What is the holiday tradition in your house?

Ray Bergman

We all know that traditions vary from home to home. As a kid growing up, our tradition was to open up one present on Christmas Eve at my dad's house. But at my mom's house, we weren't even allowed to hang around the tree for more than a few seconds before Christmas morning. And at my cousins house, gifts for Hanukkah got progressively better as the nights went on.

So what was YOUR holiday tradition? Or are you making new ones up as the years go on?

Margi Baker

@Ray Bergman During my childhood in Germany, we observed the December 5th St. Nicholas Eve (Nikolausabend) tradition of putting our shoes by the front door before going to bed. It is said that if you've been good all year, you will wake to find them filled with treats the next morning. There was even a song about it that we sang at school during the holiday season. I have continued this custom throughout my own son's childhood here in the US. Happy memories!

Christopher Horn

@Ray Bergman
Growing up as a pastor's kid, Christmas Eve and Day were super busy for my dad, so we would do our big personal family Christmas dinner and presents on Epiphany, the festival at the end of the 12 days of Christmas, once things had quieted down. Which, looking back, we were probably really weird in following the Advent then 12 days of Christmas starting on the 25th and going to Epiphany in early January schedule for Christmas instead of the newer schedule people use where the 12 days of Christmas start 12 days before Christmas.

Ray Bergman

@Christopher Horn - Not the first pastor's kid I've heard say this. Several i knew growing up celebrated it just that way because of time availability for the family to be together (and one later admitted they all loved stretching out the holiday season a little longer too). Great tradition!

Ray Bergman

@Margi Baker - I love hearing about other country's way of celebrating the same holidays that we have. A young friend of mine from elementary school used to leave carrots next to their shoes on the front porch. One year they were greeted with a family of deer eating the carrots on Christmas morning! They all said that was better than anything that could have been left in their shoes.

Austen Brown

@Ray Bergman - My family would bake Christmas sugar cookies (my Grandmother's Recipe) and hang them on the tree (we placed each cookie in a plastic sandwich bag and tied it with a ribbon). It made for a nice treat after the Christmas Holiday to snag a cookie off the tree, for a quick snack.

Jennifer Kluh

@Austen Brown we have a tradition of hosting a cookie exchange and then watching The Miracle on 34th Street and other holiday favorites.

Allison King

We celebrate 3 winter holidays at my house.

For Hanukkah, we give a book on the first night (as was the tradition at my house growing up). Then there is the traditional fried foods and lighting of the hanukkiyah. The first night is the only night we give Hanukkah presents.

On Yule (the Winter Solstice), each family member selects a nonprofit to make a $25 donation to (which I make through Blackbaud's employee site to make sure they also get that matching gift!).

On Christmas morning the children are allowed to open their stockings before the adults wake up, but presents cannot be opened until the adults are awake (and no waking us before 8am) and my spouse has had a cup of coffee. For dinner we have the traditional Jewish meal of take out Chinese food.

Vicky Lopuchowycz

@Ray Bergman
We had 2 Christmas celebrations. My mom is Catholic so we did the traditional midnight mass and then presents and huge family dinner on the 25th of December. Then in January 6th (Christmas Eve) & 7th (Christmas Day) we celebrated again because my father was Ukrainian Orthodox - which meant roast goose, borscht and many other traditional dishes. No presents for that one but there was always really good Swiss chocolate from our family in Switzerland. It's so fun to continue the traditions, minus the goose, with the next generations!

Lauren Marcus Eisenberg

@Ray Bergman I love a houseful of family and friends in the evening - we light Chanukah candles together, sing a couple of Chanukah songs, then feast on homemade pizza (not traditional Chanukah food!) and latkes - traditional fried potato pancakes. Oh, and I'm the chef! :-)

Elizabeth Perron

We have a party themed around the movie Elf. We provide the spaghetti, maple syrup, s'mores and our friends bring candy because Elves major food groups all include sugar. Everyone dresses in Elf or festive clothing and brings stuff from their homes wrapped so we play the white elephant game. This year one of our youngest friends Ellory who is two handed out all the presents…so cute! Of course we have the Elf movie on repeat! The night always ends with the kids outside running off all the sugar in the backyard.