Christmas around the world..........

[desertgrandma]

So we're just two weeks away from Christmas.

Given that that this is a world wide forum, share your Christmas (if you observe) traditions with me, and all of us.

Even if you live here in the states, I/we would love to know how you celebrate this special day.

For my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah! (the 21st, right?).

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I celebrate the solstice, not least because I suffer from SAD most winters (this year it turned into full on depression for a variety of reasons still being explored), and that's the turning point for the days getting longer again!

Most years, the yeti and I see relatives over the Christmas period, and what we do follows our family traditions.

Christmas Eve we usually go to my parents, eat mince pies, drink sherry, and play games. Just after midnight we tease my mum that it's now Christmas Day and so we can open our presents. Sometimes in a bid to turn tables she goes along with it, right up until we get the first present from under the tree.

Christmas Day we wake late (or arrive late morning if we haven't gone up on Christmas eve. If we drive up Christmas Day we play a game of counting all the broken down cars on the way - there is usually an awful lot more than any other time of year, and a lot less traffic on the roads!). After breakfast we open presents from under the tree - my Dad will get one, and we wait til that person has opened it, then he gets another and so on. Part of the fun is directing him to pick certain parcels. Then Christmas dinner - turkey and all the trimmings for most of the family, and just the trimmings for me. Mum and I go for a walk afterwards to look at the lights on people's houses, and walk off the food. Dad and the yeti sleep it off. They say they are going to play computer games, or pool or something, but they're always asleep when we get back! If we're hungry, we have a light snack later.

Boxing Day morning we open the tree presents, then head over to the yeti's mum and sister, where we shove all our presents at each other, including those for the hyperactive nieces, and open everything all at once. We've tried to impose some order - the yeti prefers my family's way of doing it one at a time, but it's never worked. Once we've been there long enough to be sociable, we head over to the yeti's dad, and unwind over chestnuts roasted on a real fire, and a walk around the area, looking at all the lights and decorations in people's houses (well, if they don't put nets up and leave the curtains open, what do they expect!)

Most of us are either not at all religious, or not especially so (my mum is possibly the most religious of the lot of us, but it's a personal thing for her), so it is purely a secular celebration for us all.

This year, we may be running away again for a few days

[desertgrandma]

sounds wonderful, shortandcuddly!

By the way........I've always wondered.....what exactly is Boxing Day? (remember, American here! )

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I'd forgotten Boxing day is largely a British thing!

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas - it's bank (public) holiday over here. It's also known as St Stephen's Day, and it's the day when gifts were given to those of a lower class or less fortunate than yourself - gifts between equals, family and so on were given on Christmas Day. Where the actual box comes from is open to speculation. A couple of popular theories are that gifts of food etc were put in boxes to be given out on that day, or that the churches alms boxes were opened and donations given on that day.

It can also cause some tension in families if you always see the same set of relatives on christmas Day as you're in effect saying they're more worthy of your time. Thankfully, ours don't see it like that!

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I'd forgotten Boxing day is largely a British thing!

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas - it's bank (public) holiday over here. It's also known as St Stephen's Day, and it's the day when gifts were given to those of a lower class or less fortunate than yourself - gifts between equals, family and so on were given on Christmas Day. Where the actual box comes from is open to speculation. A couple of popular theories are that gifts of food etc were put in boxes to be given out on that day, or that the churches alms boxes were opened and donations given on that day.

It can also cause some tension in families if you always see the same set of relatives on Christmas Day as you're in effect saying they're more worthy of your time. Thankfully, ours don't see it like that!

Thanks for the explanation. I always had a picture in my head of a boxing ring with boxers in it.
So you have TWO legal holidays in a row? Awesome. The only way you get that here is if Christmas falls on a Friday.....assuming, of course, you don't work in a retail trade....

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Thanks for the explanation. I always had a picture in my head of a boxing ring with boxers in it.
So you have TWO legal holidays in a row? Awesome. The only way you get that here is if Christmas falls on a Friday.....assuming, of course, you don't work in a retail trade....

We do So if both days fall on the weekend, we get the Monday and Tuesday off. And then a few days later we have New Year's Day

[Laine]

I live in Sydney, Australia so Christmas is summer time. My husband and I have our own tradition of driving to a quiet beach north of Wollongong with a picnic (chicken, salad, fruit, yoghurt and champagne. There's a rock ledge to explore with starfish and other creatures.
Last year it was unseasonably cold - 20 Celsius so I didn't put more than my toes in the water.
This year they are predicting 25 Celsius - should be enjoyable.

