Holiday Traditions

[Scrobins | 1,725]

Do you have any traditions that you, your friends and families do to celebrate the holidays? Those things you have to do, watch, or listen to, otherwise it isn’t the holidays?

I have several. To get excited for the holidays, I MUST watch/listen to 3 things: 1) this cutesy album of Christmas songs by the Bethlehem Children’s Chorus that my mom used to play every Christmas morning; 2) RuPaul’s Christmas album, which she got in the KMart 99¢ bin way before she blew up again with Drag Race, it has the funniest covers of classics; and 3) watch the old Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special from the late 80s, it’s so delightfully campy.

I also go to Christmas Eve midnight Mass at my hometown church with my mom. The singing isn’t the best, but it has a small town feel I miss and sometimes we bump into old friends. When I was in college there would be a service with candles and Christmas songs right before break that was amazing, it makes me want to move back to Cambridge sometimes.

Last, every Christmas morning I make breakfast, usually baking 3 things of tried and true treats or new recipes.

[jonebone | 1,307]

Nothing specific other than a big breakfast after presents on Christmas morning, and lots of Christmas music and movies throughout the holiday season.  After December 1st it's almost all Xmas music on my commute to and from work.  I try to at least watch 3 full Xmas movies every year but sometimes it varies on the movie.  Elf, Home Alone 1 / 2, Christmas Vacation and Jingle All the Way usually battle for spots.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

For my family, it was always putting the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, which, given that this got later and later as I got older and had more obligations that day, grew to include watching Christmas Eve midnight mass at the Vatican while doing so, lol.

For my wife's father's family, it's been watching A Christmas Story on repeat on TBS during the family get together on Christmas Eve to visit and exchange gifts.

For my wife's mother's family, it's been to get up early and eat breakfast together, specifically my mother-in-law's "breakfast pizza" (surprisingly better than it sounds) plus a few odds and ends.

[a3quit4s | 4,096]

24 hours of A Christmas Story

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

The last several years, I've made sure to catch a complete "Christmas Story" from either TBS or TNT.   I used to leave it on for the better part of the day, but my wife mentioned that drove her nuts so I just catch it once.

Also watch one of the Die Hard movies while wrapping gifts.

Beyond that, no other real traditions.   Day after Christmas is usually when my family will get together and do stuff, Christmas Day is us, and Christmas Eve tends to be with her family.

Midnight Mass was awesome; I did that at least once in high school (maybe a few times?).   Not sure if they still offer it.

[m308gunner | 352]

3 hours ago, Scrobins said:

Do you have any traditions that you, your friends and families do to celebrate the holidays? Those things you have to do, watch, or listen to, otherwise it isn’t the holidays?

I have several. To get excited for the holidays, I MUST watch/listen to 3 things: 1) this cutesy album of Christmas songs by the Bethlehem Children’s Chorus that my mom used to play every Christmas morning; 2) RuPaul’s Christmas album, which she got in the KMart 99¢ bin way before she blew up again with Drag Race, it has the funniest covers of classics; and 3) watch the old Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special from the late 80s, it’s so delightfully campy.

I also go to Christmas Eve midnight Mass at my hometown church with my mom. The singing isn’t the best, but it has a small town feel I miss and sometimes we bump into old friends. When I was in college there would be a service with candles and Christmas songs right before break that was amazing, it makes me want to move back to Cambridge sometimes.

Last, every Christmas morning I make breakfast, usually baking 3 things of tried and true treats or new recipes.

For the foodies among us, including myself, this needs more detail.

[Scrobins | 1,725]

2 hours ago, m308gunner said:

For the foodies among us, including myself, this needs more detail.

Haha ok! In the last few years, I've made cinnamon twists, donut bread pudding pie, brown sugar maple biscuit pie, cranberry banana bread, mint chocolate chip pancakes, pumpkin monkey bread. I love testing out new recipes I've found with my family, but they like the simpler things I made ages ago. My dad compared me to those classic rock bands whose fans hate all the new music they release and wish they would just stick to their old hits.

[Splain | 2,561]

There was one Christmas where my wife and I just kept watching Elf. It was dozens of times. Every year since then we talk about how we're going to watch Elf a million times, and then we end up watching it once or twice. The real tradition has become SAYING we're going to watch it a bunch.

When I was a kid one of my sisters got 2 CDs for Christmas, Flood by TMBG and a Marc Anthony album. They just played nonstop all day. Now they remind me of Christmas.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,517]

The feats of strength and airing of grievances

[Hammerfestus | 3,833]

Fighting.  

