What are you X-mas traditions?

We go to my grandma's every year to eat the traditional arroz con gandules with plantain balls (rice & pidgeon peas),pernil (pork), pasteles (it's made of plantain and pieces of meat), potato salad, tembleque (a type of custard made of coconut), coquito (a type of eggnog but instead of eggs,coconut,lol)...I know there are more things but I got full just thinking about it,lol. Every dish is tastier than the last!!! I've tried to prepare the meal and though it tastes good it just doesn't have the same touch as at my grandma's so we end up going there instead,lol. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When i used to live in the Cebu City, Philippines. Christmas celebrations start at 3:00 pm of December 24. That is when guest, family, long lost relatives, and friends start arriving. Some would stay at the wee hours of the night or some stay till the christmas morn. Our "kusinera" and my eldest bro (who is a chef) would be very busy preparing the food. By 9:00 PM, my family and I make our way to the nearest church for the "simbang gabi". Those who want to tag along are very welcome to join. Some stay at the house to party like my dad, uncles and his friends. Female members of my family together with the younger memebers of the family would go to the obligatory "simbang gabi." Simbang gabi is a mass that has been the tradition of the Roman Catholic church to celebrate Jesus Christ. The mass ends at around 10:30 PM, everybody goes back to the hous to have some light snack. It is not recommended to eat a whole meal before the "noche buena." The party continues. At 11:00 PM or 11:30 OM, everybody would head out to the front of the house to witness the array of loud and sometimes excruciating fireworks prepared by my overly excited brothers in the neighborhood stree. Yes, in some parts of the world, fireworks are legal. Specifically in Cebu City, fireworks display are widely practiced by almost everybody. After an hour of fireworks display, everybody would head to the house for the big "noche buena." Noche buena is a midnight dinner celebrated all throughout the Philippines. At exactly 12:00 PM, everbody would and greet each other merry christmas. While some are taking their seats for the "noche buena" dinner. I am busy tinkering my cellphone trying to send merry christmas greetings to my friends via text messages. After painstakingly hitting the send button on my cellphone too many times, I take my spot on the "noche buena" table. After the dinner, the celebration goes on. We usually open our presents after the "noche buena." For us younger generation, it is obligatory to sleep at around 3 AM on December 25th, whereas, the adults would remain at the party till the morning of December 25. Ahhhh, such sweet memories. Totally different from the American way of celebrating Christmas. No wonder most expats Filipino reminisce of the Philippines during Christmas time.

well, we just eat traditional xmas food, watch some tv then we all go to bed, that's it!

That's sweet about your Grandmother and the Pringles. When my Grandmother passed, the family kind of spread out and didn't get together anymore. She was kind of our glue I guess. Well, now that I have a family of my own I try to keep all of the family traditions alive. We put the tree up soon after Thanksgiving, string the house with lights, make homemade ornaments, etc. On Christmas Eve I usually get talked out of one present under the tree. Then we leave the milk and cookies for Santa, and off to bed. When all is quiet, Santa comes in the night and leaves lots of surprises. Santa doesn't wrap at our house, his stuff is all set up and working. He also stuffs your stocking full of nuts and fruit, and little nick knacks. After all the presents are opened, I am back to the kitchen. Standard Christmas diiner, Ham, Turkey, dressing, and we must have the cranberry sauce. Sometimes on Christmas Eve we go out looking at lights around town. Ya'll have a wonderful Holiday!!

well as a fish worshiper i celebrate christmas day by starting with my daily prayers to king salmon and then i go to my local lake and feed all the fish and then i go home eat one green pea and then i watch the television whilst it is turned off for 47 minutes, and then i lay on my stomach on the kitchen floor and sleep. So i guess its just like any other day for me, no real traditions.

I live in Brazil, and here two weeks before the christmas we always decorate the christmas tree... And in the Christmas Day, we eat Chester (it's a type of turkey, that don't have in the USA)... Chester is the best food I ever ate...

we dont celebrate it. coz we are not christians.. but we do respect all the religions and traditions, by the way i like x-mas tree and the cakes.....

We always watch the movie "The Christmas Story" every christmas morning...sometimes its just me and my husband that watch it...then we have a light breakfast and one at a time..open gifts.....that way everyone gets to see the others reactions and it takes a little longer so we get to spend that much more family time together before going to see the rest of the family and having Christmas dinner. BUt ever since my kids were little we have always watched the christmas specials....Rudolph...Frosty..... Grinch....I still watch them..but now its usually with my grandson (he is 4)...and the one thing my kids will tell you or pass down to their kids.... It doesnt matter who tells you Santa isn't real .....Santa (the spirit) lives in your heart !!!!! Thanks for the GREAT Question !!!!!

Our tradition is to make sweets out of refined flour which are deep fried in oil.. This is a must during christmas season the frying of the sweets in each and every chatholic house in our region (Goa)

Here in the Philippines our christmas tradition is we attend mass every 4AM in the morning from December 16 -24.

We always play a game with two decks of cards. Each person brings a general, non-gender gift. We deal out an entire deck of cards to everyone. We then use the other deck and pick 1 card at a time. If you get your card picked, you go up and grab a gift. It continues until teh entire deck is complete and anybody who has more than one present has to give it to somebody who does not.

I always stay up till 2am. i always eat pizza hut i do a christmas buffet. Then open presents at midnight. Then i do a party on the 25th with my fanily.

For many years out tradition has been to have an "ugly ornament contest." Everyone in the immediate family goes and finds a really cheap ornament from the dollar store or something, and on christmas we lay them out on the table and judge who has the worst =]~

My husband and I were just married in March. We each have daughters from previous marriages, and one son together so we are just beginning to make our own traditions. First is cutting our own tree from a Christmas tree farm. Second is celebrating on Christmas Eve when his daughter is with us. Wish us luck making more of our own family traditions!

The holidays were much simpler before marriage, Because him and his family have traditions and me and mine have traditions. So my family have a dinner a day or two before christmas And my husband never joins in unless it is held at my house which might be every 5 years. But still he really doesn't join in then either. I wish he would accept my family and who and how they are. But we are usually alone on christmas day and it is boring and all I do is cook most the day what I hadn't made the night before just for my husband not to eat very much. So at thanks giving when he made me make the works then didn't eat much I told him come Christmas all he was getting is a turkey,rolls,green beans and mashed potatoes, stuffing that is enough. Don't need the extras if they aren't going to be eaten. That is nice to do the can of pringles for your grandmother. And I haven't thought of lighting a candle which I think I will try this year although my husband blows them out as fast as I can light them most times. It is supposed to be a special time of the year the most specialest but the way the world is going nowdays with families fighting and countries fighting and loved ones dying it just isn't going to be a good christmas for some this year. Well Happy Holidays to you and yours and I hope your holidays are blessed. God bless.

We celebrate christmas by attending the "Simbang Gabi" early morning mass held at 4 in the morning and after the mass people will buy native delicacies like "suman", puto bongbong, bibingka". these are the kind of food that you will find every christmas. On our dining table at christmas eve you will find "lechon" roasted pig.

our tradition here is to get together in midnight and eat the delicious food together at 12:00midnight and welcome the day to come,giving gifts to our love ones....but in these year...we have encounter crises here in our country so i myself cannot able to do our tradition already..i just prefer to sleep early and nothing happens...

i dont celebrate christmas

Our girls always help me decorate the tree. On the 24th we go to my in-laws & they have a Polish meal of fish. Then we open gifts, there & then at home.. My family comes over on the 25th & I make ham. The girls open their stockings on Christmas Day, plus whatever my parents bring.

its fun fun and fun thats our tradition