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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1478
Location: Michigan | WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THIS ???
I believe in opening Christmas presents on Christmas morning.
When I was very young and I knew there was a Santa Claus our family would open up our presents on Christmas morning , but as I got a little older and started seeing things a little bit different , the presents would be put out on Christmas Eve and we were allowed to open only one that evening and we had to wait until Christmas morning to open the rest.
What is your family tradition on this and why ???
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY & HAVE A WONDERFULL HOLIDAY SEASON TO YOU, YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS....GWB |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 430
Location: Lebanon, TN | Christmas morning and my 17 and 20 yr old still wake me and wait til I go down stairs to see if Santa has been. Involves me switching on the tree lights and putting the kettle on before summoning them down. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Christmas morning all the way... ditto on the kettle (coffee) - the lights stay on all night - also have to prepare the camcorder, camera, etc. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | Since we all have our own families we would open up gifts to other family members on christmas eve but the gifts between sue and I on christmas day.
things are all bollocks up this year..... |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | This Christmas eve will be Dinner, a Candlelight Service (modified to Glow-Sticks) with a Christmas morn Coffee and present opening.
Mid day dinner and assembly of gifts. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Thread OT - Food traditions?
Any special food traditions? We have the Christmas Eve 7 fishes - this year I'm making:
1 - Shrimp Cocktail
2 - Baked Clams
3 - Mussels Marinara
4 - Linguini with Clam Sauce
5 - Crab Cakes
6 - Fried Flounder
7 - TBD
All youse italians out there know what I'm talkin' about. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | We've argued about this for 30 years. Guess who lost. Our family went over to my Dad's folks Christmas Eve to exchange gifts from family, but always opened the rest of the family's and Santa's on Christmas morning.
This year, it's all messed up, too. We don't have room to haul a bunch of stuff back from Portland with all my daughter's stuff from school, so we're opening presents here Friday and hauling gifts for the rest of the family over.
So unless that blue Adamas is already here, I guess gh1 will have to play Santa. My folks just have a wood stove, so it will be tough to get down the chimney. I got a new office chair for Christmas a month ago, so this Christmas is already boring. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | my grand parents were irish,i rember as a kid going over there on christmas eve for a dinner and gift exchange for the adults. there was at least 3 potato dishes and corned beef.minced meat pies..btw i can no longer eat mince meat.. xmas morning dad would turn the lights on the tree on when he was going to the farm to feed. he would wake us up when he returned for breakfast and opening gifts...
never had xmas with my mother tho,but they are jewish and dont do the xmas thing....jason |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | Here in Norway the gifts are put under the three opened on Christmas eve. We have "pinnekjøtt" which is salted and smoked sheep ribs for xmas dinner |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | On Christmas eve, my family prefer to go to the late night church service after dinner. Stop by for coffee and pastries at the local bake shop after the service. By the time we arrive home, we wait for a few minutes until the clock strikes 12 midnight, and then we open up our presents. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | In Germany, they have Little Christmas (Holland too, I think). That's when you leave your shoes out on the porch, and you either get Candy and Trinkets, or Coal and Switches. (I was there when I was 6 & 7.)
On the subject. You always open the presents on Christmas Morning. Cuz Santa brings them on Christmas Eve! Whatcha mean you don't believe? |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Isle of Man, UK | Always the pressies on Christmas morning. We'd head downstairs, do some tea or coffee, go through the stockings to wake us all up. Have a break for a fairly substantial breakfast, clear up, set dinner on the go, then do the pressies thing.
Still works exactly the same, even though I flew the nest nearly six years ago, and my sister three years ago - we head back there in the morning.
Not the greatest fan of christmas (just not a huge fan of the commercial side), but it's really great that it's a time of year the three of us get together with no outside pressures.
JB |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Christmas morning. It's Christmas!
Otherwise, we'd be celebrating the labour, not the birth.
We'll probably head down to the beach on Christmas day and have a huge platter of cold meats and salad. Most Christmas days down here the temperature is well into the 30's centigrade (over 90 degrees fahrenheit) so it's too hot to cook a roast turkey.
Funny thing is, all the decorations down here depict snow and all things wintery. I feel sorry for the santas here in that heavy red suit and false beard in those temperatures.
Forecast for this Christmas is mid to high 20s, (75F) so should be comfortable. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | We exchange gifts from eachother on Christmas Eve. Everything under the tree Christmas morning is from Santa.
Blue Christmas??
When I was a kid Christmas was huge. Christmas Eve was always at my house. For 45 years straight I spent Christmas Eve in the same living room. The big Christmas day shindig rotated from uncle to uncle. And my wife's family is big so there was alway the decision of where to go.
