YA and I spent Christmas Eve at my friends’ home (Alan and Julie). They have 11 grandkids, age 8 and under. It’s chaos. As if having that many kids hopped up on holiday sweets and anticipating gifts together in an enclosed space isn’t enough, Alan is just a big kid himself and eggs them on.
Just before we opened gifts (one at a time starting with the youngest), the pajamas were brought out. This has been a tradition for many years, complete with paparazzi-style photo session once all the kids are jammied up. As much fun as it is, I do think about the cost of this tradition. Everybody gets new pajamas for the occasion. Then the next year everybody gets a new pair. None of these pajamas gets handed down or worn the next year. Of course, considering how fast all these kids are growing, they probably need new pajamas every year anyway!
What’s your favorite tradition?
Trail Baboon 
thanks for pointing out that i have let the tradition of my families lives slip away
when money got tough the traditions of the past went away
the one that is left is a shot of china’s regal on my dads birthday in his memory
i get together with my mom wife and kids and pop a new bottle of chivas and our a glass and remember something about grandpa mickey
the other traditions of disney or montana for christmas and yellowstone for june/july have gone by the wayside. my younger kids hear about them and feel like it’s a tale passed down from the past like a story of the crazy aunt. i guess they are right. it was a bit like a crazy time of loading mass quantities of family into the plane or the van and doing the ritual vacation thing
i will try to think of a couple of new ones
fondue christmas eve is a continuing tradition that is fun
cheese with bread in one and oil in two . one for meat one for tempura
we do it early so my older kids can go do id night mass with their mom before coming back over christmas day to hang with the family and watch christmas story 3 or 4 times as it plays in the back ground
maybe we should re introduce the black cake on nixon’s birthday or more meaningfully on trumps birthday
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I would like to talk about traditions, but at this moment it seems I have none. I’m living in my third home, state and city in five years. I’m celebrating Christmas with people that (for the most part) I don’t know well. Almost everything is new.
Christmas blew up in spectacular fashion when someone started a political discussion. Not much is sure in this life, but I’m quite sure that will not become a tradition.
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Traditions do change as we get older. Many of the traditions that YA and I had when she was younger have faded away. But some still stay like stockings and movie on Christmas morning. And we all stayed far away from politics on Christmas Eve!
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Discussing politics was not a controversial things my family group. There is unanimous condemnation of everything Trumpian.
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I grew up with some pretty entrenched holiday traditions, including the gathering of the clan at the paternal grandparents’.
6 siblings, 17 grandchildren, I don’t actually know how many great-grandchildren when we last met (I assure you, I could figure it out if I stopped to think of it). Some of that is treasured and missed, some was dreaded and resented. All is in the past.
Our new tradition is that we are either on our own or are invited to a friend’s where we enjoy ourselves thoroughly, and also serve as ” in-law balance”, a function we are happy to fulfill for these dear friends.
We have our stack of Christmas movies and CDs and some decorations that get up no matter how close it is to the 25th.
Baking did not happen this year and I regret that.
We are evolving as the s&h is no longer in full-time residence.
I do think the early service Christmas Eve with all the squirmy children we can smile on with benevolence is becoming a tradition. The college student really enjoyed it. Dinner at Buca and driving around checking out the lights is also on the list.
Nothing fancy or profound, but we enjoy it.
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Rise and Shine Baboons,
Christmas traditions left from my childhood are in short supply because most Christmases with my family of origin were Miserable. Who wants that? When our kids were tweens and teens we took them to a Christmas play each year. We had so much fun with that tradition, especially when we attended the Santaland Diaries.
One that came up this year was the Playing of John Denver and the Muppets CD, only the CD went missing. I think I left it in AZ last year. However, my son, who was here for several days, has never appreciated that album like I do. I downloaded the MP3 version and blasted it as he entered the house. Playing a carefully selected song loudly for him is the tradition.
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Watching The Muppet Christmas Carol. Daughter carried on the tradition even in Tacoma. It was shown on the big screen at a downtown Tacoma theatre. Daughter said it was terrific. We watched it with son and daughter in law in their living room on Christmas Eve.
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I love the Muppet Christmas Carol. Partly because I like Michael Caine so much but also because I hum the tunes to the songs for days after watching it.
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You’d probably enjoy Michael Caine’s memoir. I liked it a lot. Many years ago.
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I read that and enjoyed it.
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Daughter said everyone in the theatre sang along with the characters during the movie.
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Totally love “Muppet Christmas Carol” and of course, Michael Caine. It’s a sweet movie and the Muppets always make such fun movies.
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Daughter brought a work friend who grew up in Ohio who had never seen the movie. Friend loved it. She also loved the lefse I sent daughter in a care package.
