Christmas Poll
Star or Angel?
As we all prepare to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, I'm curious how my blogfriends celebrate.
Most of you know that L had NO Christmas traditions to incorporate into our family. From what I hear, this saved us a LOT of fights. He was more than willing to celebrate Christmas the way I always had.
Please share YOUR stories by answering the questions below.
Is your tree topped with a star or an angel?
As you can see from the picture above, our tree is topped with a star. We went through several multi-light stars that literally went up in a puff of smoke. As I've said before, tree lights don't like us! I found this single bulb star about 20 yrs ago and haven't had to change the bulb on it once!
Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
My Mom's family opened gifts Christmas Eve, my Dad's on Christmas morning. We always opened our gifts Christmas Eve(guess who won that fight?). Christmas Eve we have my parents over for a dinner of turkey noodle soup, lefse, and rommegrot for dessert. After dinner, the youngest member of the family reads the Christmas story from the Bible, then we open gifts. Santa fills the stockings for Christmas morning, but all the rest of our gifts are from each other.
How has your family compromised about whose traditions would be adopted in your family?
L adopted all of my traditions. We have since added many of our own traditions.
What do you eat for Christmas dinner?
We go to my parent's house around noon for a fabulous spread of munchies. Then we play games and entertain friends until dinner-turkey with all the trimmings.
posted by tshsmom @ 5:00 PM
22 comments
22 Comments:
Ok a poll, let's see. I'll start by saying that both my wife and I agreed very early on that our Christmas traditions would be ours and share very little with our families ideas (lots of booze and angry words)
Star or Angel?
We have an Angel, We found he at a fair trade store in the village of Stratford. She is made of porcalin and holds one light atop a candle.
Eve or Morn.?
When ever my eyes FLY open in the morning. I beg, whine, pester, get the dog worked up, jump on the bed anything to rouse the sleepy-head spouce. Seriously I steadliy get more and more excited starting around....say...Halloween.
Christmas dinner?
Thats tricky, It depends on who is having what when. When everyone can get together. Usually lots and lots of Turkey. Yes this means I'm out cold on the couch by about 4 pm. And into the leftovers around 8.
Well there you are a little peek into our Celebrations. Not to turn anyone off or sound preachy but we do spend at least one hour alone with God thanking him for his grace.
Davey
Davey, your families sound a lot like L's. They usually have AT LEAST one fistfight during their Christmas celebrations. That's why we celebrate 300 miles away from them!
I'd love to see a pic of your angel. She sounds beautiful!
I know the 2 of you will come up with meaningful traditions of your own.
It sounds like next Christmas your wife will have TWO kids to contend with on Christmas morning! ;)
I love your tradition of spending an hour alone with God!
Yeah, what ARE those spire things anyway?
I LIKE your Christmas Eve job; photograph, drink and tease. I could handle that. ;)
Angel for us. My husband had all sorts of things on top of the tree when he was a kid. I love to have an angel up there.
We open ONE gift Christmas eve. The rest on Christmas morning. As a kid I never opened anything on Christmas eve. So -- I've given in a little on this one.
We did compromise a bit. It wasn't hard. My family background is quite traumatic (still is for them!!) and especially around the holidays. I'm the only child who doesn't live local to my family - we are about 2,000 miles away and we celebrate with my husband's family. I let them fuss and fight over who's having Christmas dinner and then we just show up wherever they've decided! My MIL started staying Christmas eve and sleeping over to be with her only grandchildren. It's turned into a tradition -- although we usually get take out chinese for Christmas eve, this year I'm smoking a free turkey I got and I made Italian wedding soup. The girls are disappointed that we won't be eating chinese food! LOL!
Have a beautiful and merry Christmas everyone!!
1. Way back when it was always a star - quite hideous, actually, especially atop the fake scotch pine. There is a star on the tree where I'm staying now.
2. We always opened presents on Christmas morning.
3. Compromise? I have no clue.
Should totally do a post about some of my Childhood christmas memories...
Forgot #4: turkey, always turkey.
Just did a post on WC's Christmases past.
Is your tree topped with a star or an angel? STAR
Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Depends on when the kids will be with us and not my ex.
"rommegrot for dessert" What's that?
We each get one Santa gift each year, wrapped differently from all the rest.
How has your family compromised about whose traditions would be adopted in your family? There was nothing to compromise on, we've got very similar rituals.
What do you eat for Christmas dinner? Standing rib roast. Mmmmm!
Okay, now I'm hungry and wanting to rip open presents! :-)
Monica, with kids it's easy to start new traditions but damned near impossible to change them once you've started. ;)
LOVED your post WC!
VV, a LOT of new traditions have emerged with divorced families. It really doesn't matter WHEN you celebrate, as long as you're together. ;)
Rommegrot is a Norwegian pudding made from heavy cream and flour, and served sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. My Mom always had this Christmas Eve when she was a kid. It took me years to find the RIGHT recipe for this.
We don't get Christmas trees so there's no fight about the topper. I do like your star, though.
We both opened presents Christmas morning as kids. (you know Santa and all??) But now I can't wait so we always open ours on Christmas Eve.
Ichabod really doesn't care so he just goes with what I want. Works for me. :-)
On Christmas Eve Ichabod and I used to have a big turkey, potatoes, etc., dinner with his family. But since we've lived in apartments that's right out. Starting last year Ichabod's sister has been having family over for a meal.
On Christmas day we go see my mother and have some kind of snack. Then we go to his mom's and she has a big buffet of deli meat, sandwich fixin's, and tons of homemade baked goods.
There are no fist fights, though.
