Whats your Christmas traditions?

We always go to my Ant's (yes we spell it that way) on Christmas Eve...we eat dinner (venison sausage, velveta and queso dip please) and play cards...that has gotten a lot less fun since my cousin has started making 6 figures a year playing poker....the kids always open 1 present and then pass out on the floor in front of the fire place. Christmas morning is presents at home, and then dinner at my sisters. We stop now, on the way to dinner, and we visit my buddy SFC Matt Blaskowski (KIA 9/23/07 Korengal Valley, Afghanistan) and we leave him cards and trinkets that the kids make. I don't press home "The reason for the season" on my children. We have all the books available for them to choose from...but they WILL know the reason that they have the right to choose what book they live by.
My sister usually hosts everyone in the family and it ends up a great party (we are partying family) and every year I swear I'll go to bed earlier next year....the latest I have had to be to work the 26th since I've moved back home is 6am.

 

Great stories, all of you there ate too many to comment them all ,s o no offense if you are not quoted in this particular post.

Clint: great culinary skills you have there

Luke: I appreciate that even such a Day you take time to think about the fallen.

Jeff: the Elvis songs at Christmas must be excellent, this brings a real southern touch to the party.

Urgh: you have a nice schedule too. Is it "ginger" or do I have a dirty mind?


On Christmas Eve, we have dinner at home with a typed menu, just like in a restaurant. Everybody got dressed really nice.

There are about 12 courses, not to mention the aperitif and sides. The kids are allowed to open a present between each meal. Every wine is matched with every course. We have a mix of northern and sotuhern European traditionnal plates so we please every member of the familly. Some ingredients are systematicly included every year (Champagne , foie gras, smoked Salmon, Cranberries etccc...). There is usually one fish course, a white meat course and a red meat course.

Between the course we have a small shot of Calvados or pear alcohol with a scoop of ice cream (the calva with apple ice and the pear with pear sorbet) .

Of course one course would be choice of cheeses and one would be a salad.

Dessert could be a "buche" ( ice cream cake or cream cake with cheese cake taste) or a black Forest.
The names of each course are not directly mentionned, but evoked in a poetical manner to allow surprise and interpretation.

Presents are finally opened after midnight ( 25 December).

 

Skipper, would it be impertintent to appear at your house, can i have your adress? Sounds really good!

 

You'd be more than welcome Ulrich. In fact the tradition requires you add an empty plate in case an unexpected traveller or guest appears. You'd be all the more surprised to see we have Stollen for breakfast.

 

Wow. how found the Stollen its way on your table? Thats so typical German that i didn´t expect it at France! My mother made some great ones after My Grandpa´s ( the Para) recipe and i really like them. Thank you for your kind words and it would be a pleasure to me to visit you! Maybe it will work someday.

 

We have Aldi Ulrich and when I find them I buy the whole stock . In fact they are quite popular , mainly because of the large Strasbourg ChristKindel market

 

Ahh the mighty Aldi! But the fact it is popular at France is new to me!

 

We always gather at one of the wife's relative's houses for Christmas Eve (our house this year), with a bunch of snax and fingerfoods and stuff. Everyone sits around and just chit-chats or stares at each other until someone decides they're tired and everyone makes their way for the door. Somewhere in there, we each open a glass bottle of Coke (this was started by my wife's mother back when my wife was a kid, it was their "Christmas Treat"). Christmas morning is a lazy morning, just wake up whenever and open presents at home with the family, then gather (again) at a relative's house to do the family Christmas...we'll all agree on Christmas Eve that we'll start at ____ time tomorrow, and everyone will agree that that's a do-able time and will be there with time to spare...and then invariably at least two different households will be late (usually not mine), while the rest of the family sits around and stares at the turkey and presents and complains about how heartless and selfish ____'s family is because they couldn't get there on time. Its tradition.

My family will pick a random day and all gather at my grandfather's house. Due to the fact that several cousins live out of town or out of state (or in prison, depending on the year), it may or may not be on Christmas. This year, its actually going to be on Christmas day. We always draw a name from a hat and buy a gift for that person, and then get something for all the kids to open. Then we sit around with a football game or old Bill Gaither choir special on TV and pretend to enjoy each other's presence. Whilst noshing on various finger-foods, of course. Then the kiddo gets tired and cranky, we say our goodbyes and make a beeline to the door.

 

Skip No...its got a ginger fringe on head....How wude....I Am though looking forward to having hand stuck inside various sheep shortly after Xmas....I should go back to banking and telecoms....Never had to stick hand in things there.

 

...sounds like a normal Christmas Eve!

 

I don't celebrate Christmas anymore. I quit doing that twenty years ago, haven't had a Christmas tree in my house singe then. I sort of got tired of the whole thing. And I don't regret my choice, just having a couple of days off is sufficient to me. Then they can have the rest. I don't care!

 

Traditionally, I am semi-conscious after about noon, after that I have no idea whats going on.

 

it starts the day following Thanksgiving here at our little abode, am not much for Thanksgiving Holiday but sure am for Christmas my fav time of the year, the tree went up two days ago with joyous German musik playing in the background our youngest grand-daughter picked out the tree and helped pout on a few silver balls, we did the rest with garlands white lights and old German decorations from years ago and our Families. candles are lit and then we bake goodies for our dozen or so neighbors, heck ,it is all about giving right folks ? the neighbors explode into joy and by the 10th of the month our corner of the neighborhood is all lit up, put garlands with red and green lights on the roof, a lit up angel adorns the chimney. we always celebrate the 6th with Sankt Nik and give toys and treats in old wooden shoes from the Famile by the front door to our grandkids - they look so forward to this from Opa and Oma.
the 24th is usually when we spend Christmas eve with some sort of great dinner concoction and I pass out gifts in St. Nick's costume always aided by several small "elfs", the youngest seems to want to help those with opening the gifts, shredding the paper everywhere. the 25th on par just the two of us, with leftovers, some Christ-Stollen and Glühwein, feeding the birds and wishing the neighbors a fond day, and of all things if the conditions are right the Mrs. reads a good book covered in big fleece blankets and I head out on my Scythe (Felt) and go ride 50 miles.................

 

I will post the menu here for you guys when it's ready.

 

Sounds great too Erich it's a mix of Saint Nikolaus and Santa. we have saint Nick on Dec 6th. in the eastern and northern provinces.

 

... for my petite sœur, she was invited to speak at the 2nd International SAFFrance Colloquium, at Palais des Congrès de Strasbourg this week, regarding FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) - flew to Paris yesterday, enroute to Strasbourg.

 

hmmmmmmmmmmmm think I should of stayed awhile longer in Strasbourg could of met up with a few of you guys plus seen some Christ-markts. Darn would of been nice to chat over some Alsatian wine and thier great cheeses - Flambee' anyone ?

 

a taste of the Strasbourg Christkindelsmärik!

 

that last pic looks very familiar Skip yes I purchased for my woman a Gügelhopf ceramic baking dish from Strasbourg close to Notre Dame.

fun !