We have had some disasters - 3 years in a row. There was a really bad bush fire one year - I was worried we wouldn't find a road open to get home. The next year a friend came with us and she fell over and broke her wrist and the following year the electronic car opener got wet and we were locked out of the car. But the last few years have been O.K.

Lots of Australians have picnics on the beach for Christmas day. We found the beach we go to when the nearby beach we went to the year before was packed and there was no parking.

Laine

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Laine

I live in Sydney, Australia so Christmas is summer time. My husband and I have our own tradition of driving to a quiet beach north of Wollongong with a picnic (chicken, salad, fruit, yoghurt and champagne. There's a rock ledge to explore with starfish and other creatures.
Last year it was unseasonably cold - 20 Celsius so I didn't put more than my toes in the water.
This year they are predicting 25 Celsius - should be enjoyable.

We have had some disasters - 3 years in a row. There was a really bad bush fire one year - I was worried we wouldn't find a road open to get home. The next year a friend came with us and she fell over and broke her wrist and the following year the electronic car opener got wet and we were locked out of the car. But the last few years have been O.K.

Lots of Australians have picnics on the beach for Christmas day. We found the beach we go to when the nearby beach we went to the year before was packed and there was no parking.

Laine

"Chicken, salad, fruit and champagne"! Wonderful. Please enjoy a glass for me this year!

[Slite]

Stockholm calling, and here is the votes of the swedish jury... oh wait, wrong show, let me just switch channels....

Ah, there we go!

Christmas here we usually spend with the family and we always give our gifts on Christmas Eve, and not on christmas day. We also gather around the table around 4PM and eat obscene amounts of food, that is a tradition that ties over from "old" days when they usually slaughtered a pig just before christmas, and not wanting anything to go to waste, they had a HUGE christmas dinner. We tend to sit down to this "dinner" at 4 since at 3PM we have another "tradition" that has stuck with us for like 50 years now, and that is at 3 PM, Donald Duck and his friends wants to wish us a merry christmas, so it's an hour long TV show with x-mas themed Disney shortfilms that I will be seeing for the ... ummm 46th time this year. Hey, what can I say, it's tradition

Anyhow, what we will be eating is the traditional Swedish "Julbord" with meatballs, glazed ham, sausages, sill (which is pickled herring, and it does sound disgusting but isn't really), "Janssons Frestelse" (which is a dish mad of cream, onions, potatoes and anschovies), Sylta (which I really can't explain what it is, it has to be experienced and personally, I loathe the stuff). Along with other traditional dishes. It is also tradition to drink "snaps" with the "sill", snaps being a 6-8 centiliter shot of spirits which is often spiced with hemlock or other spices. And of course, we usually drink Julöl which is a dark beer that is quite bitter. Then it is time for Santa to arrive, and by this time, the kids in the family are usually going ape about having to wait for santa so long that they are totally of their rockers

However, this year, that won't be happening, all our kids and grandkids are off celebrating at other places, so it'll just be wifey and me and we plan to take the doggies for a long walk, eat when we want to. And just a small "Julbord", light a fire in the fireplace and just have a very nice day enjoying each others company

[ravenne]

So here´s how we celebrate Christmas in Germany:

For the Germans, Christmas is a family event, and - as in Sweden - Christmas Eve is "gift-giving day". I´m sure no-one here could wait until the 25th

When there´s enough snow in town, we start Christmas Eve at about 10 am and go sledging / sledding with some friends. That´s not a typical German thing to do, it´s just sort of a personal tradition; usually our little "sledging group" is all alone on that little snow-covered mountain in a park nearby.

After that we go home, and I start the cooking (we usually have about 15 guests for Christmas dinner). Around 4 pm the grannies pick up the children and take them for church. I´m not religios, actually, but the children love it, the grannies love it, so it´s the best thing for them to shorten the time.

Children, grannies and the rest of the family arrive at about 6 pm, we have dinner and then we go upstairs, sing Christmas songs on our balcony (yes, our neighbours are indeed very pitiable) and look out for the Christkind. My husband suddenly has to look for the fireplace or finds another reason not to join us, because he has to put the presents under the Christmas tree while we are upstairs. After he´s finished he runs through our garden and plays his traditional role as Christkind, i.e. he hides in the trees (we have about 12 huge spruces in our garden) and kindles a sparkler (that sounds much sillier than it actually is). One of us still standing on the balcony shouts " There, the Christkind was here!!" and all children (5 altogether) run down the stairs and head for the Christmas tree and the gifts.

