We all thrive/enjoy/suffer the Christmas season... it is virtually unavoidable in our society. Simple today, and be honest...
1. What is one Christmas holiday tradition you consider important to you, and your family?
2. What one is a tradition you wish didn't have to happen?
I will go first, to point the direction of this inquiry..
1. Christmas Eve with my wife's' side of the family...
It started as a large, warped, odd, half the people didn't like,(nor knew the others!) affair, into a smaller, caring group of people- who looked forward to the party! I love my brother-in-law, his wife(my wife's' sister), their children, and their grandchildren... my other brother-in-law is a decent man, who never married, intelligent, often in trouble, but has always cared for the family left.. I bring BB-Q ribs, and a cheesecake, and watch a group of people that don't see each other enough enjoy the evening!
2. My family... Since Mom and Dad are gone, we have had a hard time getting together.. my sister and brother have not been close, and I am running out of energy trying to get them to talk to each other. My parents made me the executor of their will, even though I was the youngest. They did this because I am the peacemaker. It breaks my heart to see them not communicate, as they are both good, caring people. I do not wish them to leave this Earth at odds with each other. I would love to have my family become one again. My kids and us are great, but I do miss that bigger family I have.
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22 comments:
Excellent choice for a meme Uncle Buff! :)
1. What is one Christmas holiday tradition you consider important to you, and your family?
Christmas is all of us getting together as a family at my parents house, eating a delicious meal, cookies, and playing board games. Everyone is in a great mood and there are always a lot of laughs and fun.
2. What one is a tradition you wish didn't have to happen?
I hate to say it, but buying gifts. I LOVE to give gifts, but I feel guilty receiving them because I can't afford near the amount of stuff for everyone that they get for me. I never feel like mine are good enough. I know no one cares, and it shouldn't bother me, but it always kind of does. I wish we could go back to either just buying for the kids, or everyone making gifts for each other. I don't expect this to be a tradition we break any time soon though... :P
--snow
1. What is one Christmas holiday tradition you consider important to you, and your family?
Our Christmas tree hunt. It is the single true tradition we have as a blended family and it makes me extremely happy!
2. What one is a tradition you wish didn't have to happen?
This is a tough one as we have so few holiday traditions. In fact, I think I'd say our lack of traditions is the one tradition I wish didn't have to happen.
Lets see - I come from a very large extended family that primarily lives in New Mexico and we dont get to see them nearly as much as they get to see each other since I live far far away in New York City. I have created our own traditions and one of them is making some kind of new ornament each, each christmas, we now have 7 years worth since we started when the little guy was about 3....I would have to say that there isnt a tradition that I could do without if there is then we have been doing without it and I dont remember what it is....
I feel like lately my tradition is just getting through to the next one...otherwise we used to put up decorations and I would make stuffed pork roast and morrocan rack of lamb each year...the economy has dampered that one for now...I will have to drool at your food blogs now :)
1. What is one Christmas holiday tradition you consider important to you, and your family?
Making lots and lots of rum cake.
It makes even the most miserable relative easy to deal with:)
What one is a tradition you wish didn't have to happen.
2. Only making rum cake at Christmas. It makes all the other holidays with the relatives not half as tolerable.
Snow- Our family got to an age where we all just bought for the kids only.. I'd rather give a gift than recieve one, because I have too much stuff as it is!
Dana- The tree one is great! We did it a few years, when the kids were younger..
DogB- Our tree is filled with home made ornaments- pretty? Nah! Meaningful? You bet!
ChefE- Baby backs on Christmas Eve(2.99 a lb. this year- cheap!)and Cornish game hens ($3.50 each!) on Christmas day! Not too bad...
Romy- I used to make the best fruitcake out of candied cherries(green and red!) dried cherries, almond flavoring, and soaked in cherry brandy... People still made fun of fruitcakes!
My Dad comes to stay on Christmas Eve until Boxing Day and on Christmas Day my MIL & FIL come for Christmas Dinner. My brothers and their children and my children and grandchildren all come to see us on Christmas morning. I know this tradition will change as the parents are getting older by the minute, but I'm enjoying it whilst it lasts.
There isn't a tradition I wish didn't have to happen.
I love that meme. My hope is that we have a stress free holiday. Never happens, but I always hope.
Ake- My Dad came to love me above all his other children... My accomiplishments, my children and their successes, and that I cared about my family... I grew up as an add on, or a kid they didn't expect.. but my parents realized I was the one who was going to care and make sure the family went on. I did. I'm not proud of that, but I am I'm proud of my children, who are finding their way in the world!