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Our traditions mainly involve food, especially cookies and breads. Russian tea cakes, krumkaka, spritz, serena kakor, jam filled brussels, lefse, spekulaas, stollen, klaben, julekage, all are cherished by us and our children. We are not even Norwegian, but I guess growing up in a Norwegian church exposed me to all that wonderful scandanavian baking.
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My favorite tradition used to be bouillabaisse at Dad’s on Christmas Eve, but he moved to AZ about 15 years ago. Now, my favorite is Champagne, bread, cheese, smoked salmon, fruit, and other light munchies on New Year’s Eve with my wife. We watch “Young Frankenstein” and “Casablanca” and try to stay awake until 11:00 so we can at least see the ball drop in Times Square.
The reason I like this tradition is that no matter how rotten a particular year may have been, we always end the year on a high note and on our terms.
Chris in Owatonna
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Such an interesting combination of movies. But also two of my favorites.
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I would not have thought of Young Frankenstein for New Year’s. But why not? If it works for you. I might try it this year.
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We only started watching Y.F. on N.Y.E. about five years ago. But Casablanca has been for about 20 years–started when there was only video cassettes. We chose YF because I think it’s the funniest movie ever made and we all need to laugh more, so why not end/start the year with a whole bunch of great laughs. . .
He . . . vas . . . my . . . BOYVRIENDT!!
Oh-h-h-h-h- sweet mystery of life at last I found you-u-u-u!
Blucher!!!
Come here, you little zipperneck!
“Taffeta, darling.” . . . ??? . . . “Taffeta, sweetheart.”
etc., etc., etc. 🙂
Chris in Owatonna
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Not many traditions here. When my family gathers in Green Bay for Christmas, it’s a huge deal. About 25 loud, fun people, tons of food, flowing booze and the famous White Elephant Exchange which is usually hilarious. But alas, we couldn’t make it this year as they did it at Thanksgiving.
So we just gather with my 3 boys at our house and we totally splurge and buy a prime rib roast and I make a nice dinner. We have some gifts afterward and watch “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (Jim Carrey version) and/or “It’s A Wonderful Life” or any other nice Christmas movie. And that’s about it. Quiet. Simple. Not too many gifts due to finances. But it’s always nice to have the boys all home.
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Our only tradition for New Year’s Eve is to take down the Christmas decorations and go to sleep early. It has been years since we stayed up until midnight. We expect tremendously cold wind chills this weekend, another reason to stay in. I will get a bottle of nice champagne and we will eat well. Son is entertaining his teetotalling inlaws, and daughter says she wants to stay home and veg out with her cat. None of us will be whooping it up Sunday night.
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Hmm. Husband purchased the Ken Burns Vietnam war documentary. Perhaps we will watch that New Year’s Day.
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The Burns Vietnam series is excellent, but hardly uplifting. After this last year I find myself desperate for entertainment that diverts and soothes my spirits. I’ve been harboring a secret guilty pleasure, namely watching Hallmark treacly Christmas romances. Guess what? It turns out that people are watching Hallmark Christmas films in unprecedented numbers! The speculation is that other people are drawn to Hallmark movies for the same reason I am: to get as far as possible from Potus 45. Hallmark movies are as subtle as a chainsaw and as unrelentingly upbeat as a golden retriever puppy. But, hell, bring ’em on! I need entertainment that is sure to have a happy ending.
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At least we know how it ends. I am comforted by anything I know the ending to these days.
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Yes, so true! My husband loves these types of movies and we usually end up watching a few of them. I usually tell him how the story is going to go, but he enjoys them anyway. Generally, they’re nicely done B movies with just enough drama and conflict to make it interesting, but true love and a happy ending always win in the end. {sigh}
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Hallmark Christmas movies all have more or less the same plot line. Someone who dislikes Christmas is shown the error of is or her ways, and there is a scene of overwhelming shared good will.
I’m struck by Hallmark clinging to the same setting for these movies: a smallish town in the northern tier of states where there is abundant snow and many conifers. These towns miraculously have thriving downtown business districts where people shop on foot. Shop owners earn upper-middle-class incomes selling toys or baked goods. You never see a mall or chain store.
There are several reasons all these films look so similar, but one that might not be obvious is that they are all filmed in Canada, where film production costs run lower.
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And then there’s the other plot line. Woman is going home for the holidays, but is too cowed by her family to admit she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Girl either cons friend, weedles friend, pays stranger, or hijacks someone on the highway to be said boyfriend. 3 days later they are madly in love.
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I think of these films as a hybrid of Dickens (as in his Christmas Carol book) and Jane Austen (will the girl marry the right guy?).
