What did you all do on Christmas?

[Archae]

On Christmas eve my family would go to church, have an eve church get together.

We'd open the presents on Christmas eve.

On Christmas day my family would go to my Grandma's house, have a good time, the adult men would watch football of course.

[zanana1]

1. On Christmas Eve we were sent to bed early...

So they could wrap our presents. When I was eight, I had to use the bathroom and I caught them in the act. Bye bye Santa!

[underpants]

2. Dinner tonight at a fondue place

My wife is making breakfast now

In thr morning we will have our family’s Christmas here

Driving to my folks tomorrow afternoon for grazing lunch/dinner and gifts.

[left-of-center2012]

3. As a child back in the 1950's

We lived on a small farm, and went to church services Christmas Eve at a small rural Methodist church in northern Indiana County, Pa.
All our neighbors were farmers or coal miners … often both.

Christmas morning we kids would get up early, too early for our parent's wishes, to open our gifts,
and later that day have a traditional turkey dinner baked in a coal/wood burning oven/stove.
................................................

"This is an old antique wood or coal burning porcelain range cook stove done in the attractive blue enamel. (Ours was white enamel) This stove is complete with the hot water reservoir on the right side and the oven in the bottom section, and two warming ovens above the stove. This stove was made by the Sanico American Range & Foundry Company. Measures 59 1/2? high is 32? deep and 55? wide."

[Kali]

5. that is a beauty

I would love to have that. I know quite a few homes that still use them. mostly in Mexico but here in AZ too. wood, not coal though.

[Siwsan]

4. We spent Christmas Eve with my maternal grandparents

All of the family was there - lots of cousins, aunts & uncles. Grandma & Grandpa had 8 kids, all survived to adulthood.

The big event of the evening was that we children had to sing a Christmas song for Grandpa. When we were done, he'd hand us a silver dollar. I still have many of them.

Christmas Day was spent with my paternal grandmother, a widow, our aunt and uncle and their two daughters. Grandma always had a massive scotch pine Christmas tree. Then, sometimes we'd head over to one of my mom's sister's house. These were the cousins closest to my age. I'm still close with all of them.

I have nothing but great memories of those Christmas Eves/Days. Tonight I'm making the 'traditional' soup that my Grandmother used to make on Christmas Eve. With every year I get a little closer to how it tasted when she made it.

[Generic Brad]

6. Oh, crap! We were supposed to do something?

I worked all day like normal, ate a sensible dinner and now I'm just mentally prepping for the monotonous boredom tomorrow will bring.

[Skittles]

12. I hear you

I work all through the holidays

[Generic Brad]

18. I don't feel bad about it though

My life is great because I don't have all those holiday commitments to fulfill. Freedom!

[Skittles]

20. doesn't bother me at all either

I just have never cared about holidays - I do send Christmas cards and contribute to Toys for Tots but that's it, and I most certainly would not want to "gather" during a pandemic.

[Trueblue1968]

7. do tonight ?? CRY .... our vehicle was vandalized and we can't do Christmas

evil thief PUNCHED A HOLE in the trucks fuel tank. hubby went to gas it up after he got off work and gushing out of a hole the POS had punched in the tank. gas guy called the fire dept cuz gas was pouring from the hole in the tank all over area at the gas station. No one even knew at that time that they'd punctured the tank. WE WON'T HAVE A VEHICLE for days. it's gonna cost over $1000 and USAA may not even cover it.

[Skittles]

11. oh dear

so very sorry Trueblue, that is terrible

[Archae]

14. So sorry to hear this...

I hope you find the guy and beat the (bleep) out of him/her.

[Trueblue1968]

17. well after i posted this, USAA rep told hubby the vandalizm and destroying the gas tank

would be covered under our comprehensive. after the deductible of course. but still, we are stuck here at home over christmas. we were going to vancouver to see sister and her adult kids etc day after christmas.

may be moot if we get snow. we wouldn't be able to go anyway !!!!!

so tomorrow i'm doing a turkey breast, stuffing, potatoes and whatever frozen good tasting veggie is in fridge. if i am in the mood, have lots of cake mixes to choose from.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR BEING KIND WHEN I WAS ALL BUMMED OUT. Hugs and Merry Christmas.

[NNadir]

8. We'd all stand around the gas heater - we didn't have a fireplace - fully armed with M-16's...

...in anticipation of blasting a "red" intruder who was widely rumored to break into houses via the chimneys.

