Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Forum Holiday traditions

The little ones always get to open a present on christmas eve, well, us too hehe. You have to leave "Santa" milk and cookies before you go to bed. Always christmas music playing all christmas day, has to be a variety of all music styles though. The candy cane thing is funny. One year we made little bunny prints on easter for our little girl and laid them from the door to an Easter basket, that was so cool. I dont think anyone Jewish would be offended by the word Christmas?? That would be like getting irratated with the word Haunakah (sp? sorry any jewish friends. Too much wishy washyness about the political correctness of the "Holidays". How long have the two traditions gotten along just fine in America? Maybe I'm wrong though.

My daughter who is 31 and has a little one of her own now says it just isn't Christmas without the Andy Williams Christmas album playing. We have a christmas tradition that was started by my husbands grandmother and that is sometime during the holidays we have to have captains chowder. It is chocked full of seafood goodies. Crap, lobster, clams, fish Yum. Another one is to receive a new ornament from my husband. I don't have any ornaments that are the same on my tree they are all different. Some are done by artist friends of mine some I have done, ones the kids through the years have made and ones my husband has bought me. The one ornament that will be passed down the family tree is the Christmas Spider.

My family has many funny Xmas traditions ,,, one of the ones we laugh about most is how my 87 year old mom always manages at some point to slip into the conversation, that this is going to be her last Christmas ... Of course, we know that at some point it will be true, but we laugh because she's been saying it every year since 1972, the first Christmas after my dad died.

We always find a different running punchline each year and use it to liven up the conversation when someone starts to tell a story we've all heard a million times ...

After my dad died, the official family Christmas moved to my sister's home, and she is very good at keeping all the traditions going. The only one she stopped was that every year my mom used to make a plum pudding and hang it in the garage for a couple weeks to ferment. (I used to wonder about the car exhausts permeating the cloth mom wrapped the pudding in, but never mind that...) On Christmas, my mom would pour some kind of liquor over it, and light it. It had a blue flame, which she then extinguished. My sister and I thought it was yucky, so my mom and dad were the only ones who ate the plum pudding ...

Spenser23

Your mom's not Scottish is she? That pudding sounds too close to Haggis for comfort As for Jews being offended by the word Christmas, I didn't really mean that. I meant I didn't want anyone to feel left out. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist and agnostic are all welcome to discuss their traditions on this thread. I worked with a Muslim woman who celebrated Ramadan around Thanksgiving one year. While most of us were talking about what kind and how much food we were going to eat, she fasted every day from sunup to sundown. She could not even have water. It made me appreciate the depth of her dedication to her faith. She also talked about how lively and special the night's meal was. We've also celebrated Rosh Hashana with Jewish friends. The spirit of kinship and faith was overwhelming. It was also pretty funny when my son, who was around 5 at the time, decided EVERYTHING needed to be dipped in the salt water before he ate it

Our Christmas traditions are going to communion with my DH's family. My daughters get to open one present early, it's always a fancy dress of somesort to wear to communion.

We also spend Christmas Eve with his parents and Christmas day with mine, except this year. My husband's grandmother is sick and this may be her last year so we will be spending both days with her, and then spend the day after Christmas (also my mothers birthday) with my family.

Let's see, what else. Oh, my husband is always the one to put the star on the tree.

A few years ago my oldest daughter asked a very good question. "If it's Jesus' birthday why isn't there a birthday cake?" So now every year I make a "Jesus Cake". We sing happy birthday, blow out candles and have a piece. The type of cake changes every year. Whatever new recipe sounds yummy, and I feel like making it.

And that's it!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah, everyone!

Also, we celebrate Hanukah, but I don't feel like typing anymore. Just traditional stuff, hopefully we won't be in the hospital this year.

Every year, without fail, my sister and I have to sing 12 Days of Christmas to my dad. He absolutely hates that song, so we do it just to irritate him. Every year when we're done, he'll say, "Well, I'm glad that's over for another year." This year will be better because my eight year old daughter is going to sing with us.

My husband's family lives in south Texas. When we visit them at Christmas we have tamales, queso, salsa and beans on Christmas Eve. Then the kids go out looking at lights. When they return, Santa has been to the house and they open presents then. No having to wait til the next morning!

Michelle

Oh YUM YUM Michelle! I adore home made Tamales! I used to eat the ones in a can...can you believe that? One year a lady my DH worked with gave him some of the REAL ones. I won't have canned in my house anymore, I got so spoiled!

My grandmother lived in Corpus Christi. We used to have tamales every Christmas. I really miss them.

Something I read earlier this evening reminded me of one of my most precious holiday tradition memories. My grandma, my mom's mom, used to make all her children (6 of them) a homemade fruitcake for Christmas.

It was WONDERFUL. Soaked in rum forever, at least it felt like forever. Those fruitcakes were the best thing going. I looked forward to getting ours every year. Nothing at all like what you find in stores, or even in bakeries.

I really miss my grandma's fruitcake....really miss my grandma, too.

Crystal

Crystal, you and I must be two of the ten people in the world who loves fruitcake! I have bought fruitcake from various places in the past, but none seems quite right. I have considered some of the monestaries, where the cakes are supposed to be exceptionally good, but I can't afford the price they ask.

Ah yes, the tamales from south Texas are delicious. However, I have found a place here in Amarillo that makes homemade tamales and they are almost as good.

The lady in McAllen who makes these sells about 15 different varieties. Last year we bought some cream cheese and jalapeno. They were so good I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! (That has special meaning to all of us, I know! )

Michelle