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I’m the biggest fan of A Christmas Carol on the planet. So I’m going to try not to take your comment personally. LOL.
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The traditions here include the making of the Door Thing and the annual incantation of “owie owie, hot hot hot.”
The Door Thing can happen anytime starting at Thanksgiving and as late as the days leading up to Christmas. The only rules for the Door Thing are that it must actually be able to hang on the front door, some portions of it should be recycled from prior years, and it’s not done until it’s over done. Some years it is circular, some years it is not. There is frequently glitter. Construction happens after Daughter and I enter the Door Thing fugue state with a pile of ribbons and floral picks and baubles and ends when…well, when we declare it over done. Then it can be hung on the front door and the announcement made on social media that Door Thing has been born.
The incantation of “owie owe, hot hot hot” happens as krumkake is rolled. Without this incantation sometime in mid-December, chaos will ensue. Door Thing or not, Christmas cannot truly come until the incantation has happened and at least one krumkake has been sacrificed. Once this incantation has been spoken, then we can commence with the baking of the julekage, perhaps other cookies, wrapping of presents, etc.
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Alas, I didn’t get the kringlas made, and since Sis and her family arrived the 27th, we’re still waiting to “do” Christmas: this afternoon with my mom. Then Sue and I will put together the fish and lefse dinner tonight. We may have oyster stew (probably just she and I) on Saturday eve, and then pretend it’s Christmas Eve and drive around to look at lights.
I try to listen to all of my Christmas tapes and CDs sometime during the month. I’m almost done…
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Normally I take the tree and all the decorations down on New Year’s Day. But I’m thinking about doing it tomorrow and then have 2 days with no big things on the to-do list except maybe start my new jigsaw puzzle. And maybe make a fire in the fireplace.
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OT – Just saw the news that Sue Grafton has died at the age of 77 from cancer.
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Shoot…I don’t think she got to “Z”, did she??
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Thanks for the notice PJ. Grafton published her Y book, but not Z. I wonder if Z might existed in some form (like the fourth book by Stieg Larsson that was finished after his death).
I’m sure this will be debated, but I have felt for some time that Grafton was not nearly as entertaining as she used to be. Her recent books are longer and less playful than earlier entries were. Still, she had a heckuva run.
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According to her family, Ms. Grafton was very protective of her work and refused to let it be turned into movies or TV serials. According to them, the alphabet ends with Y.
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Nope, ended with Y.
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The winter concerts at the college were tradition for some. These are the Christmas Concerts I have mentioned in past years of destroying the joy of Christmas for me and causing me to create ‘Anti-Christmas Music’ playlists. And also to go home and drink.
And recently I mentioned how the music teacher retired for health reasons and his replacement had completely different tastes.
Well.
We had two nights of concerts.* They were much different from other years. They weren’t bad, in fact, the temp guy did some really nice things and I actually enjoyed the concerts. To the point I was walking through Menards humming along to a Christmas song! In fact, I was much, MUCH more receptive to Christmas music this year! (Much to the surprise of friends and family).
So while that tradition has, at least for now, significantly changed, for me it was for the better.
*The Rest of the story. Former music teacher, “Mr C” had been there for 30 years and was well known to the community and was very affable and well liked. So his leaving left big shoes to fill. And while the temp guy, “Mr D” did some nice stuff, he was never going to match what Mr C did. And some people hated it. Which is to be expected.
Alas, Mr D did not get hired and we will start next semester with “Mr E”. I can hear the people now: “You’re no Mr C but thank goodness you’re not Mr D either! Welcome.” And isn’t that how it goes sometimes? It’s almost inevitable you put a scape goat in the middle.
Spring semester will be fairly easy for me and Mr E. We’ll see how it goes next fall and next years Christmas concerts.
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Late post to yesterdays blog from K-two. Welcome back K-two.
We missed you.
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Just read through last night’s “after 10:00” comments – heck, there was a whole party there.
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Mostly my traditions involve music, not surprisingly. I have a CD of Nowell Sing We Clear which I got from Bill couple of years ago, which I play in the car when I am out and about. I sing along with it and look for Christmas lights.
Tonight I was anxious to get home and verify that the heat was still functional in the house, so I didn’t stay out any longer than necessary after leaving work.
The CD is starting to skip. I may have to prevail upon Bill to burn me another. I can’t do without it now.
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On our ski trips, the person who has done the stupidest thing is awarded ‘the pants of doom’ to be worn on the slopes the next day. These are usually pyjama pants (they are large enough to wear salopettes underneath them; we’re not that cruel). We do get some funny looks from other skiers as to why some idiot is skiing in their PJ’s!
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