What traditions does your family have during Christmas

Tg11

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All of us have traditions in our families year after year especially when it comes to celebrating Christmas so I know I am curious to know what people's traditions are as far as family traditions go for Christmas? I will go ahead and start:

For Christmas in my family:

- Christmas Eve (December 24th)- On Christmas Eve night, my brother, sister and myself we go off with our father since my parents are divorced so we go to my grandmother's house for the 24th. At my grandmother's house usually my whole entire family is there at the house extended family on my father's side that being aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws all on my father's side since I have a pretty huge family. There are a lot of us like I am talking a lot and the house is usually packed every year. We usually party on the 24th in terms of dancing to music, eating, drinking the whole nine yards and at this party there is usually a lot of food. There is usually a lot of alcohol by that I mean wine and beer specificially. Also at the house my cousins who I am close in age with and I we usually just watch TV downstairs in the basement while music plays down there. My little cousins my younger cousins generally create lots of mischief on Christmas Eve especially in my grandmother's house you know how little kids can be. We usually party until the wee hours of the morning until everyone goes home.

- Christmas Day (December 25th)- On Christmas Day morning since I live with my mom, my brother, sister and myself along with my mother and grandmother my mother's mother we open gifts on Christmas Day morning downstairs. We also have breakfast with each other basically just spending time together as a family and my mother basically cooks up a storm on Christmas especially for us kids but also for my grandmother too she also helps my mother in the cooking. Meanwhile my little brother and I are generally competitive with each other in terms of playing video games with each other but also we spend the day watching NBA basketball before we have lunch with my sister, mother and grandmother. Then my brother, sister and myself spend time getting ready to go out with my father who basically comes to pick us up to go to my uncle my dad's brother's house for Christmas Day. Then when we do get to my uncle's on Christmas Day my whole entire extended family is at my uncle's house like I am talking my whole entire family again. My cousins and I then are in the living room as we all watch NBA basketball on a huge screen as we all go crazy. Meanwhile my aunts and uncles are basically dancing to music while everyone is eating Christmas dinner and my grandmother is also there too right in the thick of it.

- Boxing Day (December 26th)- Basically what goes on on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in my family basically it is a repeat again but we spend the day of the 26th at my aunt's house like think of a Christmas after party

- New Years Eve (December 31st)- As for New Years Eve my whole entire family and myself we spend it at any one of my aunts or uncles' houses it generally changes each and every year as far as whose house we celebrate it at but as for New Years we all basically just spend it counting down the hours to the New Year while we reflect on everything that has happened the past year and how we will make the New Year so much better than the last year. We generally hold hands while we do it and we basically pray too. After the New Year as soon as it is a reality we basically celebrate hugging one another and then we just go on about partying until the wee hours of the morning.


* This is strictly my tradition though since I come from an African family well I am Canadian too since I was born in Canada but have African ancestry, specifically Ghanaian
 
Well me and my sister visit both sides of our family, mother and fathers. We spend one night with out father and step mother while getting stressed out and trying not to scream since everything we say has to be thought out before we say it in order not to offend them. It's been like that for us since we were kids.

On our mothers side, things are fairly normal. We go, we talk, have fun.

So yeah, me no likey Xmas.
 
The older I get, the more I want to try out The Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength from Festivus.
 
Well me and my sister visit both sides of our family, mother and fathers. We spend one night with out father and step mother while getting stressed out and trying not to scream since everything we say has to be thought out before we say it in order not to offend them. It's been like that for us since we were kids.

On our mothers side, things are fairly normal. We go, we talk, have fun.

So yeah, me no likey Xmas.


I think that is a great tradition honestly so on both sides of your family do you spend it with extended family on both sides or just immediate family only?
 
We're Italian, not really a tradition but just something I really love, my dad makes these ricotta desserts, they are kind of like ravioli but inside is ricotta and they are deep fried. It's my nonna's (grandmothers) recipe and they taste freakin amazing!
 
We're Italian, not really a tradition but just something I really love, my dad makes these ricotta desserts, they are kind of like ravioli but inside is ricotta and they are deep fried. It's my nonna's (grandmothers) recipe and they taste freakin amazing!

So is your family over on Christmas Eve? Or on Christmas Day? Because in most Italian families isn't it true during Christmas that on Christmas Eve you guys open some presents but then you guys open the rest of your gifts on Christmas Day?

However, your ricotta desserts I wonder if that is included in the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner?
 
I think that is a great tradition honestly so on both sides of your family do you spend it with extended family on both sides or just immediate family only?

While with my sister we usually go

Eve - Fathers side - Father & Stepmother, maybe her parents.

Day Morning - Mothers place for the night.

Day's night - Mothers side - Mother, 2 Aunts, 2 Uncles and maybe 2 1st cousins if they show up.

