Christmas Eve Traditions

[Uncle Bob]

At my house we Always have fried oysters for dinner on Christmas Eve...
Pigs in a blanket Christmas morning...Please share some of your families Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning tradtions....

 

[YT2095]

a shot of Whisky and a mince pie with a napkin get left by the front door for Santa (we don`t have a chimney), then I turn on the oven to cook the turkey.
in the morning, Check turkey and take the bacon rashers off it and make bacon sandwiches for breakfast.

that`s about all we do that IS routine

 

[Half Baked]

lol...our Santa always had wine and brie set out for him.

No more traditions for me. Kids have flown the coop and it's only Mr HB and me. I do have trouble getting in the spirit, except for my religous beliefs.

 

[Loprraine]

Growing up it was always hang the stockings by the back door ( I tried leotards one year), track Santa's whereabouts on the radio, Midnight Mass, then Reveillon. We got to open one gift, and you really wanted it to be a toy, and not mitts. LOL Christmas morning, 7am mass, bring a toy for the poor( heck, we were the poor), breakfast, open the rest of the gifts, get ready for Christmas dinner and lots of company. We never got invited anywhere for Christmas, who in their right mind would invite a couple with 7 kids!!!!

This will be my first Christmas where I am not spending it with any family, I've opted to visit a friend. The whole guilt trip is setting in nicely.

 

[Half Baked]

Awww Loppy, are you spending it in Va or Md?

 

[Uncle Bob]

A shot of whiskey..mince pie.....Wine and brie...Wow! I wish my kids had known about those....sure beats Milk and cookies/fudge etc.

 

[Half Baked]

I told the boys that Santa would be tired of milk and cookies by the time he reached our house.

 

[Half Baked]

I always bought a game to play on Christmas Eve, before church. The neighbors would come over and we'd have a wonderful time then caravan to midnight mass.

After I bought Pictionary, that was our game of choice from then on.

and yes, the boys were allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve.

 

[shpj4]

Every Christmas eve I go to Church with my bestfriend Bobbie. The ceremony is wonderful and it really puts you in the Christmas Spirit.

 

[Barb L.]

Growing up and even now, we never did anything special on Christmas Eve. It was always -"early to bed Santa's coming" !!! Now I make my Egg casserole for Christmas morning, and off to bed -- Santa's Coming !

 

[cara]

Here in Germany Christmas Eve is the most important of the christmas days... the "Weihnachtsmann" arrives at christmas eve...
when I was younger we went to the 4pm-mass, meanwhile the Weihnachtsmann left his bag in the living-room, so one of us has his duties and gets the gifts out of the bag to give it to the persons, whose name is written on.. he/she unwraps it and the next gift comes out.
Afterwards it's time for dinner, fondue with lots of side orders...
first christmas day is family dinner, something nice, turkey, duck or rabbit, my sister comes with her family, my brother is there and old aunties come ;o)
we usually go for a walk afterwards, about 2hours and then it's time for coffee.. cookies and stollen ;o)

 

[QSis]

LOL! My father said that Santa's favorite thing was a bologna sandwich on white bread, so that's what we left out for "Santa".

When I spend Christmas Eve with my mother's side of the family, who were/are Polish, we eat mushroom borscht with hand-picked and home-dried wild mushrooms, cheese and cabbage pierogis and golompki (stuffed cabbage rolls).

I have to come up with an easy breakfast at Mom's for Christmas morning. Probably go with Swedish Oven Pancakes. Whoever posted the recipe put the word "Christmas" next to it, so I'll take that as a sign. Served with some nice breakfast sausages mmmmm!!

Lee

Swedish Oven Pancakes (christmas)
4 Eggs
3 c Milk
4 tb Butter, melted
2 c Flour
1 ts Salt
2 tb Sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a bowl, beat eggs well; add milk, butter, flour, salt, and sugar.
Bake in a greased 9x13 inch pan for about 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve immediately with butter and lots of maple syrup.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Christmas Eve was usually tamales, chili, refried beans and Mexican rice ... OR ... when we lived in New Orleans it was seafood gumbo and rice.

