GTKY: Holidays Edition

[lennonkdc]

We haven't done a GTKY thread in awhile, so I thought I'd try to start them back up on Fridays! 

I've got the holidays on my mind, and am so excited for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, we have some really fun traditions in my family, and in H's family, but are having issues starting new ones just for us. So I want to know:

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family?

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family?

3) How have you blended those traditions?

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start?  

[lennonkdc]

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family?
Thanksgiving is the BIG deal holiday in my family, my Aunt's, Uncle's and most of my cousins still come in from all over the country, despite the fact my Grandparents have been gone for almost 20 yrs. Wednesday we all go to the West Side Market in Cleveland and get all the shopping done, then we go back to my Uncle's house and start chopping and prepping for a huge feast the next day. Thanksgiving dinner is 3 turkeys, tons of sides and a whole day of cooking and laughing. The day after is a board game day, and last year we played Cards Against Humanity- it was amazing!

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? I have 2, first I LOVE making homemade perogies for Christmas Eve dinner with my MIL and spending Christmas Day with H's dad side of the family. We go to his aunts house about an 1.5 hrs way to spend the night. We have dinner, followed by a white elephant gift exchange which always has some good laughs, then we drink wine, hangout, and play a game of some sort.

3) How have you blended those traditions? Since buying a house, H and I have hosted Christmas Eve dinner for my parents and H's. We serve a few of each side's 'favorite' dishes, from H's side its perogies, lima beans and corn, and a soup, and from mine its duck confit and shrimp bisque.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? I'd like to start something for just H & I. Not having kids yet its assumed that we 'don't mind' travelling to be with everyone, and its not that we mind, its just that it get exhausting! I think this year H and I are going to stake out NYE as 'our' night, make a fancy dinner at home and ring in the new year in our PJ's

[badwolf]

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? We don't really have any traditions any more.  My family has kind of fallen apart over the last couple of years and now no one really does anything.  I'd like to try and get the dinners started again.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? H's family gets together and opens gifts for Christmas.  It's a really fun day of just hanging out together, enjoying the food everyone brings and enjoying some good alcohol together.  It's really laid back.

3) How have you blended those traditions? DH's parents always invite my family to come too.  And they make sure my family always has a little something under the tree when they do come for Christmas.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start?  I want to take over the large family dinners and bring a little old into the new by incorporating using china (which my grandma did) and having a really beautifully decorated house (which my other grandma did).  I really miss those items primarily and DH's parents are getting older so their desire to host is waning.  Unfortunately right now I don't have a big enough house to take over hosting the holidays.

ETA: I guess DH and I have started a together tradition of driving thru the city to view the Christmas lights after the big Christmas lights ceremony we have in our town.  And it's not just a random "let's go look at Christmas lights" thing.  I plan a route for us with the help of a website someone created to show different locations in the city that have really great light displays and we spend all evening (usually up until about 11pm) just driving around.  Sometimes we do a second night if we don't get our fill of displays the first night.  The last couple of times we've gone the ILs have come with us.

[jwinct]

I'm excited for the holidays, too!

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? My grandmother was Danish and always made a pastry called Tea Ring for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's basically like a cinnamon raisin pastry with a sugar glaze drizzled over the top - and it is delicious, especially warmed up a little bit. My sister now makes them and gives them to us, but I have made it before in the past. That will forever be a tradition in our family.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? We don't really have any traditions from his family. However, his parents own a Christmas tree farm, so we always go up to the farm the day after Thanksgiving, as long as the weather is good, and cut down our tree. We hang out in their store with them for a little while and have hot cocoa.

3) How have you blended those traditions? See #2. I grew up with a fake tree, so now we have a real tree. I guess that's sort of blending traditions.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? I think the cutting down of the Christmas trees would be considered a new tradition for us. I can't really think of anything else. DH tried to make a tradition of making this awesome French toast casserole,which soaks overnight, for Christmas breakfast, but our kids don't like it, so I think that has fallen by the wayside. LOL

[wannabmama]

Great idea! I'll be back with tags and responses to others!

