Happy Holidays, Pandas! What's A Fun Christmas Tradition You Have? (Closed)

Some of my family members get low blood sugars, so we have to eat breakfast before we get to open presents. My parents' solution to this is that my dad makes waffles for breakfast, and when they're ready, my mom blindfolds us and walks us through the living room to the kitchen one at a time so we can't peak. Even though we're old enough not to peak anymore, we still enjoy this tradition.

For christmas at my house, my parents *never* put all of my gifts under the tree, just waiting to be opened – they make me work. Some years they’ll be attached to strings run throughout the house (one was inside a vent this year!), or I’ll have to win a game show game (for example, in 2020, i won ‘maker money’ in plinko from price is right, and the exchange rate from maker money to US money was determined at the end, because it depended on how much i won), or other crazy things. The tradition started as a way for my grandparents to extend my mom’s and aunt’s christmas because they were poor, so there were only a few gifts. Happy holidays everybody!

Ever since I can remember,my family is always has had a "birthday party" for Jesus on Christmas Eve. We order pizza, drink soda, my mom makes a cake, and we all Celebrate and have a ton of fun

Whatever the most exciting gift is for my kids, we wrap them together in the same big box and send them on a scavenger hunt for it with rhyming clues. My dad did this for us when we were little, so I started doing it for my kids as soon as they could read. It’s their favorite part of opening gifts. The first clue is usually found in the toe of one of their stockings.

Play the funny big band instrumental version of Yellow Submarine at full volume. My parents had the record, my father was using it to test stereos out while shopping for one, he figured it had a great range so would be a good test. One Xmas morning my mother got up before everyone and wanted everyone to get up. So, she put the record on full blast and marched across everyone's bed. It became a tradition since.

My family has its own lyrics for "Silent Night", also a song called "Christmas Blue Flower". The song was composed by my great-grandfather's best friend, who was also the best man in my great-grandparents' wedding. During Christmas 1951, the man was totally broke, so he composed the song as a gift. The first stanza goes:
"Oh, Christmas, blue flower of legend
lullaby of my childhood' dream.
A star filled sky, a magical sound
that warms the cold winter night..."

Not really a "fun" tradition, but for as long as I can remember, my parents (especially my mom) always had rather strict rules for when to "get chrismassy". I learned at an older age this was grounded in the dislike for the commercialization of christmas (e.g. cookies and chocolates being up in the stores as early as September or in some years even end of August).

So for example, christmas decorations were put up as a family effort exactly on the first Sunday of Advent every year, even my Grandma was only allowed to start baking cookies in the week leading up to that, and the christmas tree was not to be put up before dec 23rd.

As an adult, I have sticked to most of those rules/traditions and I do think that it makes christmas time feel a little more special.

Every year i try and find the weirdest most random decorations for my tree 😂 this year i had decorations shaped like lobsters, squids, sprouts, cartons of soya milk, ghosts and a rainbow shrimp on top 🤣

My parents would spend the exact same amount of money on all of the children. My siblings were 10 and 12 years older than I was. So my presents were really cheap and my brother and sisters more expensive. I actually had more presents. My mom got tired of writing “love mom and dad” On all the gift tags. It evolved to things like “ The jolly man in the red suit” it finally ended up being a game in itself. Who the present is from, is based on what the present is. For instance once I got a present and the gift tag said it was from “ someone who exercises a lot”. The present was a sweater. Another year I got a present from “ John Granville” he was the first Earl of Bath. The present was bath towels. I love that game, we played it for years. The only reason why we don’t now is because everyone of my family is dead. But I want other people to know about this game and how wonderful it was. Maybe it’ll become a tradition in your household

My husband reads our children The Night Before Christmas every year to our children on Christmas Eve. They are 18,14 and 11

We do a low tea party on Chrustmas Eve. Everyone dresses up and we bring out the good tea pots. Usually we will have two varities of sweets and sone small savories. Then we play an old fashhioned game like fan tan or round robin story telling.

We save a few cookies and treats from each batch that we’ve made over the holiday season (and from treat gifts friends have given us) and put them in the freezer. Then, on Christmas Eve, I make up a large platter of all these treats to set out in Christmas Day.

On other days we limit our kids’ treats but on Christmas they are allowed to graze on the plate all day long. It’s a fun and delicious way to remember the baking fun we had over the holiday season!

Every year we watch three things: an old Victoria Wood special, Muppets Christmas carol, and the Black Adder Christmas carol (I forget the actual name) At this point we can practically recite them, but these shows never get old for us

I live in the philipines, there is no snow here, but the best thing in christmas is spending time with my family and my nan died a week ago, here's the most best part, gifts!!

Every year since I was born my grandpa has gotten me one of those Christmas bears with the year on it. I’m 21 now and just received my 22nd one for Christmas. I plan to continue the tradition until his passing and keep them as a memory and continue the tradition with my kids!

I live in Denmark, we celebrate christmas in the evening on the 24th. In my moms house we eat, do the dishes, open presents and then we play bingo with silly little gifts as prices.

Living in Northern Finland, near the Arctic Circle, we have a right of passage, like an ancient tradition that is supposed to guarantee good fortune for the next year. Those who have turned 16 during the year have to ride a polar bear, like you would a horse. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

Watching Die Hard with the Mrs.

I don't know if it's a tradition, but in my family just about every year someone gets a present wrapped in duct tape, multiple nested boxes, or has to follow a scavenger hunt to FIND their present. This year my cousin got a box wrapped in clear tape and duct tape, holding another box wrapped in clear tape and duct tape, holding yet ANOTHER box wrapped in clear tape and duct tape. The innermost box held a stuffed sloth (which she HATES) and a note that her present was hidden under the tape of the first box.

It started one year when I was a single Mom, overworked and feeling overwhelmed. I didn't get the Christmas tree put up. In a panic on Christmas Eve, I realized I didn't have special spot to put my son's presents.

So I decided to hide them, liking hiding the Easter basket. I hid his presents all over the house.

So next day, my son had a present hunt. And it was so much fun for him and me. We ended up doing it the next 3-4 years (even though I put up a Xmas tree the rest of the years). He's 32. We don't do it now, but now I'm wishing we still did :-)