Holiday Traditions

lovemesomemonster · October 2015

Since we are coming up on that season, let's hear about some fun holiday traditions that you either have done for years or plan on doing this year. First up.. Halloween! I love dressing up, and when I worked in the office it was a great time coming to work in some crazy costumes. I also love seeing all the little kiddos dressed up, they are all so happy and excited so I make sure to dress up to hand out candy (even the dog wears her pumpkin costume).

Thanksgiving.. FOOD! I love me some food, we go to two Thanksgivings ever year, the early one is with FI's mom's side, then we go to his dad's side. My mom has liked the break in cooking so it's no problem for her.

Christmas.. I decorate the house from top to bottom, it's such a cozy time of year. Last year when I was in the UK for work I found some FANTASTIC holiday sweaters so I bought matching ones for me and FI to wear Christmas day. I just ordered our new ones and we plan on doing it every year (totally cheesy but he puts up with me).

So what are you looking forward to? Share some fun holiday stories!

WinstonsGirl · October 2015

Turkey. The best part of all holidays if my Mom cooking turkey. We also had fresh made apple pie, with apples from their 2 trees last night. Yum

madamerwin · October 2015

I love the holidays! I usually dress up for Halloween, even though most people at my company don't. Last year I bought this:

I am having surgery on the 27th, so I will be out of work for Halloween, but I'll probably wear it again and just lie around on pain meds.

For Thanksgiving, we're going to MIL's house, since BIL will have both his kids for Thanksgiving this year. The past few years we have deep-fried a turkey, but I think we're leaving dinner up to MIL this year.

Usually for Christmas we don't do anything with anyone, which is my favorite way to spend the day. I make a big dinner, we day drink and watch sports.

As much as I love my family, I don't particularly like spending holidays with them... My sister and her family live about a mile from me, and she often invites our dad and stepmom up for Christmas. I love them all, but when it's sister, BIL, dad and stepmom in a room, no one else gets a word in. It's like being the 5th wheel, so we usually opt out.

CMGragain · October 2015

On Halloween, DH sets up his huge telescope in the driveway and shows astronomical wonders to children and parents, alike. I pass out the candy.

madamerwin · October 2015

CMGragain said:

On Halloween, DH sets up his huge telescope in the driveway and shows astronomical wonders to children and parents, alike. I pass out the candy.

That's so sweet!

MairePoppy · October 2015

I hate Halloween. There's nothing fun about handing out candy while trying to restrain two 60 pound dogs. So for Halloween, we buy a bunch of candy, turn the lights out and eat it in the dark.

I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, but my tradition is to not talk about Thanksgiving until November 1st and not to talk about Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

kimmiinthemitten · October 2015

Last summer we bought a house on a somewhat main street, that plus sleet meant 0 trick-or-treaters last year, but that won't stop me from buying bags of candy and waiting!

FFIL's family is mainly in Arizona so we're staying with his paternal grandparents for Thanksgiving. I'll finally meet that side of the family so I'm really looking forward to it. I also have no remaining grandparents and he has so I cherish our time with them.

I just can't with Christmas yet haha. However, FMIL's family usually bogarts that one with get togethers.

lyndausvi · October 2015

Holidays normally means work for us. We have no real traditions. Just go with the flow.

Halloween - nothing. We do not even get trick-or-treaters. Not ones to really dress up either. We fly out the next day for 11 days, so it will be more us getting ready to go away.

Thanksgiving - Last year my parents were here, 2 years ago I went to my sister's without my DH. This year DH is working, not sure what I'm doing. The club may ask me to work. I might cook a turkey breast just to have leftovers. Although DH often has leftover from work. So who knows. No family though.

Xmas - Last year we worked late on the 24th and then went to the now-old-GM's house. Just a few hours ago a friend told us he is coming here for xmas this year. Same guy DH is going to visit in TX in a few days. We like him, so it's all good. We both have off on xmas day, but work until 11pm or so in xmas eve. I'm guess we will go skiing or something. Maybe have people over since we have a friend coming anyway. Again, no family.

Note: we live across country from our families.

doeydo · October 2015

Halloween: I love dressing up every year, watching horror movies, and pigging out on those big boxes of Halloween chocolate.

