my family opens presents on christmas eve. because there's so many of us in our family, on thanksgiving we draw names so we only have to buy for one other person (of course we can buy more, but it's not necessary). so on christmas eve, we exchange those and hang out and such.
then on christmas day we open the stockings (just little trinkets and candy), have a big breakfast for the family (which i cook, yay!), and then watch A Christmas Story. later, we all go down to the beach and walk around the pier and get ice cream. :]

oh, and we always make sugar cookies for the younger kids to decorate with royal icing and sprinkles and such. :]

laura/hufflepuff

We watch A Christmas Story too :)

A Christmas Story is the best Christmas movie!!

Every year I go to the Christmas Revels, which are a community performance of winter songs, stories, and traditions from different eras and different parts of the world. They have a different theme each year (this year is an old Bavarian Christmas) and all the performers wear costumes from the period. There are always a few songs that they do every year and those of us in the audience get to sing with them and dance with the performers in the intermission. It's loads of fun and feels really magical.

Juliette//Ravenclaw

Ooh, my roommate has gone to some performances like that. She has a bunch of CDs, like ones with traditional French Christmas songs, and ones with Victorian/Charles Dickens' era music.

I also go caroling with a huge group of people who gather at the house of a friend of mine. We put on classic caroling clothes (hats, scarves, boots, mittens, etc.) even though we live in California and don't get any snow. I don't know how much the neighbors like it, but we have a great time singing and then going inside for hot apple cider.

Juliette//Ravenclaw

During all of Christmas Break, we enjoy watching A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, along with whatever movies appear/we find on DVD.

On Christmas Eve, there's a big Thanksgiving-style dinner. And on Christmas Day, we literally tear into all the presents after watching the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. (my two cats included, who love playing in wrapping paper!)

Mary//Ravenclaw

Our cats love the wrapping paper too!

We always go to my cousin's house and have a potluck on Christmas. This year, it'll probably be different, but I have always enjoyed seeing the family :) The adults have always done a Yankee swap, and I'm on the cusp of entering that world rather than receiving individual gifts with my cousins (I'm the oldest in our group,) so I hope we can continue to go to that get-together in the future.

And, my Jewish friend likes to come over and put an ornament or twenty on our tree because it is a ~novel experience~. I, however, have never lit her menorah. ;D

Am//Gryffindor

I love family get-togethers. We used to do them all the time when I was younger, have dinner with my cousins and grandparents, but now we all live too far apart :(

My family and I usually set up the Christmas tree a few days after Thanksgiving. We play Christmas songs and argue over how the lights and tinsel should go on and then all decorate the tree with our own ornaments from over the years. Some are prettier than others (my sister has a snowman ornament thats made from a stuffed sock, and we try to dissuade her from hanging it in the front). After setting up the stockings and all the nativity scenes we sit back and look at our handy work.

On Christmas Eve we have a little family dinner then open our brother to sister gifts (and give gifts to our parents). Before the day is out we take a drive into town to see the Christmas lights before heading to bed. Then Christmas morning we are all up and digging through our stocking gifts first before opening our presents from Santa! MaryRose//Hufflepuff

Aw, I'm glad to see we're not the only ones who go see the lights :)

I envy you Mandy, this city I live in now is tragically devoid of christmas lights. Sure there is the traditional tree in the centre and some christmas lights but that's ALL. It's like they don't have christmas cheer down here..

But back to the point.

Where I come from in the North of Norway (which is so completely different from this city) There is christmas lights up everywhere. And me and my mother usually just take a drive to just look at the decorations. And it's even more lovely too look at if it's snow outside, to see the lights reflect in the snow.

Our main tradition is that everyone comes home for christmas, from where ever they now live, to spend time with family.

And our tradition at christmas eve is up early to watch the traditional christmas specials that are shown once a year on that day. Usually have some breakfast, then just lounge about the house for a while if we don't drive to relatives with late presents. Then at 6/7pm we dress for a three course dinner, which consists of a Norwegian traditional christmas meal and then wait an hour or so and we open presents together, dividing them to each person, usually my youngest older brother reads who they are from and who they are too and I go get them and pass them to who ever they belong. Then we start from youngest to oldest, Which is me and then last my mother. Or we go the other way around.

After that we just clean up all the wrappings and put away the presents and eat left over food and just relax somewhere in the house.

Silje//Slytherin.

