What's your Christmas traditions?

Yes Erich, that is the only real thing that counts!

 

Reading your's Erich, I realized I forgot part of my traditions: Christmas stockings up at the fireplace, Christmas music playing, decorating the tree - the family leaves it to me as I apparently did too much re-arranging when they were younger - as I have special ornaments collected over my lifetime and my mother's. Angel on the tree as there always was as I grew up, although unlike then this is purchased. My mother used to make a new angel every year and a young girl in the neighbourhood would be given it after 12th night as a gift. Christmas lights on the house, a wreath on the door, and I always spend some time with a Salvation Army kettle ringing the bells earlier in the month.

 

Alright it's been about 11 years since any new posts showed up on this thread so it's about time to get it re-started looks like.

First off, the family Christmas dinner will be at my new house this year. I bought it in July so everyone wanted to have it here so they can get a good look at the place.

Here it is all decorated up for the holidays. Yes it's a bit minimalist, but I'll add to it as I go along.



It has plenty of room, but not everyone can be seated in the dining room at once. I can put about 10 out on the patio, three at the kitchen island and four in the living room. Maybe ten in the dining room. We'll have plenty of food to go around so nobody will go home hungry. All the couzan's (that's Cajun French for cousin) are providing the eats. Here's what's on the menu; boudin, turkey, chicken and sausage gumbo, corn and shrimp soup, pot roast, dirty rice, cabbage, potato salad, black eye peas, green bean casserole, green peas, bread, and that's about it I think. Oh yeah, and there'll also be assorted desserts like we need that. We also will serve a Poinsettia Punch. It's made up of champagne, vodka, orange liqueur and cranberry juice. Not bad.

 

Actually it's in Baton Rouge, not Nola. It's the French Quarter architecture that throws everyone off.

 

It’s the wet in the Territory during Christmas…Xmas day always starts off sweltering and awful…but by lunch the clouds come over and cover the land…the temp drops about 10 degrees and a cool wind races through, blowing the hot air out of the house…then it down pours for hours…The Monsoon trough is falling down to us as we speak…they are tipping a possible cyclone for Boxing Day…(sounds uncomfortably familiar) Remember Darwin was wiped out Christmas Eve 1974…hundreds dead…something to remember on Christmas Eve in Darwin.

 

Merry Christmas all! For the past few years my tradition has always been to take a piece of historic armor for a drive on Christmas afternoon. My back 40 looks like The Somme now (went from -5C with snow to +4C with rain) so this year might be messy!

 

Playing with snow until dinner time. Sauna before that, and Santa visiting early evening on the 24th. Xmas dinner, and singing Xmas songs afterwards. Maybe evening church at times. Some beer naturally, and the Xmas food is available all evening. And having fun and games with our guests or neighbours.

 

Eat, drink and be merry. But not as much scotch as other years. A couple Johnnie Walker Blacks, and some fruit cake, and I’m good to go.

 

Christmas Drive by George Patton posted Dec 25, 2021 at 9:14 PM

Turns out there was still enough snow down in the river valley for a picture.