Holiday Traditions for December

[Jules]

Do you have any holiday traditions? Christmas? Chanukah? Other?

I pull out a few old Christmas decorations from my childhood for the window display. I’ll try and take a picture of a couple of them.

The one tradition I have is a turkey dinner. I do this even if we don’t have company or are travelling. Often there’re better things on the menu, but somehow it feels wrong not to have it. My husband was raised as a vegetarian so he doesn’t understand this.

 

[RadishRose]

 

[RadishRose]

 

[DebraMae]

This has been with me since my first Christmas. I wind it up and it plays Silent Night.

 

[Jules]

That’s beautiful, @DebraMae

 

[RadishRose]

This has been with me since my first Christmas. I wind it up and it plays Silent Night.

View attachment 256718

OMG that looks SO familiar!

 

[RadishRose]

Another Dec. celebration is Krampus, originated in Germany. Horrifying!

 

[Jules]

All these are nearly as old as I am. The candle is younger; it’s only about 65.



Frosty can have a light inset in his back. The Christmas tree he carried disappeared years ago.



The pepper shaker had a Mrs. Santa. She must have run away with an elf.

A family friend brought this home from Germany. Every year on Xmas eve, I’d burn it for about 10 minutes.
It finally gave up and split in half. I probably could add wax. No point, as I intend to give it to my two daughters at some time.

 

[Sassycakes]

I grew up with the tradition of eating 7 fishes on Christmas eve and I continue the tradition

 

[Paco Dennis]

 

[caroln]

I grew up with the tradition of eating 7 fishes on Christmas eve and I continue the tradition

7 fish sticks or do you really eat 7 whole fish??

 

[Jules]

This was the first year I remember ever hearing about the Feast of Seven Fishes. Now I’ve heard it several times.

 

[caroln]

7 fish sticks or do you really eat 7 whole fish??

This was the first year I remember ever hearing about the Feast of Seven Fishes. Now I’ve heard it several times.

I guess I've never heard of it either. What does a person do for this tradition?

 

[NorthernLight]

December? Mostly I hide and wait for it to be over.

This year I drove around and took photos of decorations, lights, and sNOw. I thought friends in warm/foreign countries would find them interesting. And they did!

 

[Sassycakes]

7 fish sticks or do you really eat 7 whole fish??

Usually we have crabs,shrimp,muscles,Flounder and what ever fish my son in law likes like haddock etc.

 

[caroln]

Usually we have crabs,shrimp,muscles,Flounder and what ever fish my son in law likes like haddock etc.

I'm with you on the crab and shrimp. Then I'd add in a lobster tail or 2!

 

[palides2021]

Growing up, because my father celebrated his name day on Christmas, my mother and us five girls would be baking all day and have company for dinner. Lots of good food, commotion, beautiful scents, music, laughter, and wonderful feelings overall. After my father passed away, it wasn't the same. One other consistent tradition has been to sing Christmas songs on Christmas Eve or go caroling in the neighborhood with our church choir when I was young.

 

[RadishRose]

I'm with you on the crab and shrimp. Then I'd add in a lobster tail or 2!

Throughout my young adulthood, I always had Christmas Eve dinner at my friend's home, big Italian family. The 7 fishes is an old Italian tradition. No meat since it's always "fast before feast", hah! Some fast.....

We never did make it to 7 I don't think. Whole lobsters, shrimp cocktails, white clam sauce for the pasta, clams casino, red calamari sauce, some kind of baked fish.

Of course, there was spaghetti, tomato sauce, vegetables, a casserole or 3, baked potatoes, desserts and steak for those who didn't want lobster.

It was a huge dinner.

 

[Jules]

That would have been so much fun, @RadishRose

 

[Bella]

I grew up with the tradition of eating 7 fishes on Christmas eve and I continue the tradition

Oh, yes! On Christmas Eve, it's an Italian tradition to prepare the Feast of the Seven Fishes. I have fond memories of enjoying this traditional dinner every year at my grandma's house before we went to midnight mass. These days, I don't prepare a seven-course fish dinner, but I do hold with tradition and always have fish on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure what I'll have this year, it depends on what looks good at the market. I'm thinking fried calamari and clams or mussels in a garlic-herb white wine sauce with pasta.

I guess I've never heard of it either. What does a person do for this tradition?

Everything you Wanted to Know About the Feast of the Seven Fishes > https://www.nonnabox.com/feast-of-the-seven-fishes/

Christmas Day dinner is a roasted boneless leg of lamb with currant sauce, sautéed portabella mushrooms, scalloped potatoes, and a fennel, red onion, and mandarin orange salad with oil-cured olives. For dessert, individual molten chocolate cakes with raspberry coulis and Christmas cookies... and espresso, so we don't fall asleep after all that, lol!

Bella

 

[RadishRose]

 

[RadishRose]

Polish Christmas scenes

 

[jujube]

We never had a set menu for Christmas. Sometimes ham, sometimes turkey. One year we cooked a goose (and never did THAT again, what a mess!)

Now for New Years, we do have the traditional pork, black-eyed peas, and collard greens.

 

[Jules]

Now for New Years, we do have the traditional pork, black-eyed peas, and collard greens.

For NY day, I do black-eyed peas, cornbread and greens. There’re no collard greens around here.

 

[Jules]

@RadishRose Is the sheaf of wheat symbolic of food/bread in the New Year.