Christmas traditions

[Bob Buzzard]

I've read in the Guardian that some families have Christmas traditions. My family doesn't have any 'traditions' at Christmas (unless always buying a round of Brie from the Cheese Block on Christmas Eve counts as one) - can anyone share theirs so I can see about emulating them in my family as well?

[Seabag]

Guests party at midday

Curry puffs and champagne

Guests gone by 3

Dinner and present

Get sozzled watching films and late bed

[vic.ham]

glass of sherry at 11am to toast absent friends and family.

[keano77]

A single lighted red candle placed on the window sill on Christmas Eve

[natty01295]

What !!

No Christmas Decorations, & Tree

keano77 Wrote:

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> A single lighted red candle placed on the window

> sill on Christmas Eve

[keano77]

Oh yes, that as well

[JohnL]

went really when my parents died - i never kept up any traditions- My sisters may do.

[seenbeen]

We meet up with very old friends on Xmas eve

My daughter does her tax return every Xmas day.....

[womanofdulwich]

Prep Christmas dinner and veg the night before.Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for brekkie with lots of bucks fizz- or fizz.Everything after that is rather hazy...

[Captain Marvel]

Start drinking at 4pm on Christmas Eve, wake up on January 4th

[peckham_ryu]

A bracing morning walk with the dog, wishing Merry Christmas to every other smug dog-walker encountered

[JohnL]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> Prep Christmas dinner and veg the night

> before.Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for

> brekkie with lots of bucks fizz- or

> fizz.Everything after that is rather hazy...

Well if that counts as a tradition I have some too :)

[uncleglen]

Captain Marvel Wrote:

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> Start drinking at 4pm on Christmas Eve, wake up on

> January 4th

goodness me

[TheArtfulDogger]

Wake up, quietly weep as Santa hasn't been (he stopped coming when my daddy died)

Get up have morning constitutions (a Christmas present to Thames water)

Start first family row of the day over to cross sprouts or not to cross sprouts, that is the question

Give and receive unsatisfing mediocre presents that will all end up in a cupboard till next year, possibly received from the person I gave them to last year.

Eat dry and expensive turkey, wishing for a goose at Christmas, never so lucky.

More family rows over who ate all the pies and soggy sprouts

Play family game and discover once again someone in the family is good at cheating

More family rows over the cheating and which goit puts empty sweet wrappers back in the quality street tin

Argue over what to watch

Eat boring cold leftovers whilst watching the program I didn't want to see

Go to bed dejected and wondering what the point of it all was

Sleep fitfully dreaming of a "wonderful life" thats just out of reach

Fairly standard Christmas for a lot of people I wouldn't wonder

Oh yes and wake up next day with a paper hat around my neck, wine stain and empty glass next to me and the realisation that once again I've failed to see the Christmas classic "Die Hard" on the television

Bah bl@@dy humbug to the lot of ya 😎

[Jules-and-Boo]

it's going to be different this year, as my nan passed away - and we would always have all the family in one place. Sadly can't see that ever happening again, so time to set some new ones.

Presents/ dinner which is always nice with my sis and her hubby, my parents and family friends. Would like to be able to take the dog, but everyone has cats so she'll have to stay home with someone.

I just want Christmas with everyone together as it's one of two times a year we do that. The other is my sister's birthday - she always has a massive garden party in August. you need something to make sure you all catch up. It's important.

And I could do without the commercialisation of it all. We were in town today and the crowds in Oxford St were just awful. Heaving. It's not about that. Presents can be anything, they can be something small that you make - it is the thought that counts.

I've asked for a new cheese grater, a screwdriver and a new pair of slippers. Would be really happy to get any of those, as I never get round to buying them when I'm out.....

[siousxiesue]

peckham_ryu Wrote:

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> A bracing morning walk with the dog, wishing Merry

> Christmas to every other smug dog-walker

> encountered

Yet ANOTHER reason I want a pooch!

[siousxiesue]

In the old days, all our aunts/uncles/cousins would descend on one place and camp out on the floor or sofa, and it was always a Boxing day tradition to do a really long walk, somewhere like the City, blissfully empty of course.

