Your Family's Holiday Traditions!

[lonesomexloveus]

i don't care which winter holiday you celebrate, tell me about your traditions!

we always decorate the house and put up the tree the weekend after thanksgiving, so it gets to stay up as long as possible.

i've always opened presents on the morning of christmas eve (until recently when i've had to work then, then just opened them whenever i got home from work). that stems from when i was a little kid and we went 2 hours away to my babka's house (no, not the food. she was literally from poland and it also means 'old woman' in polish. she had a warped sense of humor.) and had a traditional polish christmas eve dinner and went to midnight mass. we didn't have time to open them at home on christmas morning since we slept over at my grandparents and had christmas there the next day.

we still have pierogies on christmas eve, though now they're mrs. t's instead of homemade ones.

[kirbypuckett]

My family is so small and broken that traditions don't really exist much anymore, that bums me out, but what we have is nice.

On Christmas Eve we go to my Uncle's and he makes a ton of seafood (clams, crablegs, oysters, shrimp, etc...), we eat, drink, share presents w/ my cousins, hang out, go home.

We used to open presents at my parent's house on Christmas morning, however, since my g/f lives in WV and we head that way on Christmas we open gifts at my parent's on Christmas Eve night.

[kouka]

for me, my wife, and my 11 yr old daughter, I make whatever (WHATEVER) they want for dinner. I do the same thing on Thanksgiving.

usually my daughter will pick choc-chip pancakes and my wife loves my vegan mac+cheese.

when I was growing up, i had this crazy aunt (by marriage) that my mom would let my brother and I open the present the day they arrived. examples (from age 10-14):

1. tea towels with embroidered poinsettias with a note that said "save these for when you get to college". I was 10 for that one.

2. wind socks with our names on them. colors used: green, purple, and silver fabrics.

3. a sausage log. A SAUSAGE LOG. for our entire family. the greatest thing about this gift was that the box it was in said "keep refrigerated" - she sent it regular mail.

[kurtz]

First we put up the aluminum pole, in the center of the living room.

During the family dinner we have our annual Airing of Grievances, where we go around the table telling each other how they have disappointed us this year.

After the meal we move on to the Feats of Strength, where I wrestle my father on the floor. The holiday cannot end until I successfully pin my father.

[mattisr1984]

First we put up the aluminum pole, in the center of the living room.

During the family dinner we have our annual Airing of Grievances, where we go around the table telling each other how they have disappointed us this year.

After the meal we move on to the Feats of Strength, where I wrestle my father on the floor. The holiday cannot end until I successfully pin my father.

lol.

[jhulud]

kurtz with the win!

[beneathbelow]

My mom always makes, Huge pans of Enchiladas for Christmas. I dont know how this tradition got started.

[controlthebleeding]

First we put up the aluminum pole, in the center of the living room.

During the family dinner we have our annual Airing of Grievances, where we go around the table telling each other how they have disappointed us this year.

After the meal we move on to the Feats of Strength, where I wrestle my father on the floor. The holiday cannot end until I successfully pin my father.

i seriously just watched this last night..

xmas eve: eat and have lots of desserts.

xmas: open gifts, eat, eat more, drink, and then someone would get into a fight. never failed for 8 years straight. we had two meals on xmas day we had tamales, menudo, rice, beans, pan dulce (various and pink cake), and homemade pan de polvo and capitutata for lunch, and a traditional xmas dinner of ham/turkey/roast for dinner with the various fixins of course. it was a pretty fuckin' awesome. after my dad passed it all went downhill. now only half show up but the same traditions still apply. i'll be eating like a champ this xmas. i can't wait for it.

[midatlanticmauler]

My wife's family goes to waffle house every Christmas eve. When I was told of this tradition I was pretty stoked. Needless to say I make sure this keeps going every year!

[saxamaphone]

Alcoholism.

[djones0930]

FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US!

But, if I cannot successfully participate in that, I go to WV and have some emotional rollercoaster ride brunch/lunch with my mom, her 76 yr old sugardaddy (not really...just some old friend of hers who takes care of her because's had a lot of issues like bankruptcy and cancer..), brother and sister n law, and my two nephews...I receive my gifts which typically are strange alarm clocks and keychains even though each year I tell them NOT to give me anything

Then I eat with a friend's family

Then I eat dinner at my uncle's house along with a shit ton of the rest of my family. I love that side of the family. I definitely enjoy seeing my cousin because he always brings me free Levi's since he works for Levi's corporate.

