ornaments with her to put on her new tree.</p>
<p>this is our 19th year celebrating the holidays in Mazama- a town of roughly a few hundred in the Okanagan valley.
We started when our oldest was about 6 to get away from the relatives but enjoyed it so much we continued ( and becuase we didn’t want to lose our reservation)- however now it is on the market and is only a 50/50 chance that the new owners will keep it for guests, according to the real estate agent- I am sure we will still be coming to the valley- but we sure will miss the lodge if we have to find a new place to stay</p>
<p>We have two traditions. The first - the kids take their instruments to the local hospital, and play carols from room to room. Not so much for the patients’ benefit, but for their families, who feel bad that they have to spend Christmas at the hospital, and then feel guilty for feeling bad.</p>
<p>The second one - in our town, on Christmas night, there is a showing of Fiddler on the Roof done “Rocky Horrow Picture Show” style, as a sing-a-long. This year, I went as the butcher, and my older d. as Feivel the tailor (she looked amazing). When I went to the box office and introduced myself as “Lazar Wolf” with my son Feivel, they gave me a children’s ticket for her, figuring that she could be no more than 12!</p>
<p>Cookies & m&m’s.
When I was single I baked cookies for every department in the hospital where I worked. When son was born it was cookies to the neighbors. We loaded up the wagon and delivered cookies to the neighbors. It was fun making mistakes and going to houses we didn’t plan on-we met lots of neighbors that way. I work for a larger hospital now, so I just give cookies to the nursing stations I service-that and a picture card. Some staff look forward to the picture of the son or family, others just want the cookies. When son was in high school the HS band would play in the neighborhood and then stop for cookies and hot drinks. Our neighbors with kids get cookies, the retired ones get pineapples and fruit-they usually have to watch the sweets or are great old fashioned bakers. The kitchen island is a mess for 2-3 weeks but it seems my son likes it. Everyone get 5-10 dozen cookies and fudge-I’ve never really counted how many I make.
The m&m’s- one yr I bought the Christmas M&M’s after Christmas, they didn’t get openned. In Feb I separated the red from the green and put the red in son’s lunch for Valentines day. I had the green and put them in March lunches for St. Patrick’s day. Now that he is in college he loves getting red in Feb and green in March. He tells all his friends and they think it’s cool. Maybe they are just glad their mom isn’t as crazy or gets a thrill at buying cheap M&M’s. Son is happy today-I stocked up at Target for Feb & March.</p>
<p>we too have chinese on christmas day, christmas eve is turkey and all the fixings, day after christmas (today) is chicken enchilidas and all the fixins, been this way for 22 years!</p>
<p>and a special book to each child every year, 22 years of that as well.</p>
<p>A special ornament for our son each year so that when he marries and starts his own household, he will have those for his first tree.</p>
<p>An empty crystal goblet and a red linen napkin on the buffet alongside the dining table in honor of each close family member no longer with us to celebrate.</p>
<p>An Advent Calendar for even 18 year olds love Christmas.</p>
<p>English Grandma’s icebox cookies…the best! This is our first year without her. Her love and traditions are all around us and draw her near. I’ll never let DS forget her.</p>
<p>Italian Grandma’s cannolis…the best! She’s still a part of our celebrations, and I encourage DS to cherish the time they have together. I can’t imagine Christmas without my mom.</p>
<p>My son loves traditions. They’re such a comfort.</p>
<p>Oh, one more tradition…on the eve of Three Kings Day (Jan 6th), our son would place a box filled with grass alongside his bed for the camels of the three wisemen seeking the Baby Jesus, in hopes that the three kings along the way would leave token gifts for him too. This is a charming Hispanic custom, and a sweet way to close the season for children.</p>
<p>Our family tradition is one that I started when our oldest was just an infant. I felt sad that I lived so far from my parents and that they wouldn’t get to see her on her first Christmas. So, I dipped her hand in red paint and then pressed it to paper, making a “hand ornament” that I sent to my parents with a little note about how my daughter’s hand would be touching their Christmas from 3,000 miles away. I liked the ornament I sent them so much, I made one for our own tree. </p>
<p>Every year since, we have made “hand ornaments” for both kids. As the kids grew older, they became more creative, drawing pictures on their hands, writing little notes about what was going on in their lives that year, etc. The materials we used has also varied from year to year - from paper, to fabric, to plaster of paris. This year, there are over 35 “hands” on our tree, each unique and beautiful, showing the kids development from infancy to today. (What’s really a hoot is comparing the size of my then-six-month old son’s hand to his great big 6 foot four hand today!) I have told both kids that I expect the tradition to continue with all grandchildren, and whenever we have had to evacuate due to wildfires, the first thing I grab is the box of hand ornaments.</p>