I've skipped X-mas all around at least once due to my father being a complete asshat and ruining everything. Last time was about six years ago. I was ready to go when I get a call from my sister that I wasn't invited due to my cats fur being an allergy for my Stepmothers fathers allergies. They couldn't have said anything a week earlier so I could set some clothes aside to be cleaned but literally less than an hour before.
 
While with my sister we usually go

Eve - Fathers side - Father & Stepmother, maybe her parents.

Day Morning - Mothers place for the night.

Day's night - Mothers side - Mother, 2 Aunts, 2 Uncles and maybe 2 1st cousins if they show up.

I've skipped X-mas all around at least once due to my father being a complete asshat and ruining everything. Last time was about six years ago. I was ready to go when I get a call from my sister that I wasn't invited due to my cats fur being an allergy for my Stepmothers fathers allergies. They couldn't have said anything a week earlier so I could set some clothes aside to be cleaned but literally less than an hour before.

That definitely sucks to say the least but even so I can understand why you would probably want to spend Christmas with your mother's side of the family more than you would want to your father's side
 
So is your family over on Christmas Eve? Or on Christmas Day? Because in most Italian families isn't it true during Christmas that on Christmas Eve you guys open some presents but then you guys open the rest of your gifts on Christmas Day?

However, your ricotta desserts I wonder if that is included in the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner?

kinda both,
We have a small family because most of our further family live in Italy.
On Christmas eve we usually just prepare lunch for the next day and then go to midnight mass with family (6 of us plus brother in law and sisters boyfriend) then next day we have nonna and cousins over for lunch. and then we just have leftovers and seafood for dinner usually and whoever didnt come at lunch comes for dinner, so for example if my sister and her boyfriend went to they're house for lunch they'll come back to our house for dinner. We don't open presents on christmas eve but it's still really fun to have cousins and family over on christmas day. probably my favourite day of the year.
 
Presents, eat.

In that order.
 
kinda both,
We have a small family because most of our further family live in Italy.
On Christmas eve we usually just prepare lunch for the next day and then go to midnight mass with family (6 of us plus brother in law and sisters boyfriend) then next day we have nonna and cousins over for lunch. and then we just have leftovers and seafood for dinner usually and whoever didnt come at lunch comes for dinner, so for example if my sister and her boyfriend went to they're house for lunch they'll come back to our house for dinner. We don't open presents on christmas eve but it's still really fun to have cousins and family over on christmas day. probably my favourite day of the year.


I definitely get that because most of my family well some of my extended family anyway are scattered usually in the States so my family and I we don't get to see them as often as we would love to
 
I definitely get that because most of my family well some of my extended family anyway are scattered usually in the States so my family and I we don't get to see them as often as we would love to

Not sure what will happen if I decide to move from Australia to New York when I'm older.
 
Every year, on Christmas Eve, my family and I swing by the closest shopping mall, abduct one of their fake Santas, bring him home and ritualistically sacrifice him to appease the one true Santa Claus.




We also usually watch Home Alone. :o
 
My paternal side of the family meet for potluck brunch at my sisters home on Christmas Day.
 
We have a prime rib dinner and dad gives my brother and I $500 checks each. (From Mom's life insurance.) Otherwise it is a typical day. We wouldnt even put up a tree if dad's girlfriend didnt push for it.
 
My paternal side of the family meet for potluck brunch at my sisters home on Christmas Day.

By that I assume your whole entire family on your dad's side of the family shows up like grandparents? aunts? uncles? cousins?
 
1) every year instead of donating to the Salvation Army or the likes, we find a family with a child that really needs some help on Christmas, we will generally buy that child toys/clothes etc.

2) since we had our son (this is our 2nd Christmas as a family of 3) each year we buy 3 Hallmark Christmas Ornaments, one for my son, one for my wife and one for myself.

3) Christmas eve we get together at my parents house or with my wife's family, Christmas Day morning is a time for just my wife, my son and myself, at which my parents still come over that evening as well.
 
Grandma collects all the electronic devices (tablets, cell phones) at the door and you don't get them back until after dinner and present time. For my teen nephews, nieces and sister-in-law, getting their phone back, seems to be the greatest gift of all.
 
Christmas Eve is my sisters birthday, so the only traditions we have is her birthday stuff. That night my mom likes to read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to us, then we sleep. Christmas morning we open presents, eat our weights in biscuits and gravy and watch the parade. We'll eat a much more modest version of a Thanksgiving styled dinner and then that's that. Nothing fancy.
 
We tend to drop Aunt/Uncle/Cousin/Brother/Nephews presents off Christmas Eve. Mum and I open stuff Christmas morning, go see grandparents and then back home. We have Chinese for Christmas dinner :D
 

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