Christmas/Other Holiday Traditions?

[Galway Eagle]

Thought it could be a fun thread to share weird/fun/quirky family Christmahanakwansika traditions.

Out of ordinary Foods?
Drinks?
Out of ordinary white elephant themes?
Etc

[tower912]

Euchre.    There is always euchre. 

[Cheeks]

Euchre.    There is always euchre.

Sloughing.   +1

[Cheeks]

Christmas Eve, one gift gets opened.  When the kids were young, it was almost always Christmas pajamas
Christmas Day, everyone lines up oldest to youngest upstairs and oldest leads the crew downstairs to the stockings
Merry Christmas cards sent out to family and friends --- that's what we celebrate
Coffee Cake Christmas morning
Bourbon soaked meatballs Christmas day
One big gift for the family

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Euchre.    There is always euchre.

Wow!
I haven't heard or played since my Marquette days.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

My Italian side of the family has always done for Christmas , Thanksgiving and Easter and, I have taken over, is make a giant Antipasto Salad.  It's full of pickled stuff from the Italian ailse in the grocery store peprocini, hot peppers, artichokes, eggplant, green and black olives, pickles, various cheeses, celery sticks and carrot sticks.  (My wife went vegetarian, so we have since omitted prosciutto and Italian sausage/ham.). Layer the bottom of the plate with Romaine and then build a pyramid of items.

[Galway Eagle]

Christmas Eve, one gift gets opened.  When the kids were young, it was almost always Christmas pajamas
Christmas Day, everyone lines up oldest to youngest upstairs and oldest leads the crew downstairs to the stockings
Merry Christmas cards sent out to family and friends --- that's what we celebrate
Coffee Cake Christmas morning
Bourbon soaked meatballs Christmas day
One big gift for the family

We always did the one gift Christmas Eve as well. Bourbon soaked meatballs sounds intriguing.

[Galway Eagle]

Christmas Eve: All the cousins and aunts and uncles do a liquor white elephant on Christmas Eve. Some hilarious beers, wines, malort, etc have made their way through. My sister and I always watch the grinch after the party.

Christmas morning my nephew opens Santa gifts first then we do a Full Irish breakfast. My first time cooking it this year.

[warriorchick]

We always did the one gift Christmas Eve as well. Bourbon soaked meatballs sounds intriguing.

We need the recipe!

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

We need the recipe!

Yeah ditto.

[real chili 83]

Egg nog sucks.

[Galway Eagle]

Egg nog sucks.

I second this. There's so many better Christmas drinks like mulled wine, peppermint chocolate martini, peppermint martini, Blazing Brandy, hot buttered rum, straight whiskey or scotch. Why do eggnog?

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Egg nog sucks.

I disagree with scratch made egg nog.  I recommend the Williamsburg Cookbook recipe. Delicious.

Only store bought non-booze version I have liked is Southern Comfort’s offering.  It’s the closest to the recipe above. 

[warriorchick]

I disagree with scratch made egg nog.  I recommend the Williamsburg Cookbook recipe. Delicious.

Only store bought non-booze version I have liked is Southern Comfort’s offering.  It’s the closest to the recipe above.

Oberweis makes a pretty decent egg nog.

[Cheeks]

We always did the one gift Christmas Eve as well. Bourbon soaked meatballs sounds intriguing.

Some solid recipes out there...you need a crock pot, takes a few hours but outstanding results.  Cheap bourbon does just fine.


2 cups prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup bourbon
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds fully cooked frozen meatballs, thawed

4 hours in cooker

[Cheeks]

Egg nog sucks.

If you are a fan of Dave Attell comedy, he has a funny bit on this.  Can not recall what album this is from.


“Eggnog, who thought that one up? I wanna get a little drunk, but I also want some pancakes. You know what eggnog really is. You’re not gonna want to hear it, but I’ll tell ya.

It’s elf cum.

You might as well pour it down your back and slap your self on the ass.”

[reinko]

The Reinko family does take out Chinese on XMas eve. Most local spots are always open, we generally go to a late afternoon XMas Eve Mass, order for it to arrive a few minutes after we come home...no fuss!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Returning gifted ornaments to the neighbors.

[Billy Hoyle]

Christmas Eve: high end steakhouse
Christmas Day: movie at a theatre and my wife makes pizzas,

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Christmas Eve Dinner: Lasagna
Christmas Morning Brunch: Eggs/Bacon with cinnamon rolls baked in the shape of and frosted to look like a Christmas Tree
Christmas Dinner: Roast Beast (Rib Roast) with Yorkshire Pudding. Hands down favorite meal of the year.

Weird Christmas tradition....Boggle. It's a bloodsport in my family. There are arguments every years about which dictionary we are going to use and tons of arguments about the rules mid-game.

[4everwarriors]

Returning gifted ornaments to the neighbors.

With a big bah humbug, aina?

[Dr. Blackheart]

Some solid recipes out there...you need a crock pot, takes a few hours but outstanding results.  Cheap bourbon does just fine.


2 cups prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup bourbon
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds fully cooked frozen meatballs, thawed

4 hours in cooker

Sounds yummy

[dgies9156]

In recent years, our Christmas tradition has been Florida. Our children usually come down the weekend before -- or when college closes down for winter break in my son's case -- and we spend the week on the beach here.

Christmas Eve tradition is football on the beach with the children and the dog (who plays a pretty mean linebacker/bull rusher). Christmas day is a traditional rib roast, potatoes etc., with Christmas cookies. Presents get open one at a time in the morning.

[mu_hilltopper]

One necessary component to good holiday food is .. having good cook(s) somewhere in the family.  My in-laws are functional cooks, but they're always ruining food with nuts and berries, tofu, wheat germ or something they read in a health magazine.  #sadtrombone.  #arbys

As for the other topic .. last year I was checking out at Sendik's (grocery) and the owner (a friend) was behind us.   I saw my opportunity:  "Ted, I've got three words to improve your store.  Year.  Round. Eggnog."

Eggnog is liquid ice cream.  I don't understand the haters.

[real chili 83]

Good friend of my wife’s family had a Tom And Jerry recipe up in Superior sold commercially.  Dgies, you parents knew the family.