Christmas Eve Traditions

[Uncle Bob]

This is fun....

Gotta due the mimosa thing this Christmas morning..... VeraBlue!!

And carrots for the reindeer...never did that...MicheleMarie

Don't have any little ones anymore...but hey...am going to put some out anyway!!!

Wonder if they like the Mini carrots or the ones with tops from the grocery best.?

 

[Buck]

When I was a kid I always wanted to leave cookies and milk for Santa. My father (older and wiser) told me that Santa would MUCH prefer pretzels and beer.
It turns out Dad was right. Every Christmas morning when we came downstairs we saw that Santa had enjoyed his treat and had left a thank you note! (which looked suspiciously like Dad's handwriting).

 

[Half Baked]

We used to write all the notes from Santa, Tooth Fairy...anybody, in Elmer's glue and then sprinkle them with sparkles. That made it super special.

 

[sattie]

I can't say that I have any now to speak of. But when I was little, the one thing I looked forward to was opening that ONE gift. That one gift that you had been buggin your mom and dad about all year..... the one you knew you had figured out and just knew it was in the package with the green stripes and red ribbon....... DARN!!! I picked the wrong box!!!!!!! Can't wait till Christmas morning!!!!!!

The only thing now is hoping that I am not oncall for work!

 

[VeraBlue]

This is fun....

Gotta due the mimosa thing this Christmas morning..... VeraBlue!!

And carrots for the reindeer...never did that...MicheleMarie

Don't have any little ones anymore...but hey...am going to put some out anyway!!!

Wonder if they like the Mini carrots or the ones with tops from the grocery best.?

The reindeer only eat organic vegetables, hahahha!

 

[buckytom]

extra special organic flying carrots, i would think.

i loved reading all of these responses. keep 'em coming.

yt and hb, my maternal uncles, who always played santa since they were big, blue eyed scandinavian guys, would have loved your traditions. i've never heard of anyone leaving alcohol out for santa. umm, or is that how the reindeer fly?
i can see it now. after a few stops, they just think they're flying, all the while sparks are roostering out behind the sled with the police in hot pursuit, santa chuckling at how spike strips don't work on a sled.
bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do...

umm, sorry, getting back to tradition. we left out milk, cookies (always "chips ahoy" chocolate chip cookies) and carrots, which my dad ate as he and mom wrapped the presents and shoo'd us back to bed at 3am. dad always left one cookie with a big bite in it on the plate, and the carrots partially eaten on the floor with some hay and muddy reindeer tracks, of which mom potested.

the year i got wise to santa, i marked the underside of the cookies so i could try to track them. i was finally sure that santa was actually uncle arthur when i found the marked cookies back in the bag. i didn't even get the enjoyment older siblings have of ruining that fact for anyone, since i was the youngest of 6, and all of my cousins were older too.

i remember one year, while i still believed, hearing mom and dad go to bed just before sunrise. i snuck to the top of the stairs with dad's camera all ready, then proceeded to fall asleep. i awoke with a special note in my hand from santa, asking if he could have a copy of the pictures if i got any good shots. i ended up doing that for a few years because my parents thought it was so cute, and i figured that i'd get better presents if i hammed it up for whomever was leaving the gifts for us.

i don't remember what we ate on christmas eve; probably something quick that mom made, because christmas day was the big feast.

 

[lyndalou]

We will have Canadien Meat Pie, my famous potato salad,and clam chowder. Dessert is usually cookies, or something homemade.

Before the feast, we go to the childrens service at our daughter's church. It's usually held at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Well I might have to break tradtion somewhat this Christmas Eve...Instead of the usual fried oysters my youngest son called and requested smoked duck and andouille gumbo...I said ok....Later I tell myself..."Self we can have both"
Small bowl of gumbo...then the fried oysters!

 

[BreezyCooking]

To be honest (hangs head in shame - lol), the night before major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc., have always been take-out pizza nights for us. We started doing this because it enabled me to start cooking our traditional fancy-schmancy meal for the next day without having to worry about dealing with cooking & dishes from the night before.