All of us except my Dad, who'd sit on the roof with a bazooka hoping to bag a reindeer for Christmas Dinner.

[BlackSkimmer]

9. Lol.

[Ocelot II]

10. On Christmas Eve we'd get ready for Santa Claus

by putting out cookies and milk, and we'd get to open one small present. But we'd have to wait until morning to open the rest of them because Santa will have delivered his big ones and filled our stockings. When I got a bit older I was in a church choir so that's how I spent my Christmas eves, though the rest of the family usually didn't go. After we opened our presents we'd clean up the wrapping paper and have a big breakfast. Good times.

[yellowdogintexas]

13. the usual Christmas Eve activities. Santa Claus, dinner with my mom's family

either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Early morning gift opening; company drifting in and out on Christmas Day

Our big tradition was my dad's family get together, which we did on the SUnday after Christmas. Big dinner with country ham and turkey, lots of sides and desserts and boiled custard with a bit of bourbon in it.

Everyone had a special dish that was expected to appear.

The adults drew names; the six cousins exchanged with the cousin closest in age.

One of my sisters and two of our cousins are all in our old home area and still have that Cousins Christmas party, with their children and grandchildren. (except since COVID of course) We are down to one remaining family member from my parents' generation - my dad's youngest sister.

I would love to do that again someday.

[wnylib]

15. On the Sunday closest to Christmas,

the extended family on my father's side all gathered at my grandfather's remote farmhouse. My father had 8 siblings and my deceased grandmother's sister showed up with her children and grandchildren. It was very crowded. We all brought a dish for dinner, plus cookies, fudge, and presents. My grandfather's SO for many years was a Jewish woman who brought Hannukah gelt for all the kids as chocolate pieces wrapped in gold foil. She told us the story of the Festival of Lights. (She did not keep kosher, so the meal was not a problem for her.) After eating all the cousins went outdoors to slide down the snow covered dirt road in front of the house (which was on a steep hill) while the adults gossipped, drank Christmas spirits, and played cards. Nobody turned on the radio or TV. Couldn't have heard them anyway.

Today, my parents, all the aunts and uncles, and some of the oldest cousins are gone. But the living cousins still talk about the memories.

Christmas Eve our Sunday School put on a pageant of Christmas carols and recitations from the Chrstmas story in Luke. Afterward, the church gave little boxes of chocolate drops to all the kids while we gave gifts to the teachers who gave token gifts to their classes.

We opened presents on Christmas Eve after we got home from the pageant. My father's sister and family lived next door, so they joined us. My siblings and I all took naps on the afternoon of Christmas Eve to be rested for the church pageant. Santa arrived while we napped because "The world is so large that he has to start early." But we could not touch the gifts until after church.

Christmas day we had a late, big dinner and usually a couple relatives or friends were invited to join us. My parents belonged to a few organizations and clubs so there were often people we kids had never met that my parents invited because they were traveling and alone, or had out of town relatives who could not be there.

[orleans]

16. when i was a kid it was get to bed early, santa's coming

as i got older (teenager) we decided to open presents on christmas eve, tho we usually saved a little one or two things for each other to open on xmas.
my mom began putting a xmas card for me on the tree branches on xmas eve to be opened in the morning. i started doing it for my parents, and then my daughter.

with my daughter, presents were back to being opened on christmas morning.
when she got older i tried to talk her into opening them the night before but she wasn't crazy about that.

sometimes i'd go to church with my dad on xmas eve or xmas day.
my mom never went.

xmas eve was snacky food afternoon & a nice dinner.
christmas day was the formal dinner. or we'd go to my cousins for the formal dinner.

i miss those years/times. my daughter, SIL & granddaughter live nearby--i'm going over there tomorrow & they stopped by tonight for a few minutes.

my dad died nearly 33 years ago. my mom's been gone for 12. i miss both of my parents. but i I*really* miss my mom.

[Danmel]

19. We're Jewish

So we always went out for Chinese food on Christmas day and kosher deli on Christmas eve. Sometimes we went to the movies. When my husband was in college, he'd go skiing.
For at least 15 years, we've spent Christmas Eve with friends who would host a Christmas eve party for a gaggle of stragglers of various religious backgrounds, without family nearby etc. Since the plague that's been a non starter.
Maybe next year.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.