Today I'm going to share some traditions that my family and I practice around Christmas time every year. I have a pretty big family, and in my 31 years, there are some traditions that have gone by the wayside as we all get older, but there are a lot of them that have continued since before I was born. There are also some traditions that have started in more recent years, and those are some of my favorites.
The first thing that we do on Christmas morning every year is to open stockings and presents at our own families' houses. This gives us all some time to spend time with our immediate family before the crazy starts.
Next, all of our immediate families gather together at my Nana's house for breakfast. When us kids were little, we would all eat breakfast and then go down into the basement and sit in a circle on the floor to open presents. When we were younger, it was a Secret Santa situation, because there are just so many of us. Each couple (parents) would pick names of 2 kids that were not their own to buy presents for. We stopped getting presents from the adults at the age of 18. Nowadays, we all have kids, so they're the ones that get presents at Nana's house. We all still get together there for breakfast in the morning, too, even though there's not nearly enough room for us all, now that we're all adults.
After breakfast, we all go our separate ways again for a while. Most of us go to visit our "other side of the family". Some of us just go home and play with our new toys/clothes/gadgets, some of us nap, I go to work for a few hours (time-and-a-half).
Like I said, I always work for a few hours on Christmas Day. I work in a 24-hour pharmacy, so there's always somebody there, even on Christmas. I have always had 4-5 hours of downtime in the middle of the day on Christmas, so it just makes sense money-wise to be at work during that time. Plus, I like to think that my being there means that somebody else can be home with their family, you know? So, I usually work 12-4(ish). Obviously, this is a tradition that has only been happening for the last 13 years that I've been working, but it will probably continue for as long as I work in a store that's open.
Sometime around 5:00, my whole extended family gets back together again at my aunt's house for dinner. Now this gathering is even more all-inclusive than breakfast. This one usually includes all the people that aren't blood, but are still family. Usually, they spent the morning with their respective immediate families, but at night, we party. When I was a kid, this was the time that we would eat dinner, and the adults would have their Yankee Swap. This meant there were about 15 or so people in the swap. As we (the next generation) started to get older, we started to be included in the Yankee Swap as well. The threshold was 21, because the gifts usually include alcohol. After 2 of my cousins turned 21, we were at the point where there rest of us were under 21, but all over the age of 13 (hence harder to buy for). At this point, somebody came up with the idea of a kids' Yankee Swap, which was perfect for a time. So from 2003-2006, there was an adults' swap and a kids' swap. As we all grew into our late-teens, we started bringing best friends or significant others to these parties, so they were included in the swap as well. in about 2005, we decided that the cut-off for the kids' swap was 18, so there was a period of a couple of years where there were 3 of us outside of both swap. My 2 cousins and I decided that we would just buy gifts for each other in that period, which was nice.
Eventually, we all turned 21, so now we are all in the adult Yankee Swap. Mind you, there are also all of the significant others, and family friends that are included in this as well, so we are now up to about 40 or so people in this darn thing. It always takes way too long now, and everybody is hammered by the end of it, but it is tradition, so it stays :)
Some other traditions that have popped up over the years include a cookie/ornament swap in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a brunch at a local restaurant for all the kids to meet Santa, pajamas from great-grandmothers to open on Christmas Eve, a big gift drive to donate to kids and families less fortunate, visiting a local shrine with hundred of thousands of Christmas lights, church services, certain foods/drinks, and so many others that I can't even think of them all. Obviously, there are new traditions that I've started with my own immediate family since my kids were born (Elf on the Shelf), and some that have been discontinued, but Christmas traditions are my favorite part of the whole year, and I am so excited to be starting them for this year.
Please tell me about some of your winter/holiday traditions. What winter holidays do you celebrate, and what do you do to celebrate them?
Keep reading!
Katy
Next, all of our immediate families gather together at my Nana's house for breakfast. When us kids were little, we would all eat breakfast and then go down into the basement and sit in a circle on the floor to open presents. When we were younger, it was a Secret Santa situation, because there are just so many of us. Each couple (parents) would pick names of 2 kids that were not their own to buy presents for. We stopped getting presents from the adults at the age of 18. Nowadays, we all have kids, so they're the ones that get presents at Nana's house. We all still get together there for breakfast in the morning, too, even though there's not nearly enough room for us all, now that we're all adults.
After breakfast, we all go our separate ways again for a while. Most of us go to visit our "other side of the family". Some of us just go home and play with our new toys/clothes/gadgets, some of us nap, I go to work for a few hours (time-and-a-half).
Like I said, I always work for a few hours on Christmas Day. I work in a 24-hour pharmacy, so there's always somebody there, even on Christmas. I have always had 4-5 hours of downtime in the middle of the day on Christmas, so it just makes sense money-wise to be at work during that time. Plus, I like to think that my being there means that somebody else can be home with their family, you know? So, I usually work 12-4(ish). Obviously, this is a tradition that has only been happening for the last 13 years that I've been working, but it will probably continue for as long as I work in a store that's open.
Sometime around 5:00, my whole extended family gets back together again at my aunt's house for dinner. Now this gathering is even more all-inclusive than breakfast. This one usually includes all the people that aren't blood, but are still family. Usually, they spent the morning with their respective immediate families, but at night, we party. When I was a kid, this was the time that we would eat dinner, and the adults would have their Yankee Swap. This meant there were about 15 or so people in the swap. As we (the next generation) started to get older, we started to be included in the Yankee Swap as well. The threshold was 21, because the gifts usually include alcohol. After 2 of my cousins turned 21, we were at the point where there rest of us were under 21, but all over the age of 13 (hence harder to buy for). At this point, somebody came up with the idea of a kids' Yankee Swap, which was perfect for a time. So from 2003-2006, there was an adults' swap and a kids' swap. As we all grew into our late-teens, we started bringing best friends or significant others to these parties, so they were included in the swap as well. in about 2005, we decided that the cut-off for the kids' swap was 18, so there was a period of a couple of years where there were 3 of us outside of both swap. My 2 cousins and I decided that we would just buy gifts for each other in that period, which was nice.
Eventually, we all turned 21, so now we are all in the adult Yankee Swap. Mind you, there are also all of the significant others, and family friends that are included in this as well, so we are now up to about 40 or so people in this darn thing. It always takes way too long now, and everybody is hammered by the end of it, but it is tradition, so it stays :)
Some other traditions that have popped up over the years include a cookie/ornament swap in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a brunch at a local restaurant for all the kids to meet Santa, pajamas from great-grandmothers to open on Christmas Eve, a big gift drive to donate to kids and families less fortunate, visiting a local shrine with hundred of thousands of Christmas lights, church services, certain foods/drinks, and so many others that I can't even think of them all. Obviously, there are new traditions that I've started with my own immediate family since my kids were born (Elf on the Shelf), and some that have been discontinued, but Christmas traditions are my favorite part of the whole year, and I am so excited to be starting them for this year.
Please tell me about some of your winter/holiday traditions. What winter holidays do you celebrate, and what do you do to celebrate them?
Keep reading!
Katy
