Help, need some traditions....

centerededgedesign · Post by **centerededgedesign** » November 8th, 2007, 18:20

As a few of you are aware, my wife and I bought our first home this summer. With this has come some great rewards, like NOT living with her parents any longer. However, we find ourselves wanting to establish our OWN traditions, yet neither of our families really have many except the regular holiday ones.

What traditions do you maintain in your family for the 'holiday' seaon?

Post by **HereComesPete** » November 8th, 2007, 18:44

I get totally wasted for a few days and it culminates in me falling asleep in my xmas dinner, my family detest this tradition, but it continues nonetheless.

amblin · Post by **amblin** » November 8th, 2007, 18:47

cheeseandham · Post by **cheeseandham** » November 8th, 2007, 18:55

Christmas 0.5 - otherwise known as St Nicholas day - get coal or pressies in your slippers depending...

Post by **FatherJack** » November 8th, 2007, 19:07

Christmas Day, around 7 of us at my sister's.

My and my sister reintroduced an old idea our parents used to do when we were kids, which was to have "Christmas Tree Presents" opened sometime during the afternoon. Just a couple for everyone of basic, no more than £5 things designed to be playable that afternoon just marked Boys and Girls. Stuff like remote control cars for boys and soft toys/cosmetics for the girls.

Also I introduced a Chocolate Lottery, where each present contained around £1 worth of chocolate, but was wildly varying in size. Everyone just picked which one they wanted, with the largest obviously being Tesco value or similar.

Mr. Johnson · Post by **Mr. Johnson** » November 8th, 2007, 20:26

cheeseandham wrote:Christmas 0.5 - otherwise known as St Nicholas day - get coal or pressies in your slippers depending...

yup, Sinterklaas means we get presents 2 times during december. also, my dad used to play zwarte piet (sorta like santa claus's elves, but more racist) and it's a tradition for zwarte pieten to throw candy everywhere. result= the doorbell rings, kids get excited because they are about to get presents, but instead get really hard candy trown right in their face. i do love the holidays.

Post by **Roman Totale** » November 8th, 2007, 20:41

Fuck it, I'm moving to Belgium for Christmas then.

centerededgedesign · Post by **centerededgedesign** » November 8th, 2007, 20:49

Ok, just for background, Christmas growing up was all about having oyster stew on Christmas Eve, opening PILES of gifts on Christmas morning, and a big dinner that all the extended family came to OUR house for, resulting in my cousins breaking half the stuff I got for Christmas because they were more spoiled than I and didn't appreciate what they got. (Lots of what I received was clothes, but the few good things I might get like a cool die-cast car would be well-worn or broken before I got to play with it).

So, looking for traditions with more tradition and less commercialism to try instilling in my family at the time when we have a home and a chance to introduce new ideas.

I don't think we'll be going around pelting neighbors with hard candy. Doesn't sound like something we'd get away with here. The cops have guns and all that.....

Post by **Dog Pants** » November 8th, 2007, 21:01

Mrs Pants and I have pork pie and pickled onions for breakfast on Christmas Day. Her family have been doing it for yonks and I rather like it.

MIkkyo · Post by **MIkkyo** » November 8th, 2007, 23:49

At my Mums: Swap one present each on christmas eve night, goto bed. Wake up Light the Menorah, have a cup of tea/coffee listen to my mum talk about how we're not really Jewish. Swap pressies, mum takes enough photo's to give David Bailey cramp.

At my Dads: Sit with him sober (he's been dry now for god knows how long) Realise he is even more boring sober than he is drunk. Give the kids their pressies, have a lower middle class style christmas lunch/dinner/tea made by his new wife who thinks she's lady muck.

At my own place: Open pressies, have a brew, watch some tv.

friznit · Post by **friznit** » November 9th, 2007, 1:12

Badgers.

They're very traditional

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » November 9th, 2007, 2:40

Dog Pants wrote:Mrs Pants and I have pork pie and pickled onions for breakfast on Christmas Day. Her family have been doing it for yonks and I rather like it.

That sounds brilliant.

My Grandfather and myself used to make it a point every Christmas at lunchtime to have a pork pie with mustard alongside the main meal. Sadly that stopped when he passed away.

Post by **fabyak** » November 9th, 2007, 9:35

Shark gingerbread biscuits

Post by **HereComesPete** » November 9th, 2007, 15:36

buzzmong wrote:My Grandfather and myself used to make it a point every Christmas at lunchtime to have a pork pie with mustard alongside the main meal. Sadly that stopped when he passed away.

Strangely enough, mine did very similar. He'd have my nan cook a pork chop for him to go on his plate next to the rest of the stuff, never found out why.

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » November 9th, 2007, 17:03

HereComesPete wrote:Strangely enough, mine did very similar. He'd have my nan cook a pork chop for him to go on his plate next to the rest of the stuff, never found out why.

There doesn't have to be a reason for pig meat.

bomberesque · Post by **bomberesque** » November 9th, 2007, 17:25

if you're just after quirky things to call your own, rather than a Christmas story (which would sound a lot like everyone else's anyway)

Traditions;
- Keep your mountain bikes in the kitchen. This is teh correct place for them. Especially when they're muddy
- Obnoxiously insist that visitors "adopt" a napkin ring and use the same one throughout their stay, no matter where that napkin ring has been placed on the table, thus forcing you to talk to your wife's smelly uncle Ron or Jailbird cousin Frank when you'd far sooner be sitting at your normal seat, which affords the best views of the kitchen and your collection of mountianbikes. My inlaws do this, although don't let me keep my bikes in their kitchen (try as I might)

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » November 9th, 2007, 17:29

bomberesque wrote:- Keep your mountain bikes in the kitchen. This is teh correct place for them. Especially when they're muddy

Hard.

Oddly enough, my family does boiled eggs, pork pie and mustard for Christmas breakfast.

Baliame · Post by **Baliame** » November 10th, 2007, 17:15

Mr. Johnson wrote:
yup, Sinterklaas means we get presents 2 times during december.

Same in Hungary. Santa Claus -> December 5-6, Xmas -> December 24-26.

Post by **HereComesPete** » November 10th, 2007, 17:28

I get less presents than most.

Birthday 3rd December + we all know when xmas is, so I tend to get 'it's a slightly bigger gift, to cover both occasions...', this can apply to anything from a 360, that'll do thank you, to a marginally bigger bar of chocolate, the tight fisted shits.

Post by **Roman Totale** » November 10th, 2007, 19:50

HereComesPete wrote:I get less presents than most.

Birthday 3rd December + we all know when xmas is, so I tend to get 'it's a slightly bigger gift, to cover both occasions...'

nah, I think your family just hate you