Please tell us about Christmas in your home. Jennifer

-- Jennifer (none@none.com), October 29, 2001

Answers

On Christmas Eve, we have an adult children and grandchildren party, with lots of goody food, chips, dip, cookies, candy, fudge, sandwiches, sausage balls, cheese dip, just all kinds of junk and they can eat all they want! WE go to town, look at lights, sing, and the ones who don't live at home get to open their presents from us and the children we still have at home get to enter one present from their grandparents. Christmas morning we get up and the kids open the rest of their presents, we have a nice breakfast, usually something we don't normally have like cinnamon rolls, pigs in a blanket etc. then we lay around all morning, I cook Christmas dinner for the evening meal, cause there's just to much excitement in the morning. I usually read the story of Jesus's birth out of the bible to the kids before bedtime. I've always wanted my kids in their own home on Christmas, we may change as these last ones get older but I doubt it cause now the grown ones come home for Christmas. We've scaled down quite a bit over the years as far as gift giving, we make a lot of stuff and only buy new things for the children and that has been scaled down considerably not due to finances but due to we like volunteer simplicity and try to teach our children this also, we try to get them practical gifts, but something they'll like and use also, not just something that gets played with for 10 minutes and broken or forgotten!

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), October 29, 2001.

Oh my! This will be our first Christmas in over 30 years without any of the children here. I am used to cooking a serve-yourself meal for Christmas Eve with all the side dishes on the buffet. It always gave me more time to visit rather than being chained in the kitchen. I also used to make a chocolate fondue type thing or a five-layer chocolate torte or rum cake (whoopie) for dessert. We would sit around the tree with the room lights off and sing Christmas carols. When the children were small, they would present an "original" play about Christmas that night. When they got older, we all would bundle up and go to midnight mass..when we got home, it was time for hot chocolate! Christmas Day we would open our presents and have a HUGE brunch..usually ham and all kinds of different veggies. I would make at least 8 pies in order to get everyone's favorite on the table! When we have any holiday, but especially Christmas, it is our family ritual to all hold hands at the table and each person offers a special "Thank you" to God. Last year I nearly bawled when my youngest son said," God, please bless our mother for she is the glue which holds our family together. Thank you God for giving us the best mother ever." What a kid! This year will be just the two of us for Christmas Eve but then hopefully, our oldest son and his family will come the next day..not sure yet...This is what i was talking about in the other thread on happy marriages.....when you get into your later years, the guy you started with is the one you are with when the children leave home, so always nourish your marriage..you'll be happier for it!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 29, 2001.

On Christmas Eve The kids and I will gather around the tree and have cheese ball and cracker eggnog and other snacks then open one present each. On Christmas morning bright and early we read the christmas story and open presents then have breakfast and work on dinner then we usually go see other parts of the family. I am really going to deck the house out with decorations this year. I am so looking forward to the whole holiday season.

-- mindy (speciallady@countrylife.net), October 30, 2001.

On Christmas eve we gather at my parents house. I always fix tons of finger foods and dips we eat drink(nonalcohol) and be merry!! We exchange gifts and get my nephew ready for santa.

This year will be different since i now have step-children. We are working it out to get the kids a couple days before Christmas so we can celebrate together with the new family members.

We always eat together on Christmas Day and on Thanksgiving Day. Exchanging gifts just before Christmas gives the children a little something to apease them!! By the way my family always eats together every Sunday except during hunting season when just the women and children eat together. My parents has always tried to keep our family very close!!!

-- Sandy(N.E.FL.) (REDNECKGIRL32@prodigy.net), October 30, 2001.