The Community Christmas Countdown | Christmas Traditions

We have a lovely nativity set with lights that goes in our window for a week or so before the rest of the decorations go up. But my favourite traditions are lots of carol singing.

When the children were smaller the tradition was that I would go to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve while y husband put the children to bed. It was my little pocket of sanity in what is other wise a bit of a wild time for a mom. Then when I got back from masss it was hopefully time to ‘welcome Santa into the home’.

Now the kids are older and we all go to midnight Mass. Sadly Santa doesn’t visit our home any more, as the children insist on going to bed even later than I do!

thank u!! good luck @MistKY :four_leaf_clover:

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Our tradition is kinda random… The family all gets together and we all go play out in the snow(if we have it). Never know in Illinois. We all go have a big snowball fight and build forts. Even the grandparents! It’s pretty spectacular watching well respected older grandparents play with the kids(all under 9). Warms the heart just thinking about it.

My family likes to go to a town called McAdenville and drive through it, because every year, 99% of the town is adorned in Christmas decorations, and it’s really nice to look at.

Thanks u ! good luck!!! :four_leaf_clover:

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My Christmas tradition is to get drunk and rowdy and then contemplate suicide.

With my family we decorate for a Mexican Christmas. We have jalapeño Christmas lights and decorate the tree Texan/Cowboy style. My moms side of the family grew up in a part of Texas that used to be Mexico. Our tree topper instead of being a start it’s a cowboy Santa holding a lasso.

Umm… joking? That sounds kind of serious.

Our Christmas tradition is to open/exchange gifts from family on Christmas eve. After our huge feast of course. Then on Christmas day all the kids get their gifts from Santa.

I am always wondering does Santa wrap your gifts or are they unwrapped? Mine were always unwrapped under the tree but my wife always had hers wrapped. So we had a debate on what to do for our kids.

Whether your joking or not, that is very serious and not something to joke or even toy around with. Please reach out and seek help if you are serious, we would really hate to see someone go through that even if we don’t know then. Just know that there is always going to be someone willing to be there for you and help you through your struggles

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Christmas as an adult comes with new traditions and letting go of old traditions.

When I was younger, all the kids would wake up super early and have to sit on the stairs and wait until my parents went downstairs and verified if Santa came or not. It was so much fun having me and my 3 siblings sit giddy on the stairs waiting until my parents let us go. Reminds me now of the start of a nascar race, “Drivers, start your engines” Then after the starting gun we race downstairs and find our pile of loot in respective corners of the room.

My wife’s family is polish, so she makes a Borscht Soup, traditionally it is a beet soup. But her family perfers the Sauerkraut and Mushroom version. Which is about a 3 day process of soaking mushrooms, boiling, letting cool, adding cream, etc. I don’t like mushrooms, but I eat it for one day a year. We also do an opłatek (Christmas Wafer), we take our wafer and pass it around the room and everyone breaks a piece of it and puts it in their soup bowl after saying Merry Christmas to you. A reminder of the body of Christ.

Now, we with our soon to be 5 year old daughter, we just wait until she is ready and go see what Santa has in store for her! She doesn’t quite get it, or at least hasn’t in the past. Excited to see what this year brings.

We also have a tradition of going downtown Chicago to the Chriskindlmarket, a german style market I’m sure @fhassm can embellish on. But we get our spiced wine (Glühwein) have some sausage, potato pancakes, and buy a couple german made ornaments for our tree or as gifts. Then we’ll walk State Street, Window shop, Christmas Shop etc.

Looking forward to making new traditions! Happy Holidays, ALL!

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One day in December my husband was entertaining our 3 kids with a crane game while I was checking out at the register and he won a prize which would become our very first tradition as a family. Every Christmas since my husband, kids and I decided to replace our star on top of our tree with the crane game win, a stuffed Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants.

Our favourite tradition is to put the Christmas tree together and decorate our home.

For my family Christmas is all about getting everyone together. Every year on December 24th we start the cooking in the morning, baking the traditional Portuguese Christmas desserts (Sonhos, Rabanadas, Arroz Doce, Azevias) and preparing the Christmas Eve dinner. And there’s one thing that we can’t miss on the table which is the Bolo Rei (King Cake).

We always open the presents on the 24th at midnight. Christmas Day is always spent with the whole family eating and watching Christmas Movies while the kids play with the new toys.

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Wow I like that! :grin:

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For my Christmas we get up at 8am go to church and then come back to give and open presents. Before we open presents we search the treee to find where the pickle is hidden and the person who find the pickle gets to open their present first. Then we go to my uncles house and have Christmas dinner with then until we finally go home and watch Christmas movies until we got to sleep.

Weihnachtsmarkt, Christkindlmarkt.
There are many here in Germany.
Meanwhile too many. At every corner is one. :grin:
It’s business.
And these markets are getting more and more a “bazaar”. :angry:
All kind of goods available, which have really nothing to do with Christmas
But people don’t mind, so its fine. :grin:

I like Borscht. Not easy to prepare. Needs a lot of experience. :yum:

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@fhassm, @Quinn_Armstrong Love borscht too. A good friend of mine from Ukraine made it at our place when we were hosting them over Christmas. Everyone loved it :slight_smile:

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@franz ewww nasty :nauseated_face::nauseated_face::nauseated_face::face_vomiting:

Hahahaha
I’ll stick to me Heinz cream of chicken soup lol

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Heinz, Hans … Franz!!!:joy:

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Thanks u !!! good luck for u!! :four_leaf_clover:

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