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? My family had so many...couple favorites is that when I was really little we cut a tree from our yard each year (we lived on wooded 5 acres) but they were just scrub pine (until the ones we planted got big enough) so we had total Charlie Brown trees...once we tied two together! My parents didn't have a lot of money so I'm sure that's why we did it, but I loved it! We also do letters to Santa and put them up the chimney on Christmas Eve, now they've gotten pretty funny since we are all adults. We also put out cookies and a banana (??) for Santa and the reindeer and he leaves us a note...still. My parents were big into the magic of the season and I love that.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? His family was more about the presents. They do have this funny breakfast they make and we still do that. We split holidays bc his parents are separated and it can be tough. Last year his sister hosted and there was tons of wine and stories and we had a great time (even though his mom bailed on us...after asking his sister to host...she's a peach).
Tgiving hasn't been important to me in the usual sense for years bc I stopped coming home when I was away at college, but it's kind of cool bc I have spent it with so many wonderful families over the years who have taken me in. Nowadays we go to H's dad's family for the big meal and it's fun and then usually stop by my bff's for drinks and football later.

3) How have you blended those traditions? We do stuff with my family after Christmas for now, it's hard enough splitting time his family and my parents live in another state. I think eventually if we have kids we will have to change that up. Some years my parents have rented a house near me so they maybe would do that and we'd recreate Christmas like my childhood a bit...I hope so!

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? H is a grinch, but he goes along with me and humors me. We try to cut down a tree and decorate with Christmas music and movies one day and he gets a bit of spirit. I hope it increases if we have kids. I love Christmas!

[beachdreamer]

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family?
For Thanksgiving, I liked that we always watched the parade on tv, and then football. For Christmas, it was searching for that just right tree, listening to Oak Ridge Boys Christmas (this is silly because not my usual style of music at all), and breakfast pizza Christmas morning.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family?
Thanksgiving - roll sandwiches with leftovers.

3) How have you blended those traditions? We haven't really blended them yet. I guess we do a little bit of both, but nothing I'd call an official tradition for our family yet.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? I would like to start a big Christmas Eve family dinner and celebration. I want to have noodles at dinners like we had at my grandma's….I just need to perfect making them first.

[sleepymonkey]

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? Growing up, we would sometimes have some family come for the holidays but mostly it was just me, my parents, and my brother. We really didn't have any Thanksgiving traditions. But my favorite tradition for Christmas was going out to eat on Christmas Eve and then driving around to look at Christmas lights. Then we would go home, put out cookies for Santa, hang our stockings, and try to go to sleep.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? I am not a fan of holiday's at MH's house. They celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and do nothing on Christmas Day, which is foreign to me. Their holiday meals are not special at all (canned veggies, boxed stuffing, mashed potatoes, nothing homemade) so I don't even look forward to the food.

3) How have you blended those traditions? We haven't really blended much. MH's family lives 1.5 hrs away so we go there for Christmas Eve and then come back that night to have Christmas morning at our house and then go to my parents' house for breakfast and more gift opening.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? We haven't really started any traditions and it is a bone of contention between MH and I now that we have a child. I would just like to be able to host a holiday at our house without it causing an issue with MH's family.

[beachdreamer]

ladystrat, Are you in MI? (message me if you don't want to put it here) We have a "World's Largest Christmas Store" not too far from us too! I'm curious if it's the same one. We didn't go last year because of being homebound. We plan to go next week to pick out our family ornaments for this year!!!

[wirt2cute]

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? At my moms house we always put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. The boys love this time and once we do that we know that it is time for Christmas. We also spend the night with my parents during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? H's family really does not have any traditions. They are very chill when it comes to the holidays. On Christmas day they might not get together until 7:00 pm.