Thanksgiving: We just had ours here in Canada; I just love the food and being able to see my family. It is usually the time we also celebrate my grandpa's birthday and the last time we see my grandparents before they go away for the winter.
Christmas: I love Christmas so much. Our town has a lovely lights display that I like to walk around every year (though it pretty well never changes), I like to try to make a tiny snowman on our apartment balcony at the very least, picking out a real Christmas tree and decorating it, I love shopping for and wrapping presents, I love listening to Christmas music, etc.

hellohkb · October 2015

I don't have any traditions but would like to start some. Well, one tradition on Christmas my immediate family and I go get Chinese food

southernbelle0915 · October 2015

Halloween - my favorite holiday! I love the Fall and dressing up. I decorate the house (outside) and hand out full size candy bars. We live on a culdesac so gotta make it worth it for kids to come to our house!

Thanksgiving - we alternate with my folks and DHs folks. This year its DH's folks and theyre coming to our place since we can't travel to them with a newborn. We've never had it at our house before so I hope its the start of something fun!

Christmas - again, we alternate families. This year it's my folks. Honestly, I don't know what we'll do and it will be very awkward since my parents are in the process of getting a divorce. I imagine we'll split time but I don't really know how that works. TBD, but another opportunity to start new traditions I guess.

ThxSugar · October 2015

We moved half way across the country 17 months ago so we lost some traditions and are making new ones.

Halloween: My Favorite! We used to get dressed up and go to a party at a warehouse turned arthouse every year. Now idk what we'll do, I would love to find a party somewhere but FH is a social stick in the mud so we will probably just hang out at home and hand out candy.

Thanksgiving: FMIL's house. Whole family comes over, FBIL frys a turkey.

Christmas: I have to work the day before and the day after so we chill at home. We get a tree and decorate ornaments each year. We open presents as they come in so nothing to do day of besides relax.

cupcait927 · October 2015

Halloween: last year was our first year living in a house where we actually had trick-or-treaters. H was so excited to pass out candy and see all the costumes. It was cold and rainy so we didn't get many - hoping the weather is a little nicer this year. This year we're also throwing a Halloween party at our house for our friends. No one wants to go to the bars anymore and fight the crowd so we're doing it our house. Excited for that as well.

Thanksgiving - no idea what we're doing. Usually we end up at H's aunt's house - she does a big dinner for everyone on his dad's side. MIL might do Thanksgiving at their house for her side of the family, which is much smaller and low-key.

Christmas - Generally Christmas eve is spent with my dad, sister, nephew, and mom. My parents are divorced but we all try to get together on Christmas eve for my nephew. He gets to open presents and we all get a chance to spend the holiday together. Not sure what will happen this year since my sister is refusing to speak to anyone so we'll see. Christmas day - H and I spend the morning just us, opening presents and drinking mimosas. In the afternoon we'll go to my inlaws and open more presents and eat food all day long. My MIL will also insist upon watching Christmas Vacation.

emmaaa · October 2015

Halloween: DH and I live in the middle of nowhere so we've never had a single trick or treater. It always makes me sad because I like to hand out candy. This year we are going to SILs to help them hand out candy. They get hundreds of trick or treaters and made a haunted house type thing in their yard. We're excited. As far as decorating, I buy a few pumpkins and a mum and decorate the front porch a little.

Thanksgiving: DH works that day but he gets off pretty early. We do lunch at his grandparents and then supper at my aunt's for my dad's family. We usually go have a dinner with my mom the Sunday after. I look forward to the turkey and DH's aunt's mashed potatoes. OMG they are good. I always make baked cheesecakes for both meals.

Christmas: DH works Christmas eve and then goes hunting when he gets off work. We don't have anything until that night. We do dinner at my aunt's for my dad's family (my older brother and SIL are building a house and are hoping it is done in time to have Christmas there instead). We have always gone to the church I grew up in for the Christmas play the kids put on but this year we are thinking about going to the Christmas Eve service at the church we are members at instead. DH's parents host a little social that night also for close friends and family to come and hang out. We usually have a few glasses of wine and tell stories.

