@Cat - I just read your post about watching Gilmore Girls, and that got me thinking...I wonder what some of your other, as well as other members' traditions, are.

Sooo...anyone wants to share some of their favorite or more memorable traditions? Could be something from when you were a child, what you've continued or started with your own family, or even something you do alone.

OT - Since it was just Thanksgiving...we usually wake up just in time to watch the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade. My daughter usually makes breakfast, (cinnamon buns and bacon). We've done this since 1994.

Well, I'm alone but I still try to watch some of the parade on tv in the morning.

When I was a kid on Christmas Eve my dad would always bring home KFC for dinner. We would get to open one present from my grandmother (always pajamas) and a family present from my uncle (always a board game). Then we'd change into our pajamas and play the game until bedtime.

I'm alone at Thanksgiving these days too, Cat. But we all still watch the Parade together, although we're in different time zones too.

That's an awesome story Devo. We just started a new one on Christmas Eve...we've been doing this for about six years now. We all go to Dollar General to buy stocking stuffers. The first year we were supposed to spend $5 each. That didn't work out....lol. When everything's $1 you can get sidetracked really fast.

My holiday tradition is going to my one sister's house for a holiday meal and football on TV. A yearly tradition is that same sister and I go to our other sister's in West Virginia in the Spring every year and go on our first ghost hunt of the season. Been doing that for almost 20 years now.

Hi Fairy! We've done something similar a couple times in my family as well. We don't do it every year. But when we were in Germany my girls and I drew names for the person we were supposed to shop for. We went to Euro Store and we could spend 5 euro each. We also did the same when they came to visit me in Bali. We had so much fun! They have good stuff in those dollar stores, and you can buy a lot for cheap!


My favorite tradition is going to a movie on Christmas day. It's a must! This year Mark and I are meeting in Germany and we already have plans to go see the new Avatar on Christmas day.

As an adolescent I lived with my dad and stepmum and our Christmas tradition was to get a new fancy dress -or other clothes- for Christmas.
So tradition was to dress up, and we always had a full, luxurious dinner. (home-made)

I kept doing such dinner myself as an adult with my family. But one year I was fed up with it, being in the kitchen all day in my fancy clothes as opposed to spending time with my hubbie & kids.
So we decided to do things together and simply have fries with snacks for Christmas dinner.
Made the kids happy as often they didn't like the posh things, hihi.

One tradition I invented... croissants -warm out the oven- for breakfast on special holidays like Easter, Christmas etc.

Pressies for Christmas is from a much later date for me as traditionally we do that on St Nicolas, which is December 5th.
That's when children get their pressies, not Christmas.
Typically all children believe St Nicolas exists for real until their parents tell them around age 6-7.

A summer Christmas is always about an amazing spread, dessert/ pudding followed watching the cricket on Boxing Day.
My Gran would do it best. I remember she would have all the doors and windows open to generate a breeze and festivity. She would blare "Jive Bunny" music since she and my grandfather had a reputation for being the best ballroom dancers. Cooking began the day before, which I would avoid at all costs.
There was a never ending stream of guests and merriment. Some of the guests would get completely sozzled and sing loudly over the music and there was always someone in tears because their new toy had broken already. My grandfather would retire for a nap in the afternoon and I would always irritate him by trying to get him to wake-up. The evening always had dancing and impromptu performances.

As I got older, my folks would host.
I grew up in a big family and we took in refugees who became family around the festive season. It was similar to how my Gran had done it (minus the drunks).
Pudding was served when "The Sound Of Music" came on the telly. And we would all watch it like we had never seen it before. It became the family tradition for awhile.

Beautiful idea tech I loved reading these!

Gotta love the dollar store
Every year I'd buy ornaments at the dollar store, one year snowmen and snowflake ornaments, one year Santas and candy canes , whatever struck my fancy. I used the ornaments instead of bows on the girls Christmas presents. Then we'd pack them away, so when they got old enough to move out they had years worth of memories and tons of ornaments to decorate their first Christmas away.

Wishing y'all warm memories this holiday season

Oh, what a lovely thing to do, KitKat!!
An absolutely great tradition, love it!

New Year's Eve
Corned Beef & Cabbage...Watch the ball drop on TV

New Year's Day
Pork Ribs & Sauerkraut in the slow cooker

As a kid and repeated for my own
Christmas Eve: sled riding at night, hot chocolate night cap
Christmas Night: driving the neighborhoods looking at peoples displays, hot chocolate night cap

Now, I watch the home videos I recorded for Christmas when the kids were young.

By myself there are few traditions I do for any reason. My gf and I have our own celebrations but they are personal to us.

I've never really focused much on the Santa, Easter Bunny myths. Always tried to keep it all family related and focused on our own celebrations. Tho when the kids were really little we did do the Santa / bunny stuff, to give them that memory.
Tho, at Christmastime, no Santa decorations or wrapping paper. Presents were always wrapped in solids (silver or gold) with tied bows.