 

[Robo410]

salmon with dill havarti sauce
whatever greens are available (asparagus is nice)
and something red...could be roasted tomatoes or beets...roasted beets with dill is really good.

late service at church (Midnight Mass...usually 10:30 nowadays)

Swedish pancakes for breakfast Christmas morn with powdered sugar and lingonberries

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

We eat BBQ on Christmas Eve.....Hey, I am in Memphis

 

[Constance]

When I was a child, we did all our celebrating on Christmas day. After we opened gifts, mom always made a special breakfast...the one time a year we got Canadian Bacon.
When I was raising my children, my ex's family did their celebrating on Christmas Eve. His mother came from a large family, and there was always a big meal at her brother's house out in the country. Everyone pitched in to buy a ham so large it had to be baked at our local bakery. Then, all brought their own special dishes and desserts. The kids would run around and play with their cousins until they were so exhausted they were about to drop. They always conked out in the car on the way home, and we'd lead them in and tuck them into bed without their ever waking up.
The next morning, we opened presents, then were off to my parents house for Christmas dinner.
Now the kids are all grown up. My husband and I get up Christmas morning and exchange our gifts for each other, call the kids who are out of town, then get ready for Christmas dinner with my daughter and her family, who live right down the lane. Sometimes it's at her house, sometimes here. I think it's my turn this year.

 

[VeraBlue]

When I was a young girl, christmas eve was always a big deal holiday dinner. Lots of family coming by, lots of different types of seafood and pastas, stuffed peppers and breads. Around 11 we'd go to midnight mass. After mass, we'd drive home, but my mother would always drop my father off at the house. He 'had to use the bathroom'. We'd drive around looking for santa or signs of santa. By the time we'd get back home, my father would have put all the presents under the tree and slid a pan of sausage and peppers into the oven. We'd unwrap presents till almost two in the morning, eating sausages and drinking egg nog.
Christmas day we'd go visiting other relatives. The meal was never as big a deal on christmas day.

Now that I have a family of my own, we do almost the same thing. The midnight mass part is out. We do still have seafood and pastas, so that tradition remains. We usually go for a late walk around town, looking at christmas lights and helping to digest a bit. When the kids were small we'd open presents on christmas morning. Now that they are grown we usually open presents at midnight.

Chrismast breakfast has always been cinnamon rolls and lately I've been making an orange cranberry pudding. Mimosas are a nice touch.

Christmas dinner is different each year now. I never know if I'm cooking or having guests or visiting and not cooking. If I cook there is always a pasta course and always a meat/roast course.

 

[VeraBlue]

A shot of whiskey..mince pie.....Wine and brie...Wow! I wish my kids had known about those....sure beats Milk and cookies/fudge etc.

I'm with you, Uncle Bob! All those years my husband and I ate cookies and drank milk when we coulda been getting a buzz on!

 

[amber]

Our tradition for our daughter was to put out cookies and milk and always leave a few crumbs of the cookies. She was in awe each time to think that santa ate her snack. We would always tell her that she would need to get to bed early because santa does not come unless she is asleep. Of course we would be up until all hours trying to fit together all the toys that needed assembling. Then she would always walk into our bedroom very early after assessing the presents, and tell us that santa came. Fun memories indeed! She's now 15, so things change. Now I get up early and she sleeps in lol!

I've never really had a "tradition" as far as foods, we just eat whatever we plan on at the last minute. At my parents house we would have all of us gather with our families and basically go buffet style with ham, roast beef, lots of sides and desserts, beer, wine, cocktails, lots of laughs, board games, gifts where everyone would just open them at once lol, and yell to each other about this gift and that gift. Lots of fun!

 

[Michelemarie]

As our lives changed so have our traditions. My inlaws are now here from Texas every Christmas Eve. They love mexican and that is the one thing I don't prepare - so we always go out for mexican on Christmas Even (the place is deserted!). We come home and sit by the tree and drink mexican hot chocolate and grandma reads "The Night Before Christmas". After that we set out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and sometimes write a letter. After that, up to bed for the little one (2) and downstairs for the bigger one (14)- we usually watch a Christmas movie - our favorite, Elf. After everyone is in bed I take care of the cookies leaving a some crumbs and a letter from Santa. Next comes hauling all the gifts from the basement up to the tree. Christmas morning is either egg casserole or cinnamon rolls, both made the night before. Christmas music playing, wrapping paper everywhere, it's lots of fun! My sister and her family and my folks usually come over for Christmas appetizers, drinks, dinner then dessert.