In the past, DH and I have always stayed at his parents' on Christmas Eve. But since this is the first year we will be married on Christmas, we are staying at our house (thank goodness, I mean we seriously live about 3 miles away). We'll get up in the morning and drink mimosas and open presents together and for the dogs. Then we'll go to DH's parents to open presents. We have breakfast at DH's grandparents' house and it is the best breakfast in the world! We play secret Santa games and dp presents afterwards. Then we go to my mom's for lunch and presents. Then we usually go to DH's aunts to rest and eat and do presents with them. My dad usually works on Christmas so we go see him that evening when he goes in. If he doesn't work, we'll go to his house to visit him.

We do a lot of driving and running around for Christmas. We've decided that once children come into play, that will have to stop for sure.

We always get a real tree and decorate it the weekend after Thanksgiving. I put garland and lights up outside and candles and a nativity scene in the house.

littlemushroom · October 2015

Halloween: This is our first year in our new house, so I am looking forward to seeing if we actually get trick or treaters. I love seeing all the costumes and giving out candy. DH and I watch horror movies and play scary video games all month. We will be watching scary movies between giving out candy. It is also my dad's birthday, but he lives seeing all the costumes too so we are getting together the day after for his bday celebration.

Thanksgiving: On Thanksgiving day, we go to my dad's side of the family for a big meal and to see everyone. The weekend before or after Thanksgiving, we go to my mom's side of the family for a big meal and to see everyone. The Friday after Thanksgiving, my immediate family and my DH's immediate family gets together for a big dinner. We finally have room to host our immediate families in our new house, so I am looking forward to cooking up a storm and having everyone at our house this year.

Christmas: On Christmas Eve we go to my in laws' house for a Christmas dinner and then head over to his aunt's house to see family and watch them open gifts. Christmas morning is spent at my parents' house to open gifts and have breakfast. Then we head over to my dad's side of the family for a big meal and opening gifts. Sometime around Christmas, we get together with mom's side of the family for a day of grazing on appetizers and opening gifts. DH and I pick out a new ornament every year for our Christmas tree, which is fun.

thefanciestbeckler · October 2015

Halloween: The last couple of years we have thrown a Halloween party, and we are doing it again this year! This is the first one in our new house. I love dressing up, and I love hosting parties, so Halloween is the perfect excuse to do both! Before we got married, DH lived in a very large neighborhood with tons of kids. We had lots of trick or treaters and I loved handing out candy to them!! Our new house is in a culdesac up a huge hill, though, so I have a feeling we won't have many kids stopping by.

Thanksgiving: We do things differently every year. We used to be on an every other year rotation between my mom and dad's sides of the family. DH's family lives all over the country, so they don't have a tradition. Nowadays, we typically go to my cousin's house in Knoxville and have a huge meal that everyone contributes to. My family is full of cooks, so it is always delicious! One year some of H's family was in town so they came too, which was a lot of fun!

Christmas: This is our first married Christmas! Yay! I am looking forward to creating some new traditions and keeping some old ones. We are going to buy a tree and probably put it up the day after Thanksgiving. On Christmas morning we will probably spend some time just the 2 of us and then go to my mom's house to open gifts and eat. She always makes sausage balls (the good kind with Bisquick - if you don't know what these are, you must try them!!) We usually do something with extended family a week or so before.

peachy13 · October 2015

Halloween: passing out candy and watching scary movies. Except for this Halloween.

But FI and I are excited to spend future anniversaries at home doing what we love.

Thanksgiving: I leave work early the Wed before and make about 6 pies for my family. My mom hosts at her house and we spend all day getting ready for dinner and drinking mimosas with football on in the background. Dinner is huge and my cousins and I watch a good movie afterwards.

Christmas: FI, me and our dog open presents at home, go to FFIL's for brunch, and then my mom's for dinner and movie.

I actually can't wait for the holidays this year just to unwind and relax as newlyweds.

kmmssg · October 2015

emmaaa said:

Halloween: DH and I live in the middle of nowhere so we've never had a single trick or treater. It always makes me sad because I like to hand out candy. This year we are going to SILs to help them hand out candy. They get hundreds of trick or treaters and made a haunted house type thing in their yard. We're excited. As far as decorating, I buy a few pumpkins and a mum and decorate the front porch a little.

