I have a ton I could post. In the chat thread, I mentioned decorating the Christmas tree on my own. One of my MOTHER's traditions is to get someone else to decorate the tree, then declare that it's fantastic, then go around moving all the ornaments to different places. One of her favorites, though not one of MINE (especially since it was often MY decorating job that she was rearranging).

I've posted about paintbrush cookies somewhere here before -- that was one of my favorite traditions. Another was watching Julie's dogs open their Christmas presents. Two of them KNEW which presents were theirs and would gleefully rip them open. The ripping was more fun than the present!

One of my first cats liked to climb the tree. I took the cats with me up to Mom & Dad's one year. Molly did her climb the tree thing, so we propped up a very large stuffed rabbit in front of the tree, and that kept Molly at bay. She was afraid of the rabbit because it knew how to fly (with a little human help) and had flown through the air and jumped on her. Very effective guard rabbit!

These days, my tradition is to go to a community gathering to celebrate Yule/Solstice, and this year I am also going to a party at a friend's place. I put a few lights on the bushes outside, and I hung an evergreen swag on the door, and that's it. I like my glass ornaments too much to put them on a tree where they'd be at the mercy of the crazed critters. One of these years, I'll rig a way to hang them up in doorways and such.

Anyone else care to comment on your holiday memories?

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Answers

When the children were little and we had our infamous "Charlie" cat, we would put a hook in the ceiling and hang a tree from it. Hey, it really looked weird but it was protected from the children and the cat. I love the lights and "sparklies" and would have them year around just cause I love to look at them.

My most favorite tradition started when I was a child and I heard that the animals talked at midnight. Well let me tell you, there was no holding me back from going out to the barn at midnight. I started taking treats to all the barn animals before I would go to bed on Christmas eve and I still do it.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

When we were younger my brother and his best friend always bought each other a gift. It could not cost more than 10 pence (twenty years ago about a quarter) This was put under our tree on the last day of school and opened on Christmas morning.

One year my brother gave Richard an ice lolly. It must have taken at least an hour to stop laughing. We still remember it every year now.

Alison

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

Alison, I take it the ice lolly was put under the tree quite awhile BEFORE time to open the presents? LOL! I think that would be what we call a popscicle . . . .

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

We sang Christmas carols at the homes of our friends when I was a kid, and my husband and I still do. :-) We almost never get offered cookies and coco, but it's still fun.

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

On Christmas Eve, my mom reads "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Moore (? I know I have the title not quite right) to us, with candles burning and just the Christmas tree lights on. This has been going on for nearly 50 years.

On Christmas morning, the youngest person gets to play Santa by distributing the presents one by one. It was a break for my brother when his son got old enough to do it. Without any kids around, my bro had been doing it for years!

We open every gift one by one (going around in a circle) and open one item from our stockings the same way. This ritual lasts for hours, and hours, and hours.....

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001

When I was a child, we would have a quiet dinner at home on Christmas Eve; and we would open our gifts from each other; then Mama and I would go to midnight mass. In the morning, I would get up early to run out to the tree to see what Santa had left for me! We'd have Mama's special waffles for breakfast, and she would rush around finishing up her honey rolls; the pies were done the day before. Then, I could choose one toy to take with me, and we'd hop in the car and head up to Granny's.

Granny lived in a tiny little 4 room house, but somehow we all managed to fit - all being her 8 living children, spouses, grandkids, great-grandkids and other assorted in-laws and out-laws. The women would gather in the kitchen to cook and put together the carried in food; the men would watch TV in the living room and play cards; and the kids would play in the bedrooms - older kids in one and younger kids in the other. If it was warm enough - or even if it wasn't - we would play outside; or take our dolls or whatever out to the cars and play there - lots of room in one of those 1964 Oldsmobile station wagons!! I remember glorious snow forts and snowball fights fought while clad in a velvet jumper and tights - didn't we feel the cold back then?!

