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Christmas Eve| Pad Patter 12.23

bestcee

bestcee

In love with places I've never been to
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Dec 18, 2013
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I know it's not Christmas Eve yet in the US, but it's getting close! Any fun traditions that you do?

We have an extended family brunch complete with Santa. It's fun to have a last minute visit, and the kids get super excited. Plus, I know I'll get a good Santa photo!
We go to the grocery store, and everyone gets to buy their own box of cereal- no restrictions on healthy, or parent vetos! My kid loves getting a sugary one. This is for Christmas Day breakfast and snacking. We also go to the cemetery and visit graves although we did that earlier this week this year. Because dh had to go home for work.
My son opens a package at Grammy's that always includes new pj's.
And then we go to my parents and have the Christmas Bible story, and open 1 gift from family.
We have a lot more traditions for Christmas Eve, than Christmas Day.
 
We do Christmas Eve with my husband's family and Christmas Day with mine. Tradition with hubby's family is a cup of chocolate pudding after dinner...the person that gets the cup with the nut in it is the person that gets to hand out all the gifts. The kids all love to get the nut (and in 25 years with hubby's family I have NEVER gotten the nut). Tradition on my side is my Grandma's lasagna for dinner. We seriously look forward to it all year and don;t make it more than maybe one other time a year so it stays a special Christmas dinner.
 
This is our first year to be home on Christmas Eve in a long time. We'll go to church. The kids are singing in the 4:00 children's pageant and then Alex is doing a reading in the 6:00 service. I'm not sure we'll go to both services. We might just wander around and look at the lights on Michigan Avenue until Alex is done.

We'll have Ikea Meatballs copycat recipe for dinner and probably watch a Christmas movie before putting cookies and milk out for Santa (yes, the 16 and 15 year old still put out plates for Santa).

Low key, but good!
 
This year I decided to totally switch things up. This year I am cooking our turkey dinner on Xmas Eve which we've never done before. Our tradition was always to have a buffet dinner on Xmas Eve and I always included a pork dish, usually tourtiere (pork pie) or make the filling and use filo dough. I always made grape chili meatballs too. Looking foward to switching things up this year.
 
In previous years, we've hosted a big dinner for my mom, sister, nephew, brother, godfather and his hubby. But this year, we're avoiding a lot of crazy family drama that has escalated the past couple of months. I'm not feeling it and I honestly don't have the energy to deal with it, so I chose not to do it this year. The irony is it still feels like we have the same amount of food as if we were hosting the big shindig. Instead, my mom, sis and nephew are coming today, and we'll be making a small army of sock/rice snowmen so we can spend time with Lucian and give him his gifts.

Now this year, Kennedy is going to visit his other grandma (bah humbug!) for the day, Jessica is working until early afternoon, and then we're planning to go and see La La Land in the evening. When Kennedy gets home, we'll do the one present thing for him and get ready for Santa. My grandma and uncle will come on Christmas day. And it is the first year since Kennedy was born that my daughter *won't* have to work on Christmas, so that will be nice!!
 
In the Netherlands we have Christmas eve and 2 Christmas days, on Christmas eve we'll be home. My father-in-law gets a puppy on his birthday (the 2nd day of Christmas) but we have to pick the puppy up tomorrow so he'll stay with us for 2 days. Guess the kids will have a great Christmas...
On the first day we will go to my parents, my brother will be here to, on the second day we'll go to my husbands parents, his brother and his girlfriend will be there to. Can't wait to see my father-in-law's face when he'll open up his 'present'
 
eek! i JUSt started a pad patter and then saw yours..bhahhaha..but, I'm lazy, so both are staying..bhahha
we are headed up the mountains to a big lodge with a huge fireplace for our Christmas banquet with my church. It is like family all eating together. We honor those that do so much thru the year, exchange presents, the choir is singing (and my Abby is doing a solo). I love this night!
Tomorrow. ALL my children are coming over for Chili and games. My hubby got a basket for cell phones, and we are going off grid for a few hours, just us! My mom "bought" via my Prime a few games we requested (from the Pad's recommendations) and we will laugh and eat, and eat and hug and laugh. Small presents exchange, and I will go to bed with a camera filled with photos and a heart filled with satisfaction. ♥
 
