Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all that jazz.

I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very joyous holiday season.

I'd also like to ask a few questions.

How many of you celebrate Christmas (by Christmas I mean any tradition that you follow based on your beliefs)?

When do you open your gifts? Christmas eve, or Christmas morning?

Does Santa come to your house?

Let's see how others celebrate, and embrace the differences. Merry Happy Holiday Christmas. :)

Now to post my answers to my questions.

We celebrate Christmas, but we do it our way. We've mixed the German and Canadian traditions and come up with our very own version. On December 6th the kids put out their boots and get chocolate and other goodies if they've been good. Saint Nicholas is the one that brings these treasures. If you're bad you get sticks. In Germany the tradition was that if you were bad, Saint Nicholas would come to your house, put you in his sack, and take you away. One year my mothers older sister was dating a boy that decided to play a little joke. He dressed up as Saint Nicholas, came to my mom's house (she was around 6 at the time) and put her older sister in the sack. My mom was terrified. She ended up attacking the young man because she was sure she'd never see her sister again if she didn't.

On Christmas eve Christkind comes. He's the one that brings the gifts while you're away at church. That's how it was at my house growing up. Since we don't go to church we've changed things up a bit. On Christmas eve it's gifts from each other. In the morning we go out for breakfast, then we take the dogs for a nice long walk (weather permitting), we cook a ham (R gets a ham from work every year as a gift), spaetzle, mashed potatoes, pears with cranberry sauce, and whatever vegetable we feel like having. Of course there are also pineapple slices on the ham. :)

Christmas morning Santa leaves one gift for each of the kids, then we got to my Aunt and Uncles house for a huge Christmas dinner, turkey with all the trimmings. My mouth is watering just thinking of it, not much longer to wait now.

So what are your traditions? If you're married have your traditions changed from what they used to be when you were a child? Have you started new traditions? I'd love to hear how others celebrate.

Yuletide Blessings. May your fire be warm, your heart be filled, and your table laden with all good things.

We have an open house on the 24th each year, with presents for guests and one for each family member. The next day everybody kicks back.

We try and read Christmas story from the Bible,every Christmas eve. We open gifts on Christmas day.

Never a Santa at our house, we always taught our children, that Santa only a story, and not really brings gift. ** that was a blast with the neighbor children, who had to ask parents about it.

Bah Humbug ;)

@Scott, say it isn't so. Knowing you, you probably have a Santa suit that you don every Christmas. I do have sources I can ask, and I could probably get proof in the form of pictures. :)

@Chuck. Tonight we're doing things a bit different. We're starting our ham dinner now so that it will be ready by 6pm. After dinner we're going to watch our favorite Christmas movie "Polar Express", and then we're going to open presents. It will be bit later than normal.

Syd still believes in Santa. It is a story, but based on true events. Of course Saint Nicholas is no longer alive, but his legend is, and I love the fact that my kids grew up believing, and one still does. There's a magic about Santa that just makes Christmas that much more special.

@Cats. I could never do an open house on Christmas eve. Rod's sister did that once a very long time ago (when we were still talking to her) and it was hell. It just took the cozy family feel out of the whole thing. She did it once and never did it again. At least not while we were still talking, she could be doing that now since she cut off her entire family and no longer has anyone but friends to share the holiday's with. But if I had grown up doing this it would be the norm.

Just goes to show that traditions are different for everyone, and a lot of it due to how we're raised, or the people we marry. :)

Alty, Scott celebrated Haunnauka. ��

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Originally Posted by J_9

Alty, Scott celebrated haunnaka. 😉

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LMAO! Quit fooling. Scott is a Deist like me. Or at least he used to be. :)

Can't you see him in a Santa suit, with clown shoes and a clown nose? I can! ;)

That was my brother. He had the hair beard and figure for it. For me Xmas is just a day off from work ;)

My tribe celerated everything, Christmas was the holiday with a tree between Turkey Day and New Years. Summer was the BIG fun, fireworks, rides, beaches, parks, games and BBQ.

We open our presents on Christmas morning, then eat a nice meal later. We know that the only jolly fat man dumping presents under the tree around here, is my dad.

I'm not going to tell my husband that he's the jolly fat guy, he'd give me a look. ;)

Well the presents are unwrapped, the kids are happy as pigs in poop, and they're off to play with their loot. Now it's the time for hubby and me to relax a bit, and ignore the mess in the once pristine family room that now looks like a bomb went off in it. I think even the dogs have wrapping paper on them. Sigh.

Another year over. Tomorrow they get their Santa present, then off to dinner at my Aunt's and Uncle's house, then we plan to have a nice quiet relaxing evening, the first one in weeks.

We celebrate Hanukkah and a Christmas in our house. So, tomorrow whenever the oldest gets around to coming home, we'll open gifts and the hubby will make dinner. Yay!

Our tradition is to have family dinner with the in-laws after church on Christmas Eve. When we get home the kids get to open a present. It's usually pajamas and a movie. They have had a tradition since Little J was about a year old that they (the kids) bake cookies and make reindeer food. While they are doing that I am wrapping presents. After the presents are wrapped we all go outside and spread the reindeer food in the yard. Rae and Little J go to bed together and watch movies until they fall asleep. They are 21 and12 this year and the tradition carries on. In the morning we will open the presents.

This year I am on call tonight. Luckily we only have one mom and babe so I didn't have to work. I feel blessed in that I have not had to work a Christmas Eve in 7 years. I don't mind working Christmas Day night, but we have our Christmas Eve traditions and if they change in any way Little J gets stressed out. Next year will be different as Rae is planning to move out with the boyfriend this spring, so we will have to change it up.