Thread: Holiday Traditions

This thread can hopefully go beyond December and encompass any and all holidays or nonholidays even.

Share any unique traditions you practice on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Tell us how the traditions started.


For me and my extended family we never celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving on the proper days. We usually do one big day that encompasses both holidays some time after January 1st. It is never on the same day twice and it takes coordination. We celebrate those days when it's convenient to get the entire family in one place.


As for my immediate household. We also delay the holiday. Neverfly and I are both atheist so we don't really celebrate Christmas. My daughter is agnostic, my two older boys are theists (But not Christian) and my step son doesn't really have an opinion. But we appreciate the traditions of the season and do try to get a tree if we have a place to put one. But we delay the holiday until after we get our tax return. You could say that we celebrate "Economic Recovery Day" ... sometimes it comes more than once a year I have thrown the tree up in mid summer before lol.

People have always looked askance at us because of our practices with gifts. Xmas morning is the time for the little ones to open their Santa sacks and to try out their new bike / big toy / dolls house, whatever else 'santa' delivered.

Nobody can open any gift, even if it's been sitting under the tree for weeks, until everybody else does. And that is only after Xmas lunch is over and the table cleared. Even with our not very large family this results in an absolute orgy of presents passing around and wrappings flying everywhere. I remember once at my niece's house her in-laws were there including a 3 year old boy who'd not grown up with this. We're passing out gifts to and from about 20 people, mountains of presents to get through. Halfway through my husband handed another one to little visitor, and somebody insisting on manners said "And what do you say?" Thank you was not even on the menu - huge eyes stared up at him and said "Wow!"

I get gifts that mean little to me, but do not get love, which is all I ever wanted.

Forward the gifts to me then. Love can stuff off.

Originally Posted by cosmictraveler

I get gifts that mean little to me, but do not get love, which is all I ever wanted.

Growing up, we had both types of Christmases. When I was very little my mom was a coal miner and made very good money. My dad worked on a riverboat and also made good money. But then my dad lost his job and the coal mines got shut down. They ended up divorcing and my mom took us kids to indiana where there was plenty of industry, at the time. But we never had a lot of presents again. But I don't remember ever feeling hurt by it. We always understood finances and how they worked. And the love was always there.

And my kids seem to understand it now too. They rarely get lots of gifts but whatever they do get, even if it isn't an object that can be wrapped, they always enjoy and appreciate. We make the most of the holiday season and the kids don't mind waiting til money is available. There have been a couple of seasons that just never happened for us but they took it in stride and we enjoyed the time off we had together.

I'm sure you are a decent guy, so don't get me wrong. But more often than not, I don't feel love by what other people do for me. I feel it by my own actions. Try volunteering at a soup kitchen or a retirement community. You can even volunteer at a children's hospital helping with festivities there. If people get you down, can't say I blame you there. You can volunteer at an animal shelter. Animals are always a good source of love. (and they won't accuse you of looking at them funny or touching them in the wrong places).

Btw, your current post count is 666... sorry that always makes me chuckle.

Originally Posted by Neverfly

Forward the gifts to me then. Love can stuff off.

I'm taking notes...... ya butthead.

OOps...


(Runs like hell)

For the last decade or so, our family has agreed not to give chattel as gifts, instead exchanging small gifts of currency, gift cards, Canadian tire money or lottery tickets. For those able to come to Mother's home of Christmas day, edible offerings and beverages are always acceptable for they can be shared.

Hubby and I do not buy for each other for we make it a matter of course to enable each others' desires throughout the year, knowing that life is not possible to 'plan' long term. I am still saddened every time I look at the blue glass highball glasses that I bought for my sister-in-law, keeping them till Christmas to give to her and then she died of a heart attack at a very young age while on vacation months prior to. Had I just given them to her at the time of purchase, she could have enjoyed them...she adored blue glass.

Our Christmas offering to each other this year is a commitment to finish the kitchen walls and trim in the house, the kitchen cabinets having been attended to this year, and the kitchen island the year prior. As for holiday food, historically we have had the traditional 'big bird' and all the trimmings, scaling back over the years to accommodate our mother's desire and tolerance with the passing of the years. This year we are opting for stuffed turkey breast, mashed, gravy, veggies and salad which is easy for her to do and I'm bringing the salad and helping with the veggies.

At the ranch, we cooked a bird about 10 days ago, ate on it for a couple and froze the rest, turkey being just a 'food group' here. Two days ago, I cooked an excellent prime rib roast and have done likewise with the remainder, taking advantage of the seasonal sale prices and cooking before freezing, which preserves flavor, in my opinion.

The only real tradition we observe is the sending of Christmas cards by Canada Post, one thing that has not changed over the years, even as the rest of the observance continues to evolve.

Canadian tire money (?)

Ain't it a little hard to carry around a set Goodyear's ?

"I'd like to buy these eggs and milk"

"That'll be a 240/15-R 70 radial"

"You got change for a snow tire?"

Originally Posted by MacGyver1968

Canadian tire money (?)

Ain't it a little hard to carry around a set Goodyear's ?

"I'd like to buy these eggs and milk"

"That'll be a 240/15-R 70 radial"

"You got change for a snow tire?"

LOL...surely you know about Canadian Tire Money? It is a small incentive refunded when you purchase at the store (except with competitor's credit cards) that can then be used to make future purchase at the store. It can be given to Salvation Army and other charitable institutions if one does not want to be bothered with hanging on to it. I usually save mine up and put it toward any gardening purchases in the spring.

Learn something new everyday.