3) How have you blended those traditions? Because my family is very in tune with time, we always eat at a specified time for each holiday meal. At Christmas we open presents and then eat so we can continue to eat all evening. Since H's family does things so late we never miss anything on either side.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? I guess I would love to actually really decorate my house. Because my mom is a school teacher she is out for two weeks and we are at her house during the whole holiday so we decorate her house. This year I am going to actually try and decorate my own house. Since I work my a dollar tree I am been on pinterest looking at DIY Christmas stuff. I have already started picking up stuff to put in my window, so we will see what happens.

[tiresiastheblond]

**LC mentioned**

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? Opening one present on Christmas Eve with hors d'ouevres and wine/tom and jerries for the adults. Also cornmeal mush for breakfast Christmas morning. And not exchanging presents among the adults (we all hate Christmas shopping).

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? I don't really know what they did while DH was growing up, but now the day centers around the grandchildren (and around going to mass, which I don't do). So it's hard to say.

3) How have you blended those traditions? We've only been at our own house for Christmas or Thanksgiving once, so we just kind of do whatever our hosts are doing. Now that DD is getting older, that's changing.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? When she's old enough to get it, we'll have DD pick a child's gift request (off those trees where they hang requests from families in need) and select a present for him/her. I also like the idea of buying an ornament she picks out each year. And somebody gave us an elf on the shelf, so I suppose we'll try it.

[hoosiermama76]

My family's tradition is that we each open one present at a time in front of one another. There was a tradition on my father's side that had us write little clues about the present and then we guessed. I would like to use that someday.

My DH's family has a fun tradition of playing euchre after eating. We only see them every so often.


We haven't blended anything but have changed into our own where we watch Christmas movies on Christmas Eve, eat breakfast for dinner, and open our presents for one another. I like it better than rushing over to my mom's.

[agpjt413]

hoosiermama76, That's neat about the clues! I did that with DH's gifts last year - wrote little riddles on the gift tags. I think he guessed only a couple correctly And I totally had to Google Euchre! Sounds like fun!

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family? My dad and I used to pick out a live tree together every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We stopped by the time I was in college b/c I worked retail and worked black Friday every year. We'd spend all day Friday decorating the house (exterior lights) and the tree. I miss my dad...

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family? All of the interior decorations! MH's family goes all out with Christmas decorations. I was really excited the first year I moved in with MH b/c I loved turning our house into Santa's cabin LOL! Its a lot of décor but its not cheesy - thankfully Oh and my MIL's breakfast casserole on Christmas morning is amazing! She never had a chance to make it for us before she passed away, but I use her recipe every year.

3) How have you blended those traditions? The casserole, exterior lights & of course interior decorations but we don't do live trees. Oh and we'll watch favorite holiday films from both sides of the family!

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start? Maybe when we have kids, I might be able to talk MH into getting a live tree for a few years. He grew up with them as well, but I think with our current lifestyle, an artificial one just works for us.

[Tiger]

1) What are your favorite traditions from your family?
On Christmas Eve, we have a big dinner with lobster. We're not going to be with my family on Christmas this year, but I hope we keep up the tradition.

2) What are your favorite traditions from your H's family?
They open their gifts on Christmas Eve. The last time we celebrated with them (4-5 years ago), they compromised for my sake and we opened half on Christmas Eve and half Christmas morning.

3) How have you blended those traditions?
We tend to just do whatever the host family does. We're pretty easy-going, so there is nothing that I HAVE to do around the holidays, other than spend it with family.

4) What new traditions have you created for your family, or what tradition's would you like to start?
This will be the first year that we don't spend Christmas with either one of our families. I'm hoping to continue the lobster tradition, and I think we'll open one gift on Christmas Eve. Most likely we will make gluhwein, play boardgames and watch Christmas movies on Christmas day.

[beachdreamer]

Tiger, yummmm gluhwein!!! I might have to copy this tradition (if I'm not pregnant on Christmas).