But now, my side of the family has all but dissipated from either passing on or moving away. Same with Pam's side. And this year, all of a sudden Pam & I find ourselves neck deep in the empty nest syndrome. The oldest of my 3 sons moved out in the spring but found out yesterday he may have to work Christmas day. The other 2 boys left for Florida in October to find work. Looks like they won't be back until mid January. Big adjustments this year. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3410
Location: GA USA | I now have a new tradition. I'm going to Crimson Lake's house on Christmas Eve for dinner.
We do "Santa" first thing Christmas morning (including stockings for the adults), then a big breakfast, then the rest of the gifts. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | When I was a kid, we did the opposite of Brad. Christmas eve rotated between our house, an aunt and an uncle, with Christmas always at our house.
Brad - sit down and watch "Christmas with the Kranks" - never give up hope, you never know who will show up on Christmas eve. This year we get to have our 26 yo daughter and her family, who we've hardly heard from in over a year (she lives 45 minutes away). |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | traditional christmas eve dinner for our family
fried shrimp
crab cakes
shrimp creole (my mom found a recipe some time in the 70's and it has been part of the tradition ever since.
traditional cakes and cookies made from poppy seeds. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Plenty of room and food Cap'n - just bring the Deacon for a little pre-meal "grace". |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | This was a few years ago... my poor daughter (and the other kids as well) too sick to do their regular opening job... normally every picture is just a blur of torn paper and ribbons.
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | Originally posted by MWoody:
This Christmas eve will be Dinner, a Candlelight Service (modified to Glow-Sticks) with a Christmas morn Coffee and present opening.
Mid day dinner and assembly of gifts. Glow-Sticks? Did you nearly burn the church down last year or what? GLOW-STICKS? No hot wax to play with after the service is over? |
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Joined:
July 2006
Posts: 95
Location: St Louis | When I was a kid we always opened the presents on Christmas Day. But my wifes family did it on Christmas Eve. So now we comprimise. Presents to/from each other and to/from the kids on Christmas Eve and presents from Santa on Christmas Day.
Even though our boys are 15 and 10 and figured out the Santa thing long ago we don't talk about it. We still go through the Christmas Eve ritual of putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer (half eaten of course) next to the fireplace. We put out the presents, fill the stockings and leave the tree lights on all night.
We also drive around the area on Christmas Eve for a tour of all the light displays. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | Christmas morning for us. With all the other families involved (sons in law and daughter in law) that have to be at other places, that is "our time".
As people get up, they get their stocking, all hand made by my wife, (18 of 'em). They are filled to overflowing by said wife, not expensive stuff.
While this is going on I am making sausage balls, coffee, and the wife is making other stuff, plus the cranberry, banana nut, carrot breads she has already made. A really big breakfast.
Then the gifts are opened. My wife shops all year long, so we don't have a big financial outlay in Dec. (bless her)
About 1:30 or 2:00 The lunch.
Christmas still overwhelms me, as an only child, my growing up holidays were 5 people, me my parents and my dad's parents.
Before some one says, "I bet you got everything you wanted!", I will tell you, although I got a few things for Christmas, I rarely got what I wanted. When I was 11 I did get that 22 rifle I wanted. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Since I've been married we always spent Christmas Eve with my parents. Dinner was Homemade vegetable soup and pizza. Exchange gifts with them and later attend church services at 11:30. Christmas morning was our time with our kids then Christmas with my in laws. Since both my parents have passed away we still have the same dinner no gifts and church at 11:30. We keep Christmas Day the same except can't make the trip to New York to see my mouther in law till after the 1st of the year. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | Christmas morning--Jack, the kids and I at home, then to my folks' for brunch and presents with them and my gram, then on to his folks' for dinner and presents with them and his sister. We'd come home with so much piled in the way-back of the station wagon, you couldn't see out the windows.
Christmas Eve meant going to the candle-light service at church, and decorating the tree afterwards while the "Yule Log" played on TV.
--Karen |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 122
Location: Tucson, AZ | ...MY family (Scottish) tradition is XMAS a.m.
...WIFE's family (native American) tradition is p.m. XMAS-eve. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1478
Location: Michigan | MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ....
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT...GWB |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | My family always opened gifts on Christmas eve, Santa was Christmas Day. My wife's family is completly different.They were allowed to open one gift Christmas eve(usually new pajamas) and all the other gifts and Santa were done Christmas Day. Starting a couple of years ago we compromised. Christmas eve is spent over at my mother-in laws and gifts are exchanged and opened then. However my boys don't open any gifts under our tree till Christmas Day. Oh well, I still can't get used to it. The only time this has changed is when we went to Texas to be with my Family.
We would all gather round in the den and Daddy would read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-14
Then he said a prayer and we all opened gifts.
It's a great memory. This year is still sad since
Daddy Died this year. But we are all trying to deal with it as best as we can.
Merry Christmas Everyone! |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | We've done both. When the kids were small it's always in the morning. As they get older and live away and have to travel, plans change to whatever they need to be. |
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OPEN THE PRESENTS ON CHRISTMAS A.M. OR CHRISTMAS EVE???