Merrry Christmas

[xmas]

We are a german family and celebrate today. The family will be going to church in the early evening and than we have dinner. When the kids were little they always wanted spagetti on xmas eve, well , it still hasn't changed. I ask every year and the answer is always the same. So it has become a tradition: Spagetti, Bolognese sauce, Carbonara sauce and the tuna sauce that my husband makes.
The "Weihnachtsmann" ( Santa Claus) comes some time after dinner when the tree light go on, through magic ( timer). It was so much fun to watch when they were little, they could never figure out how the light got turned on on the tree.
Usually, it takes a while to unwrap present since everybody likes to watch everybody unpack.
It will be fun having time together without everybody having to run somewhere for something.

So I wish you all a nice relaxing, peaceful Merry Christmas.

[KayLR]

Merry Christmas to you and your family, too, xmas! I loved reading your description of your tradition.

[Mrs-M]

Merry Christmas to you, too, Xmas!

[Miss Cellane]

My family lived in Germany when I was a little girl. My parents adopted the custom of St. Nicholas Day, and we always put our shoes out for St. Nick to leave candy in them. My brothers always borrowed Dad's Army boots for the task.

Another tradition, a little similar to yours, was that we put the Christmas tree up on Christmas Eve. We each put one ornament on it, and then we went to bed. When we woke up in the morning, Santa Claus would have visited and he decorated the tree! And, of course, left lots of presents.

Our traditional Christmas Eve meal was corn chowder, because it used to be a fast day with no meat, and corn chowder is a typical New England dish. Or soup, or whatever it is.

[Tussiemussies]

Merry Christmas to you and everyone here!

[peggy]

Happy Holidays! We used to celebrate St. Nicolas day when the kids were little. They usually got a little toy and a video in their stocking. It really helped to get to Christmas without melt downs.:)

[Simpler at Fifty]

Merry Christmas to you xmas and everyone else too. DH and I have dinner at a German restaurant on Christmas Eve. We started that tradition about 6 years ago. They always give us a free shot of their homemeade apple pie schnapps. We bring home a piece of bread pudding to share later in the evening. I look forward to this night more than Christmas day.

[Float On]

Merry Christmas!
I'm at church a little early, one of my sons is running the power point for the service. I've got the candle lighting serice candles ready and set out the nativity. It always feels like Christmas really starts during this service.
Sad to not see family this year but blessed by friends we're with.

We'll go home for snacks and one present.
Tomorrow, cinnamon rolls and gifts and then to some friend's house for lunch and hopefully home before the snow.

[Simplicity]

I love reading all of the different traditions! We are pretty typical, I think. Lobster rolls for supper tonight, relaxing with family this evening, then presents in the morning and big turkey dinner tomorrow.

Merry Christmas all!!

[Zoebird]

We decluttered and tidied the house yesterday. Today (christmas), we joined friends on the beach for about 3 hrs of brunchiness. I wore my new bikini and sunscreen and sat in the water.

And, our next task is to do the good scrub of the bathroom and the dust/vacuum.

Tomorrow, we get my ILs, bring them to their place, give them a couple of hours to get sorted, and then we'll have brunch with them and some christmas celebrations. Maybe some beach time.

[Wildflower]

Merry Christmas to you, xmas!!

I am finishing last minute details, cleaning and cooking, for tomorrow's dinner with the whole family. :) So excited as we may get some snow here tomorrow. The little ones will love that!!

[Blackdog Lin]

Holiday felicitations to everyone, however you celebrate!

We have (had) friends over this evening, my Christmas Eve snackie is ready for the oven (ham and cheese sliders - one of THE Pinterest must-do recipes this year, and I like trying new things), and everything is ready for Christmas morning pizza, one of our few traditions that has stood the test of time. We have to have breakfast pizza on Christmas morning.

The weather forecast is interesting, to say the least. Looks like we may just get a white Christmas. Projections are anywhere from a dusting to 2 inches. I am so looking forward to an awesome Christmas Day with lazing, good food, snow-watching out the patio door.....no family entanglements, no stress, nowhere we have to be.

