Traditions

[drholly]

Reading the post from akruckus about his traditional Christmas Eve dinner made me think about my own traditions.

Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. Christmas Eve dinner was spaghetti. Not fancy smancy - just spaghetti from the Chef Boy R Dee box kit. Dry noodles, sauce in a can and parmesan cheese in another small can. From my earliest memory through high school that was Christmas Eve dinner. I loved it! We could blow through it and get to the main event - presents.

When I met my wife, I started spending Christmas Eve with her family. They have their own tradition. Dinner is Swedish meatballs and gravy, lutefisk and butter, green beans and mashed potatoes. I really miss my spaghetti. I have a coffee mug that I bring to Christmas Eve dinner that says "Just Say No to Lutefisk."

This year, as I spent Christmas in ND with my dad, my brother made a Christmas Eve dinner of spaghetti. It was very good - his sauce was excellent. But, it wasn't Chef Boy R Dee.

What traditional meals do you and your families share - Christmas or otherwise?

[sliding_billy]

Just Say No to Lutefisk.

LOL! 

[akruckus]

When I was younger My grandmom would come over on Fridays and pick my sister an I up from the bus and she would make red sauce during the day.  Every Friday was the same, pasta picked based on how the red sauce turned out, loaf of bread, fish, zucchini topped with breadcrumbs, parm cheese, garlic, and tomatoes, or asparagus with hot pepper cheese melted on top, and jug wine.  Since grandmom was from Italy and raised catholic, she never ate meat on Friday.  We did this every Friday until she was no longer able to take car rides, about 6 months before she passed away.

For birthdays she would make her gravy (in our family if it has meat in the red sauce it became gravy, no meat it was red sauce).  Braciole, hot and sweet sausage, meatballs and a bone in pork chop or two with rigatoni, if I ever end up on death row (not planning on that every happening) but my last meal would be that.

[pz]

My folks made standing rib roast for Christmas Eve, which is when we opened gifts - food first, then snacking while each person opened a single gift while all others enjoyed their joy.  Took all evening, but was most memorable, particularly because there was so much good food to eat.

[teesquare]

I enjoy reading about where folks come from, and their family traditions that their parents or grandparents brought with them, to this country.

How boring it would be if we all came from the same place, and all had the same traditions, huh?

This gives me an idea......

[sliding_billy]

My family's birthday tradition (that is my adult family - me, wife and kids) is one that I have posted before.  We are not really cake eaters, so for all of our birthdays we do pretzel salad.  The holiday tradition I remember most growing up was going to my great grandmother and grandmother's house (they were both widows and lived together) for an American/German Christmas dinner.  Ham, German potato salad, beets, German chocolate cake (which ironically is not a German tradition - black forest is the real cake), etc.

[aliengriller]

@akruckus:  when you say red sauce to someone in New Mexico it means red CHILE sauce!   Told some of our traditions in the original post.   Another one, which we picked up after living in NM for 73+ years--tamales are a traditional NM Christmas food   We make our own, usually first week in December or so, and have them for supper on Christmas Eve, along with good homemade salsa, tortilla chips and cover the tamales with red sauce (as in red CHILE sauce), chopped onions and cheese.    Of course we make about 5-6 dozen when we do it, so still have some in freezer--have had a couple of times since Christmas Eve.   The oyster stew (from our German/Bohemian background) is for after midnight service, the Kolaches for Christmas morning.   

[Hub]

On Christmas Eve we always go out for Chinese food (or have gotten take-out of same a few times).  My wife says this started decades ago when the local Chinese restaurant was the only place that would be open at that time.  Christian families who didn't want to cook would swell the place and it was likely their busiest day of the year.  Remember the Peking Duck that replaced the Christmas turkey in Jean Sheppherd Christmas Story movie that's always on TV?  Deck the harrs 

Hub

[smokeasaurus]

Christmas Eve at our place was having Chicken Delight. The big white station wagon with a bucket on the roof with a chicken sticking out meant dinner was served. A large cheese pizza and bucket of fried chicken..........what I wouldn't give to have just one more Christmas Eve like the ones I used to know..........

[TentHunteR]

Great thread David!

When my Wife and I got married we started a tradition of getting a new special Christmas ornament every year to commemorate a trip or event that happened that year.  Most, but not all, are Christmas Tree ornaments.

These ornaments, where they came from, and what they commemorate are written on a list.  Each year as we put up our tree and decorate, these are the first ornaments to be put out, one at a time, as we read the list.

Here is a short list of some of these ornaments:

• A beautiful hand-made decorated egg made by, and given to us by a co-worker when I lived in NC in honor of our first Christmas as newlyweds
• Baby's first Christmas (one for each of our two children)
• A X-mas tree bulb from the North Carolina Zoo, during a visit to North Carolina, after we'd moved back to my home state of Ohio. I remember my daughter wanting to see the "Polly Bears"
• An ornament from the Gettysburg Battlefield, when the kids were little. My son got a toy wooden musket with a "Mayonette" (Bayonette)
• A decorated corn husk angel that sits atop our tree. The entire thing, including the satin dress, Hand-made by the lady who gave it to us as a gift.
• A hand made glass candy cane, hand made ceramic bulbs, a beeswax manger scene ornament: all hand-made and purchased different years from the annual Yankee Pedlar Festival here in Ohio. An event we look forward to attending every year.
• A set of wooden reindeer made by a friend given as a gift

I am so very glad we started this tradition! There are a lot of memories in those ornaments of great times spent with family and good people who have come into our lives.

Cliff

[smokeasaurus]

So well put Cliff, traditions turn into memories that are carried on long after we are gone......

[Las Vegan Cajun]

In New Orleans it's <a href="http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/cuisine/traditionalfoods/redbeansrice.html">Red Beans and Rice Mondays</a>

[pmillen]

My "old country" parents brought their traditions and superstitions to North America.  For instance, Lithuanian visitors to our home received a gift of salt and Christmas dinner had seven varieties of fish.  I didn't understand the traditions but they were okay.  I rejected the superstitions—it's bad luck to be superstitious.  (Joke!) 

Marcia's parents were Norwegian immigrants.  Her family traditions were different for the most part.  Our unique Christmas traditions began to form soon after we were married.  Now, on Christmas Eve, we host a gathering of family and friends for wild rice soup and hard rolls before church.  For us, it's a nostalgic taste of Minnesota.  I see now that for our parents, their traditions were a nostalgic taste of the "old country."

[Big Dawg]

After the divorce, I had primary custody of my two daughters, so Christmas morning was at my house.

So for us it starts with opening presents followed by a nice breakfast.  Bacon, basted eggs, home fries, biscuits (Dough Boy), etc.  Then the girls would spend the afternoon with their mom.

Dinner at my parents' house would be Italian Wedding Soup followed by home made raviolis - both my grandmother's recipe.





BD

[drholly]

Christmas morning, here I have to agree with my wife's family tradition. Poached eggs, toast, white gravy and mimosas. Then they open presents - I was always a Christmas Eve presents guy, but for the poached eggs toast and gravy, I can live with this...