Me and the boys always see the Nutcracker with my mother-in-law, my husband's cousin, and her daughter. This year we missed it because my in-laws opened up a new restaurant and things have been crazy hectic. We're going to see it in Orlando this year with the boys and my husband. The boys were actually bummed that we missed it this year. So we have to travel to see it before they get too old to think ballet is for girls. After the Nutcracker we always paint and decorate ornaments.

My sister has her annual "Holiday Open House". We play games, eat finger foods, take lots of pictures, and hang out.

For the past five years or so on Christmas Eve we go to my parents house. We sing Karaoke and play games. Sometimes we have a formal dinner, but for the past few years we've kept in casual so my mother doesn't have to slave in the kitchen. This year we're having chili, tortilla chips, and roast beef sandwiches on rolls. I'm in charge of the cookies and bar cookies. It's sort of an eclectic menu to say the least. We don't want anything that requires a fork and knife. We want to grab and go. There is no alcohol. Not that we're opposed. We don't drink because this night is so focused around the kids.

Christmas Day is opening presents from Santa, then we head to my in-laws. My mother-in-law always puts on an impressive dinner that resembles the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but she also severs roast beef and lamb with mint jelly. It's sit down, formal, with good wine and the nice china and silver. We dress up. There is no singing at the in-laws. They're a pretty staid bunch of people. We socialize while the kids play. I'm usually exhausted and can't wait to get home and change into my comfy clothes and admire my Christmas tree and decorations for one more day.

I don't leave the tree up until New Year's day. The day after Christmas I get a hair up my butt and start clearing everything out. By then the needles are dropping from the tree and I'm ready for everything to be "back to normal". Lets get on with things. Spring is around the corner. Thank god that's over.

The days after Christmas are always inspiring. I have new clothes and new perfume and the holidays are over. I always have this feeling of new beginnings and a new and improved life. The feeling ends mid January.

Classic home rotation in our families.

We have a pretty fantastic tradition that incorporates a two foot tall, red velvet jesus statue. Its history is filled with drama, intrigue and subterfuge; I can't write about it now, but I plan to share once certain events -on which its celebration this year depends- come to fruition.

I'm delighting in the possibilities. We're going down to his family's Christmas Eve celebration in the Boston area, but we'll be one our own after breakfast on the 25th. This will be the first Christmas that The Fella and I will have time alone together, so we can try on our own traditions.

I'm thinking fondue for Christmas dinner, and sitting barefoot together under a blanket instead of dressed up for a family party, and I haven't got any farther than that.

This is a fantastic surprise! Just two nights ago while discussing the jam-packed schedule of shuttling between families, we locked eyes and sighed "Hooo, that's a long coupla days."

I have no traditions that I really like celebrating any more surrounding Christmas. Besides, after goofing around with meditation for nearly a year, I declared myself a Buddhist on Facebook last week, which is about as official as it gets these days. That said, however, the Zen monastery I spend the last couple days at has an impressive Christmas tree! Trees with pretty lights FTW!

My parents, younger brother and I are going to Cancun this year. Two years ago we went to Hawaii. Last year we stayed home in Arizona and, while it was a fine time and all, I think it was a bit of a let down. So hopefully a vacation to a tropical locale will be the new tradition.

Our traditions change over time. For years my ex and I would spend Christmas Eve with another couple and her mother; eventually her brother and his family joined us, and there were other rotating people. And after that, years later I brought my new boyfriend/now husband. But when my friend's brother was killed on 9/11, those Christmas Eve holidays ceased.

Another tradition that still lives on: going out to buy ornaments before Christmas. Everyone gets one new ornament. The idea is that when the kids grow up and get their own places, they bring their childhood ornaments with them. Everyone likes the idea, and it's fun to reminisce over each special ornament. I still have some that are 30 plus years old!

In recent years, we've been spending Christmas Eve with my husband's brother's family (so funny, as my husband's family is Jewish, but everyone married non-Jews) and Christmas Day with my mom, my brother and his wife, and occasional guests. But this year Mr. V will be recuperating from serious surgery just days before, so we're staying home. Depending on how he feels, family can come to us.

I usually do Xmas with my uncle; this year we'll be joined by my brother, his fiancee, and Zack_Replica of this very site. I'm pestering my dad to come, but it doesn't look like he will. The one tradition my uncle & I look forward to is the Xmas pudding, but that's mostly because we both love a)booze, b)rich food and c)setting fire to stuff, so a rich food that you set fire to with booze is, well, it's just like Christmas!

and the fondue and the curling up sound like wonderful traditions to start. Years ago with a wayback ex I used to do a seafood feast on New Year's Eve, with (not-too-expensive-but-nice) fizzy. Decadent and messy and romantic.

While living in the RV the mister and I spent most Christmases with my mum. Last Xmas was our first in the house so we stayed home and had Mum come up here. This year we're going to Mum's although we'd both rather stay home but she really wanted us to visit this year.

No exciting rituals or traditions - this Xmas eve will be spent at Bro#1's son's house as they've always done the present opening thing on Xmas eve. Xmas morning will be at Mum's - opening presents and having a nice breakfast and probably something simple for lunner (lunch/dinner). If we stayed home it'd be a similar set-up.

The tree usually goes up around my birthday or earlier but no earlier than December 1st. It comes down when we get sick of it, sometime in January (fake tree). The outside lights went up the last weekend of November.

And of course, we make sure we watch A Christmas Story at least once during the season.

elizard, the flaming pudding sounds tempting! Maybe I'll suss out a recipe... though pudding and fondue sounds like an awful lot of open flames for one evening.

How is your uncle doing?

I HATE NEW YEAR'S EVE
I HATE NEW YEAR'S EVE
I HATE NEW YEAR'S EVE

It racks up another year I've fucked up.

I'm always alone...every time I've tried to do something to make it not so has been scuttled: all the way from inviting someone in my teen group for pizza and videos (when I called to ask when my dad could pick her up, her grandma refused to let her come and was not willing to speak to my parents) to hosting a slumber party in 7th grade where no one bothered to rsvp, to my 7 year old lab dying two days before, to the 2000 event with Bowie in Gisbourne NZ which was canceled.

My plan to make it not midnight and be on a plane to London was quashed by the crap with my place (it didn't feel right posting anything Friday with the latest of ej's sister's meltdown) and I have to go to LA when I'd rather be somewhere quiet and fall asleep being held by my other.

I've learned to pick a nonblockbuster that runs past midnight.

Bah fucking humbug.

We left some of my (negative, unpleasant) family holiday traditions behind, thankfully. We normally make crab cakes and remember my dad (he used to love making them with us). We'll go over to my in-laws place and see everyone, and we made sure we saw our friends from Cardiff (which hopefully will be an annual thing as well).

I think we're kind of busy forging new traditions just now.