We asked MSN users to tell us their unique holiday traditions. From stories that warm the spirit to customs that make us chuckle, here are a few favorites.
A fishy night before Christmas
Christmas Day Eve was and still is a fast day in our family of 14. Only three of us left, but supper always consisted of a pasta with sardines or anchovies, a green olive salad with sweet red onions and of course a red or white wine. Italian cookies were dessert.
What a way to dispose of a tree
On December 26, we take down the tree, bring it in the back yard, set it on fire, and dance naked around it.
A fun way to exchange gifts
Everyone in the family brings a few gifts to Christmas dinner. All gifts are placed in the center of the room. Then the host deals out a deck of playing cards with each family member getting 3-4 cards depending on the number of family members in attendance. The host takes a second deck of cards and begins calling out the cards. As your card is called you choose a gift, but don't open it. Once all gifts are chosen, each player who still has a card can then steal from those that have gifts, but they must say, "Ain't it a shame."
Dreaming of a 'green' Christmas
Using recycled bags, wrapping paper and grocery bags to wrap gifts. We had a snowman bag and got five years out of it!
We rotate the bags to a different person each year. We also wrap with the funny papers and ad papers that come in the mail. We take our time and go one person at a time. It's hilarious!
A very beary Christmas
We have three daughters. They are all grown now. Every year, Santa hides a special ornament on the tree for the girls to find. One gets clowns, one gets horses, and one gets bears. When they were small, they couldn't wake us up until they found their ornaments, which Santa hid well.
Chinese food for Christmas
Our family's favorite Christmas tradition is to go out to eat on Christmas -- and it has to be Chinese food. My father started this almost 50 years ago, and we continued the tradition. Even our children know that it isn't Christmas without Chinese food. Over the years, we've occasionally tried other restaurants and types of food, but it isn't the same. The next year we end up back with Chinese.
Christmas at the beach
My fiancee and I always spend the week of Christmas at the beach in Destin, Fla. It's a great way to reconnect and avoid the stress of family and parties. We have Christmas dinner at a wonderful restaurant every year. So there is no cooking or cleaning. Nothing all week but peace, quite, privacy and the best sunsets ever.
Keeping the Christ in Christmas
Besides Santa coming, the children in the family do good deeds and write them down and wrap them up for Jesus. On Christmas morning, a gift from the Christ Child to each of the children is under the tree.
Christmas meatloaf
Some years back we came up with our "Holiday Meatloaf." Each year we come up with a new shape and design for our Christmas Eve dinner. We have done a snowman and even an ornament. We have a lot of fun coming up with ideas and how to decorate it."
A gingerbread throwdown
On Christmas Eve, we have The Gingerbread Throwdown. Teams build gingerbread houses out of two kits and can add items, as long as they don't spend more than $3. There have been two-story
houses, churches, hot tubs, swimming pools, ski chalets and more. It is not all joy: The score was mis-tallied one time and a gingerbread food fight ensued -- quite fun, but small hints of icing were found in unsuspecting places for weeks.
The reason for the season
I was raised with Christmas, Santa and the usual seasonal focus. Later I refocused on the significance of Jesus in the season. Now I have come full circle, and I celebrate Hanukkah and the Messiah of Israel. This is my resting place. Our celebration focuses on God our Creator, includes candles and special foods, as well as on the needs of others around us.
Christmas stockings for New Year's
We open gifts after midnight Mass; Christmas stockings were called New Year's stockings (that's when we received them), so all of us children would appreciate what we receive in our stockings and not discard the contents. This tradition has been kept by my sisters and our daughters also. The children all look forward to their New Year's stockings.
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