Christmas Traditions

Each year, Billy and I listen to Christmas music, drink hot cocoa (this year with RumChata in it – delicious!), and decorate the house with all kinds of holly jolly! I even put a plaid Santa hat on my deer mount. Billy usually puts together the angel candle chime and makes the cocoa, and I do the rest. If a good song comes on the radio, we occasionally have danced like dorks in the dining room with the dogs in tow. Now that we have two GSPs who like to knock things over, we decided to hang the stockings from a plaque we have hanging in the living room. I found a wooden dowel at a thrift store along with some garland for about $2, Billy make S-hooks from some metal rod we had in the garage, and viola! We hung the stocks up away from the clumsy pups. I think it turned out great! Each year Billy’s Grandma gets him one of the Spotlight on Snoopy collector ornaments, and last year he received Officer Snoopy. While the Fisherman Snoopy is my favorite (they have yet to make a Hunter Snoopy), I think the Officer Snoopy is befitting right now with everything that’s going on in the world. I suppose that’s what prompted me to write this post. I do a fantastic job of avoiding the news, media, and general BS that is abundant these days, but it still finds a way to get to me. So I’d rather share the things that make me smile this time of year and I’d love to hear about your favorite Holiday traditions!

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I make eggrolls every Christmas Eve.
Oh, and fried rice but tradition has it that the rice never turns out good.

As long as I can remember and before my time, we have always done fondue on Christmas eve. My parents did it with my grandparents, then all of us, and now our grandparents have passed on, but I will keep the tradition going until I have grandkids! Some memories are so great, you just have to keep them going and make more!

Eggrolls and fondue sound like fun traditions! Dustin, do you do the fondue with cheese or chocolate, or one of each? Either way that sounds awesome! I’m going to be making my traditional Peanut Blossom cookies soon. They’re not technically a “Christmas” cookie, but they’re my favorite. Can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.

Our family has always been Christmas Eve celebrators. When the girls were young, we took them to their dad’s for Christmas Day. That started a tradition of my wife and I having a Christmas Day date. We take in a new release movie and go to a nice restaurant.

With a young family of our own, we decided several years ago to start our own tradition. We go to church on Christmas eve, and then come home for our “Christmas Eve Crab Fest”–lots and lots of snow crab legs! After last year, I learned to save a batch for after the kids are in bed because most of Ma and Pa’s time gets devoted to cracking legs for the kids. Then, we open a few gifts, and it’s off to bed for the kids. Last year, I made some mulled wine. I may do that again.

Christmas morning is Santa gifts. Then, we head to one of our parents’ houses (we flip-flop locations every year).

Sharon wrote:

I’m going to be making my traditional Peanut Blossom cookies soon.

The ones with Hershey Kisses or the ones with Reese’s PB cups? I’m partial to the Reese’s ones.

I make my Peanut Blossoms with Hershey Kisses. But I do make a cookie I call Peanut Butter Temptations and they have Reese’s PB cups in them! I make those with a small muffin pan, so the cookie part comes up around the PB cup. (see pic) As the names states, they’re awfully tempting! Mmmm, I’m going to need to bake soon!!

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Those are the ones, Sharon. My mom makes those. I love them, but then again, she makes a lot of awfully good treats!

Prime Rib on Smoker and Crab Legs for X-mas Meal. Ice Fish on Christmas day and/or Christmas Eve Day.

One of my Christmas traditions is I usually have to work.
DT

Swedish sausage and Lutefisk and going to a half dozen parties over a few days.

My dream Christmas would be if we had a cabin or lake home, to just go there for a week and invite any family that wants to make the trip. Upon arriving, all cell phones go in a drawer. Entertainment is family, fishing, outdoor activities, food, and spirits.

Swedish meatballs and lutefisk here. Looking forward to it. One of the few times a year I get to eat some fish.

We do a oil fondue for cooking, cheese for dipping, and chocolate for dessert. We have started to grill the chicken and steak on kabobs to cut down on some of the grease, but I never know when to stop, guaranteed to over indulge every year. Kind of a tradition of it’s own.

After Christmas dinner, everyone gets a cup cake with one candle in it. The candles are lit and the lights turned down. Then everyone sings Happy Birthday to Jesus.

-J.

Garlic Venison sausage and wild rice casserole Christmas eve has to be my favorite tradition!

Mom and dad staying up until 4 in the morning wrapping the kids gifts. This is one tradition I’d like to get rid of….