Life is frequently good.

[Tradd]

Merry Christmas!

Just had my last meal of the fast - pasta with green peas. I'm SO looking forward to ham tomorrow, and Brie! Nom nom!

I had church tonight (Vigil - combo of Compline/Matins) and Eucharist tomorrow morning. Going to my goddaughter's family for dinner tomorrow.

[dado potato]

Nowell Noel

[rodeosweetheart]

Merry Christmas, Xmas (love the name) and all!

WE are having he minimalist Christmas--no tree because we waited til yesterday, Christmas Eve, and there weren't any anymore--learned our lesson! It is making me really miss and appreciate the tree--next year, early tree! But it's good to do without and appreciate it more.

Ate a pan of fudge last night.

Bad colds and no church.

If it's warm enough later might take the dogs to the beach.

Supposed to go to friend's later for dinner, will see how colds progress.

Am big into 12 days of Christmas thinking so usually make Christmas cookies this week.

And lots of phone calls today to family.

So Merry Christmas to us all, as Scrooge would say, at the end of the book!

[razz]

What a nice thread to enjoy on Christmas morning. We had family over a period of five days and today DH and I will relax and enjoy the leftovers.
Merry Christmas with all the goodwill of the season to everyone!!

[SteveinMN]

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!!

[Zoe Girl]

Merry Christmas! We did ours last night pretty much, my dad';s family is Danish and that was the way they did it. Opened everything on Christmas Eve and stayed up late. We also went to my church where a well known blues/gospel singer performed like she does every year (Hazel Miller). It was awesome. My kids have been excited about my gift and I got a ceramic electric tea kettle. Pretty cool. And I have been complaining about missing my paring knife so they got me a new one. My kids liked their stuff, I got my one daughter a shiny purse made by a craftsperson from potato chip bags.

This morning I am making homemade cinnamon rolls and people won't be up for ages. My one daughter generally sleeps until 2 or 3, but they have to be at dad's by 2. I will. run to the church service because we bring loads of stuff to the Christmas in the park for the homeless. We have 100 each of down jackets, sleeping bags, ground tarps and backpacks I think, plus all the other churches in Denver. I won't stay long because I have family here.

[herbgeek]

My mom is off the boat from German so we celebrate Christmas Eve as well. Big dinner with extended family, including one of my sister's ex husband and his family (her older son's Dad). All centered around the star of the show, my grand niece, who is 18 months old and old enough to unwrap and appreciate presents.

Today we were supposed to go to my MIL's- along with hubby's brother and sister in law, but they got sick at the last minute (or at least that's what they SAID ;)) and so we have a whole day to do NOTHING- glorious! I'd already made a big batch of soup, and had baked bread this morning to bring over for dinner so there is nothing to do but keep the woodstove going and watch old movies and nap. Best Day Ever.

[fidgiegirl]

Lovely, lovely Xmases!

We had a turkey dinner at our house on the 23rd since my sister and her hubby usually go to his family in western MN, a few hours away. My side and my FiL and MiL were here for that. My family draws names and this year we had a $50 limit - I think everyone was happy with their gifts.

Last night, Xmas Eve, we went to my MiL/FiL's for chili and cookies and grasshoppers. Man were those some creamy delicious grasshoppers.

Today back to MiL and FiL for a more formal, traditional dinner. Not sure what the meat will be but guessing ham. Should be good as she is an excellent cook. Will get to see BiL and our niece and nephew and their sig others. They are all early- to mid-20s and supremely enjoyable people. It's funny, I always thought when I became an auntie it would be because my sister would have a little baby . . . in the end it was because I got married and got a 20 year-old nephew and 22 year-old niece! And I was 30 at the time! :)

We had a low-key gifting between us as well and both got some items we enjoyed. I had a homerun with the fishing lures the clerk recommended for DH in the store - it could have been a flop, so I can breathe easy now. :)

[cindycindy]

