Christmas Customs

[David In Indy]

When I was growing up we always had the advent wreath on the dining room table and an advent calendar on the refrigerator door.  You open a little window on the calendar every day and reveal another piece of the bigger picture until you get to Christmas Eve.  We always had sleigh rides, and we would paint apple rings with peanut butter and roll them in birdseed and then string them with orange slices, cranberries and stale cake donuts and then hang them in the trees for the birds.  Much to my Dad's dismay my Mom always put out pans of chopped apples, carrots and celery for the deer too. 

I still have an advent wreath and calendar.  I still bake cinnamon cookies using my Grandmothers molds on December 6 for the feast of St Nicholas.  We put our tree up around the 15, nothing fancy just tons of ornaments that have lots of special meaning for us.  We put a Victorian snow covered village underneath complete with trees, operating skating rink, carousel and train.  No presents until Santa comes on Christmas Eve.  We also begin putting our nativity together on the 15.... I put it on top of the entertainment center and surround it with potted palms and other green growing plants. Then I put the painting away that normally hangs there and hang three angels.   Then we add the statues a few at a time starting with the animals and ending with the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. 

That sounds beautiful Dottie!!

Since I was raised Catholic, we also had an advent wreath. It sat on the dining room table, and we lit the candle(s) every night at dinner. Three purple candles and a pink one. We lit a new candle each week up until Christmas.

And I also had an advent calendar when I was a child. It was a wooden one from Gelderland in the Netherlands. My Father's side of the family brought it over when they immigrated to America. It had little wooden doors, and Mom always placed a piece of candy behind each door; and sometimes a small toy. I still have my calendar. I hang it up every year, but devoid of any candy now!

[David In Indy]

Speaking of Christmas customs, I remember one year the Children's Museum here in Indianapolis had a huge display called "Christmas Around The World". It featured exhibits from dozens of countries around the world. They were scenes you walked past, including life size mannequins dressed in native costumes. Some of them moved too!   Most of the featured countries were European, but they also had several countries in Central and South America featured too.

I think Christmas customs are very interesting. And they are always so beautiful and magical. As you know, most of our Christmas customs in the US come from Europe, and it isn't unusual at all to find one of our neighbors incorporating French customs into their Christmas traditions, while another family across the street incorporates Danish or Swedish or English traditions. We always celebrated Sinterklaas in my family (complete with my Grandfather entering through the door in full Sinterklaas costume to quiz us on our behavior during the past year).  Before I realized Sinterklaas was actually my Grandfather, he scared me because he was always so strict; kind but strict.

I really do hope some of our Euro and Aussie brokies contribute to this thread. I think these kinds of things are very interesting and always very beautiful.

This year my English boyfriend and I will be combining our Christmas customs; some British and some American. I think it will be a lot of fun!

[Dagi]

We go out into the woods with the kids, and we decorate a tree and leave little apples and nuts and some sweets for the animals, and for the elfs and dwarfs.

We bake cockies, of course!

We light lots of candles, and decorate the house.

I make an Advent wreath, and burn one more candle every sunday the four sundays before Christmas, and we have a Advent calendar with sweets for the kids.

We spend too much, and we stress too much and we eat too much!

We are not religious, but Winter solstice is a reason to have a party! Imagine what that date meant to people before our days with electric light and heating...

[belbbmfan]

We always celebrated Sinterklaas in my family (complete with my Grandfather entering through the door in full Sinterklaas costume to quiz us on our behavior during the past year).  Before I realized Sinterklaas was actually my Grandfather, he scared me because he was always so strict; kind but strict.

I really do hope some of our Euro and Aussie brokies contribute to this thread. I think these kinds of things are very interesting and always very beautiful.

ahh, Sinterklaas! You gotta love him! He arrived in Antwerp last saturday. This is for you David! The original Santa Claus.  He announced from the balcony that 'all the children had been very good this year'.

[youtube=425,350]http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=SVCDsO_hZns&feature=related[/youtube]

[Jeff Wrangler]

That is a tradition on my Mother's side of the family that goes back for generations. The Native American side of my family traditionally smudges the manger or creche on Christmas Eve night just before going to bed. Smudging with sage is a type of blessing. So, we are blessing the manger for Christmas. 

Yes, but what exactly do you do? Do you burn the sage, like incense, and let the smoke drift over the creche?

[TOoP/Bruce]

My family had an old tradition of having oyster stew on Christmas Eve.

[David In Indy]

My family had an old tradition of having oyster stew on Christmas Eve.

I've never heard of this tradition before. In fact, I don't know if I've ever tried oyster stew. I like clam chowder. I don't like fish very much, but I do like clams and oysters.

Yes, but what exactly do you do? Do you burn the sage, like incense, and let the smoke drift over the creche?

We would light a small bundle of sage (smudge stick) and fan the smoke towards the creche with a large feather. Mom had an eagle feather. We would sometimes sing a Christmas carol, and Mom would chant a prayer in Lakota to the Christ Child. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

I've never heard of this tradition before. In fact, I don't know if I've ever tried oyster stew. I like clam chowder. I don't like fish very much, but I do like clams and oysters.

I've heard about the oyster stew tradition, but I can't place where I heard about it. 

We would light a small bundle of sage (smudge stick) and fan the smoke towards the creche with a large feather. Mom had an eagle feather. We would sometimes sing a Christmas carol, and Mom would chant a prayer in Lakota to the Christ Child. 

Thanks, David, that sounds very nice. I figured it was probably something like that. Does the sage smell sweet?

[David In Indy]

I've heard about the oyster stew tradition, but I can't place where I heard about it. 

Thanks, David, that sounds very nice. I figured it was probably something like that. Does the sage smell sweet?

Not the sage we used! At least it didn't smell sweet to me. It pretty much smells like something is burning; smoky smelling. It's an "acquired" smell I guess! 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Not the sage we used! At least it didn't smell sweet to me. It pretty much smells like something is burning; smoky smelling. It's an "acquired" smell I guess! 

Too bad.  I picked a sprig of mountain sage when I was up on Broke(n)back during the Wyoming Road Trip last May, and when I crushed it between my fingers it smelled kind of sweet.