Jon Jordan wrote:

After Christmas dinner, everyone gets a cup cake with one candle in it. The candles are lit and the lights turned down. Then everyone sings Happy Birthday to Jesus.

-J.

That’s an awesome tradition, J.

That sounds like a great tradition, Jon! I’m really enjoying reading all of these. I’ve never tried lutefisk…

Hi Sharon,
Thank you for sharing this story with us. It took my mind off of things and took me down memory lane. Wow did I ever need that. So thank you very much and may you have plenty of dances this Christmas season!!!
James W

Homemade chili and oyster stew has always been our Christmas tradition and ya better be first in line for oyster stew at $100 a gallon the last person rarely gets any oysters

Wahly

Fife wrote:

Swedish sausage and Lutefisk and going to a half dozen parties over a few days.

My dream Christmas would be if we had a cabin or lake home, to just go there for a week and invite any family that wants to make the trip. Upon arriving, all cell phones go in a drawer. Entertainment is family, fishing, outdoor activities, food, and spirits.

We spend Christmas at the lake and usually stay through New Years. We have prime rib or grill steaks along with crab legs on Christmas eve followed by opening Presents. Then we go to mass. Christmas morning is for Santa gifts followed by a big campfire by the lakeshore and hockey on the ice.
It’s easily one of our favorite weeks of the year, the woodstove burns nonstop and the time with family and friends is priceless.

In the Russian orthodox church, Christmas eve is a fast day and no meat is eaten. The meal is a delicious combination of fried cabbage, parohes stuffed with potato and cheese, sour krout, pesto all fried in lots of butter. We also have a mushroom soup which is made with a sour krout juice base and other eastern European favorites. We do cook some fish for the sister inlaws. The other tradition is before the dinner is eaten, you wash your hands in a bowl of water with a hand full of change,(money)in it. This is to insure a prosperous future.

My Christmas Tradition since 2004 has been reading about all the Lutifisk lubbers here on Ido.

Always bring back fond memories of ol @putz. (and wonder if he changed his email ad)

And I quote:

1. O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, how fragrant your aroma
O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, you put me in a coma.
You smell so strong, you look like glue,
You taste yust like an overshoe,
But lutefisk, come Saturday,
I tink I eat you anyvay.

2. O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, I put you in the doorvay.
I wanted you to ripen yust like they do in Norvay.
A dog came by and sprinkled you.
I hit him vit my overshoe.
O lutefisk, now I suppose
I’ll eat you while I hold my nose.

3. O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, how vell I do remember.
On Christmas Eve how ve’ed receive our big treat of December
It vasn’t turkey or fried ham.
It vasn’t even pickled Spam.
My mother knew there was no risk
in serving buttered lutefisk.

4. O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, now everyone discovers
That lutefisk and lefse make Norvegians better lovers.
Now all the world can have a ball.
You’re better den dat Geritol.
O lutefisk with brennevin
You make me feel like Errol Flynn.

5. O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, you have a special flavor.
O Lutefisk, O Lutefisk, all good Norvegians savor.
That slimy slab we know so well
Identified by ghastly smell.
O lutefisk, O Lutefisk,
Our loyalty won’t waver.

at my mom and dad’s place we usually can’t get everyone there till the weekend after Christmas, so New Years Eve has been the families formal Christmas dinner. It’s a Swedish dinner, lutefisk, Swedish sausage and meatballs, lefse, boiled potatoes, butter and white sauce. The kids and wife can’t stand the lutefisk, but in small amounts it’s pretty good all doctored up.
They live on a lake, so the whole weekend (condition of ice pending) we ice fish, walk the dogs, sled and sometimes even a warm bonfire on the shoreline. It’s a great time for all and everyone enjoys the time together. I’m especially thankful that this year my dad will be somewhat healthy, or at least getting back his health. He was losing a ton of blood, getting weak and even passing out once, needing 2 units every 10 days or so, turns out that his cancer which was being held in check had taken over one of his kidneys. So early November I took him to the U of M to have it removed. The 4-6 hour surgery turned into and 11-12 hour ordeal. Then a week in recovery there, then to a facility for 2 1/2 weeks of rehab. He just came home late last week, we are all thankful to have him for one more Christmas, and hopefully many, many more.

we are all thankful to have him for one more Christmas, and hopefully many, many more

Seems like there’s a few of us in that boat this year.

Lovem while you gotem.