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I didn't do the tooth fairy. That one always creeped me out. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were okay because they stayed out of the bedrooms, the Easter Bunny always seemed pretty far-fetched, but the Tooth Fairy always seemed too weird, coming into our bedrooms and looking under our pillows for fallen out teeth. It bothered me even if I liked getting the money.
OP I can relate a little. Our Christmas tree matched the color scheme of our home which was rose colors. The tree was green but the ornaments. I wanted the typical Santa ornaments but that did not go with the flow of our home.
Not going to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No more listening to the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day (oh how I hated that as a kid!). When I was a kid presents were opened on Christmas Day after lunch but now we open them on Christmas Eve after dinner. I'm debating the whole Santa Claus thing, I know that I won't be telling my daughter that he's real or anything like that (my parents never did either, it was all about Jesus with them, no Santa stuff at all) but I quite like the idea of having him visit on Christmas Eve just for fun really - here he brings the presents to the kids in person (generally a grandad dressed up or you can hire a Joulupukki to visit) rather than when they are sleeping.
Not going to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No more listening to the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day (oh how I hated that as a kid!). When I was a kid presents were opened on Christmas Day after lunch but now we open them on Christmas Eve after dinner. I'm debating the whole Santa Claus thing, I know that I won't be telling my daughter that he's real or anything like that (my parents never did either, it was all about Jesus with them, no Santa stuff at all) but I quite like the idea of having him visit on Christmas Eve just for fun really - here he brings the presents to the kids in person (generally a grandad dressed up or you can hire a Joulupukki to visit) rather than when they are sleeping.
I love when those from other countries chime in. I learn about other traditions and cultures. What is the Queen's speech all about?
I did the Santa thing with my girls. To this day I haven't told them he isn't real. This keeps the magic alive. They don't dare say a word to me about it not being real. I have said before that once people don't believe in Santa anymore, they stop receiving gifts.
I know, it's pretty shady of me. But it allows me to keep the magic alive. I love to see their faces when they come down and see all the gifts Santa left for them
We've broken the tradition of bullying family dinners. My kids no longer attend holiday dinners at my family's because of the misery caused by my siblings while they were growing up. We now have dinners by ourselves and have a wonderful time, my kids and grandkids. My siblings and their kids are still having miserable ones.
I hate tradition "for the sake of tradition". So there aren't many things I do "just because".
We did used to buy fresh trees because growing up, we always had fresh trees. My husband (not my kids' father) is all into artificial so we switched. Bleh.
Although, the first year we were married, he was insistent that each kid (my 2, his 3) take turns opening a gift. It took LIKE TWO HOURS TO OPEN PRESENTS! LOL!!!! The kids were so bored and low energy by the time it was over I told him NEVER again!
I love when those from other countries chime in. I learn about other traditions and cultures. What is the Queen's speech all about?
I did the Santa thing with my girls. To this day I haven't told them he isn't real. This keeps the magic alive. They don't dare say a word to me about it not being real. I have said before that once people don't believe in Santa anymore, they stop receiving gifts.
I know, it's pretty shady of me. But it allows me to keep the magic alive. I love to see their faces when they come down and see all the gifts Santa left for them
The Queen's Speech was from when I lived in England. Every year she makes a speech about how the past year has been and the year that lies ahead that is utterly boring to a child who only wants to play with their new toys, or even worse, the speech interrupts the present opening and we'd have to stop opening them until it was over.
I think the playing of christmas music all around the house and no new pjs anymore either . I dont wear pjs anyways and so that tradition stopped with me and my sister . my kids would not wear them anyway. We dont do the tree anymore since my kids live so far away they would rather do christmas at their own homes than traveling so we all are so far apart we just wish each other merry christmas in an email . Phone calls are too exspensive and I would be calling half the day . I do however do church on the sunday before and following christmas .
I hate tradition "for the sake of tradition". So there aren't many things I do "just because".
We did used to buy fresh trees because growing up, we always had fresh trees. My husband (not my kids' father) is all into artificial so we switched. Bleh.
Although, the first year we were married, he was insistent that each kid (my 2, his 3) take turns opening a gift. It took LIKE TWO HOURS TO OPEN PRESENTS! LOL!!!! The kids were so bored and low energy by the time it was over I told him NEVER again!
How funny!
Every Christmas until my children were adults in homes of their own we would take turns opening presents. And, not only did we take turns opening presents but we actually used or did something with each present before the next one was opened. Johnny received a table game? We actually played the game before we opened the next present. Susie received a new outfit? She would change into that outfit and model it for us before we opened the next present. Mom received a new cookbook? You, guessed it. We would decide on a recipe and make it before we opened the next present.
Now we didn't do everything before the next gift. We didn't read the novel, or complete the craft or knit the sweater before the next gift was opened. One year it took two days to leisurely open and enjoy each present, both our kids loved it!
Why did my family decide to open presents that way? Because of my husband's family tradition of opening Christmas presents like drunken sailors on high doses of speed! The worst year was the time that there were both his parents, his grandfather, both his adult siblings & one spouse, and our family of four. There was at least two presents per person from each of the other people and many of the relatives gave more presents (like four or five smaller presents). Add them all up and I am guessing that there were welloverone hundredpresents to open.
At the time, I looked for presents all year long so that I would find things that would absolutely delight the person getting the gift so I enjoyed watching people open their presents. It also made it much easier to shop all year because my husband only bought presents for me, I selected and purchased every present for everyone of his family members plus for our children and for him (thus dozens of presents vs the one or two presents that my husband bought).
Well, once the "speed" kicked in (just joking) and several people started handing out presents at the same time and people were ripping off the paper and ribbons like rabid ferrets guess how long it took to open over one hundred presents? Less than 15 minutes!
His family also had the tradition of immediately putting the gifts away so that they wouldn't get mixed up or lost. So, hubby's grandfather, sister and brother immediately took their huge stack of presents out to their car trunks so they wouldn't get lost. MIL & FIL immediately carried their gifts to their bedroom.
So about 20 minutes after the shark feeding frenzy started the holiday gift exchange was 100% totally over and totally forgotten (except that our young children were still crying and upset because it had been so loud and crazy).
So, I never even got to see the joy on the faces of people opening the gifts and no one even realized who gave what present to them (as the gift tags frequently weren't even read before they were ripped off and thrown away).
BTW That is the last year that my immediate family took part in my husband's families gift exchange,
Last edited by germaine2626; 11-08-2013 at 08:18 PM..
When I was growing up, it was caroling on Christmas eve, Midnight Mass by candlelight, open gifts on Christmas morning, a big Christmas dinner on Christmas day.
We did everything differently. Our big dinner is on Christmas eve, we exchange gifts afterwards, sleep in on Christmas day, then visit a billion relatives at various houses in different counties, and don't get home until late in the evening.
I could do without visiting the relatives, but it's important to my husband. I miss the Midnight candlelight mass because it's truly breathtaking and deeply moving, but I can't be a hypocrite. If I was religious, the only thing I would have changed was going to Midnight mass and opening our gifts afterwards.
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