The rest of the evening is usually spent with testing some new toys of the children, talking and sipping some wine punch. People leave at around 11 pm.

Before we had children we used to go to a cinema afterwards. Some of our friends work there and they used to schedule a private viewing only for friends at midnight. We saw some typical Chirstmas movies like Terminator or Aliens That was quite fun, too.

[desertgrandma]

My family has always waited until the 25th to open gifts, since "Santa" always comes while we are sleeping on the 24th.......however, this does make for some horrendously early Christmas mornings.....

It was never unusual for 4AM wakings insisting to our parents that it was TIME TO GET UP!!

Now I laugh at my kids who are grown with children of their own and go thru the same thing, while I sleep peacefully
and wake at a decent hour..Old age does have some perks!!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I'm really enjoying reading this thread - thank you for starting it, Desert Grandma

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I'm really enjoying reading this thread - thank you for starting it, Desert Grandma

I am also enjoying! Glad you are liking it.

Many more countries to be heard from tho....

[GeoLib]

This is what happens in Spain, at least in my home. I will be going home to my mother and brothers. We will not have any traditional dishes, since my mother decided it was the perfect time to try new things. Since last time I talked to her I think she’s changed her mind a couple of times so we will have to wait till Christmas Eve and Christmas day to see what we’re having this year. Anyway, there are very many different traditional dishes all over the country. Dessert is what I think we all have in common, there’s a traditional Christmas sweet called turrón made from almonds, honey, sugar and eggs (it’s great if you have a sweet tooth, if not I wouldn’t recommend it). Its origins are very old and probably have something to do with the Arabs (though I’m no expert). It’s eaten through all the holiday season.
Traditionally we would have gone to mass at night, but lately since it’s being held earlier and that means we are busy at the kitchen not all the family attends.
However, I think the main difference with most of you would be that, Santa didn’t come to leave us presents. That was the task left for the Three Kings who were busy on the night of the 5th January. That night you have to leave your very clean shoe near a window, with a nice offering of milk for the camels and probably turrón for Their Majesties and their pages. The morning of the 6th January is obviously just as busy and chaotic as those Christmas you have described. We carry on with more food because the traditional breakfast on this day is hot chocolate with a special kind of pastry (roscón de reyes). Lately parents are starting to let Santa come to their houses instead of the Kings, probably because that way kids get more time to play with their new toys. However, I will write my letter to their Majesties and leave a very clean shoe on the 5th in hopes of getting what I asked for.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by GeoLib

This is what happens in Spain, at least in my home. I will be going home to my mother and brothers. We will not have any traditional dishes, since my mother decided it was the perfect time to try new things. Since last time I talked to her I think she’s changed her mind a couple of times so we will have to wait till Christmas Eve and Christmas day to see what we’re having this year. Anyway, there are very many different traditional dishes all over the country. Dessert is what I think we all have in common, there’s a traditional Christmas sweet called turrón made from almonds, honey, sugar and eggs (it’s great if you have a sweet tooth, if not I wouldn’t recommend it). Its origins are very old and probably have something to do with the Arabs (though I’m no expert). It’s eaten through all the holiday season.
Traditionally we would have gone to mass at night, but lately since it’s being held earlier and that means we are busy at the kitchen not all the family attends.
However, I think the main difference with most of you would be that, Santa didn’t come to leave us presents. That was the task left for the Three Kings who were busy on the night of the 5th January. That night you have to leave your very clean shoe near a window, with a nice offering of milk for the camels and probably turrón for Their Majesties and their pages. The morning of the 6th January is obviously just as busy and chaotic as those Christmas you have described. We carry on with more food because the traditional breakfast on this day is hot chocolate with a special kind of pastry (roscón de reyes). Lately parents are starting to let Santa come to their houses instead of the Kings, probably because that way kids get more time to play with their new toys. However, I will write my letter to their Majesties and leave a very clean shoe on the 5th in hopes of getting what I asked for.

Its been a long time since I've attended, a long time, but I remember going to midmight mass on Christmas eve. A very lovely, spiritual experience.

Are you saying that there is no longer a midnight mass? That it begins earlier?

Thank you for sharing.