I am never sure when my older kids are going to be working, so I don't really plan any sit down meals or anything. DS is a paramedic with the rescue squad and he likes working holidays for the extra pay. DD works in registration at the hospital and is currently scheduled to work all of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She is working to get someone to switch Christmas day with her since it's the baby's first Christmas. I may not see either of them until Sunday, so tomorrow is going to be all about cooking some finger foods and appetizers to have on hand for when people do get a chance to come by and relaxing. Chance will get to open one gift tomorrow evening, but he says he is not sure he wants to open one or just wait.
 
it is xmas eve here (after lunch time now) and it's been a day of catch-up and trying to not yell at the kids that this is their absolute last chance to clean their rooms before the naughty list is checked twice! there's meant to be cookie making this arvo...dependant on room cleaning now (slow progress) and tonite is our annual drive around to find the few and far between houses with light displays
 
bestcee said:
I know it's not Christmas Eve yet in the US, but it's getting close! Any fun traditions that you do?

We have an extended family brunch complete with Santa. It's fun to have a last minute visit, and the kids get super excited. Plus, I know I'll get a good Santa photo!
We go to the grocery store, and everyone gets to buy their own box of cereal- no restrictions on healthy, or parent vetos! My kid loves getting a sugary one. This is for Christmas Day breakfast and snacking. We also go to the cemetery and visit graves although we did that earlier this week this year. Because dh had to go home for work.
My son opens a package at Grammy's that always includes new pj's.
And then we go to my parents and have the Christmas Bible story, and open 1 gift from family.
We have a lot more traditions for Christmas Eve, than Christmas Day.
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what an amazing day of traditions - love the cereal one!
 
We will go to church on Christmas eve and then come home and eat tamales! It's a Texas tradition -- which we borrowed from Mexico. Today my daughter and husband went to our favorite tamale place to get some and they were almost out! On Christmas, we will head to church again as my daughter is preaching that morning. However, before church we will probably open some gifts and have egg casserole, cinammon rolls, and mimosas.
 
AnneofAlamo said:
eek! i JUSt started a pad patter and then saw yours..bhahhaha..but, I'm lazy, so both are staying..bhahha
we are headed up the mountains to a big lodge with a huge fireplace for our Christmas banquet with my church. It is like family all eating together. We honor those that do so much thru the year, exchange presents, the choir is singing (and my Abby is doing a solo). I love this night!
Tomorrow. ALL my children are coming over for Chili and games. My hubby got a basket for cell phones, and we are going off grid for a few hours, just us! My mom "bought" via my Prime a few games we requested (from the Pad's recommendations) and we will laugh and eat, and eat and hug and laugh. Small presents exchange, and I will go to bed with a camera filled with photos and a heart filled with satisfaction. ♥
Click to expand...
Hooray for ALL the children. What a happy Momma you must be!
 
Christmas Eve it was my husband's family tradition to have clam chowder and corn bread which he kept doing. Somewhere along the way probably with the kids we switched to a Little Smokies, summer sausage, cheese and crackers type. Last year Charlie Brown's Christmas moved into the traditions with decorations, plates, etc to match.
Christmas will be just Will this year and we'll have brunch and dinner. Not too many traditions on this day as we are still "recovering" oh but we do have a favorite monkey bread we make for breakfast.
 
MiekSter said:
we have Christmas eve and 2 Christmas days
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How cool! So, is Christmas Dec 25 and 26?

kimingvtx said:
We will go to church on Christmas eve and then come home and eat tamales! It's a Texas tradition -- which we borrowed from Mexico.
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I keep wanting to start a tamale tradition for Christmas Day - it sounds wonderful!
carilyne said:
but we do have a favorite monkey bread we make for breakfast.
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That's awesome! I've never gotten the hang of monkey bread.
 
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