Since it's just been my husband & I for many years now, it works out great for us. I do, however, enjoy reading about the other traditions here, & fondly remember Italian friends of mine (back in my NY days) making literally TONS of seafood dishes for Xmas eve (far more then the traditional 7 - lol).

 

[goboenomo]

On christmas eve my family and I usually have our christmas dinner together because we have it with my grandparents on christmas day. We also get to open one gift before we go to bed.

We wont be doing that this year though. I'm working from noon to close.
They'll probably just do it without me.

 

[Claire]

when I was young, it was tourtiere and beets, eaten after midnight mass, while opening presents.

 

[elaine l]

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.

I tried this recipe out for a trial before Christmas morning. It is wonderful. Thanks for sharing it. I usually make an egg dish but will add this to our breakfast menu on Christmas morning.

 

[MexicoKaren]

I've really enjoyed reading all of your Christmas traditions! When I was a child (50+ years ago), we always had oyster stew for Christmas Eve dinner. Since my children could not look at an oyster without running from the room screaming, I substituted clam chowder while they were growing up. Of course, my children are grown and on their own, and my husband and I are spending our first Christmas here in Mexico since we retired here seven months ago. Our Christmas Eve soup this year will be posole, and we'll be joined by my daughter and her husband, who are arriving Christmas Eve. To go with the posole, we'll have home-made tamales...yum. A different kind of Christmas to be sure, but we will treasure it.

 

[auntdot]

After my dad died my sister and I would go out to the kosher deli and take out their hot dogs (with the great kraut), knishes, and anything else we wanted and go back and eat the stuff with my mom.

How that became a tradition I have no idea, although it did not take much prodding for us to go the kosher deli.

And then we would prepare for Christmas.

But that was many years ago and that family is no more.

As much as I would like to resurrect the traditon, we live a prohibitve number of miles from a kosher deli and cannot recreate the food at home (how they made their wonderful sauerkrat, I have no idea).

And so now usually go with take out Chinese, with extra helpings of the peanut butter noodles.

And if Santa wants a helping of lo mein, he is welcome to it. But he better leave those noodles alone.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and best wishes to all.

 

[buckytom]

auntdot, if there's anything special that i could send you from the city, don't be afraid to ask. it'd be my honor.

i just found out i'll be making a standing rib roast for christmas day. my first one was a disaster, so i'll be searching the forum, and any persional tips will be appreciated. btw, my oven only goes up to 490 or so, even though it is marked for 550.

 

[Barb L.]

Buckytom, Iam also fixing a standing rib for Christmas, Oam going to try -Paula's (Deens) foolproof standing rib roast. I don't know how to -(cut and paste the recipe} It has very good reviews - check it out ! Hope this helps a little !

 

[buckytom]

thanks barb. will do.

 

[RedBedHead]

I really enjoyed reading about everyone's traditions.
Christmas Eve is our day as a small family of 4. This year we will be going to church for our morning worship and then again at 7. At some point between the two services I'll make something that the kids want for dinner (I haven't been informed yet). When we get home they each get to open two gifts. One is always Christmas pajamas and the other is always a toy.
Santa eats milk and cookies at my house (wish I had thought of the brie and wine) so we'll put those out and the kids go to bed.
DH and I of course stay up making sure that Santa put everything together and then we get our breakfast casseroles underway.
Christmas morning usually comes (and goes) too quickly. My parents come for breakfast and then we enjoy the day until that night when again, we get together with my parents, my brother and his family, and my grandparents.
Christmas Eve Eve I will be entertaining my husband's very large family for brunch and then having a big party with close friends that night.
WOW! I'm tired just thinking about it all!!!

 

[JohnL]

I love Holiday traditions! It seems that they are the only thing stable in our everchanging world. Christmas Eve dinner is always at Mom and Dad's. We always have codfish cakes, oyster stew, steamed shrimp and assorted sides. Christmas day lunch is at my house. No standing menu for this, just whatever I come up with. This year It's fresh ham stuffed with greens, chipotle spiked potato salad, bacon wrapped lil smokies, deviled eggs, antipasti platter, baked brie, assorted cheese and crackers.