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Christmas Traditions?

Posted by lordiwanttobewhole • 12/01/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: christmas, meaning, traditions

What Christmas traditions have you started and is their signifigant meaning to these traditions?

Are there any traditions you have done away with?

User Comments

12/01/08

dhirendra

i am not aware with christmas traditions. i like you share here, so a non christian person like me also come to know the traditions. we do have traditions at the time of our NEW YEAR that's diwali.

Let's talk and share.

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12/01/08

lordiwanttobewhole

I will start this year by giving gifts that are not so much commercialized, more handmade gifts or from individual shops rather than chains.

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12/01/08

dhirendra

i am not adviseing you but you know what i am doing here. when a friend of mine is having birthday than i always give him a good book as birthday gift. people know and sometime many people let me know in advanse that i buy this book for them as their birthday gift.

i strongly believe good book reading is best gift to someone we love and care.

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12/01/08

Future

Well , we don't celebrate christmas much here. But we do wish each other.

Though I like the traditions of giving gifts,spending time with family and eating lots of sweets kinda traditions.

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12/01/08

burningwindmil

I rather like the bizarre christmas traditions people have, I would like to know what people do on christmas day, what they do before..Ill share some of my odd things i must do

I must have a cider christmas morning
on boxing day i boil the giblets for gravy
I have to watch the great escape

:-)

I would be so interested in hearing more! - i will stalk this thread

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1. 12/02/08
  
  jafabrit
  
  I have to have cider too, but usually with christmas dinner
12/01/08

lordiwanttobewhole

We usually eat lobster in Nova Scotia where I live because we live in the Lobster Capital! Mmmmm...lobster dip and hot lobster!

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12/01/08

LynneaUrania

I have done away with the Christmas tradition altogether.

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1. 12/01/08
  
  timethief
  
  The only part I have retained is singing to elders and shut-ins in the caroling group.
  I did away with all the rest years ago.
12/01/08

timethief

I celebrate Winter Solstice and my traditions include:
Making evergreen wreaths for my own home and for friends - Douglas fir boughs are easy to come by and the flexible fragrant green boughs of Western red cedar make it especially appealing for wreathe making. thistimethisspace.com/2007/12/21/make-an-evergreen-wreath/
Caroling (elders and shut-ins) and consuming hot spiced wine and oatmeal raison cookies afterward - recipe here thistimethisspace.com/2007/12/20/cooking-and-caroling/
A huge pagan potluck Solstice celebration, including music, singing and dancing, bon fire, wishes tree, lantern parade, etc.

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1. 12/02/08
  
  Anok
  
  I wanna go! I wanna go!!
12/01/08

FourfoldMom

I have friends who celebrate Winter Solstice too. But I am a lover of all things Christmas. The music plays throughout the month of December. We light the candles at the table every night -just to make dining a little extra special. And we always have to watch the same holiday classics - like The Christmas Story, A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life, and Christmas Vacation. And it snows a lot here - usually - so we head out for a sleigh ride on Christmas Eve. And to answer your other question, I haven't really dropped a tradition .. I just keep adding more!

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12/01/08

lordiwanttobewhole

I hope to help out with a food drive, soup kitchen or adopt a family this year. It really is the meaning of Christmas to give.

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1. 12/01/08
  
  timethief
  
  I give to the emergency food program all year round. I also give to the holiday hampers fund and the gifts for kids funds every year. I served on the free community Christmas dinner action committee for 25 years and now I'm taking a break.
12/01/08

lordiwanttobewhole

Good for you Timethief! Thanks for sharing this, it is inspiring!

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12/02/08

lordiwanttobewhole

Are there any traditions that have been passed on in your family that you have stopped? and why?

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12/02/08

lordiwanttobewhole

My family usually opens one present for Christmas eve and it is usually pyjamas!

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1. 12/02/08
  
  Anok
  
  Same for my family!
12/02/08

jafabrit

Usually we have a cup of tea, empty the christmas stocking, then start opening pressies, then have brekkers, and another cup of tea. Dinner is usually at 2 (turkey, yorkshire puds, roasted tatties/veggies, brussels, marrowfat peas and then trifle -plum pud and brandy sauce for moi) and we pull christmas crackers first, tell the stupid jokes, and then tuck in.
Here is the set up from last year
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYFt7k-oHM8

Not a great video but I made it for family overseas to share.

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1. 12/02/08
  
  lordiwanttobewhole
  
  Thanks for the video! I'm checking it out now... beautiful home!
12/02/08

cranelegs

when we were kids, once the tree was trimmed, my brothers and i would crawl under the tree and check for squirrels. well at age fifty something, i still do it but with my 23 year old son. haven't caught a squirrel yet but have a feeling this could be the year (there are three flying squirrels who have made the walls home and occasionally come out to picnic on candy and dropped dog food.)

anyway, i wrote a rather long short story about the traditions growing up in the sixties at age ten. you might find it enjoyable if you have twenty to thirty minutes to spare.

cranelegspond.blogspot.com/2007/03/aunt-bibbits-christmas-calamity.html

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12/02/08

lordiwanttobewhole

Thanks for adding that link...I'll check it out!

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12/02/08

Anok

Let's see, aside from what TT posted - and the one present on Christmas Eve tradition, we also have a tradition of searching for the Christmas spider on the tree (there's a whole story about that), and we have a traditional Danish breakfast, after the stocking shave been emptied, and the presents opened and cleaned.

Then we have a big dinner, of ham, rich potatoes, and other yummies.

After that we all pass out, because we get up at like, 5 am

One tradition I've done away with was "the bell" the dreaded dinner bell. During dinner, everyone had to ring it and make a toast. It got so annoying that we stopped forcing people to make toasts, and simply let them if they want to.

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12/02/08

Shiley

On Christmas eve we open one gift, we sing carols, and I read Luke 2 which I am the only one to do this because I'm the best reader and it's real wordy.

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12/02/08

lordiwanttobewhole

I'd like to start a tradition of doing a Christmas eve reading....

This sounds corny but as a kid i heard Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers album and to this day I need to hear it to get into the Christmas mood!

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1. 12/02/08
  
  Shiley
  
  I just put all of my x-mas music in my media player I have to listen to it every time I house clean.
2. 12/02/08
  
  lordiwanttobewhole
  
  Sounds like a good idea Shiley!