Christmas Traditions, anyone?

[NERVUN]

Back in the US my family has a number of traditions that I've modified somewhat to be able to do them in Japan and added a few more.

Christmas is, more or less a month long affair on my part starting with loading up the iPod with all my Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. I also re-read The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, A Christmas Carol, and Hogfather to get me ready for the Santa gigs. The Christmas decorations and the tree goes up after the start of December and I spend most of December doing various parties and baking things for them. We also watch various Christmas movies, depending on time, wishes, and if I can actually manage to snag the TV for once.

The main push starts Dec 23 (Thankfully the current emperor has his birthday on that day, so we have it off) which is usually baking day for me. The kitchen gets transformed into a cookie making factory as I churn out sugar cookies (Enough to feed the teachers at my school and my family), classic gingerbread, snowballs (the cookies), and eggnog. Depending on requests, I might also do some fake fudge and possibly start on the Christmas cake. I'll also take one or both kids to go look at Christmas lights at a local park while my wife does the wrapping (My wrapping skills have been known to terrify strong men).

After work Christmas Eve, I'll start up the cinnamon rolls for the next day's breakfast (In America it was always Cinnabon, but the closest one is in Tokyo), and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas while eating Christmas cake (The only Japanese Christmas tradition we follow) and updating my sons on Santa's progress via NORAD. And, of course, before we go to bed we leave out milk and cookies for Santa.

On Christmas we have our rolls, stockings, and I play Santa by handing out gifts. Then I usually call back to the States to talk to my relatives and thank them and finally we relax and watch A Christmas Story.

I either end Christmas night or the next day on End of the Year Firewatch with my volunteer firefighter company and then start preparing for the big event in Japan, New Year's.

[Trotskylvania]

Traditionally, my younger sibilings would wake up at some ungodly hour like 4 in the morning. Upon waking everyone else up, we'd open presents, and then eventually all go back to bed. Hopefully, now that they are 17 and 19, they won't do this to me on Christmas morning...

[The Floridian Coast]

My friend from down the street and I have, since we were 7 years old, gone over to each others' houses about an hour after opening presents to see what each other got. I go there first and he comes here second, usually each of us having twice as much breakfast food. We are 20 now but we still each live at home so the tradition continues at least one more Christmas.

[-The West Coast-]

I usually watch A Wish For Wings That Work and open presents all on Christmas Eve.

[Mad Monarch]

Traditionally, my younger sibilings would wake up at some ungodly hour like 4 in the morning. Upon waking everyone else up, we'd open presents, and then eventually all go back to bed. Hopefully, now that they are 17 and 19, they won't do this to me on Christmas morning...

You're right, they must've realized Christmas starts at 12:00:01 A.M. by now.


You gotta make sure you get the full 24 hours of Christmas cheer

[Ancient and Holy Terra]

My Mom makes a Japanese-style Christmas Cake and we listen to "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues ^^

[Kheil HaAvir]

Fall down the stairs.Not joking ive fell down the stairs 4 times on each chrismas sinse 2007

[Cameroi]

in my familiy growing up, my dad worked for the railroad, which meant, that if a holiday fell on a day he was scheduled to work, he worked it. because his job, and many others, were of a kind that there were shifts and always someone on duty, no matter what. these jobs in those days were also unionised, with agreements stipluating things like double time and half, for working such days. so no one really bitched. so you could say it was kind of a tradition in our little family, there was just dad, mom and me, we just about always had our christmas on a differnt day then the actual calendar day. we'd have it on a day he had off that was closest to it. maybe a couple of days before, maybe a couple of days after. so that he could open his presents with the rest of us.

each of us picked out something for the other two, and of course hinted at the kinds of things we wanted. and there's generally be a turkey dinner, with stuffing and gravey and yams and canned cranbarry sauce and pumpkin pie for desert.

there would also be, something about the ideas of peace and love being what it was all about. and the smell of pine needles. and sometimes, if we were lucky, or it was one on the years we were living far enough up "the hill", i.e. donner summit, there'd be snow. always in truckee and norden of course, but some years yes, some years no, in colfax.