Squirl, I like it when they do things OUR way! ;)
NO fist fights? Not even Bucky?
Is your tree topped with a star or an angel?
Actually, neither. It used to be an angel, but I had to retire it (30 years of battering will do that to an ornament). Now I top the tree with this hideous fake poinsettia bloom that I picked up at WalMart. I, of course, love it -- it's silver with rainbow-y glitter all over it. So tacky.
Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
Christmas Eve. And my family does the "keep it from getting out of control" thing -- we draw names in November. You only buy for one person and there's supposedly a spending limit. :)
How has your family compromised about whose traditions would be adopted in your family?
We've moved everything to Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is open for celebrating with the significant other's family. Also, my mom worked in some "edible" food for us finicky eaters for Christmas Eve -- see next question.
What do you eat for Christmas dinner?
Herring. I had an uncle that called Christmas Eve "HerringFest." I'm Lithuanian, and my parents stick with the cold fish entrees for Christmas Eve. (Yum! Er, no. Luckily there's also a mushroom dumpling course.) There's also a few traditional non-fish dishes, like kisielius (a cranberry pudding) and slizikai (What the hell are they? They're like little balls of dough, sort of crouton-y). Christmas Day, it's pretty much what my mom feels like making -- this year, it's steaks. My brother will be off celebrating with his girlfriend's family, but since I'll be starving from the night before (except for the mounds of cookies), I'm looking forward to that dinner. :)
That was fun! Have a lovely holiday!!
Thanks -r; that was fascinating, and quite similar to my Mom's Christmas Eve when she was a child. Her Norwegian family had Lutefisk(yuck), klub(blood sausage that's sliced, fried, and served with butter and syrup), lefse, and rommegrot.
It's a shame that we only make our traditional ethnic dishes at Christmas. Although with some foods, once a year is too much! ;)
Have a safe and wonderful Christmas!
We have a star--used to have an angel.
We eat Mexican food on Christmas Eve with my side of the family in honor of my grandfather, who was an excellent Mexican-food chef.
We eat Beef Wellington or Prime Rib with my hubby's family on Christmas day.
So we get to open presents on both days. We compromised the Christmas Eve or Christmas day with the deal that Thanksgiving day is spent with my family, the next day with Dan's family and the Christmas Eve belongs to my family while Christmas Day is with Dan's. It's a great way to work it out.
You've got the family thing down to a science Sadie. Very diplomatic and DOUBLE the fun!
The big fight in L's family this year is, which family gets to have Christmas. It's getting ugly and I'm so thankful that we're 300 miles away from it!
Since the animals have destroyed the tree, we had to take it down, but I believe Shelley had the Angel on top this year (some years a star, some an angel)
we open gifts on Chritsmas morning. Followed by a breakfast of crustless quiche and biscuits and gravy.
Dinner is early afternoon. It is always a brisket, and either a ham or turkey. There is always mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, corn, green bean casserole, lime/applesauce/gingerale jello salad or goldenglo (orange jello, pineapple, shredded carrots) or both. ALWAYS potato rolls. Always Dutch Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie
And, of course, the Blue/Grey game.
having said that, this year we are completley undoing tradition this year. We are celebrating on New years day. Brunch of quiche and biscuits and gravy. Football, open gifts at about 7, dinner at 8. Dinner will be brisket, ham, au gratin potaotes, green bean casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie.
New Years Eve we will be in Grand Rapids for a hockey game (hence brunch instead of breakfast)
Don't let Bucky know I told, but she's really a sweetie. But if that got out it'd ruin her reputation. ;-)
I'm REALLY proud of you now, Mark! You have an extra week to shop and you're still done with your shopping. What a guy!!
I'm coming to your house for Christmas breakfast. I LOVE biscuits and gravy, but my family hates them. :(
My kids' favorite jello is any red jello with applesauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Our son-in-law discovered the joys of green bean casserole when they spent Christmas with us. SME won't make it for him cuz she hates green beans. Sorry Doug!
Did you and Squirl work out the details of getting together before the game?
Squirl, Bucky's secret is safe with me. I LOVE her twisted sense of humor. She'd fit right into our family!
"It's a shame that we only make our traditional ethnic dishes at Christmas. Although with some foods, once a year is too much! ;)
I am assuming you are referring to lutefisk!
My grandmother once made a traditonal english chrismas pudding. Thankfully, that tradition only lasted one year!
You are welcome to breakfast at my house anytime. How very unmidwestern of them not to like biscuits and gravy!
And i will be ontacting Squirl first of the week about meeting at the B.O.B.
Fortunately the lutefisk tradition died with my maternal grandfather. My Dad is the only one in the family that likes it, and he's German. Weirdo! ;)
I'd MUCH rather have cream sauce in the form of biscuits and gravy than covering quivery fish!!
I'd better go put my Thanksgiving turkey carcass on to boil and stir up my noodles.
We'll all be joining SME, Doug, and Demi by webcam this afternoon to open our gifts from each other.
Star vs angel? Neither. Used to have an angel but lost it.
Opening presents? Christmas Eve.
As for family, Mrs. Z never really had a family until she met mine. Now my family is her family so I naturally, we follow our traditions 100%.
Christmas dinner? We pigged out. The Mrs. made two pies and we took them over to her girlfriend's house. Her girlfriend made pot roast. I think we gained ten pounds, which is a good thing because we're both heck of skinny. It's almost Wednesday, so that weight unfortunately is already gone. :(
L has a metabolism like that too. I'm jealous of ALL of you! :(
Sounds like you guys had a great time together. Isn't it the pits that we have to quit having fun and go back to work?
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