As for 'other' traditions:
1st snowfall snow angels
1st snowfall snowball fight
Ribbon candy for me / Chocolate covered cherries for my sis
TP 'trick' for trick or treat
Rotten apple battles
Family apple pickin
Family strawberry pickin
River rope-swing party
River back-to-school kegger party
Lake pontoon-boat night swimming party
Winter snowmobile 'hootch' camping
Springtime beach walk
Neighborhood bicycle tag
Leaf pile hide and seek
Spring & fall nature hikes (with my kids)

On birthdays, the birthday boy or girl gets to pick their dinner and does no chores.

Weekend family excursions: every weekend I would make sure we all did something as a family...
Visit museums
Visit the science center
Tour Purina Farms
Visit local parks for swimming and a picnic
Road trips

Yearly family camping trip
Deer season hunting trip
Annual co-worker fishing trip
Annual company party, sometimes at the shop, sometimes at a local amusement park (depending on how good the year was)
Annual neighborhood block party (usually at the end of summer)
Work's safety awards family banquet (also got our Christmas bonus checks)
Annual family reunions

Plus many other traditions...

These stories are all sooo amazing! Love them all! Keep them coming... I know you all must have a few other traditions

How many of you start decorating on Black Friday? We've done this for over 24 years, however, now I'm an empty-nester not in the last four years as I travel to them for Christmas. But usually, it's all hands on deck. Everyone has to bring in all the Christmas decorations from the garage. We only had about four boxes when we started, but I have about 24 boxes in the garage now. Not all get used every year, but my snowmen and Santas are out every year. I have Santas from 15 countries and the most beautiful snowmen from Hallmark (these I collected over a number of years).

We decorate the entire house...I'm talking curtains, cushions, even the blanket on the back of the couches gets changed. Red is my favorite color, so splashes of red is all over my house all year long; but this time of the year red can be found in every room.

We always turn on the Christmas songs while we're decorating, and that night we'll start the tradition of one Christmas movie every night until Christmas day. Some faves, are The Santa Clause (all three with Tim Allen), Deck The Halls, Jingle All The Way (Arnold is just classic in this one), Unaccompanied Minors, and we'll find a few that were released that year. This year one of our pick is Spirited.

Still adding more...

I don't think we had more traditions at home.

What was different from regular days was that we had dinner in the proper dining room. NOrmally we had dinner (all meals) in the large eat-in kitchen.

I remember sitting at the Christmas tree as a young child, with my elder sister. Close to the Christmas stable (nativity set) and I adored the white angels in the tree, made from fine delicate fabric.
I couldn't take my eyes off of them! I could sit there forever, dreaming about -and being with- the angels
Unfortunately these original ones were lost in a fire we had when I was 14.

Then, when I had my own place as an adult, I came across white and white & gold fabric angels for the tree. I had to buy them!
They were bloody expensive, hihi. I still have them, 34 yrs later :)
They're my most precious Christmas tree decoration, and the last items I put in

The only tradition I carry on from my large family upbringing, started by my parents, is on Christmas Eve, I decorate my whole living room with all kinds of decorations , put up a Christmas tree, while listening to Christmas carols on the radio ... Then a little later , dress up and head over to my Church for the midnight service . After the mass, normally, I return home with a few other single friends and indulge in hot chocolate laced with Bailey's and some Christmas plum cake with marzipan icing ...( store bought)... after all guests are gone ... I make calls to my other siblings in Australia and then after an hour or two , it's off to bed .....

Easter in my house was more about baseball being about to start than the religious aspect of it. We'd always get a whiffle ball and bat, baseball cards and maybe a sticker book in our baskets. One year our baskets were actually upside down Red Sox helmets with the fake grass, candy, and other trinkets inside. 🥚⚾

I'm not following traditions. My parents are dead. My siblings live all over the country. I have no children. I live alone, and that means that I like to do things in my town. I have no traditions.

Sorry to hear about your parents, Cat.

Not having any traditions is also nice. It means you get to do something new and different every time. As long as you're enjoying what you're doing, that's all that matters.

I think my family keeps doing the same things every year, because it's familiar, relaxing, and we don't have to plan how the day's gonna go. We're such a mixed (read weird) bunch, that it makes the times when we're together flow seamlessly.

On Christmas Day everyone cooks. So we're usually all in the living room/kitchen, with the TV playing in the background. Yep, watching the all-day marathon of The Christmas Story. I think we can all recite portions of that show. Ralphie is the best!!

Every year til they were no longer able to, my parents would buy me and my sibling a Christmas/Yule ornament for the tree. I still have all of mine. (My first Christmas/Yule ornament is in good condition!) I started that tradition with TheKid when he was born.

We used to drive thru Festival Of Lights every year as well. It was cool. Not sure why we stopped going.

My mom would make St Timothy's Coffee cake, sausage balls and have chunky applesauce (HER favorite lol) ready for brunch. My dad would be reading the stock section of the paper and fall asleep.

I found handwritten recipes on index cards belonging to my mom. It might be cool to make something in her honor.

To honor my dad, I should fall asleep on the couch while reading a book.

ok it's not a tradition yet but might grow into one

My daughter is making a recipe book for my granddaughter of fave recipes from all the family members... For them to make together.
Of course mine I have the original🤣 then my version🤣 I've never met a recipe that didn't need tweeked🤣
She's making her a basket, with a few of her own cooking tools, hot pads and the apron I made for her, ions ago when she wanted one.
I just thought it was a great idea... To remember the past, while making new memories