So anyway, my family traditionz consists of a lot of amazing food and super awesome people. I also haven't seen a Christmas tree in my Dad's house since 2002. Much less anything regarding the Holidays haha

[papermonsters]

we just watch a christmas story for like 3 straight days near christmas.

[kyleevanswastaken]

Shouting at each other pretty much sums my Christmas up.

[jimmythescumbag]

Shouting at each other pretty much sums my Christmas up.

lol

[Guest errolwest]

alcohol, bad Ukrainian food, and disappointment on christmas eve, gifts and turkey on christmas day, then a trip to the family cabin on boxing day.

[circlingvultures]

I usually work Xmas eve day shift and then Xmas day night shift. At night on Xmas eve we go to my girlfriends parents. Her dad is an amazing cook. He breaks the meal up so we eat then go sit and talk and then go eat and drink and talk and repeat for 3-4 courses. After that we open up gifts and drink wine by the fire place until everyone falls asleep.

Xmas day I go to my parents house and visit with my mom and dad and siblings and my 2 nieces. I usually miss dinner since I have to work.

The day after Xmas I always have off and go watch the Bills V Patriots game in generally a lot of snow.

[xxmartinxx]

we still have pierogies on christmas eve, though now they're mrs. t's instead of homemade ones.

No one should have to eat Mrs. T's pierogies.

[silentgods]

Christmas Eve we eat ham and german food and open presents. and generally be loud drunk Germans.

Christmas Day another feast with german food and loud Germans. except, a christmas story is on all day on tv.

[benchwarmer]

Every year I invite my wife's parents Arthur and Francis, my own parents Clark and Nora, and my Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis to spend the holidays at my house in Chicago. I'm obsessed with making everything go perfectly during the holiday season, but as soon as everyone arrives, things start going haywire, especially when we receive some uninvited surprise guests from Kansas -- cousin Catherine, her sloppy husband Eddie, and two of their kids, Rocky and Ruby Sue. I decorate the outside of the house with 250 strands of lights with 100 bulbs on each strand for a total of 25,000 light bulbs, enough to make the power company turn on their auxiliary nuclear generator. I also annoy my snobby next door neighbors -- Todd Chester and his wife Margo. Even with my bumbling ways, I manage to keep things going as I wait for my Christmas bonus from work so I'll have enough money to have a swimming pool put in the back yard. But it turns out that my boss, a scrooge whose name is Frank Shirley, does not intend to give out any Christmas bonuses this year, and this causes me to snap and act crazy. This situation gives Eddie the idea for the perfect Christmas gift for me after I offer to help Eddie treat Rocky and Ruby Sue to a good Christmas.

[silentgods]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SHITTER WAS FULL!

[kurtz]

benchwarmer FTW

[martyk36]

i don't care which winter holiday you celebrate, tell me about your traditions!

we always decorate the house and put up the tree the weekend after thanksgiving, so it gets to stay up as long as possible.

i've always opened presents on the morning of christmas eve (until recently when i've had to work then, then just opened them whenever i got home from work). that stems from when i was a little kid and we went 2 hours away to my babka's house (no, not the food. she was literally from poland and it also means 'old woman' in polish. she had a warped sense of humor.) and had a traditional polish christmas eve dinner and went to midnight mass. we didn't have time to open them at home on christmas morning since we slept over at my grandparents and had christmas there the next day.

we still have pierogies on christmas eve, though now they're mrs. t's instead of homemade ones.

Sorry to join the party late, but, Alison, I too am polish-and after my grandma died my mom and dad kept the pierogi making tradition going every christmas. They made like 150 this year. Homemade pierogis are sooooo. freaking. good.

[djones0930]

I'd eat all 150 pierogis. I fucking love pierogis.

[controlthebleeding]

I'd eat all 150 pierogis. I fucking love pierogis.

to this day i've never had pierogis. and i've lived on the east coast. I've had scrapple, but never pierogies. i think i may need to eat some at some point. marty, maybe when your parents come to town?

[djones0930]

I'd eat all 150 pierogis. I fucking love pierogis.

to this day i've never had pierogis. and i've lived on the east coast. I've had scrapple, but never pierogies. i think i may need to eat some at some point. marty, maybe when your parents come to town?

Mike, not only will I mail you some candy cigs, but some goddamn pierogies as well! JK, just the cigs and possibly condoms.