What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Favorite foods, baked goods, ornaments, travels? It doesn't matter what it is, we'd love to hear you share yours.

Ana

Lefsa!

My favorite tradition when I was younger was wearing those pajamas with the feet in them.

BobH are you Norwegian. Lefsa is delicious; my neighbor is Norwegain and a friend makes it for him. If I'm lucky he shares.

I'm one quarter Norwegian. My dad was half. Very few of us have tried to make it. I surely haven't. I'm afraid I just get the store bought kind. But you can get good lefsa here in the Seattle area...especially in Ballard.

We usually have it rolled up with a light spread of butter before rolling. For the children, a little sugar or cinnamon-sugar is added.

Oh WOW... There is so many I have...

I will have to say the family getting together with good eats... At our house its all about cooking.. The main dish is the Fresh Ham and then the Lasagna/Shrimp Platter/The special Italian cookies my sister makes.
The BEST thing of all is the smell of the pine tree in the house and the fireplace crackling...
Comfort ..Comfort...

Wrapping up Christmas presents till the early hours and then being forced awake just two hours later because Father Christmas had been .... Plus having to go see his "empty" wine glass and the crumbs on the plate we'd left out for him !!!!

Doesn't happen these days, of course, now my Daughters are all grown up

My favorite tradition is making Christmas cookies from scratch. My hubby would create all kinds of shapes out of the dough from Santa to sleighs, candles, reindeer, Christmas trees etc! When the kids were little they of course made their own shapes too. We baked many a batch for the holidays while listening to Christmas Carols! Great fun!

Spending the few days before Christmas baking and cooking. It's a lot of work but worth it on the day to see everyone enjoying the food.

Getting the whole family together and watching the children open their presents. Driving around and looking at the Christmas lights.

There are indeed lot's of things to like, but if I will choose just one it will have to be all the lights! Over here in Sweden, it's a dark and cold season but I like it, 'cause it makes all the candles and christmas lights look that much better! It's a very cosy season indeed.

Going out to pick the perfect tree and having it delivered. Going into downtown (San Francisco) for the City's tree lighting and to gawk at the store window displays and the (usually) gigantic tree in the atrium at Neiman Marcus. Love the strolling carolers, the guy roasting chestnuts, and all the shopping frenzy! Spending a day at the Dickens Fair. Going to hear Handel's Messiah at the Symphony Hall. Finally, breakfast on Christmas morning with the family gathered at our house, then a walk together in one of the regional parks.

Such wonderful traditions! Thanks for sharing!

When I was a kid, it was traditional for all of us kids to open presents EARLY and then go outside to show off our new, bike/skates/wagons. It was wonderful.

Now, it's open the presents on Christmas Eve (I can't stand the anticipation) and then watching a good movie (or 2) with a friend while eating some yummy food.

The Outdoorsies get extra food on Christmas. I used to feed my Indoorsies some yummy stuff, but now that they are gone, the Outdoorsies get the benefit of being gluttons. Probably will be flaked tuna (Friskies) this year. They LOVE that.

Making lebkuchen!!!! Oh Joy Unspeakable!!!! First we had to buy all that candied fruit and molasses and brown sugee(sugar) andandand and plenty of farmers freee range eggs and fuss fuss etc and inquisitive kitties and doggies -you get the picture and make the icing -oh but it's worth it. Cookies all over the kitchen, cooling. Delightfull kitchen aroma and then I'd give a bunch away to some needy neighbors and wow!!! did they take them. I'd laugh a bit driving home. But we made other Christmas cookies like those pfeffernus things and some kind that had a pinch of ammonia in them so they would raise. Now I opt to buy them -but it isn't the same.

That was my mother's family. Father's family lived in South Portland, Maine and certainly grandma made cookies because she was from Horsens, Denmark. Wish I knew more about dad's family.

Oh yes, one year one of our cats was caught walking on the cooling cookies -just strolling along.

Cats on cookies? Naw, never happens, unless of course you are an animal lover. I remember fondly my second wedding reception. We had it in my back yard. On the kitchen table, we had a nice decorated sheet cake. When I walked in to cut it, there was 'Mom Cat' licking a corner of it! Nobody saw, except one nice older lady from our church and she just cut off the licked part, used a knife to 'refrost' that edge and no one was the wiser. I laughed the whole time. I didn't do it! Honest. Still laughing. Love animals and little old church ladies.

OH and Pfeffernusse cookies! Yankee, my dad made those. I think they were the ones with beets and pepper in them? At least my Dad's old German recipe from his grandmother did. Can't quite remember now. We also made those square flat cookies that you had to have a special rolling pin to make. It has designs on it. I still have it. They tasted like anise. Can't for the life of me remember the name and it's driving me crazy. Ahhh.Yes! Springerle cookies. Tasty.

Springerle yesyesyes many times yes. Where those those circular white ones with scolloped edges and a fat but very short stem -want of a better word- and kinda chewey. I always thought they looked like a fungus growing out in the front yard but they sure didn't taste like toadstools.

And sorta, God bless nice old ladiees -which I'm fastly becomming- another and, why didn't you just give the cat part to someone you didn't like at your reception?

Also, those traditional new year's partys. Surley police took the night off because we sure had parties. Miss all this stuff

And yes I'm an animal lover and have always supported animal welfare groups

Do you attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in America? A family tradition when we attend the candlelit carol service in our little 900 year old church on the Romney Marsh.

Yes, midnight mass is a huge event here for church goes. It's quite beautiful.

Ana

No children (other than the 7 furry ones :-) , and no siblings has made for a very quiet holiday time. My hubby and I have made a tradition of going to the movies on Christmas day. This is the time of year for many anticipated blockbusters, and I can remember seeing the Lord of the Rings movies, Avatar, and Bond films. This year it is The Force Awakens, though we have to wait until the 29th due to advanced bookings at IMAX.

Enjoy the movie colpet.

Thanks Space Quest! Same to you and yours

I have not seen the movie but I was told by several people who have seen it that it is very good. Have fun!