Thanksgiving: DH works that day but he gets off pretty early. We do lunch at his grandparents and then supper at my aunt's for my dad's family. We usually go have a dinner with my mom the Sunday after. I look forward to the turkey and DH's aunt's mashed potatoes. OMG they are good. I always make baked cheesecakes for both meals.

Christmas: DH works Christmas eve and then goes hunting when he gets off work. We don't have anything until that night. We do dinner at my aunt's for my dad's family (my older brother and SIL are building a house and are hoping it is done in time to have Christmas there instead). We have always gone to the church I grew up in for the Christmas play the kids put on but this year we are thinking about going to the Christmas Eve service at the church we are members at instead. DH's parents host a little social that night also for close friends and family to come and hang out. We usually have a few glasses of wine and tell stories.

In the past, DH and I have always stayed at his parents' on Christmas Eve. But since this is the first year we will be married on Christmas, we are staying at our house (thank goodness, I mean we seriously live about 3 miles away). We'll get up in the morning and drink mimosas and open presents together and for the dogs. Then we'll go to DH's parents to open presents. We have breakfast at DH's grandparents' house and it is the best breakfast in the world! We play secret Santa games and dp presents afterwards. Then we go to my mom's for lunch and presents. Then we usually go to DH's aunts to rest and eat and do presents with them. My dad usually works on Christmas so we go see him that evening when he goes in. If he doesn't work, we'll go to his house to visit him.

We do a lot of driving and running around for Christmas. We've decided that once children come into play, that will have to stop for sure.

We always get a real tree and decorate it the weekend after Thanksgiving. I put garland and lights up outside and candles and a nativity scene in the house.

OMG @Emmaaa - your Christmas Day sounds like a fantasy to me. I've never had a big family like that where we go different places. What do DH's grandparent's make for breakfast that is so awesome?

It is really important to set boundaries when you have kids and I chatted with each of my girls about that before they even had kids. We don't see the kids/gkids every year exactly on Christmas and that is ok. But when your kids get a little older I will bet they would adore a time or two making those rounds to everyone's houses. Holy crap -that would be my fantasy day. My girls both have strict rules that their kids wake up in their own beds on Christmas Day and that the Day won't be a round the world tour since there is quite a bit of distance between all the grandparents.

Halloween - at our last house we couldn't keep up with the trick or treaters. I would drop 75-80 bucks on candy and have to get more. Every kid needs a fun size candy bar and 3 or 4 other pieces of "good" Halloween candy, right? We don't give away crap candy that you throw out every year - we give the good stuff. If I buy a bag of that Kid's Play stuff with the mix I throw out the Dots - those are awful and I don't want one of my little trick or treaters stuck with that.

We don't get any trick or treaters where we live now, so Nana will go down to the oldest DD's house and go out with the 8 yo granddaughter. She will give me chocolate!

Thanksgiving - we have a new twist on that one now. My FIL no longer goes to AZ for the Winter months so he is back here. That means he is around for Thanksgiving and puts a twist on what some of us have done for the last 18 or so years. Last year DH and I actually split up and he went to his dad's and I had committed to helping DD with her first ginormous Thanksgiving dinner. She usually cooked for 10-12 and last year it was over 30. Didn't hurt that my IN DD was there so I got special time with both of them. No clue what the grown kids plan will be this year or what we are doing yet.

Christmas - I don't care what day we celebrate with the kids as long as it is the day they will ALL be there. Our UT DD only makes it back for the holidays every couple of years and she was home last year so we may be shipping her stuff again. The other 4 - whatever day they don't have to be at their in-laws and aren't working works for me. We do stockings and presents and lots of food, but I do finger foody stuff for Christmas instead of the massive dinner.

Oh, and I am married to The Grinch. Seriously. It is the ringtone on my phone when he calls. The word "festive" can give him goosebumps.

Maggie0829 · October 2015

MairePoppy said:

I hate Halloween. There's nothing fun about handing out candy while trying to restrain two 60 pound dogs. So for Halloween, we buy a bunch of candy, turn the lights out and eat it in the dark.

I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, but my tradition is to not talk about Thanksgiving until November 1st and not to talk about Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

I love the bolded so much!

