What are your holiday traditions?

Re: What are your holiday traditions?

• Dignity100 member

  

  November 2014

  For Thanksgiving, normally we go over to my parents earlier in the day just to say 'hello'.  We don't typically eat there but we might drop off a pie or something for my parents.  After that we go to H's parents where we do a full Thanksgiving meal and celebrate niece's birthday.  Since stores have started opening up on Thanksgiving, usually on the way home we will stop at one. 
  
  Black Friday, H and I sit on our computers and watch the deals come through Amazon.  HA- we're such nerds!
  
  The only tradition I know I want to start with my H right now is to make sure every year he gets a Halloween card.  He made a big deal how silly they are, so now I've decided he should have one every year!
  

  
  
  
  

  Report1 Reply
• mocarski002 member

  

  November 2014

  We do Thanksgiving with his family. Last year and this year we have done it in VT at there 2nd home. Christmas Eve is with my family then Christmas day is his. Last year since my sister was here from OK I went over in the morning for breakfast. His mom will also do dinner on New Years Day.

   

  Report0 Reply
• bekt14 member

  

  November 2014 edited November 2014

  We are going to alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas each year and try to line it up so that our siblings are here the same time. 

  
  

  This year will be Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with his family.

  Thanksgiving is a really big holiday for my family- much more so than Christmas. My dad smokes a turkey every year- which is DELICIOUS!! 

  His family is much more into Christmas- so it'll be a good holiday to spend with them. 

  
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• JennyColada member

  

  November 2014

  That's great that it works out like that @bekt14‌! Makes it easy I bet!
  
  My niece (sil's daughter) is about 14 months, so it'll be exciting to spend Christmas with them as she gets older. I can't wait to spoil her!

  Report0 Reply
• Pepperally member

  

  November 2014

  We've done the alternating holidays between his and my family.  It works out for the most part but sometimes it annoys me that even on the holiday we're supposed to spend at my family, we will still stop by his parents' on the way home because they live two seconds from us, and then we end up having to spend way too much time there for "just stopping by" than I would like.

  It's hard, though, because he has one brother and I have one brother, so a lot of times it's hard to see them plus the parents on the designated "alternating" holidays, because they are also alternating holidays with their wives' families. 

  We (my family) started doing Christmas on the weekend before Christmas for the Christmases that either I can't be there or my brother can't be there so that we all do get together to exchange minimal gifts.  And we just do fun appetizers and sandwiches.  We do a grab bag for gifts so that we don't have to buy for everyone, just one main gift we have to get, but we also have to get each person a small, $5 gift.  It makes it fun I think. 

  I'm trying to talk H and his family into doing something similar, because the gift-buying is getting out of hand and supposedly we put $ limits on it but it seems people like to ignore that and buy a whole lot more and make others feel stupid.  And now his brother has a baby so that adds to the gift buying.  Definitely fun to buy for a baby, though!

  We got so many great gifts for the wedding that I would love to actually host a holiday but our current place is not big enough.  Maybe next year we'll be in a new home and be able to host!

  Report0 Reply
• Dignity100 member

  

  November 2014

  For Christmas - we've generally done them with H's family on Christmas Eve.  SIL is divorced, so she had niece on Christmas Eve.  On Christmas, we go to IHOP for breakfast with my family then usually back to my brother's (since my brother is not fond of my dogs and he lives a whole 5 blocks away from me).  Usually after that we come home and just relax for a bit and then will go over to H's parents and watch a movie or something.
  

  
  
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• smalfrie19 member

  

  November 2014

  Thankfully my H's family doesnt to holidays and my family is more welcoming then his and he acknowledges this. So we just go to my grandparent's for Turkey Day and then Xmas eve we go to my great aunts to see all the extended cousins and on Xmas day back to my grandparents' for presents and good food! 

  
  

  We normally just check the online deals when we get home from Thanksgiving for some good shopping. 

  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Lowell14 member

  

  November 2014 edited November 2014

  I make H do thanksgiving dinner (im canadian, he's irish).
  
  Christmas is on a rotation at his mum's. This year, H invited ourselves up to their house. MIL is thrilled! (especially since 2 BILs live at home, 1 SIL has also invited herself and her family and my other SIL, her H and her 6 kids live up the road so will be over at some point...lol) We are staying from Dec 24-27...
  
  Also at Christmas, we only buy for the little kids (5 and under) as there are too many nieces (strangely, no nephews)
  
  H and I will skype with my family at Christmas. Sister in the rockies, dad near Toronto and mum in Portugal...
  
  The new year tradition is take away, few drinks, MIL rings around 11pm, then I head to bed...and it's usually a better night had then our friends trawling the city for a place to ring in the New Year

  
  

  

  Report0 Reply