2007-12-06 00:36:27 · 13 answers · asked by ladysosureone 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
We all go to my mother's house and she reads the book ,"The Night Before Christmas" to the children, then Santa "lands" on the roof and Mom goes out and tells him the kids are all going home to bed, please wait to visit them until they are asleep.
My dad bangs on the roof, and it's like a sleigh landing, and he rings some big jingle bells. It's been going on for years, and even my grown kids like it.
We also go out as a family and look at the Christmas lights then have hot chocolate together afterwards.
2007-12-06 05:04:15 · answer #1 · answered by toomeymimi 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well , my father took us to look at christmas lights every year while looking at the christmas lights he use to let me , my brother and my sister take turn sitting in his lap and control the steering wheel. God I miss those days. Then we would go eat pizza at pizza hut.
I have two games for a christmas tradition that I have started,
for couples or my family.
Secret Santa Present:
I have them draw names out of a hat, boys draw the boys names and then girls draw girls. The name you draw is the person who you buy a regular christmas present. The fun is you can not tell anyone the name you drew. NOT EVEN YOUR PARTNER! If you draw you couple's name out of the hat you have to redraw a new name. You spend how ever much you want on this person. Then are 12:00 am on christmas morning you sit is a big circle and then you (yourself, the host) call names from a list. When that name is called that person stands up and give their gift to the person that they drew. Sound fun?
Whit elephant Gifts:
Each couple goes out and buys (4) 10 dollar gifts together, 2 for a boys and 2 for a girls. Then after the first game is done then you take all the gift and divide them in to 2 piles. One girl pile and the other pile for boys. Then each person draws a number out of the hat. this is based one how many people are there, example if there are 12 people participating then you put 12numbers in a hat, (1-12). Which means there should be 24 presents total. Who ever has number 1 start the exchange. He/she will go to the pile and chosse a gift. He/she will open it and let everyone see what he/she has recieved. The second person who draws #2 can either steal the gift or choose another from the pile. And so on and so forth. If the first person's gift is stolen then then he/she gets to either steal it back steal, or can choose some other gift someone has chosen or they can choose from the pile. If a gift has been stolen twice it is locked with the last person and can not be stolen again. Once the first round is over then you start a second round. Every person should end up with two white elephant gifts. Do you like it?
I hope I have explained everything thoroughly.
If you are confused and want to ask a question please respond to my post i will kindly answer it.
2007-12-06 08:50:13 · answer #2 · answered by soldierb 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Every Christmas morning after doing the presants thing with family- I go downmtown with a carton of Marlboro reds, a carton of Newports and tons of matches and pass out packs of cigarettes to the homeless. I don't even smoke anymore, but there was a time when I was homeless too and I'll never forget the generosity I found from the people around me- I found that the person who could least afford to spare change are always the ones who will do it. I can remember wondering were my next cigarette would come from and that cigarette was one of the only things I could focus on- I want to give some people the releive of worrying for just one day about where there next smoke will come from.
I don't care if this is politically correct or not, it's MY special Christmas tradition.
2007-12-06 10:48:53 · answer #3 · answered by Erin M 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A lot of family's travel to pick out a live Christmas tree. I went to school in the mountains of NC (Christmas tree home). The w/e following Thanksgiving the roads were packed with people strapping Christmas trees to the top of their car.
My husband and I decorate it together. This year we made our own ornaments. Look up how to make cinnamon ornaments--they smell great and look better than the salt dough ones.
My grandmother always hides a small gift on the tree so the kids have to look for little boxes on the tree. When we were kids (now the baby is 21 so we don't do this anymore), we used to always put fresh candycanes on the tree for snacks.
Growing up we had a gumdrop tree. I'd always put the gumdrops on all the branches and that stayed out all through December. If you are super creative you could make a gingerbread house.
My best friend married a Jewish guy so they celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas. Basically they get a lot of little gifts (kinda like the stocking idea) and open one each day in Hannukah fashion, then the biggest gift on Christmas. A lot of families allow you to open one gift on Christmas eve but with families that is difficult as we do my husbands side of the family on Christmas Eve.
A couple of our close friends are Catholic and for close to 10 years, my husband has gone to midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
Some towns go all out with Christmas lights. McAdenville is one of them, near Charlotte. If you have a town like that, go and drive through.
http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/
Each year have someone responsible for different items. As my first year married, I'm responsible for the ham. My little cousin makes the punch and gets into making sherbert rings and finding new recipes.
A lot of company's do cookie exchanges. Have everyone bake a dozen cookies. They each take one cookie from everyone's bin so that you end up with 12 different cookies. (Warning: make sure no one invited has peanut allergies)
One thing I really like is at my mother's side of the family, Christmas is formal. Everyone dresses up in nice clothing. Ties are optional, but men where nice dress pants and a button up shirt. Women usually wear a dress. My husband's family thought it was so funny that I was semi-dressed for Thanksgiving (I was wearing work clothes--black pants and boots with some sweater--but everyone else was in jeans and sweatshirts). I found it odd that his family is less about the food and more about the wine served.
Try looking up Christmas traditions from whatever country you are from. When people immigrated here they each brought their traditions. If your family is Irish or German, look up German Christmas traditions. Most traditions are started by the merging of two families so when you marry and start your own family, you'll be making your own traditions.
Hope these give you some ideas. GL!
2007-12-06 09:00:19 · answer #4 · answered by phantom_of_valkyrie 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We have an advent wreath and a devotional that we do every Sunday before Christmas.
Baking Christmas cookies together--you can actually do a cookie exchange, where everyone bakes like 6 dozen of their favorite cookie and then you exchange them among the people who come.
When we open gifts, each person opens their gifts one at a time so everyone can see and appreciate what everyone else gets instead of it just being a free-for-all.
Just some ideas. Merry Christmas!
2007-12-06 08:49:59 · answer #5 · answered by Starfall 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I started a tradition of having a brunch and cookie baking party at my house, it was so successful that I am doing it for the third time this Sunday. We have brunch, then some games like cookie bingo, then each guest picks a recipe out of a santa hat and we bake. Afterwards we each take a few of everyones cookies and we get a nice selection.
2007-12-06 08:59:36 · answer #6 · answered by Maria b 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For the last couple of years, my family and I have gone to Denny's for a Christmas breakfast after we open our presents. Our city has a lot of elderly people living here, so we've started picking a elderly person, by themselves, and buying their breakfast for them as a Christmas gift. When our waitress brings us our check, we just tell her that we'd like to pay for the person we've chosen and she'll tell the customer we're paying. On the way out of the restaurant, I go up to the person and wish them a Merry Christmas. It's a feeling you can't describe.
2007-12-06 08:51:22 · answer #7 · answered by 2Beagles 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yeah I have this Christmas village from things @ Home Depot (u can also get stuff 4 it at most stores LIKE Home Depot, 2) and every year I get more pieces like tiny people and houses and stuff. You buy the things seperately, so that way you can create it however u want. Mine is spread out on this enormous table, and I have fake snow and stuff all around it. It's really cool, and I think that u would like it.
2007-12-06 08:57:47 · answer #8 · answered by Stacey R 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Me and my friends do a gift exchange but I don't know if that is neat... My family also takes turns stuffing the turkey =)
Merry Christmas
2007-12-06 08:41:15 · answer #9 · answered by I Love Emanuel! 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We go out every christmas eve and look at all the christmas lights and decorations. We watch christmas movies..
2007-12-06 08:59:42 · answer #10 · answered by Silver Moon 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