Halloween: We do nothing. We won't even pass out candy because the past few years we have gotten maybe 3 kids come by. And I am the house that will hand out full size candy bars too, so people are missing out!

Thanksgiving: I am really looking forward to it this year because my family is coming into town. This will be the first holiday in probably 5 or 6 years where my immediate family will all be together. Plus I love my Mom's cooking so I can't wait to eat!

Christmas: It will just be me, H and our pup Christmas morning. Which means we get to sleep in, cook a huge breakfast and lay around like lazy butts. Then we will head over to his parents for dinner. Usually I host a Christmas Eve get together but I think I am going to nix it this year because I am just not feeling it.

Heffalump · October 2015

Halloween: every year (since DD was 4 mo. old) we drive out to a pumpkin farm in the country to get our pumpkins. Three years ago, it was when Hurricane Sandy just missed us (in the photos, the sky looks crazy and DD's pigtails are blowing almost horizontal); two years ago, it was a day or so before I went into labor with DS. Last year, we found a cool little restaurant nearby, so we've added that to our tradition for this year.

When DH and I were both in grad school, we'd leave a big bowl of candy on the porch swing with a sign, and it seemed like everyone was really good about it--there was always some candy left when we got home, and no one ever stole the bowl or anything. Now he takes the kids down one half of our street while I pass out candy, and then we swap. My parents always used to play It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown for us on Halloween, but DD is so over it, so now we do The Nightmare Before Christmas instead.

Thanksgiving: We travel a lot for Thanksgiving (southern Mississippi this year), because our families are spread out everywhere. When we're home I brine a turkey and we usually have my mom over. But this year she's going to Florida to see my aunt, uncle, and grandmother, and we're headed to see DH's family. Their only tradition is that their get togethers are a free-for-all, so it should be interesting.

Christmas: after DD's first Christmas (when we traveled and hated it), DH and I said the kids would always have Christmas morning at home. I usually prep breakfast the night before so I can pop it in the oven before the kids dive into their stockings. We open presents, we go to my mom's (an hour away) or she comes to our house. We've flown out that afternoon, or gone out of town between Christmas and New Year's, but Christmas morning is always at home.

lovemesomemonster · October 2015

I am loving all of the responses! There are so many differences in families and it's fun to hear about different traditions. Sounds like a lot of you do the crazy drive all over the place to hit everyone on Christmas, I'm actually kind of happy my family lives an 8hr drive from FI's family so we can't add them into the rounds!

@emmaaa I'm sorry you don't get any kids coming around for Halloween, I love seeing them as well. Last year was the first year in our new house and I was in the UK, I bought a bunch of candy and told my dad he had to be here to hand it out. Apparently he ran out and had to go buy more so I'm guessing we get lots and can't wait for this year!

@becklertobe you never know how many you will get, we live up a huge hill in a culdesac but apparently our neighborhood is the prime trick-or-treating neighborhood so tons of kids have their parents drive them over.. you might get lots!

thefanciestbeckler · October 2015

@lovemesomemonster I hope so! We are still going to buy lots of candy just in case

wandajune6 · October 2015

We always spend Halloween at my parent's house. They get hundreds of trick-or-treaters and the next door neighbors do a mini haunted house so the area is busy (one neighbor uses a counter and counted about 350 kids last year). We'll take turns taking my niece trick-or-treating but mainly it's a bunch of adults sitting on the porch watching the kids. We make lots of pitchers of homemade sangria and make homemade pizzas to be served once trick-or-treating officially ends (8 PM). I love it.

Thanksgiving doesn't have a fixed tradition but it's usually about 10 of us at my parent's house. Traditional menu with pumpkin flan instead of pie. Tiny turkey (none of us are big fans) and a honey baked ham. We watch the parade before we cook. My sister and I do Black Friday but have a hard rule that we don't even consider going out until all of the dishes are done and kids are down for the night (we refuse to let it get in the way of family). It's nice but quiet.