[Reed Rothchild | 9,517]

1 hour ago, Hammerfestus said:

Fighting.  

Oh shit.  I forgot last winter's "incident" at my MIL's.  Gonna be awkward when she arrives next week...

[OptOut | 8,883]

11 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Oh shit.  I forgot last winter's "incident" at my MIL's.  Gonna be awkward when she arrives next week...

Wait, what happened, lol?

[zombiemicrowave | 42]

Going out for Chinese on Christmas Eve with my wife's side has been a new tradition in recent years. The place is always packed and the owner is so cool, always given beers and treats as parting gifts. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,517]

2 hours ago, OptOut said:

Wait, what happened, lol?

Screaming.

In the driveway.

[8-bit guerilla | 82]

Bah humbug!

[Estil | 1,264]

It's too bad we don't do the UKIT anymore, which was discontinued in 1989 or 1990 or so.  It took place right before Christmas and especially in the 80s the programs were done with Christmas stuff on the cover.

[Psychobear85 | 141]

Watch “A Christmas Story” everyday till Christmas 

[T-Pac | 7,533]

Wow - lots of love for "A Christmas Story" here.

Does anyone else watch those Rankin & Bass stop-motion Christmas movies? (Rudolf, Year Without a Santa Claus, Jack Frost, etc.) Those are Christmas staples for me, along with making sugar cookies, listening to Bing Crosby Christmas songs, and going to "Midnight" Mass with my family (my Church actually has it at 10pm, which is great because I hate staying up late haha).

-CasualCart

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

17 hours ago, CasualCart said:

Wow - lots of love for "A Christmas Story" here.

Does anyone else watch those Rankin & Bass stop-motion Christmas movies? (Rudolf, Year Without a Santa Claus, Jack Frost, etc.) Those are Christmas staples for me, along with making sugar cookies, listening to Bing Crosby Christmas songs, and going to "Midnight" Mass with my family (my Church actually has it at 10pm, which is great because I hate staying up late haha).

-CasualCart

I always try to, but find it hard these days to catch them when they're airing live on TV since I'm a cable cutter and very rarely take a peek at OTA programming these days.  We managed to catch Frosty the Snowman and its sequel this year while visiting my grandmother over Thanksgiving, but think that we've probably missed Rudolph.  Fortunately, as of a few years ago, we've got most of those on DVD (including more recent "traditional" watches such as A Garfield Christmas and Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, two my favorites as a kid), so we'll get to watch them, just not with quite as many feels as hurrying to make sure everybody is in front of the TV to catch them as they aired.

[MachineCode | 159]

Italian stereotype here so we go to my Grandparents' house for Christmas Eve and only eat fish and pasta. Christmas day is pretty standard stuff though.

Edited December 20, 2019 by MachineCode

[guillavoie | 1,208]

On 12/19/2019 at 5:32 PM, CasualCart said:

Wow - lots of love for "A Christmas Story" here.

Does anyone else watch those Rankin & Bass stop-motion Christmas movies? (Rudolf, Year Without a Santa Claus, Jack Frost, etc.) Those are Christmas staples for me, along with making sugar cookies, listening to Bing Crosby Christmas songs, and going to "Midnight" Mass with my family (my Church actually has it at 10pm, which is great because I hate staying up late haha).

-CasualCart

Totally love those stop-motion films from Rankin & Bass, and I should try to watch the most obscure ones at some point (there's more than people usually know). Vintge Xmas musics is a big thing for me as well, so yeah, Bing Crosby got a lot of airing time with me during the Holidays period, he got so much great Xmas recordings (have you ever heard 'We wish you the merriest' with Frank Sinatra?) I use to throw a Christmas Bing Crosby movie in the lot as well, watched 'Holiday Inn' for the first time a few days ago.

[Gloves | 11,771]

My wife and I always have a pack of Pillsbury Cinnamon Buns for breakfast, and we'll generally watch A Christmas Story.

[acromite53 | 337]

We always watch "Charlie Brown Christmas" and "White Christmas". Watching White Christmas goes way back with us. When they were kids, my mom and aunt would memorize and sing the "Sisters" number. Lol

[guillavoie | 1,208]

1 hour ago, acromite53 said:

We always watch "Charlie Brown Christmas" and "White Christmas". Watching White Christmas goes way back with us. When they were kids, my mom and aunt would memorize and sing the "Sisters" number. Lol

I'm watching some bits of White Christmas right now, cause it is broadcast on TV and I'm alone and merry!

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

I always go to my dad's for Christmas and we watch the college basketball tournament in Hawaii on ESPN all day while the turkey is in the oven and then have a big dinner.