[Serrland]

I usually go to divine liturgy at midnight that morning. Get home ~2, sleep until 8:30 or so. I wake up, put a kettle on, have breakfast, etc. I go to my parents' house for lunch. Turkey, usually, with bread pudding and potatoes and beans and lots of other good stuff. Then I take a long nap on their couch.

[Genivaria]

Tree, presents, spending time with family. Standard fun christmas really.
Oh and having to listen to my family go on about some Mexican guy named Jesús.

[SD_Film Artists]

Drinking.
...
Eggnog.

I've never had eggnog.

Same, I've never even seen it. Perhaps it's more of an American thing..

[Genivaria]

I've never had eggnog.

Same, I've never even seen it. Perhaps it's more of an American thing..

Eggnog is a popular drink throughout the United States and Canada, and is usually associated with winter celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.

---Wikipedia.
I fucking love the internet.

[Keronians]

I've never had eggnog.

Same, I've never even seen it. Perhaps it's more of an American thing..

Ditto.

[Trotskylvania]

Traditionally, my younger sibilings would wake up at some ungodly hour like 4 in the morning. Upon waking everyone else up, we'd open presents, and then eventually all go back to bed. Hopefully, now that they are 17 and 19, they won't do this to me on Christmas morning...

You're right, they must've realized Christmas starts at 12:00:01 A.M. by now.


You gotta make sure you get the full 24 hours of Christmas cheer

I tried convincing my parents for many years to open presents on Christmas eve to avoid this. It never worked

[Vetalia]

Ditto.

Yeah, it's an American thing...

[Rhodmhire]

I feel so bad for those outside of America who have seldom if ever had the sweet taste of eggnog grace their tongues.

Sigh, I guess the sweet nectar can only bless so many.

[Ovisterra]

Y'know when you wake up and there's that feeling for a minute where you're like "What? When is it? Where am I?"? The best feeling ever is when you wake up and, after a moment, realise it's Christmas.

I feel so bad for those outside of America who have seldom if ever had the sweet taste of eggnog grace their tongues.

Sigh, I guess the sweet nectar can only bless so many.

Is it really that great?

[Trotskylvania]

Y'know when you wake up and there's that feeling for a minute where you're like "What? When is it? Where am I?"? The best feeling ever is when you wake up and, after a moment, realise it's Christmas.

I feel so bad for those outside of America who have seldom if ever had the sweet taste of eggnog grace their tongues.

Sigh, I guess the sweet nectar can only bless so many.

Is it really that great?

It's pretty good.

But, considering that, in it's traditional form, it's a mixture of milk, sugar, raw eggs, nutmeg, other spices, and usually some sort of spirit, it's not very healthy.

[Higher Learning (Ancient)]

My christmas tradition is setting the tree on fire the next day.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Big dinner with the family. Then, on the 31st, we eat grapes at midnight. Spanish tradition. On January 5, we gather grass and place it in a box under the bed as food for the Three Wise Men, so they leave us presents.

[Scotchland]

Big dinner with the family. Then, on the 31st, we eat grapes at midnight. Spanish tradition. On January 5, we gather grass and place it in a box under the bed as food for the Three Wise Men, so they leave us presents.

I am sorry if I offend you, your culture, our your traditions but I have to ask, why grass?

[Amonta]

My family's life is rather on the unpredictable side, and we don't often get along well with each other. That makes Christmas tradition tough to establish, let alone keep. The one thing we have held to fairly well over the years is my dad reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to us. God bless him, it never gets old.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Big dinner with the family. Then, on the 31st, we eat grapes at midnight. Spanish tradition. On January 5, we gather grass and place it in a box under the bed as food for the Three Wise Men, so they leave us presents.

I am sorry if I offend you, your culture, our your traditions but I have to ask, why grass?

For the camels. I forgot to add that. It's fun to watch the little ones do it.

[Seperates]

I go to the Midwest and frolic in the snow with family (if it is there).

[Saint Jade IV]

We have a champagne breakfast on Christmas morning for about 20 of our nearest and dearest. Then slowly get drunker and drunker throughout the day. I will be having an orphan's Christmas with a friend of mine this year too. We are filling a paddling pool and drinking beers and jelly shots til the wee hours of boxing day.