Most families have holiday traditions that must be observed to keep the family peace. :-)

What is your favorite holiday tradition, and why?

I'll be brave and start this thread. And, I won't even add my name to the hopper...:)

Even though it started out as something happening under duress, I always enjoy watching the BBC production of Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas In Wales. It started out as an 'under duress' kind of thing and I would groan when Mom would put in the tape, but now I've grown to love the darn thing too!

And, drinking mimosas on Christmas morning is a close second :-)

Post edited by: WomenBloom, at: 2008/12/18 05:34

Eating homemade tamales on Xmas Eve. Some say it's for good luck but at my house, it's simply good eats.

We (read I) always have to make that super sweet fudge from the marshmellow creme stuff. My daughter, who is now 29, throws a fit if it isn't hardened by the time she arrives. We also play a card game called 'Pitch'. Never heard of it outside of my small hometown. Probably was invented by my father...

At Christmas time I always take a photo of my three children holding their Christmas stockings in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve. As they grew older I had to force them into doing it. Their facial expression's (which state, "Mom's nuts.") are priceless to me. Even though they're now 23, 26 and 30 years of age, when they're all together on the holidays I still make them take a group shot, and they still do it. It keeps the magic of Christmas alive, I think more for me than them though. LOL

After all these years, we’ve got the tree decorating down to a fine art. Gone are the days when we went out into the woods and cut down our own tree. Now we pile into the van and head down to the corner grocery store to select a pre-cut tree from their lot, and then stand back and let someone else do the work of tying the tree to the roof rack for us. Still, it’s the spirit that counts. Decorating the tree, while sipping hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music always heralds the beginning of the holiday season for us!