Tell us about your Christmas (Holiday) Traditions

[yvanleterrible]

Here Christmas has always been meant for children. I did find out early that it's a drill to instill and maintain family values, whatever they are. It is a reflection of social culture, you make it what you want.I think it is the way to keep tabs with family members who live far away.

Christmas itself is fading as it's been replaced by a religion free "holiday season". That's not news but we must keep family values and sacrifice a little of one's comforts and energy to maintain a positivity about it. That's what a gift means, not the gift itself but the presence of oneself around it.


Several years ago we have, as many family groups, adopted a "make your gifts" approach instead of buying stuff nobody wants because, face it, what do you buy rich uncles who have everything? Unfortunately that had a negative impact for those who have less creativity and manual skills. Now we do a "I have one but I don't want it anymore" gift. After 4 years in both of our families it still works. The idea is simple, just wrap an object you've hardly used or never unboxed and put it, unnamed, in a pile under the tree. Then raffle the gifts off. We chose a "name on paper in hat" type of raffle where one can steal the preceding person's gift.
We have no sports nor tv in those celebrations and it is important that kids be unplugged and incited to participate in the wild blabbering going about. I make it a point to meet with each person individually, eye to eye, soul to soul. Except with my father in law of course... he has no soul, not even the belly button of one.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

And they got him from Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas), who was the patron saint of children, unmarried women, merchants and sailors....

Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) were originally entirely separate figures; it's only in the 20th century that they got "merged". The best description of the "original" Father Christmas is probably "The Ghost of Christmas Present" in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) were originally entirely separate figures; it's only in the 20th century that they got "merged". The best description of the "original" Father Christmas is probably "The Ghost of Christmas Present" in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

When I was reading that story, I was coming to the same conclusion. And we all know that Christmas is a merger between Christian and Germanic traditions...

A nice little mix, I'd say

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Here Christmas has always been meant for children.

<snip>

Several years ago we have, as many family groups, adopted a "make your gifts" approach instead of buying stuff nobody wants because, face it, what do you buy rich uncles who have everything?

What you describe here, is what most families do if the children don't believe in Saint Nicholas anymore, but they still want to celebrate Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas is a real children holiday. He "lives" in Spain, and comes here every november (by steamboat), stays till December 6th and then "goes" home. He rides a white horse.

Originally, the children would put some hay and a carrot in their shoes and put it near the fireplace. The Black Pieters will take those gifts and put something back in its place (they are black because they have to climb down the chimneys!). There are Pieters for everything. Everyone has one task (a bit like the smurfs in fact!).

But, at the age between 6 and 8, children stop believing in him. So, they start to make "surprises". The gifts inside are generally cheap (most of the time, a maximum amount is decided upon), it's not so much the getting but the giving that's important. And making a nice "box" in which to hide the gift. And everything is allowed for those boxes!

Fun times, it was Get a nice little gift, wrap it safely in paper, type, more paper, more tape, more paper, some tape (and I'm not talking about the tape you use to wrap a present, but rather tape which you use to close boxes!). And put that in a nicely formed box, add some syrup and confetti in it...

[GeoffC]

there are pagan influences, too - not least holly/ivy

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

there are pagan influences, too - not least holly/ivy

return of the sun/son

[Sparrow]

Mistletoe

[Ea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Personally, not being a Christian, I prefer not to celebrate it. I consider it to be a religious holiday for Christians, first and foremost, and consider the commercial "hype" that's developed around it to be a monstrosity that is totally at odds with the actual religious purpose of the celebration.

Interesting. I consider Christmas a cultural holiday. The Scandinavian countries had a mid winter celebration before the missionaries came in the late iron age, and it wasn't until early mediaval times the 'Christ Mass' merged fully with 'Yule' ('Jul') - and they never did manage to get the name changed

For many Scandinavians religion is a cultural thing, it's about form and ritual rather than personal belief. I celebrate Christmas with my parents, and we always go to church on the afternoon of Christmas Eve's Day. For me it has nothing to do with belief, it's just a nice tradition. Actually, this is the one day of the year that there's a significant turn-out in the churches. It's a tradition.

Christmas in Denmark - the main event - is celebrated in the evening of Christmas Eve's Day. I think that it's a fair guess that at least 80% of Danish households will have either a pork roast or roast duck. Served with brown gravy, potatoes, caramel glazed potaotes, red cabbage and perhaps baked apples. Dessert is Ris a la mande - a rice pudding with a whole almond hidden. The one who gets the almond gets the 'almond present', usually candy. Sometimes, often if there are smaller children, instead of the dessert, the 'rice pudding' is a plain rice milk-porridge served hot as a starter.