Coming home to the biggest pot of turkey soup/stew! Yum.

I've found, like JandB that as family members pass, things change. I don't see any relatives regularly now, bar my brother.

My favourite newest tradition is Christmas Curry down LL with a Bristolian friend who comes Christmas Eve.

[Pugwash]

Presents given out after Christmas Lunch - when kids little they had a stocking to open in the morning. My Nan used to have to work Christmas morning (cleaner at the Nurses' home at ED Hospital) so never got home until 2 pm. Father Christmas always rang the door bell after lunch when our kids were young and kids answered the door to find presents. (Hubby in red dressing gown and false beard then raced down the side return and into house via back door discarding the outfit) Youngest person in the room handed out the presents, everyone taking it in turn to open one.

Soup on Boxing Day made with leftovers

[DovertheRoad]

Walk to beach with kids and a bottle of champagne. Hang out for a bit before getting back 1pm ish for lunch prep.

[KidKruger]

Xmas for us starts (started) with Xmas drinks on the Saturday before Xmas, every year - mainly locals invited but a few (who can be arsed) come over from North London. Nominally 2-7pm, but this year it rolled on to 2am Sunday.

Xmas itself usually as per format below:

Xmas eve - Swedish missus prepares Smorgasbord, yummo !

Kids can open one small present from under tree on Xmas eve night.

Each kid has their own stocking which they re-use every year, this is the ?stuff from Santa?. When kids wake-up they find their stockings at end of their respective beds and after having a look through them they head into our bedroom at stupid O?Clock, for the opening where they?ll take turns, opening one at a time.

Kids play, watch TV, argue and seek mediation. They also sneak snacks from kitchen to ensure that when Xmas lunch is served, they?re too stuffed to eat well.

I sort lunch, always trying to avoid having to cook turkey (sometimes failing). A few sherries in kitchen followed by sit-down family meal incl. perhaps someone else who is at a loose end.

Everyone is bloated. Burn-off calories washing-up and resetting kitchen for evening buffet of leftovers.

Evening time we open presents from real people as opposed to Santa (although the ?from Santa? thing is pretty tongue-in-cheek these days given kids? ages).

All above interspersed with dog walks.

[IlonaM]

When my grandparents were alive and well the various branches of the family used to descend on them for part or all of the Christmas period. Now the branches have grandchildren of their own and have started their own traditions as has my much smaller branch.

Christmas Eve supper is a simple Ligurian spinach and ricotta pie.

Christmas Day is blissfully unconventional with not a bird or sprout in sight. We choose to make a risotto/pelmeni/savoury m'hencha etc. depending on how we feel that year. No Christmas pudding - again we're untraditional, but we do like our dates. figs. nuts, Turkish delight etc. and crackers. Pandoro/chestnut panettone for tea and a light supper.

Decorations and the odd growl complete the holiday.

[intexasatthe moment]

Oh that sounds lovely Ilona .Any tips on how to handle the spinach so that it's not too wet ?

[IlonaM]

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

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> Oh that sounds lovely Ilona .Any tips on how to

> handle the spinach so that it's not too wet ?

It's a lovely pie - I copied it down donkey's years ago from a Valentina Harris tv programme and it is a very simple, delicious regular. We use frozen spinach leaves (rather than chopped spinach), so defrost and then squeeze/drain in collander under a plate and try to get as much fluid out as possible. Fresh ricotta is best, but I always have some frozen in the freezer just in case of a spontaneous pie need!

[intexasatthe moment]

Thanks Ilona .

Aah those spontaneous pie needs are the devil aren't they ?

yo saturnalia .

[IlonaM]

This is a very similar one of hers:

https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/ital14717c05s001r002/genoese-spinach-pie

We found that we didn't get good results with more than one sheet of puff pastry (uncooked double bottom layers)- we use a round dish with one sheet laid in the bottom and up the sides and bring the four corners into the middle for the crust. It covers it all up and you can twist any spare pastry into little rosettes!