[BrandyHagz]

Family Traditions

I grew up in a pretty dysfunctional family. They had their own set of “family traditions” but those traditions never seemed comfortable to me. I always felt out of place…

I always wanted to have the nifty family dinners on the bigger holidays. I guess I was inspired by televisions idea of what a family event was supposed to be, I don’t know.

Anyway…I’ve been married for three years (today is our anniversary actually) and I want to start creating family traditions just for us. We don’t get together with family on the holidays because I no longer associate with my family, and my husbands family is probably just as dysfunctional as mine is. So, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s just us three.

What kinds of things does your family do for Christmas?

What is the “golden rule” for holiday meats? Thanksgiving Turkey, Christmas Ham?

Dress up? Dress down? Sweats and tee’s or collars and dresses?

Television, does it have a place at the dinner table?

Seating, everyone together or children at their own table?

Dessert to Dish ratio? How many desserts should you have?

Is it appropriate to ask other people who also don’t have local family to come over for the meal?

Growing up, the guys would gather around the television all day, and only stop watching long enough to come get a plate at the buffet style dinner, and then return to eat on the couch.

Usually, my adoptive mom and her twin sister we’re pretty drunk before the meal was complete…bread was burned, turkey was dry and/or half raw, other dishes were in various stages of under/over doneness and half of the family would show up HOURS late, or not at all…and we would wait for everyone…which in turn made the food taste pretty interesting…lol

I’m not a sports fan, nor am I am drinker…or a smoker for that matter…which is a whole other story.

I just want to have a nice semi-formal (no sweats and t-shirts or cut of Levi’s and midriff bearing halter tops) event, where the focus is family and giving thanks, rather than football, beer, and cigarettes…which seems to have been the underlying theme to any time my “family” got together.

[debsdone]

Happy Anniversary Brandy! Traditions are whatever you make them. Your ideas sound fine. I like the part about inviting others....that is something I have always done whenever possible. We celebrate Hanukkah...but we seem to have a more solid tradition for Christmas day! Maybe because Hanukkah is a different time each year and we are ALL together at Christmas. The kids would be VERY disappointed if we didn't have our hot chocolate (or coffee) and croissants in the morning while we take turns opening presents. This happens EARLY! LOL Then it is off the feed the homeless with our Temple. Then home for a bite...whatever I have and then off to a movie. There are usually good family movies around Christmas. That's enough for now, lol Love, Debi

[BrandyHagz]

Thanks Debi!

I would usually invite Marines that didnt get to go home when we lived on base...but this is our first set of holidays in the civilian world...so to speak...so its pretty new

Thanks again

[drewnphilipmom]

My mom has a habit of inviting anyone she knows that she hears will be alone for the holiday. My sister and I have taken to doing the same thing. We don't believe in spending holidays alone. clothing wise it is pretty informal - jeans ans sweaters. Thanksgiving is Turkey but for chirstmas it is different. We always go out on Christmas Eve - I talian, Japanese Steakhouse if the weather is bad we have pizza delivered. Xmas day is another story. Usually we have standing rib roast and baked ham with all the fixings. Getting hungry just thinking about it YUMMMMMMMMMMM

[Decision]

I have a funny family tradition...I am not exact when I first started it but I believe it was when I started cooking...around 12?
While rinsing of the turkey I shook the water out of it...that is when I come up with dancing with the Turkey, so every year at Christmas and Thanksgiving we all "dance" with the turkey, my children think its great,
My daugher just did a family tree for school and in the traditions she actually put Dancing with the turkey, her teacher actually phoned me and asked what that meant.
I think creating traditions is not something you plan it just happens.

[Free_to_be_me]

My family has had some pretty long-standing traditions, with a few new twists...

Each Thanksgiving, we would always have a turkey. Recently (3 or 4 years ago) we started dressing our turkey up a little. We would form the shape of a bikini out of tinfoil, place it on the raw turkey and cook it. When it was done, the exposed turkey skin was brown and crispy and the area under the bikini was pale-TAN LINES!!! It makes us laugh just thinking about it.