Christmas is big. Christmas Eve is with DH's family and usually keeps us up until at least midnight. MIL makes yummy Mexican goodies like cochinita pebil or turkey in mole while my SILs (DH's brothers are married to 2 sisters) make their Puerto Rican favorites like lechon, rice, etc. Because I don't cook Mexican or Puerto Rican specialties right, I get dessert duty. That's usually 5 or 6 cheesecakes, a few batches of various cookies (current favorites are sugar cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, and candy cane.

My family does Christmas Day and we're expected to be there by 8 AM. Morning is breakfast (bagels and lox) and gifts. Once that's done, it's all hands on deck prepping for the 15-25 people coming over for dinner. My sister and her husband go to his family's Christmas while the rest of us work. Everyone is back to Mom and Dad's for dinner by 5:30 and it's cheese/pate for appetizers (done by my uncle's husband, a recently-retired cheese expert who remembers what everyone likes) followed by a huge dinner (beef tenderloin, rice pilaf, endless veggie sides, etc.) and dessert. I tend to do most of the baking but we have a set menu for everything. I end up making the pecan pie (paternal gramma's recipe), pumpkin flan (maternal gramma's recipe), chocolate orange cake (a battered recipe from Gourmet that my mom clipped in the early 70's), chocolate covered candied orange peel (my recipe that I've created out of several recipes). And so much booze... Since it's mostly my mom's family, it's a whole bunch of (non-practicing) Jews sitting around a Christmas tree. I love it!

emmaaa · October 2015

kmmssg said:

emmaaa said:

Halloween: DH and I live in the middle of nowhere so we've never had a single trick or treater. It always makes me sad because I like to hand out candy. This year we are going to SILs to help them hand out candy. They get hundreds of trick or treaters and made a haunted house type thing in their yard. We're excited. As far as decorating, I buy a few pumpkins and a mum and decorate the front porch a little.

Thanksgiving: DH works that day but he gets off pretty early. We do lunch at his grandparents and then supper at my aunt's for my dad's family. We usually go have a dinner with my mom the Sunday after. I look forward to the turkey and DH's aunt's mashed potatoes. OMG they are good. I always make baked cheesecakes for both meals.

Christmas: DH works Christmas eve and then goes hunting when he gets off work. We don't have anything until that night. We do dinner at my aunt's for my dad's family (my older brother and SIL are building a house and are hoping it is done in time to have Christmas there instead). We have always gone to the church I grew up in for the Christmas play the kids put on but this year we are thinking about going to the Christmas Eve service at the church we are members at instead. DH's parents host a little social that night also for close friends and family to come and hang out. We usually have a few glasses of wine and tell stories.

In the past, DH and I have always stayed at his parents' on Christmas Eve. But since this is the first year we will be married on Christmas, we are staying at our house (thank goodness, I mean we seriously live about 3 miles away). We'll get up in the morning and drink mimosas and open presents together and for the dogs. Then we'll go to DH's parents to open presents. We have breakfast at DH's grandparents' house and it is the best breakfast in the world! We play secret Santa games and dp presents afterwards. Then we go to my mom's for lunch and presents. Then we usually go to DH's aunts to rest and eat and do presents with them. My dad usually works on Christmas so we go see him that evening when he goes in. If he doesn't work, we'll go to his house to visit him.

We do a lot of driving and running around for Christmas. We've decided that once children come into play, that will have to stop for sure.

We always get a real tree and decorate it the weekend after Thanksgiving. I put garland and lights up outside and candles and a nativity scene in the house.

