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Christmas
Present
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Judy from Virginia
October 27, 2003
We always made applesauce or fresh coconut cake, gingerbread cookies,
eggnog, jet candy and used ribbon from packages to make a paper chain (just
circles intertwined) to add to the tree. Each year the chain gets longer and
everyone remembers their special ribbons from the years before.
Momof5 from SC.
September 30, 2003
Sometimes we wrap small 1.00 gifts for each child and have
the 12 days of Christmas. (Using different colored ribbons for each different
person) Letting them open one each, each passing day until the Big Day. On
Christmas Eve we usually have A Jesus Birthday Party by candlelight. We pray for
friends and relatives and those we don't know. We sing Christmas songs and
church songs. We thank God for our blessings and remember his love for us .We
enjoy Cake and Ice Cream and the fellowship with each other. Sometimes we then
have Christmas after that usually at midnight and sleep in on Christmas day then
get up to a feast of Ham/Turkey and all the trimmings.
Jessica from
Massachusetts
November
21, 2002
Every year when we were little
we would go to my Grandmother's house on Christmas Eve and plant candy canes.
When we got to her house all the kids were given a round starlight mint (looks
like a round candy cane). She then took us outside, and we "planted" our mints
in the snow or earth, and she gave us each a little handful of her special
"magic Christmas snow" given to her directly from Santa (it was actually just
clear or silver glitter). We then sprinkled it on the "seeds" and waited to the
next morning. When we woke, we would go outside to find that our candy cane
"seeds" had grown into full size candy canes overnight! (She would exchange them
when we were sleeping) Mind you she always reminded us that this could only
happen on Christmas Eve, and you had to have the special "magic snow" for it to
work. And though my Grandmother is no longer with us, I still think of her as
being magical!
KYMM from Texas
October 15, 2002
Every year, my family would go
out on the day after Thanksgiving and hunt down the perfect Christmas tree. It
was always fun trying to find that one special tree. One year we had an added
bonus of a white Christmas tree hunt. I will always remember my mom kissing the
stump after dad cut the tree down. Then we would go in for hot chocolate or
coffee to warm us up. I have tried to keep this tradition up with my kids, but
with these days of artificial everything, it's hard to get kids into anything
REAL!
Taryn
December 04, 2001
Some time during the month of
December we have a snowball fight. Since Southern CA is short on snow I made
snowballs out of new socks stuffed with batting. My friend's family uses
marshmallows. Merry Christmas!
Bernie-Manitoba
Canada
November
29, 2001
When I
was a Child, we would put out cookies and milk for Santa before going to bed.
After we fell asleep my parents worked hard rapping all the gifts. When we woke
up Christmas morning, the cookies were eaten, milk was drunk, and there were
gifts under the tree! We woke up early, but mom and Dad wanted to sleep for a
few more hours. So we watched Cartoon until they got up, and got the camera
ready. Now, my husband and I open our stockings on Christmas Eve. We open our
gifts on Christmas day. And we visit family on Christmas Day. We even have
stocking for our cats!
Dennis in Salt
Lake
November 28,
2001
A night or
two before Christmas, when the kids are all wound up for the BIG day, our power
seemed to go out. The lanterns were lit and the flashlights came out. We would
tell the kids to go get their pillows and blankets off their beds and bring them
in by the fireplace to stay warm. I had placed the Christmas storybooks close by
to read. To remember the looks on their faces as we told stories by firelight,
the sparkle in their eyes, wrapped in their blankets. We have a wood-burning
stove so we heated a pot of water as we read and soon we had a cup of hot
chocolate to go with the stories, we spent all night out there by the fireplace.
My wife and I and our kids would have a sleep over on the floor, then after the
kids went to sleep, I would go outside and turn the power back on. They never
seemed to notice that all the other houses had power when we didn't, and that
the Christmas story books just happened to be in by the fire place, and that mom
just happened to have hot chocolate close by. We have done this for several
years now and our kids start questioning if the power will go out this year
again. They look forward to the stories by the fireplace, hot cocoa, and our
family sleep over on the floor. We played games, romped around and watched their
glow of the fire; it is the best of times. Soon we can start the tradition with
our grandkids.
lysh
November 23, 2001
My family always eats split pea
soup after the Christmas Eve service at church. Then we read the Christmas story
and open one gift. It is required to be small. Then in the morning we always get
an ornament in our stocking and a family ornament that somehow represents how we
have grown or things we have done during that year. We always draw names from a
hat for who does whose stocking so that we all get to share in the fun!
Lenora
November 17, 2001
On Christmas Eve we open one gift, P.J.'s wearing those to
bed. And on Christmas morning .I make sure the beds are made breakfast is cooked
and ate and cleaned up. (My son actually likes this, even though it is hard to
wait) My Son and I pray for those that don't have as much as we do (third world
countries) Then we open presents.
Mary
Ellen
November
14, 2001
In
Europe, on Dec. 6 the kids wake up to find that their shoes that they have
placed by the fireplace the night before have been filled with treats and little
presents. We do this at my house and each year my brother and I get a new
ornament in our shoe to hang on the tree and admire for the rest of the
Christmas season.
Adrienne
November 09, 2001
Every Christmas Eve my family and I get all dressed up and
go to the Christmas Eve service and after that we go to Arby's to eat dinner.
After that we come home and sit in front of the warm fire and each of us open
one gift, pajamas, we wear those p.j.'s to bed and then the next morning we open
all of the gifts and go to my grandmothers house for a wonderful Christmas
day.
