Holiday traditions

[Tommy-G]

Anyone do anything "different" or out of the ordinary?

We always host my parents for Thanksgiving. It's the highlight of the year for my wife to cook and entertain. And Christmas Eve we go out to a nice dinner and dress up.

I will say, I expected Christmas in Florida to be pretty lame but they really go all out with the decorations and Palm Trees look AMAZING covered in lights IMO.

I would like to do some type a charitable thing this year but that's kind of new to me.

[cmyx6go]

I make stuffed artichokes on Thanksgiving morning while watching The March of the Wooden Soldiers.

[Uber Commuter]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

Palm Trees look AMAZING covered in lights IMO.

Gotta be careful though...

[RickFLM4]

My wife’s family is from Nicaragua and I am originally from the northeast of half Italian descent. We both celebrated Christmas Eve more than Christmas growing up. Except my wife’s family didn’t eat until after midnight, which was a big surprise the first time I went to her house for Christmas Eve when we were dating long, long ago. Her mom also has some nativity figurines handed down from her grandmother and over 100 years old. There is a part of the night with with prayer, singing, maracas and tambourines that I do not fully understand because it’s in Spanish, which I don’t speak. But I like the maracas.

Having been married 20+ years, we have blended some traditions. We now host and I usually make grilled churrasco with chimichurri (Nicaraguan style), at a reasonable hour, and the ceremony happens after we eat. Every once in a while I’ll substitute Italian, but not fish (since I hate seafood). We also have my gringo aunt / uncle and cousin and my cousin’s Jewish husband over. One of my wife’s brothers is gay and married and they join us, so I feel we have some pretty good diversity going on.

[DocL]

My friend does a Festivus celebration. It’s great.

[Alfisti]

I live two bi-polar lives at xmas.

If i am in Canada, I host about 20 people. Turkey, pork, etc, the works.

If I am back home, it's likely 1000 degrees, bbq, beers, play some cricket etc.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

We also have my gringo aunt / uncle and cousin and my cousin’s Jewish husband over. One of my wife’s brothers is gay and married and they join us, so I feel we have some pretty good diversity going on.

That is truly the United Nations of gatherings

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

My wife’s family is from Nicaragua and I am originally from the northeast of half Italian descent. We both celebrated Christmas Eve more than Christmas growing up. Except my wife’s family didn’t eat until after midnight, which was a big surprise the first time I went to her house for Christmas Eve when we were dating long, long ago. Her mom also has some nativity figurines handed down from her grandmother and over 100 years old. There is a part of the night with with prayer, singing, maracas and tambourines that I do not fully understand because it’s in Spanish, which I don’t speak. But I like the maracas.

Having been married 20+ years, we have blended some traditions. We now host and I usually make grilled churrasco with chimichurri (Nicaraguan style), at a reasonable hour, and the ceremony happens after we eat. Every once in a while I’ll substitute Italian, but not fish (since I hate seafood). We also have my gringo aunt / uncle and cousin and my cousin’s Jewish husband over. One of my wife’s brothers is gay and married and they join us, so I feel we have some pretty good diversity going on.

very similar situation, except my roots are Colombian and my wife is Italian.
Her family does the 7 seafood dishes which i dont mine since i love seafood.
Spanish culture are big on lechon, or pork shoulder. We also celebrate Christmas eve and eat after 12am and prayer and singing for 9 days which is called "novena".

[F30lolz]

Jumping the gun for Ho Ho Ho but for the past few years we’ve been watching Die Hard on Christmas Eve. My wife loves March of the Wooden Soldiers for Thanksgiving but I find excuses to avoid watching it.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

very similar situation, except my roots are Colombian and my wife is Italian.
Her family does the 7 seafood dishes which i dont mine since i love seafood.
Spanish culture are big on lechon, or pork shoulder. We also celebrate Christmas eve and eat after 12am and prayer and singing for 9 days which is called "novena".

That's right - novena!

The churrasco I make is not traditional for anyone on Christmas Eve. In fact, it's almost sacrilegious. But it's really good and something everyone likes. Well, except the one person who doesn't eat red meat.

[dtox9]

Die Hard
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Christmas with the Kranks

The holiday season just wouldn't be the same without watching this trio !

[UncleWede]

A Christmas story

Wife's family usually gets together to make tamales. Our second date was 36 hours, we made over 100 dozens, and I met everybody.

