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Christmas Traditions!

L

leanin' H

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
7,286
Location
Western Utah Desert
I was wonderin' what everyone has for traditions at Christmas time. Maybe things you've done for years or something ya just started making into a tradition. We do 2. We try to chose a couple or three families and we do the twelve days of Christmas to em'. Just little things like hot chocolate, dollar store stuff and goodies with a different poem every night til Christmas eve. We try to stay undercover and not let em' find out who we are. That is tough with only 300 of us scattered around the valley but it is fun and helps us feel in the spirit of the season. Nothing says Merry Christmas like 5 pounds of hamburger! Our other one is before we open presents or get in the stockings we gather the kids and read Luke 2 and the story of Christ's birth. Helps us remember why we celebrate and puts things in perspective. So spill your guts!!! :D What do ya do as families or as a solo act? MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
 
We got to Candle Light service Christmas Eve Night @ 6pm. It's a beautiful time. Everyone holds lit candles durin the whole service. Usually a short Christmas message then we all sing Christmas Carols. The last hymn of the night is always, "Silent Night" which we all go outside in front of the church to sing...with our candles still lit. There's something so different about the sound of "Silent Night" on a cold winter night. I can't explain it, it's just different.

Then after that, we all gather at a family member's house to exchange gifts. The Whole Family. Aunts Uncles Cousins grandkids....etc. It's a big mess....but so much fun, lots of home made Christmas goodies to eat. And with all of us here close together, and all of having just come from the same Candle Light service it's really special.

Then Christmas dinner again as a family.

We didn't do that much for Christmas when I was growin up as a kid. Yes we got a few presents. Usually opened on Christmas Eve. And then Christmas Day was always spent at Grandma's and Grandaddy's house. Special memories there as well.
 
What we always did was go over to my Grandmothers house for Christmas eve and open some of presents. We always had clam chowder and she would have numerous goodies there but always be divinty, my favorite.
I make the clam chowder every Christmas eve for my family now.
 
We have this beautiful old country church about four miles from us that only has 2 functions a yr.One is the Sunday before Christmas.Everyone that attends brings a plate for lunch,but before that a wonderful Christmas program is put on. Anyone that wants contributes,music,singing, readings from the Bible,poems and my very favorite harp music,and Christmas songs are sung between performances. I love this Christmas program the very best and so far my adult children have always made it home for it. :)

I'm a traditionalist,so I have many Christmas ones,but the above mentioned one is probably the one that gives me the most hope for Christmas's to come because its celebrated like Christmas's past.... :)
 
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When I was young we always went to midnight Mass at St. Francis, SD. Before mass the Sisters and the school girls in the choir loft would be singing, and a crib scene was set up in the front near the left side altar with blue electric lights. Mother would always take us up to see the crib.
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Is spending most of the day feeding cattle and taking care of them considered a Christmas Tradition :???: :D
 
When I was growing up, it was always oyster stew on Christmas Eve, but Clam Chowder sounds a helluva lot better. Some years it was mostly flavored milk, with few oysters. I still enjoy oyster stew, 'course, I also enjoy liver and onions every once in awhile.
Spending time with my cattle is also a tradition, like Cal's. But that's not just at Christmas time!!
 
Traditions for most cattle people include feeding or breaking ice.

For our family we exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. We have snacks and potatoe soup and chili sometimes oyster stew. When my Grandfather was living it was oyster stew but then changed to potatoe soup. We eat to much and enjoy being together. Depending on who is hosting and what church they belong to it sometimes involves a service that night also.
 
Hi Leanin:) Thanks for the topic. It's hard for a lot of people this time of year for one reason or another. I live alone and never had children, so not even any grandchildren to be around. I am a happy person though and really don't let "what could have been" ruin "what is":) And what is, is a pretty good life:) I live in the country on a beautiful piece of property in Southern Oregon. Nothing I could have afforded on my own. But found some older folks that really needed someone like me:) I am 56 the 28th and I take care, mostly, of their pets. They are retired and like to travel a lot. It turned out that we became best friends:)They treat me like family. We decorated their house as they love doing that each year. Derrell is a hunter and we even put a santa hat on his Elk he got a few years back:) I think he had more fun putting up lights etc., than edie and I:) Edie and I did some cookie baking and I don't know how(but I have my suspicions)but she ended up with food coloring on her tongue. That was my que and I proceeded to color mine green:) including my teeth:) We took photos and laughed a lot. We decorated their "fake" tree with ornaments they've had 50 years:) We are going on the 20th, to dinner and then to drive by the "most" decorated areas of Medford Oregon:) I will go to a church service(candlelight)and see a childrens play also:)

I love this time of year but one day I would like to do it with my family again. We are spread all over the State of Oregon and WA so I hope and pray that we can get together again one day:)

Have a Merry Christmas, denise in Sams Valley OR

leanin' H said:
I was wonderin' what everyone has for traditions at Christmas time. Maybe things you've done for years or something ya just started making into a tradition. We do 2. We try to chose a couple or three families and we do the twelve days of Christmas to em'. Just little things like hot chocolate, dollar store stuff and goodies with a different poem every night til Christmas eve. We try to stay undercover and not let em' find out who we are. That is tough with only 300 of us scattered around the valley but it is fun and helps us feel in the spirit of the season. Nothing says Merry Christmas like 5 pounds of hamburger! Our other one is before we open presents or get in the stockings we gather the kids and read Luke 2 and the story of Christ's birth. Helps us remember why we celebrate and puts things in perspective. So spill your guts!!! :D What do ya do as families or as a solo act? MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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this sounds so wonderful:) Thank you for sharing it:) God bless, denise in OR


Mrs.Greg said:
We have this beautiful old country church about four miles from us that only has 2 functions a yr.One is the Sunday before Christmas.Everyone that attends brings a plate for lunch,but before that a wonderful Christmas program is put on. Anyone that wants contributes,music,singing, readings from the Bible,poems and my very favorite harp music,and Christmas songs are sung between performances. I love this Christmas program the very best and so far my adult children have always made it home for it. :)

I'm a traditionalist,so I have many Christmas ones,but the above mentioned one is probably the one that gives me the most hope for Christmas's to come because its celebrated like Christmas's past.... :)
Click to expand...
 
Some time back I was reading an article about French-Canadian settlers in some of the counties in south central Nebraska around the town of Campbell. It mentioned that Christmas was celebrated purely as a religious holiday, and then New Years Day was a day of feasting. This was a French-Canadian custom.
I then realized why dad's family had for many years had a family get together on New Years Day. We kind of lost that tradition as the Aunts and Uncles passed away. Christmas day is still primarily a religious celebration, attending Mass either on Christmas eve or Christmas morning as available, but usually families get together for a meal too.
 
Cal said:
Is spending most of the day feeding cattle and taking care of them considered a Christmas Tradition :???: :D
Click to expand...


Same here...feed them ole cows first..then if the day goes well, might get a nap in. We don't have any traditions, just cause we don't have any family around except my 92yr young g-ma,,and she don't get around much anymore. So it's just hubby, kid, g-ma and me...and of course Jazzy and Jade..(our girls/dogs)...don't over eat,,cause I don't have to cook much. It's nice though to just enjoy each other and hopefully have a quiet day. Mother Nature dictates what kind of Christmas Day we'll have..lol
 

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