Pat Wenger
February 24, 2001
I have just started a Christmas
tradition. This past Christmas our finances were pretty low so I thought about
how I could give my little great nieces and nephews a present that they would
remember. I invited all of them (15) over to my house for a gingerbread house
party. I made all the little houses and had them set up for the children to
decorate. Each child had to bring a different candy to share with others and a
parent to help out. They also had to bring an item for the food bank so that
they would learn about giving too. We were so pleased when the children created
unique and special houses of their very own with very little help. We all had a
great time and the parents helped to clean up afterwards. We are going to do
this every year to get the little ones together for a day at Auntie’s Panties
house. They are all looking forward to next year.
Kathy
December 22, 2000
Every year my husband and I get
both our children an ornament and a family game. On Christmas Eve they get to
open their ornament and add it to the tree. Then we open our family game and
play it that evening, giving us some great family time together. My children
love their ornaments and I will truly miss them all hanging on our tree when
they grow up and take their ornaments for their own family tree!
Natalie-- Christmas in Toronto
Canada
December
18, 2000
On
Christmas eve our family opens all our gifts, then we visit relatives on
Christmas day, eat, eat and eat again. When we were small (when Santa was real)
my mother would wake us by jingling bells and claiming that she saw Santa
leaving from the roof. We would wake up suddenly to find Christmas music,
eggnog, treats and a ton of gifts for the entire family. Now that my siblings
and I have grown up, we sleep in on Christmas day instead, then we journey for
the day and spend valuable time with cousins, aunts, uncles and
Grandparents.
Beth
December 17, 2000
My favorite Christmas tradition
when I was a child was to go over to my Grandmothers house the week before
Christmas while all my Aunts and Cousins were there and make crustella, an
Italian Christmas confection that is deep fried and filled with honey and
almonds. It took the whole family to make one batch of 100 cookies! Each of us
had a job according to our age. I was the youngest, so for the longest time I
was in charge of shelling the almonds. We would have the best time catching up
on the family news, singing and having fun. As most of my family lived out of
state, this was the only time of year we could all be together. Christmas a day
we would all gather together at Nana's house again to exchange gifts. There were
always surprise visitors that would drop by, and they always left with
Crustella!
The New August Family
November 29,
2000
Me an my
husband always open one present on Christmas Eve at midnight, later at night I
fill our stockings with goodies, even the kitten has a little stocking with
treats. Then on Christmas morning we get our cup of eggnog and go over to the
Christmas tree and start opening presents while we listen to Christmas music,
The kitten gets a special gift too.
Maryanne
November 14, 2000
On Christmas Eve we attend 4:30
children's Mass as a family. We then go home, have fondue, the only time of the
year we have it, and watch, Christmas Vacation. our two daughters are allowed to
open one gift, it's always new pajamas, to wear to bed. On one is allowed
downstairs until 8:00 a.m.! We gather around the tree, they open their stocking
first while I make coffee and put the turkey in the oven. Then we open all the
other presents, eat a big breakfast of omelets and bacon and spend the rest of
the day relaxing and eating.
Holly
January 12, 2000
When
I was a child, the most unusually tradition I remember is the "New Year's Ball".
I think my mother got the I idea from a Chinese holiday. She would wrap small
trinkets in streamers of various colors. Once completed, she would decorate the
ball to look like a reindeer, snowman, elf, etc. They would arrive on Christmas
and my siblings and I had to wait until New Year's Day to open them. It was
always fun to open them and play in the steamers afterwards.
Morgan and Yulia
January 05,
2000
Morgan: For Christmas I went to Arkansas. I spent the night on
my dad's land. On Christmas Eve I spent the night at our friends house in
Oklahoma. Yulia: I spent Christmas at home. I had a big dinner.
sara
December 25,
1999
Well, I have two very different households. My mom and I are
non-traditional Jews, while my dad and step-dad were raised catholic and
Lutheran. S/d practices the religion of intellect, while my dad is in his funky
mid-life eastern tantrum and motorcycle fase. I spend the eve at my father's. He
used to love dress up as Santa so much I couldn't get him to stop 'til I was 17.
He's a psychologist to boot, with some very quirky patients. One of my favorite
rituals is the bags and bags of gifts from one in particular. Every gift has
"meaning" from the limb less Barbie to an old newspaper. Each carefully wrapped.
I have more fun with her gifts than with my own. At my mom's, we always open
gifts in the morning by own tree and menorah, then later mom, my step-dad, any
guests, and I go see a Woody Allen flick. Has anyone ever noticed that one comes
out every Xmas time?
Sara
December 25,
1999
'Tis I again. :) I thought I'd share some traditions I hope to
start when I've a family of my own. :) "Santa Claus" is a ...fun...tradition -
but I think it turns a very sacred holiday into something that "anyone" can
celebrate. I hope to teach my children of St. Nicholas, the kind and generous
man. As December 6 is his "saint's day", I hope to fill my little ones' socks
that day or evening. :) Christmas Eve/Day services will certainly remain a part
of my celebration!...as will Christmas Day stockings or shoes - but the gifts
(blessings) will be from Jesus! :) I also hope to celebrate the Magi's
gift-giving by celebrating with small gifts on Epiphany, January 6, the
traditional date of their arrival at the Christ-child's manger. P.S. FYI, I'm a
twenty-year old college student from central IL. :)
Sara
December 25,
1999
A sense of anticipation permeates the air as everyone
(well...the girls, anyway :) puts last-minute touches on our Christmas Eve (CE)
attire; then it's off to CE service. After the service - with a traditional
candle lighting, of course! - We take family pictures in front of the parlor
fireplace. Gifts are loaded into baskets and we take the short drive to
Grandpapa's for our Christmas celebration there, with includes gift-opening,
homemade cocoa, and an hors d'oeuvres supper. Christmas morning stockings are
opened before CDay service; after church, family gifts are opened. :)
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