After dinner, we gather by the tree, which are usually a real tree (plastic trees aren't really used) often with real candles. Then we sing a number of Christmas songs and psalms, walking round the tree, holding hands if we can remember the text to the songs After that, presents are opened and we usually have a glass of glögg (mulled wine). The next days, 25th and 26th are holidays, and used for relaxation and lunch parties with family - always a good occasion to meet up with cousins, aunts and uncles.

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Okay...........but why?

Fresh brussel sprouts (not frozen), braised in a closed dish, in the oven on 'low', for a couple of hours, with butter and a little broth/mild white wine. No bitterness left and much better than plain boiled.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) were originally entirely separate figures; it's only in the 20th century that they got "merged". The best description of the "original" Father Christmas is probably "The Ghost of Christmas Present" in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".

And here the figure has merged with Julenissen. Even if 'Julemanden' (Santa) brings the presents, 'nisser' still plays a big role here in the 'Christmas month'. I once read a comment by an American woman who'd lived here for some years, that Christmas in Denmark in reality was the cult of the 'nisse'

[Slite]

Christmas here in sweden goes along the same lines as Ea posted for Denmark, with a few differences:

1) We really don't go to church that much, tradition or not.

2) We go for the x-mas "Smorgasboard" as far as food is concerned. And a traditional swedish x-mas dinner consists of a number of different dishes of herring pickled in different sauces. Glazed ham, meatballs, sausages and something called "sylta" which you do not realyl want to know what it is

This year however, wifey and me are going to spend christmas alone at home, which I am actually looking forward to, we'll just take a trip into my sister-in-law where the rest of the family is and drop of presents for the kids. Then we'll go out to a place where the dogs can run loose for a while, go home, eat something good and just relax in front of the fireplace with our e-readers, drink wine and just have a good time!

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Slite

1) We really don't go to church that much, tradition or not.

I just searched for some numbers. It's about 25% of the population who goes to church at Christmas Eve, and their primary reasons are that it is a tradition, and something that has not been commercialised - a mental 'breather' before dinner and presents. In comparison, church attendence on usual Sundays are 2-3% and everyone else go never or hardly ever.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Slite

This year however, wifey and me are going to spend christmas alone at home, which I am actually looking forward to, we'll just take a trip into my sister-in-law where the rest of the family is and drop of presents for the kids. Then we'll go out to a place where the dogs can run loose for a while, go home, eat something good and just relax in front of the fireplace with our e-readers, drink wine and just have a good time!

Now, that's my favourite way to enjoying those two free days... Just generally relax, and enjoy a good dinner at the end of the day (after a good breakfast at the start of it). It's also a good reason to give (and get) gifts...

I don't celebrate a christian christmas, but do like the original thought of christmas: to bring light in these dark days.

[kindlekitten]

[QUOTE=Slite;689509]something called "sylta" which you do not realyl want to know what it is

QUOTE]

oh is that the fish soaked in lye! the name escapes me at the moment

[Slite]

[QUOTE=kindlekitten;689640]

Originally Posted by Slite

something called "sylta" which you do not realyl want to know what it is

QUOTE]

oh is that the fish soaked in lye! the name escapes me at the moment

Nope, what you are refering to is called "Lutfisk" here in sweden. It's dried fish that has been in a lye-bath for like a month or so

Sylta is made of minced veal, assorted spices and some kind of gelatin that is mixed up and put into a form and left to "coagulate". It's not my favorite part of the smorgasbord

As for lutfisk it's one of the x-mas traditions over here I am NOT fond of. I loathe the stuff.

Almost as much as "Surströmming" which thank god is NOT a christmas tradition.

[kindlekitten]

that kind of sounds like head cheese

[Ea]

'Sylte' is meat in aspic - with a high meat ratio. The Danish version is made with boiled pork, in smaller pices like pulled meat, and the meat traditionally comes from the parts of the pig that couldn't be cut up in larger pices, like the head and feet. I think it tastes all right if it's mostly pieces of meat and little aspic, but it really depends on the cook. I would only eat home-made. Minced veal doesn't sound very nice.

Lutefisk and surströmming is vile IMHO.

What on earth is head cheese? Sounds weird

[Slite]

Originally Posted by Ea

'Sylte' is meat in aspic - with a high meat ratio. The Danish version is made with boiled pork, in smaller pices like pulled meat, and the meat traditionally comes from the parts of the pig that couldn't be cut up in larger pices, like the head and feet. I think it tastes all right if it's mostly pieces of meat and little aspic, but it really depends on the cook. I would only eat home-made. Minced veal doesn't sound very nice.

Lutefisk and surströmming is vile IMHO.

What on earth is head cheese? Sounds weird

There is a variant of Sylte that is made from pork as well, and as I said, I do not really like any of the varieties.

And Sylta and Head Cheese is the same thing aparently:

Head Cheese