Traditions

meant to start but got distracted. I really can't be bothered with Xmas in general but i am looking forward to the meal I'm having with my group of 9 school friends. Basically a potluck dinner where we all bring a dish it has been labelled the "Yuletide Mother" and takes place the house of whoever is prepared to host it.

May not sound that exciting but it's the only time of the year we all make an effort to get together. Being the third consecutive year I think we can call it a tradition.

three of my dad's siblings live within a five minute walk so each branch hosts a very informal gathering at some stage over the period involving snack food, copious drinking and singing in the kitchen until six am. that's as close to a tradition as we have, apart from visiting graves.

What traditions (Christmas or otherwise) do you and your friends/family have?

Drunken argument leading to at least one present being trashed, followed by storming out of house accompanied by yells of "Get out! Get Out! Last time you come to my fuckin' house for Christmas!"

The Christmas tradition which I started when my kids were small was to hide tiny wrapped presents for them on the Christmas tree in amongst all the baubles and lights - they're allowed to find and open one little present each day in between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Sort of keeps the Christmassy excitement going a bit longer :)

our kitchen clock is 22 minutes fast and always has been

I was tempted to revive this thread

Christmas Traditions: The Annual Family Row

but was aiming for a slightly more cheerful tone.

Drunken argument leading to at least one present being trashed, followed by storming out of house accompanied by yells of "Get out! Get Out! Last time you come to my fuckin' house for Christmas!"

-- Tom D., 10 December 2007 16:01 (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

well, obviously everyone does that!

our kitchen clock is 22 minutes fast and always has been

You should sneak down in the middle of the night and put it back by nine minutes, just to confused everyone. Imagine the hilarity!

darraghmac, what is it about the irish, copious drinking and singing til 6am? and visiting graves now I think about it. If i lived nearer my mother's family this would probably sum up my Xmas since i'm pretty sure it does theirs.

The copious drinking is more of a year round tradition with the Irish

My maternal family and I eat at a pizza place on the night before Thanksgiving. It stems from my sister and I going to our father's for Thanksgiving, and the pizza place was the halfway point between the two households. One Pizza Wednesday, my mother announced that she was pregnant with my brother. So a little sentimentality stems from that as well.

Louis, are you really loathe to change it and/or would you be annoyed if someone else did? because y'know "it's always been like that"?

it's the kind of intangible thing I could imagine myself developing an inexplicable fondness for.

Well, we automatically see time as 22 minutes in the past (at least from our kitchen clock), so changing it would cause confusion. It hasn't ALWAYS been this way, I guess. Used to be 16 minutes fast, but has mysteriously edged faster with every battery change.

Duracell be messin' with ya.

we drink until our livers fail, sing until our throats swell and burst, and then we wonder how come we visit more graveyards than anyone else.

it's a vicious circle.

Duracell? I think my dad may have something more to do with it.

My paternal grandparents used to collect loose change all year, then give it to my sister and me on boxing day. We used to have tremendous Scrooge MacDuck-style fun piling up all the coins. Then on the 27th we'd go to the C&A sale and flummox the checkout girl by handing over bags of coppers.

More recently we've been having a family dinner on Christmas Eve for which my sister, Mum and I make a course each. Dad lights the fire. It is nice. We started doing this because on the day itself we have three grandparents, now aged 89, 91 and 93 over for dinner and the food has to be overcooked enough not to give them indigestion (although they get it anyway) and it's not a particularly enjoyable meal. Though it's nice to in other ways. But Christmas Eve is when we eat the Proper Good Food.

Wait, I got their ages wrong. 95, 93 and 89.

that loose change thing is great. i had a thrifty ex once that filled a huge chupa chups milk pail with change for 18 months and went to the canaries on the proceeds.

on her own?

well, i had to pay for my ticket.

on xmas day, my mother and i go to a movie while my father stays home and keeps an eye on the food (roast duck). i have a strong feeling that i'll be seeing no country for old men for the second time.

My family had traditions of the very normal Crimmus type, seeing Crimmus lights and church parties, best of all (maybe uncommon) getting to eat crab legs and sirloin for Xmas eve supper.

Now that I am on my own it involves a lot of Irished-up coffee on Crimmus morning and making ridiculoused trees. (This year marks the least traditional: we just set a bunch of Christmas lights at the base of this talking Tardis coin bank we have.) Also involves apologizing for making simple or useless gifts as people open them who, surprisingly enough, appreciate them. Also for the past few years it has involved buying my boyfriend the most recently released House season DVD set.

First meal after a colonoscopy is a big breakfast at Huddle House or Waffle House.

put the old colon through its paces eh?

thats right