Christmas is coming....

I love the stories so far! We didn’t get much snow, well, just about 0 inches, in TN in the month of December, but I do remember the Christmas we got some snow FLAKES. Just little ones, spitting snow, as we call it. Yet, it was SNOW for Christmas!! We were at my grandmother’s house with all my other cousins where we would always go for Christmas lunch. My grandmother would give out small bills (1s to us little ones) to the family if they said they didn’t smoke!

The problem with a diverse neighborhood is the Santa stuff. Kindergarten is the last year they believe.
The non Christian kids are quick to tell them it is a story.

Then again the 5 and under crowd just don’t believe them! Those are the best years anyway!

Here’s an odd, but memorable Christmas tradition my family does.
Each year when everyone gets together for Christmas Eve, someone hides a glass pickle ornament in the tree. There is then a contest among the younger ones to find the pickle, and the winner gets an extra gift for being the most observant. It’s a German tradition, and adds some extra fun to the Holidays.

I’ve read about the pickle but I’ve never come across anyone that actually does it. I was thinking it was a catalog-inspired idea.

I hide a pickle also, that was an imported tradition from my stepkids.

My Christmas memories are staying up late so we could go to the 11:00 Candlelight service. The dark stillness of the church towards the end of the service when we lit our candles to sing Silent Night, then everything lighting up for Joy to the World. My mom was a “If ya can’t sing well, sing loud” person and she loved that moment with Joy to the World at the end of the service. Now I can’t get through a service without tears, but it is still my happiest Christmas memory and I smile & sing Joy to the World way too loud.

I’m sorry, but I just can’t think of “playing hide the pickle” without thinking there is some innuendo.

Unfortunately, it seems that no one in Germany has ever heard of the Christmas pickle.

I’m half German & never heard of it, my stepkids are 1/2 German & do it, but then The Girl has always had a thing for pickles. And Christmas ornaments.

According to Wikipedia

The Christmas Pickle is an American tradition related to the Christmas tree. In this tradition, a family decorates its Christmas tree with ornaments including one glass pickle. On Christmas morning, the first child to find the pickle on the tree would get a special gift and would supposedly have a year of good fortune.

This tradition is commonly believed by Americans to come from Germany, but this is probably a myth. In fact, the tradition is widely unknown in Germany although it is sometimes mentioned in conjunction with Poland where it is manufactured for example by Varsovia. This might mean that it derived from western Poland which pre-World War II had many Germans. Theoretically, Polish-Germans would have carried the tradition on to England and the United States, for example to Chicago.

One of the reasons I set up this page was to see what others do as traditions so that I could perhaps start something new for our family since we now have a child! (Today being Thanksgiving, I am extremely thankful for that).

So, dig deep and remember some of the traditions you have done (that you liked, of course) and please post those here, too. I have loved the stories and tradtions posted so far, but please keep ‘em comin’!

No! We need to hijack the thread!

L O L… like all the others. As science proves time and again, “chaos begats chaos.” :slight_smile:

PM, you don’t want to know what were the traditions in hubbies family.
The big one, when they were full grown, was throwing eggs at cars on Christmas Eve.
His mom had to hid the eggs, but they always found them.
It finally ended one year when they all went out to throw eggs and then ran away. They realized when they got back…1. they didn’t know the backyards anymore 2. fences went from 4 ft chainlink to 6 ft solid wood 3. It was a lot harder jumping fences when you are an adult in winter clothes, than when you were a kid in the summer … and the biggest one of all…4. They all had professional licenses that would get pulled if they got caught and had a police record. 2 CPA’s, a dentist, a lawyer, a cop and a fireman…they finally realized it wasn’t worth it. Thank goodness! Fools.

See, I told you that you didn’t want to know about the traditions.

:omg:
Next!

OK… here is something fun, and if you can’t find a cookie recipe at this link, you just don’t want to make a cookie!!

I also remember as a kid that we would light the advent wreath at home as well as at Church so we could go over the verses again.

9 months later, they had a baby…

Heck no! We understood how that worked!

I can remember making homemade egg nog with my family. I remember just drinking it up and having a fire in the fireplace while watching a movie or playing a game with my family. Good times.

dang…thought I would get a smack for that one. :tongue:

OK,

//smack