For Thanksgiving, my personal tradition is to take every wheel off the BMW, scrub both sides, and apply Poor Boys Wheel wax. Periodically, I check the score to see if I won any squares for football. And eat the pumpkin pies I baked the night before. You gotta grate the ginger fresh, and warm the filling on the stove so it cooks in the pie shell in under an hour and doesn't burn the crust.

[M_Six]

We hunker down and stay home. Too many nightmares while traveling for Christmas in our past. When you have to deal with Chicago/O'Hare at Christmas, you're better off staying home.

[ShopVac]

Let's just say a person gets covid, day before Thanksgiving...any way it could possibly last through Christmas day? You know - just avoid the whole family thing. Don't want to infect anyone...

Asking for a friend.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by ShopVac

Let's just say a person gets covid, day before Thanksgiving...any way it could possibly last through Christmas day? You know - just avoid the whole family thing. Don't want to infect anyone...

Asking for a friend.

My receptionist is totally COVID paranoid and some customer just came in hacking up a lung. She politely asked her if she wouldnt mind waiting outside. The customer told her Oh Hunnie, I don't have COVID. Its gone now....then my girl asked her when she had it and the customer replied April.
STILL SOUNDING LIKE A 3 PACK A DAY SMOKER!!!!!

So, I would say you could pull it off

[OkieSnuffBox]

It's been the norm for us for a few years now for it to just be my lady and I, maybe a few friends for Turkey Day.

Our families are all spread out at this point. Mom and her husband split their time between San Diego and Hawaii. Her mom/stepdad are in Phoenix, her Dad/stepmom are in Florida. My dad is about 2 hours away but he accompanies his very elderly mother to her friends house about a 90 miles in the opposite direction of us.

I don't really talk to my brother or sister.

[MoeTE87]

Thanksgiving day: 7 on 7 football game in our back yard and smoking a 20+lb bird every year.

Christmas Eve: Christmas Story is on the whole time starting at 8pm ET.

Christmas Day: Still watching Christmas Story and then Christmas Vacation at night with everyone and playing drinking games..

[vreihen16]

My DW's family does not celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or Easter/Christmas. Makes for the perfect compromise. We spend Christmas with my family, and Thanksgiving with hers. Well, except for one minor complication. Most of the in-laws are vegetarians, so Thanksgiving with them is at a restaurant that has strong vegan/vegetarian options. I'm not a huge fan of turkey, so I order rare filet mignon just because.

My siblings and I decided long ago that we would not exchange Christmas gifts between each other. We subsequently amended the rules to allow gifts of less than $1.00 (preferably free), re-gifting allowed, and the funnier the better. Focus the gift spending on their kids.....

[Mein11]

Not out of the ordinary but I'll usually take the second half of the month off to fly home, this way it gives enough time to catch up with all the old friends and family shenanigans without trying to cram it in a single week. Still ends up being a lot of running around but much more bearable.

Every year, do make a pan of bacon wrapped water chestnuts with this brown sugar/mayo/chili sauce that's ridiculously good.

[Joekerr]

Originally Posted by Mein11

Not out of the ordinary but I'll usually take the second half of the month off to fly home, this way it gives enough time to catch up with all the old friends and family shenanigans without trying to cram it in a single week. Still ends up being a lot of running around but much more bearable.

Every year, do make a pan of bacon wrapped water chestnuts with this brown sugar/mayo/chili sauce that's ridiculously good.

Man I usually just eat those straight, those delicious little nuggets, it never occurred to me to dip them in a sauce.

Send me (or post) how you make the sauce. Might just do that this year to accompany them.

[Mein11]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

Man I usually just eat those straight, those delicious little nuggets, it never occurred to me to dip them in a sauce.

Send me (or post) how you make the sauce. Might just do that this year to accompany them.

This is not a side sauce, bake the bacon wraps half way, then pour this sauce over the top and finish baking. It glazes/carmelizes a bit, and is crack. I'd make it every day but I don't want to ruin its allure.

- Wrap bacon around water chestnuts, then bake for 20mins uncovered, 330º (I like weird temps okay)
- Pull out, drain grease, use spoon or something to drizzle sauce on each cluster (toothpicks prevent a good pour strategy, end up getting wasted and all over the Tpicks)
- Throw back in the oven for another 20mins
- Pull out, let sit for about 10 mins (ha, yeah right, I burn the fuck out of my mouth eating them right out of the oven)

Sauce (sounds gross, and tastes gross "raw", until it glazes, trust me)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise