[❅ ❄ ✳] Do you have any special traditions around this time of year???

[Forever]

I have a twin sister, and both of us will be moving out next year, so we're trying to be extra festive this year. As per usual, we went out to the tree farms and picked a tree. We have a tradition where a different person gets to pick out the tree every year--they have to be the one to cut it down too. Last year it was my turn, and I picked a relatively small tree... but my sister likes to dream big, so she picked out the tallest tree we could fit in our living room.

It was really fun watching her cut it down. It took her a little over 12 minutes; the whole time, my dad and I stood and teased her with jibes like: "You know you actually have to put PRESSURE on the trunk, right?" (My dad was recording too, and he told her to stop swearing because people really shouldn't be yelling 'fuck' in family videos.)

Then we went home and pulled out all the Christmas decorations/ornaments. We spent the rest of the day setting things up and drinking hot cocoa, and we finished up by watching Elf--the ONLY movie my Mom will watch that features Will Ferrell.

[Banannie]

Christmas is a hard time for me. My family is pretty poor, and sometimes we forgo the Christmas thing. My parents went bankrupt a few years ago and can't really let anything slide, even for a holiday.

But we do have one tradition, we all buy each other a pair of new pajamas and open that present on Christmas eve, so we can wake up in our festive garb and pig out on ham and baked beans and crackers and cheese and we sit down next to our Charlie brown tree and watch a classic holiday movie.

I'll be a vet tech soon, and hopefully will be making more next year, and both of my parents got a higher paying job, one in Nov, one in Dec, but it's a monthly pay sorta deal so we gotta watch our finances. Next year is going to be much better.

So, I guess our traditions are as follows,
Festive sleepwear
Christmas movie and dinner
Enjoying the holidays as a time to be with family, and not stuffing a bunch of glitzy boxes under a dead tree.

[Maki]

My family usually goes out on a big skiing trip up north, where the true Blue Mountains are

Then we try a rando winter activity we've never done before using vouches my mom found online on WagJag or whatever

Two years ago we did snowshoeing, last year we did snowmobiling (I had my own snowmobile despite being 14 and not yet having a G1, fuck da police), and this year we're doing dogsledding. Snowmobiling was so fun though so I'll probably do it again on top of dogsledding

[I_royalty_I]

Then we try a rando winter activity we've never done before using vouches my mom found online on WagJag or whatever

Well hey, as long as she isn't asking you to go hiking, right?!

[Alice]

My family is Ukrainian, so we always have a very traditional Christmas eve dinner with twelve meatless dishes and we usually go to church on Christmas eve. On Christmas day we open presents and then we gather as a family again for dinner of turkey and all the trimmings.

Essentially it is two days if a lot of eating lol

We also celebrate Ukrainian Christmas on January 7th but not to the extent that we do on the 24th and 25th.

PS: happy holidays everyone

[I_royalty_I]

My family is Ukrainian, so we always have a very traditional Christmas eve dinner with twelve meatless dishes and we usually go to church on Christmas eve. On Christmas day we open presents and then we gather as a family again for dinner of turkey and all the trimmings.

Essentially it is two days if a lot of eating lol

We also celebrate Ukrainian Christmas on January 7th but not to the extent that we do on the 24th and 25th.

PS: happy holidays everyone

TWELVE meatless dishes?! That sounds like lots of eating for sure haha
We always go to church Christmas Eve too. Our church is down a road that is the only road in or out, and my grandparents house just happens to be the way that most of the traffic doesnt go. So after church we go over there and eat dinner, hang out and we have this one weird tradition. Everybody gets a gift, usually max of $10, and puts it in a brown paper bag. Then we watch the Grinch. We sit in a circle and everytime they say "who" you pass the bag and at the end you get a present

[Bowsette]

Well our tradition for the last few years is going to get ourselves a real tree from a tree lot, a nice big one. And we always make homemade sugar cookies with homemade frosting : ) Make a ham dinner, with yams and marshmallows, cranberry sauce, mashed whipped potatoes, rolls etc. Drooling just thinking about it haha. And usually take in a movie at the theater at night.

[simmie]

was was this thread closed?? @(you need an account to see links)
anyways, a tradition that my family does is:

a) We have to give back to the community and do something nice. My father knows a family that's having trouble with finances, and their 5 year old daughter's having her birthday on the 17th, so i'm making her birthday cake. But generally we do other things such as donate food or money anonymously to charities as well.

b)on Christmas day, my family and I go visit my great grandmother in the nursing home. ^_^ We sing carols and have cocoa. her memory's not what it used to be, so we try to make Christmas as memorable as possible, so at least we know that we gave her a great christmas.

[Allem]

Awe... i'd really REALLY love to have a white xmas like yours! :c
But here in argentina, xmas is hot as hell.
You don't want to eat, 'cause you're like a sweat fountain, and my family just can't live together, so no meeting dinner for us. They hate each other xD

I also have a new puppy in my family, so i just can't set up a beautiful tree, 'cause she's like a furry pacman xD
And i also have a final 12/26... so yeah.. D:


But if there's something i really enjoy of this time of year, those are fireworks. I go with my parents to an open place and look at those lights as much as i can ♥

[Snoop Lion]

No traditions for me I'm actually spending the 23rd to the 27th all on my own this year My dad and brother are going away for Christmas and i didn't want to go away so i'm all alone. I'm having christmas dinner with my neighbours though, they're spending like �150 on me for the meal and the alcohol which is so nice of them but i feel bad letting them pay as the meal at the restaurant is expensive, the meal itself is �70 for a 4 course meal and obviously about �80 on the wine/larger/champagne but they won't let me pay, so i bought my mates mom a bottle of rose (her favourite drink) and a �45 charm for her pandora bracelet as a thank you

So it will still be a good christmas as my neighbour is my best mate as well, but will be weird spending christmas without my immediate family for the first time!