For Christmas, everyone in our family chooses their favorite food to have for dinner (our evening meal) on Christmas Eve. One year we had lefse and lutefisk (mom) clam chowder (dad) imitation crab stick things (big brother) steak (me) and homemade, handbreaded chicken strips (little sister) Then we added some potatoes and a vegetable and called it dinner. It was always a family affair to get everything ready.

Another tradition that my brother, sister and I had was that we would all sleep in the same bedroom on Christmas Eve so whoever woke up first could wake the others up to see what Santa brought for us. We also argued about which room we would sleep in every year.

[lambeausam]

Hey, we had the same Christmas Eve tradition! We did it on the night before Easter also. I'm not sure who came up with the idea of sharing the room, but I'm glad we did. When my youngest brother was still in his crib, my other brother and I would sleep in sleeping bags in the nursery. One Christmas morning we woke up a 3am. The whole family was downstairs opening presents and enjoying the morning when my dad realized what time it was. Christmas celebration came to a screeching halt until 7am. Turns out my parents had only been in bed two hours! Thankfully, the earliest my boys have been up is 530am.

[sspete]

I LOVE the Holidays......They are truly MAGICAL to me!!!!!

Thanksgiving is truly a time to give thanks, and a great way to find out what everyone is thankful for is to go around the table so each person can tell what they are thankful for that year!!!!! The FOOD......NEED I SAY MORE......YUMMMMMY!!! We Cook and Eat until we cant move!!!!! Most of us (all men and some women) enjoy the football games of the day.....GO DALLAS!!!!! The kids are everwhere.....Play, Play, and Play some more!!!!

CHRISTMAS....... oh how I love Christmas!!! Santa comes on Christmas Eve and Wraps some presents while leaving the BIG ones just Out in each Childs on individual present spot. EARLY Christmas a.m. the kids arise to see their many treasures!!! This year their present is a Golden Retriever/lab puppy.....She is SOOO precious!!!!! She is being held for us until Christmas Eve!!!! Anyway, after the present time my Family comes to our house in business casual attire to eat until we get our feel!!!!! Holiday food is just amazing. We have the typical Southern Fare such as Turkey, Ham, Broccolli Rice Casserole, Sweet Potatoe Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Salads, Green Beans Almondine, Cornbread Dressing, Cranberry Sauce, Many Pies and Desserts, and Etc.

Here is to HAPPY HOLIDAYS to Everyone!!!!!

Staci

[spaypets]

I Jewish but DH isn't. We've always had bagels and smoked salmon on Xmas morning. Sometimes we've had company, but usually not.

This year, the first year with our daughter, we're going to his parents. We probably will bring bagels and smoked salmon!

Thanksgiving has always been the big deal in our family. We always went to my grandparents, then my aunt's now my cousin's. There are usually 13 or 14 of us -- three generations. I love that I'm going to be able to share a tradition I was raise with with my daughter.

No TV is involved in anything my family celebrates, but DH's family is a different story (the food isn't as good either).

[mncepitt]

Hi

We live a long way from family so Christmas is a special event for the 4 (hopefully soon 5) of us. Breakfast first (cooked of course) then presents with taking turns so we can all ooh and aah over them. Hubby cooks the Big lunch with a variety - Duck, Ham and Pork, all our favourite veges (everyone is involved in the choosing beforehand), table is laid the day before so no work to do there and disposable roast pan as well. The girls have no alcoholic wine in plastic wine glasses, and we have champagne or similar. Dessert has been cooked in the weeks before (home made christmas pudding) trifle finished just before the meal and Christmas Cake if anyone wants it (cooked in September and left to age). We toast and say grace - music is usually only classical unless someone got a nice quiet CD for Christmas. And Magic Snow.......talcum powder throughout the house (everyone helps clean this up too!!)

Hope this is of interest (This is our form of the Aussie Christmas a la Far North Queensland!)