It'll be exciting to look at the lights this year. My family is from Florida, but they are coming out to Colorado to have Christmas with me this year, so we'll have lights AND snow!

What is in a traditional Norwegian Christmas meal? I think it's awesome that there are so many Norwegians in this comm! I'd never known anyone from Norway until now :)

We don't actually have any traditions. Which is a little sad I guess. We used to when I was young. Every christmas even we would have a Chinese Takeaway (the only time a year we were allowed!).

But now, we don't really have traditions :(

*sad face*

Your new tradition can be pelting me with virtual snowballs :P

Video games!

We usually wait until later on to do any major gift-giving (this year it's not until January, lol), so just before the first night of Chanukah we all go out and get a video game for us all to play after the candles and eating (okay, and dreidels). It's totally awesome.

This year it's Beatles Rock Band. \o/

Edited 2009-12-05 12:23 am (UTC)

On Christmas Eve, my family always watches A Christmas Story (our favorite Christmas movie!) and we get to open a present. When we were younger, my brother and I left cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. :)

that is so cute that you left carrots for the reindeer.

Every year me and my brother would get up as early as we were allowed (earliest ever was 4.30am lol) and we'd go into our parents' room to open our stockings. Then we'd call my grandparents to wish them a merry Christmas and tell them we were ready to open our presents. Then we had to go back to our rooms to get dressed while we waited for our grandparents to come to our house. We weren't allowed downstairs until they got there. Then once they arrived, we'd be allowed into the lounge where all our presents were stacked on the sofa at opposite ends and we'd get to rip the paper off. After all the presents were opened, it'd be bacon sandwiches for breakfast before driving to my other grandparents' house to get presents from that side of the family. Then it would be back to my other grandparents' house for Christmas lunch. I would love to say we still do that now, but as my grandparents have got older, we now host Christmas lunch at our house and they come to us every other year. It's not as good as the old days, lol!

Oh, and Christmas Eve dinner is always a Chinese takeaway because we're so busy getting everything ready.

Emma//Gryffindor

Haha, I think there was one year when I woke up around 4 am. I went downstairs to watch tv and my mom heard and told me to go back to bed, but I just read in my room until everyone else got up, haha. I was too excited to sleep!

Every christmas day, me, my nan and mum go for a drive to the woods or a beach, wrap up warm and have a short walk. It gets us out of the house, it's gorgeous out there and it's a nice bit of exercise.

Nan's getting old, so I don't know what will happen this year. I hope we do something, even if it's just walking to a pub.

- sas // ravenclaw

Edited 2009-12-05 01:16 am (UTC)

We only really have one. A very old friend of the family died about 15 years ago in her mid 90s. My dad saved the last Christmas card she gave us and framed it, and every December 1st he hangs it on the wall.

Emma//Ravenclaw

Aw, that's so sad and so sweet :(

There is only ONE tradition in our family:

Christmas morning = Muppet Family Christmas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtgYDpvRCMI)

After that, stockings/presents and then, usually, someone goes to work.


Erin//Gryffindor

Edited 2009-12-05 03:09 am (UTC)

Open presents and eat good food, treat food, and go to the beach sometimes, and listen to Christmas music. Mum loves Christmas music.

Amie/Ravenclaw

We always have a huge Christmas dinner, open one present, and then go to the church service at my church. It's so gorgeous, we sing Christmas carols by candlelight. Then, we drive around and look at lights before heading home to open the rest of our family presents. In the morning, we open our "Santa" presents, lol which is usually just the big ones...and to make this post slightly more Gryffindor:
OMG OMG I LOVE TEH CHRISTMAS
;D

We have sort of lost all of our traditions over the year since now my parents are grandparents, but we used to open one present on Christmas Eve.

For the last few years my sister and her family came over on Christmas Eve though, and we would have our big family dinner then, but this year my parents may be going to Florida then and that will not happen.

Destiny*Gryffindor

FAMILY HOLIDAY. It's nice to have my whole family, on the maternal side, go on a vacation which usually consists of shopping and generally slacking around in the shared hotel room.(: And the drive is not too long as well. Food consists of excessive junk food... apart from normal meals. My cousins and I will usually be playing cards or table tennis(if there's a table).

I like my Christmas!(:

Candice//Hufflepuff

My sorority holds a Christmas dinner in which we conclude the Secret Santa we had going on, and we each give each other a Christmas card with a very personal note inside. It's not Christmas until I make someone cry. ;)

Sylwia/Ravenclaw