My DH's side originally from Norway. Had their traditional Christmas Eve dinner yesterday at SIL's (salted cod fish, boiled potatoes & carrots with melted butter with hard boiled eggs in it. Yulecake and Norwegian waffles for dessert. Very little focus on gifts-got my inlaws a basket with some lap blankets, tea, coffee, etc. Got home late but stayed up with our two wonderful young adult children (who no longer live at home). Opened gifts in am. I made dinner, lasagna & veal cutlets. Our daughter had to leave at 1 for work (she works in a skilled nursing facility) so we finished early. My son is out for a run. and my DH and I are just lazing on the couch. Will probably watch some old family movies and pick at leftovers. Will be taking my mom (2 hours away) out for dinner as her Christmas gift this weekend when daughter off from work. Plus a light dusting of snow this morning...what a wonderful, restful Christmas day. Merry Christmas to all.

[redfox]

From 1966

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=-og_MxjIrzg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-og_MxjIrzg

[Selah]

Merry Christmas from not too far from Jesus' hometown! :)

[catherine]

xmas, I've heard that in Germany the tree doesn't get decorated until Christmas Eve--since you said Santa turns on the lights, I'm thinking maybe this is true? We did that tradition when I was a child (I'm not German by ancestry). Also, since my kids have grown up and are away from the house--we still do it! They come down from Vermont on Christmas Eve and I have the lights on the tree but it's undecorated, and then we turn on the lights and decorate the tree as a family. Then we go to church.

On Christmas Day, we simply open presents--which is usually a really fun, time-consuming event. Not only do we get each other something practical--something that's on lists we pass around of things we really need--but my kids are really creative and have usually found some really off-beat, inexpensive things on ebay or in thrift shops that remind them of each other. For instance, my son who lives in Vermont, saw a vintage Rutgers pennant for my other son, who works for Rutgers. Or, my daughter noted that we have stockings embroidered with the names of the four kids going back for years, so she had two stockings embroidered with "Zity" for me (her nickname for me, short for "mamacita") and "Dukes" for DH (my DH's nickname from the kids).

This year we had the added bonus of being invited to my son's house, where his girlfriend, who is 1) Italian, and 2) a foodie and a cook made us dinner. Well, you can only imagine how great that meal was! And, Mrs-M, if you are reading this, she is also really big on the Fifties, so she was dressed in a long fifties velvet and brocade hostess dress with a really cute aqua and orange apron, and bright red lipstick. What a great time we had!!

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Catherine.
This year we had the added bonus of being invited to my son's house, where his girlfriend, who is 1) Italian, and 2) a foodie and a cook made us dinner. Well, you can only imagine how great that meal was! And, Mrs-M, if you are reading this, she is also really big on the Fifties, so she was dressed in a long fifties velvet and brocade hostess dress with a really cute aqua and orange apron, and bright red lipstick.How neat-O is that! So nice to know. Renews my confidence in the idea that I'm not the only one.

[xmas]

My family lived in Germany when I was a little girl. My parents adopted the custom of St. Nicholas Day, and we always put our shoes out for St. Nick to leave candy in them. My brothers always borrowed Dad's Army boots


That is so funny borrowing the big boots. We used to do that when the kids were little.


xmas, I've heard that in Germany the tree doesn't get decorated until Christmas Eve--since you said Santa turns on the lights, I'm thinking maybe this is true? We did that tradition when I was a child (I'm not German by ancestry). Also, since my kids have grown up and are away from the house--we still do it! They come down from Vermont on Christmas Eve and I have the lights on the tree but it's undecorated, and then we turn on the lights and decorate the tree as a family. Then we go to church.


You are right. Usually in Germany the tree does get decorated on Christmas eve day morning. However over the years some people have adopted the american tradition of having the tree up earlier and than just save the lighting for xmas eve. But there are no presents under the tree, like I have seen here so often. That happens, (once again magically) when Santa comes while we are at church.


It was great to read all the traditions. Family comes first for so many - I like that a lot.

Now let's all have a great start in the hopefully Happy New Year.