The men would eat first, and after they sat down at the table; the women would put newspapers on the living room floor and we kids would sit there and wait for them to pass us plates. We were always too excited to eat much, so we got done faster than the men; and the women cleaned up our mess, then ran the men out of the kitchen to have their pie in the living room. Then the women could sit and relax and enjoy their meal and dessert, knowing that the guys were keeping an eye on us kids. I think that I was probably 17 before I graduated to a seat at the table with the women!

I always made a little money at the annual Christmas day penny ante poker game - not by playing, but by taking my coffee can of pennies that I had been hoarding for a year and charging 55 cents for 50 pennies, or a dollar and a dime for 100; since the men never thought to bring enough pennies with them!

There'd be a game of poker at one card table, Monopoly at another, Marbles (aggravation) at yet another; while at the kitchen table a riotous game of pinochle or spades would be carried out. This is where our family tradition of Death Threat Monopoly, Death Threat Marbles; and now Death Threat Uno and Death Threat Triominos began. Doesn't take very long for the death threats to start when someone begins winning - or losing! - too fast!

Our traditions have changed some over the years. The loss of Granny right before Christmas of 89; followed three months later by the loss of my Mama in March of 90, then a divorce in 91 made for a few quiet years, but we always managed to get together with some of our family for dinner. Nowadays, I usually have to work most of the holiday; the night of the 23rd and 24th; or 24th and 25th; so that puts a bit of a damper on our celebrating - but we manage!

This year, thanks to the surgery, I don't have to go in until Christmas evening!! Pop's girlfriend Lisa and her little girl; and Jessie and Cory, and Hubs and I are going to open gifts at about 3pm Christmas Eve; then Pop, Lisa and Bailey will head up to her folks for the evening and the kids and us will have a nice quiet supper out here. We'll introduce Cory to the joys of Death Threat Marbles and Triominos and see if he has what it takes to be one of us! Jes and Cory will head over to her Dad's either that night or Christmas morning for presents with him, the accompany him to his mother's for the dinner. Hubs and I will go in to his Mom's for presents with his Mom, Sis and Niece - they will be amazed to see me upright with my eyes open; as they are used to me snoozing on the couch before and after dinner! We'll head home so I can catch a nap, then I'll head off to work while Hubby enjoys the peace and quiet of a well deserved rest!

If shopping for Bailey the last couple of years is any indication; I'll be changing my traditions again when I get some grandbabies!!

OH!! I forgot our most enduring tradition!! Everyone always gets some new underwear on Christmas; and it's always stuffed in a tp, paper towel or gift wrap tube and wrapped to look like a (British) Christmas Cracker! Sis's underwire bras had to go in boxes this year, as they wouldn't fit the tubes; but Bailey is potty training now, so I got to make up for Sis's by buying Bailey some "big-girl" panties and wrapping them up in our traditional style!!

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001

Joy didn't mention the old family tradition of her waking up before I did on Christmas morning, often before it was even beginning to get light out, and going out to play with my toys before I got there...

-- Anonymous, December 24, 2001

ONE YEAR does NOT a tradition make, rathead! :-P

-- Anonymous, December 24, 2001

RAT HEAD???? Joy, you have definately ruined my illusion of you being the "sweet sister" ;>) Merry Christmas girls, perhaps memories are not always sweet?? My brothers and I have distinctly different memories of certain occasions. Isn't it fun??

-- Anonymous, December 24, 2001

Surely one of us mentioned our proud 'rathead' status? We're both ratheads, founders of the Ratheaded League (which is also a play on "The Redheaded League" -- a Sherlock Holmes story -- since we're both redheads). Some would be embarassed, but we have confronted it, embraced it, and made it our trademark! ~C8:>

-- Anonymous, December 25, 2001

o.k.......now I remember. How is your cold Joy?? Feeling better?? Just getting ready to do some serious cooking as the daughter and family will be here this afternoon.

-- Anonymous, December 26, 2001