what holiday traditions are important to you?

[Tiffanny Twisted]

I was thinking the other day as I purchased a favorite Christmas movie for my hubby on blue ray, what things just make it a holiday tradition in your families??

For us, it says Christmas when you watch the ALister Simm version of A Christmas Carol on Christmas eve after mass.

The other goofy things are a certain candy for my sons stocking (that I cant seem to find this year dang it!!!)
For me its watching Darleen Love sing Merry Christmas Baby live on David Letterman every year.

Well you get the drift and I was just wondering since we all come from all over this great world of ours.

.

[sodascouts]

I love setting up the nativity scene on the mantel. My family does it while reading aloud from Luke 2 and Matthew 2.

Trimming the tree is also wonderful. It doesn't feel like Christmas until there's a tree!

[zeldabjr]

I have to listen to my Andy Williams Christmas CD...it was my mom's favorite...and remember listening to the album as far back as I can remember...also a CD by Jim Reeves that was my Dad's favorite...

[VAisForEagleLovers]

For me, one long-time tradition will fall by the wayside this year, since I now live 7.5 hours from my family. Way back when I was a kid, my aunts, great-aunt, and grandma would always get together and bake cookies. It was a two-day operation and there were times we'd bake 90 dozen cookies. Some were for get-togethers at church, but the rest were split up between five or six families. Sometimes those cookies lasted weeks before they were all gone! Did you know that a slice of apple in a container of cookies will soften them if they've gotten hard (or overbaked)?

In the last twenty years, it's transitioned to my mom and aunt and sister coming to my house to bake cookies (and not nearly 90 dozen). I had a convection oven at my house, and so baking cookies was a breeze. Most of the cookies are the same recipes, some written on cards and the ink is fading from age. Some new cookies have been introduced, peanut blossoms being a favorite. My sister's kids love to help decorate the sugar cookies, I have a recipe for icing that uses meringue powder and we make 16 different colors and spend an entire afternoon and evening decorating the cookies.

It will be kind of sad not to all get together for this. I'll probably bake cookies, but it won't be the same.

[Freypower]

We decorate the tree & put the lights up inside the house.

I have two comedy shows I watch every year - Christmas With Mr Bean & Drop The Dead Donkey (a British sitcom) Christmas special. We occasionally watch the Blackadder Christmas special but it's obligatory that I watch the other two.

When we go to my mother's house for Boxing Day (Americans; this is a British & Australian holiday on December 26) I always load the iPod with a playlist of all my absolute favourite songs. This year it will be expanded to include a lot of Mike's favourites as well so that he can't complain he's been left out! Then we play it through my mother's stereo.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Great topic, tt.

My favorites traditions are all based around family too. For years, we start on Christmas Eve night by going to my oldest sister's house for a Christmas party. The adults exchange our gifts that night. Then, on Christmas morning, everyone gathers at my house for Christmas breakfast and watching the kids open their gifts. Then on Christmas afternoon, it's on to my youngest sister's house for Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner used to always be at my mother's home, but after she became unable to do the cooking, my youngest sister started helping her prepare it. Then, once mom contracted Alzheimer's, we permanently moved the celebration to my sister's house. Since my parents passed away, and the cemetery is in between all of the sister's houses, the family usually meets there for a Christmas visit with Mom and Pop before heading to my sister's for dinner.

[Witchy Woman]

I don't have any specific traditions, but I don't feel like it's Christmas until I watch the obligatory movies and TV shows. I am particularly fond of The Jack Benny Show episode where he goes Christmas shopping and annoys the hell out of Mel Blanc !! Most of my family is gone, so all of that stuff went away.

[prayfordaylight]

I have two comedy shows I watch every year - Christmas With Mr Bean

YES! I have to watch that too. I loved Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (a Muppet special) growing up but it makes me cry too much to watch now.

What else?
- I have an advent calendar my mom made me that I use every year.
- I listen to the same Christmas playlist on my way home from dinner with my dad's family on the 24th every year. I've got the timing down pat so the last song ends as we pull into the driveway.
- My dad's family exchanges oplatek during Christmas Eve dinner. It's a Polish tradition done to wish each other health and happiness for the year ahead.
- At least one stocking gift (something small) gets exchanged on Christmas Eve night.
- I used to read The Night Before Christmas with my mom every year. Since she passed, I read it to my fiance over the phone because we're usually apart for Christmas.
- I watch A Christmas Story at least once during TNT's 24 hour marathon on Christmas Day.

[Brooke]

Dreamer and VA, your stories brought tears. Dreamer, how sweet to visit your Mom and Pop's graves on Christmas. It is sad to think back on how you used to do things and that they have to change.

I always have to play Christmas music while decorating the tree and house. It worked out good this year since I was home alone as my husband gets really tired of Christmas music, the old scrooge! I love watching Charlie Brown Christmas, which I saw a couple nights ago, The Christmas Story, It's A Wonderful Life, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

We also always watch Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve! Love it! Usually our kids come home for Christmas and spend the night at our house. This year our daughter won't be able to come, but is moving back to Missouri from Texas the first week of January, so it will be very strange for her not to be here, but at least we'll get to see her then and more often. We haven't seen her since Christmas last year after which she moved to Texas. I hope she will be settled now! We open gifts Christmas morning and my Mom has Christmas dinner in her tiny apartment. She won't give up having it, which is fine, but a bit crowded with probably 15 in a one bedroom senior apartment!

Since my husband's parents are now gone, each of his siblings are taking turns hosting the annual family Christmas get together. He has 9 brothers and sisters and the immediate family with kids and grandkids will total 100 with the birth of our grandson in January! We are hosting this year, joy! They won't all be able to come, but it will be a madhouse for a few hours on the 21st!

[sodascouts]

100 IMMEDIATE family members?! DANG!!!!!