VodkaM- Hope is our beacon in the night, it shows us at the oddest times, our hope- or our love, was not in vain!
Great meme!
1. Travel--my parents lived far away from our extended family, and now I live far away from my parents--so no matter what, someone always has to travel on Christmas. I love to travel!
2. I have to agree with Snowelf--presents. I love giving them--but its really frustrating to make sure everyone is covered, no one's feelings are hurt, none are too chintzy. I like Thanksgiving better overall because we don't have to deal with gifts--we just focus on family.
One that's important -- getting together with my husband's kids and grandkids on Christmas Eve and with my daughter's family on Christmas Day.
One I could do without -- my younger sister suffers from severe migraines and the stress of the holidays almost always lays her up in bed. Wish my Katie Robin could lose the headaches.
BTW -- your pseudonym does not suggest the family peacemaker!
I don't see my extended family since Mom passed. Maybe some day it won't hurt as much and I'll be able to.
On the lighter side, I'm working on new traditions with my honey. Chicklet and I always get new jammies for Christmas Eve.
I go up to PA to see my Mom & brother. I do not get to see them much throughout the year...and they never make the effort to come see me & my husband. Weird..I know! One thing I do for myself is always buy a new ornament or decoration...I also splurged this year and went and saw a ballet "Nutcracker". When my husbands mom was still alive we would all get together and that was wonderful. Now that she is gone all his siblings moved away!
Negative: Well, I always put so much into my gift giving and I'm always disappointed in some of the crap I have gotten over the years.
I know it is the thought that counts...but, come on people put some effort into it...:D
T-L, Food is more fun than presents when you get old enough to buy your own stuff!
Jeanne- Welcome to the blog! I know my icon is a little odd, but so am I! I really am not that bad of a guy... unless you lead me on!
anndi- Jammies.. you two were born to wear them! Forehead smootch to the both of you!
Lulda- I have never been to my brothers house- 25 years and holding...and we get along!
1...Family Tradition?
We usually have a traditional Polish Christmas Dinner with home-made Pirogi, Kapusta, Garlic Ham, a meat (that I know you of)Krakowska, Fresh Kielbasa, sometimes Galumpki.
We usually all get together on Christmas Eve to open presents, and to imbibe shots of Polish Vodka called Zabruska (sp.) and when you drink you say Na Strovia!
Then you get Piani (drunk)...
G- man- I'd fit right in!
1. Just sharing a meal and seeing everyone is nice.
2. We buy everyone is our large, ever-growing family a gift and on Xmas eve, we open them one by one, oohing and aahing after each. It takes about 5 hours to get through them all. I would rather stick needles in my eyes than to endure this again. Take the $$ you'd spend on me for something I don't need or want and give it to charity. Please.
(Bah, humbug)
1. What is one Christmas holiday tradition you consider important to you, and your family?
I'm not sure we have an actual tradition, but I guess it would be getting out the tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving and decorating everything. It's hard planning things now that the kids go back and forth every year between me and their dad.
2. What one is a tradition you wish didn't have to happen?
I wish my husband didn't HAVE to go this sister's house every Christmas Eve. I rarely get to go because I'm either waiting for my ex to pick up the kids or drop them off. It would be nice to spend ONE Christmas Eve, at home, as a family, instead of just me or just me and my kids.
UrbanV- You get to an age where good times aren't about material gifts. I feel the same way you do when it comes to adults- kids are still about presents!
Bina- My sister and brother are both on their second marriages. I like their spouses a lot, but the kid war never seems to end...
The one holiday tradition that was important was really just a detail. Santa presents were never wrapped and magically appeared under the tree while I slept on Christmas Eve. And if Santa did wrap one or two...that paper could never be found. My mom was GOOD.
The one that we wanted to go and finally did was all the drinking and quarreling...life is much more peaceful now.
MichelleAnn- Good to see you're alive! My folks did wrap the presents late Christmas Eve- and when they were snoring, my sister and I would shake presents to figure out what we got before dawn... To this day, I'm a great present-guesser!
What is one holiday tradition that i consider important?...my dad always made a hot, spicy beverage called "Tom & Jerry"...he learned the recipe from his dad and passed it along to me, and now that my parents are both gone (like yourself, Buffalo) and the siblings are scattered to the four winds, i feel compelled to make this wonderful drink for all my friends, my "adopted family"...
...and a tradition that we don't need?...crass commercialism, of course...the Christmas stuff starts coming out before the Halloween decorations are gone as of late...it's all too much...
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