[Ira]

What do you guys do? I'll start:

One of my best friends growing up was Italian, and because my Jewish upbringing didn't include the joys of the holiday, he and his parents would take pity on me and invite me over every year for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

When I married my Catholic wife, I was able to continue their main tradition:

For Christmas Eve, they always served The Seven Fishes. I think this is mostly an Italian thing, but you can serve anything and everything, as long as it includes seven fish dishes.

This year, it'll be fried calamari, shrimp wrapped in bacon, fried oysters, lobster tails, clams casino, mushrooms stuffed with crab meat, and a piece of broiled flounder (or similar filet).

After all of this work, for Christmas Day, we always have an extensive breakfast, and just throw a prime rib in the oven for dinner with a few simple sides.

So I don't expect to be losing any weight during the holidays.

[mikemike]

Eat,
Drink, &
Be Merry

We used to go to Reveillon on Wednesday evenings leading up to christmas but it is more difficult with a baby so now we only get to go once for the whole season. Reveillon is a local tradition, the creole used to fast on christmas eve then have a feast after midnight mass that lasted all day on Christmas, now a lot of the fine local restaurants offer a 4-5 course prix fixe dinner all through advent.

[Ira]

Eat,
Drink, &
Be Merry

We used to go to Reveillon on Wednesday evenings leading up to christmas but it is more difficult with a baby so now we only get to go once for the whole season. Reveillon is a local tradition, the creole used to fast on christmas eve then have a feast after midnight mass that lasted all day on Christmas, now a lot of the fine local restaurants offer a 4-5 course prix fixe dinner all through advent.

Does Reveillon mean awakening? And what do you mean by Wednesday "evenings?" The Wednesday before Christmas day, or the few Wednesdays before?

[mikemike]

Does Reveillon mean awakening? And what do you mean by Wednesday "evenings?" The Wednesday before Christmas day, or the few Wednesdays before?

I think so but I don't speak french so I cannot say for sure.

Nothing special about Wednesdays, we just picked a week day because it is easier to do together since the restaurants are always busier on the weekends, we are busier with other christmas parties on the weekends, and it is one night when we don't have to cook at home after work. We just started on Wednesdays and kept doing it for some reason... Isn't that how traditions work, you start doing something with a little bit of randomness and stick to doing it again in exactly the same arbitrarily decided way

[reeftool]

Our Christmas Eve tradition has always been the candlelight service at our church if we can make it. As for meals, both my wife and I work odd hours and most years one or both of us will have to work (she's a nurse). This year, both Christmas eve and Christmas day fall on my normal days off so I'm free. My wife is working Christmas eve 3-11 and a double on Christmas day from 3- 8 AM Monday.

[casil403]

This year I am going to Banff Alberta alone...perhaps a new tradition. I got a hotel room and am looking forward to getting up Christmas day, hiking out to Vermillion or Sundance canyon and taking shots.
It has been such a hectic year for me with school, work, etc. that I just want to spend the holidays alone...just me and the K7 in the mountains. I think it is the best gift I can give myself.

Lots of offers to spend the day with friends but I've passed on them all. I'm really looking forward to my time alone in the fresh mountain air.

[Parallax]

Christmas day is usually ham, but occasionally turkey or goose.
Christmas Eve is ALWAYS Chili and grilled cheese sandwiches. (I don't know why.)

[DeliaRana]

For us within a couple days of Christmas we would drive around neighborhoods and localparks to see the lights. I make lasagna for Christmas dinner. I usually have cookies galore and this year I still have a few more batches to make. The kids can have their stockings once they wake up, but they have to wait until I get up to open evreything else and they can't wake me up.

[Ira]

But they have to wait until I get up to open evreything else and they can't wake me up.

I've always enjoyed torturing my kids in the same way.

[Ira]

Christmas Eve is ALWAYS Chili and grilled cheese sandwiches. (I don't know why.)

There has to be a reason. I've never heard about this at all.

Do you think it's simply a family thing that has to do with heritage and tradition? Or something to do with where you grew up?

All of the Cubans in Florida (and elsewhere) do whole roasted pig on Christmas Eve. (They call it La Buena Noche, The Good Night.) But my Venezuelan wife and most other Latin countries don't follow this tradition.

[Parallax]

I think it just kind of started somehow with my wife and I. We both like chili and it's quick and easy.
I guess family traditions have to start somewhere.

[mikemike]

All of the Cubans in Florida (and elsewhere) do whole roasted pig on Christmas Eve. (They call it La Buena Noche, The Good Night.) But my Venezuelan wife and most other Latin countries don't follow this tradition.

We also used to do three kings day (it is a Puerto Rican thing but cubans might do it too) when we were kids we would go out and get grass to feed the camels and leave it under our bed at night on the twelfth night and we would get a gift for the epiphany.

[jbrowning]

Wow Jim, those grilled cheese sandwiches sound really good right about now!

This is what we do. This has carried over from our mom and dad doing it to my sister and I putting this shin' dig on.

Christmas Eve everybody gets together at my sisters house and we have a buffet for everyone to eat off of...chix fila nugget tray, turket breast, ham, beef soup, veggie trays, fruit salad, pinwheel cookies, drinks and tons of other stuff. After everyone has eatin and it is dark outside we go and look at Christmas lights. Funny thing is these drives keep on getting shorter and shorter each year. lol

Then on Christmas Day all the family comes back again. And we have turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, mashed taters, green beans and a bunch of other stuff. After that we are ready for Christmas to be done with so families can stay at their on houses! -

Jim

[Todd Adamson]

I hide in a tree and throw rocks at small children while they're sledding past.

OK, not really. Don't have any long-term traditions, but about 5 years ago my town got a new sushi place that's open on christmas day, so my wife and I have been ditching the kids and going there since then.

[Sparkle]

We long ago solved the problems of division by serving each guest a Rock Cornish Hen.

Perhaps someday a spider that tastes like turkey will come along.

We swear to our Jewish friends that there is no bacon or anything not kosher in the dressing or meal. That it seems is all they need to hear and provide compliments on the bacon filled stuffing!