OMG @Emmaaa - your Christmas Day sounds like a fantasy to me. I've never had a big family like that where we go different places. What do DH's grandparent's make for breakfast that is so awesome?
It is really important to set boundaries when you have kids and I chatted with each of my girls about that before they even had kids. We don't see the kids/gkids every year exactly on Christmas and that is ok. But when your kids get a little older I will bet they would adore a time or two making those rounds to everyone's houses. Holy crap -that would be my fantasy day. My girls both have strict rules that their kids wake up in their own beds on Christmas Day and that the Day won't be a round the world tour since there is quite a bit of distance between all the grandparents.
Halloween - at our last house we couldn't keep up with the trick or treaters. I would drop 75-80 bucks on candy and have to get more. Every kid needs a fun size candy bar and 3 or 4 other pieces of "good" Halloween candy, right? We don't give away crap candy that you throw out every year - we give the good stuff. If I buy a bag of that Kid's Play stuff with the mix I throw out the Dots - those are awful and I don't want one of my little trick or treaters stuck with that.
We don't get any trick or treaters where we live now, so Nana will go down to the oldest DD's house and go out with the 8 yo granddaughter. She will give me chocolate!
Thanksgiving - we have a new twist on that one now. My FIL no longer goes to AZ for the Winter months so he is back here. That means he is around for Thanksgiving and puts a twist on what some of us have done for the last 18 or so years. Last year DH and I actually split up and he went to his dad's and I had committed to helping DD with her first ginormous Thanksgiving dinner. She usually cooked for 10-12 and last year it was over 30. Didn't hurt that my IN DD was there so I got special time with both of them. No clue what the grown kids plan will be this year or what we are doing yet.
Christmas - I don't care what day we celebrate with the kids as long as it is the day they will ALL be there. Our UT DD only makes it back for the holidays every couple of years and she was home last year so we may be shipping her stuff again. The other 4 - whatever day they don't have to be at their in-laws and aren't working works for me. We do stockings and presents and lots of food, but I do finger foody stuff for Christmas instead of the massive dinner.
Oh, and I am married to The Grinch. Seriously. It is the ringtone on my phone when he calls. The word "festive" can give him goosebumps.

The Christmas breakfast is what we look forward to every year! They have scrambled and fried eggs, bacon, sausage patties and link, country steak, country ham, homemade biscuits, fried potatoes, grits, sausage gravy, fruit, and mimosas. It is like a heart attack waiting to happen!

ETA: We love seeing everyone on Christmas and we definitely want to do it as long as possible. I know it means a lot to our family as well. I honestly don't know what we'll do once we have kids though because we'll still want to see everyone but not drive around all day.

kmmssg · October 2015

@emmaaa - can I come? I can bring something, but I don't know that there is any room for it. Holy cow that is awesome.

emmaaa · October 2015

kmmssg said:

@emmaaa - can I come? I can bring something, but I don't know that there is any room for it. Holy cow that is awesome.

@kmmssg Of course! The more the merrier. My dad has come on years he didn't work.

lovemesomemonster · October 2015

@emmaaa - count me in too! That sounds amazing!

julieanne912 · October 2015

Halloween - Usually we don't do anything. I tried to hand out candy 3 years ago but our very friendly basset hound, who loves kids, ran out the door after the first try and freaked the hell out of a little bunny rabbit in the driveway (ie a 2 year old in a costume who was scared to come to the door). I was able to corral him in the kitchen with a baby gate that year, but new house doesn't allow for that. Plus, we are going to a party this year for a friend's 30th birthday. I'm dressing up as a cat.

Thanksgiving - A bit all over the place. However I will be hosting this year, it will be my 2nd time. I'm all stocked up with 16 place settings of our wedding dishes. We will see who comes. We are inviting some friends, and my family who lives about an hour away. We'll see if they come down, they usually tend to like to do it at their house, but H doesn't like the kind of food they usually have (he likes uber traditional Thanksgiving foods).

Christmas - I'll put up a tree, have a new one this year that H's mom gave us. But we always head to his hometown (Rock Springs, WY) to spend with his family. One year we went for a week and I wanted to shoot myself. This year, thank god, we are going for 3 days, due to our hockey tickets (hooray for season tickets). 3-4 days is about enough for me. We don't do gifts or anything with anybody except for his nephews who are 7 and 11. My own family traditions were always a bit wacky because my mom worked a lot of holidays. But we always had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of salami, cheese, crackers, and apple slices.

ShesSoCold · October 2015

This year, we're resurrecting our Halloween pub crawl, which I'm super excited about. That's Friday night, then Saturday I'm sitting around on my friends' porch drinking and handing out candy. They have this awesome motion activated goblin thing that scares the piss out of people and it's hysterical. I love seeing parents set up their kids.

Thanksgiving we'll probably spend half the day at H's dad's and half at my uncle's.

Christmas will probably be the same. We used to go up to H's mom's for one or the other but she's been such an ass lately that we haven't gone up there in years.

Holiday Traditions

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