Traditions growing up:
-we went to my grandmother's for supper just about every sunday (still do this!)
-we had a pizza night every saturday.

Holiday Traditions:
-on Christmas Eve we each got to open one gift, usually pyjamas to wear to bed that night (we carried this one on).
-We took turns opening gifts instead of everyone opening them at once (still do it).
-Everyone went to my Mom's for Christmas brunch (still do this one too).
-Everyone goes to my grandmother's for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners (still do it!)

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think right now..

Growing up my mother was anti-tradition so she actively worked against establishing them. A few snuck through, though. For instance, my grandma always brought flatbread (like the wafers in Catholic communion) which we broke and shared with each other at Easter. It was sort of like giving each other Communion and a little blessing went with it.

Food is a big tradition. We always had leg of lamb and sour cream beets for Easter. We're Polish so smoked kielbasa (sometimes homemade!) was the appetizer.

When we went to visit my grandmother, she always made 'bump soup' which was creamy mushroom soup. I didn't like it but others in my family did. For me, grandma would made crumb cake which is like a coffee cake with sugary crumbles on top. Sometimes grandma would make poppy seed roll which isn't overly sweet but has a strange habit forming taste.

During the end of the visit my grandmother would let us look at her golden vodka. It was a huge heavy bottle of vodka with real gold flakes in it. The bottle of the bottle had a wind-up music box in it. She'd turn the bottle over and wind up the music box then we'd watch the flakes slowly float down through the vodka as the music played. I always thought I'd inherit that bottle one day and I was crushed when I found out she eventually opened the bottle and drank the vodka! The gold in it is supposed to help arthritis.

Dad was the one who got to put the star or topper on the top of the Christmas tree. I guess no one else was tall enough.

We opened presents on Christmas Eve night, after a big family dinner. Christmas day was supposed to be reserved for religious observation. I didn't open presents on Christmas morning until I met my husband. I think we have better pictures when we open on Christmas Eve.

A non-holiday tradition was we frequently went for a long drive on the weekend. The whole family would pile into the car and we'd go somewhere. Because we lived in an area and a time when housing was booming, we usually ended up checking out new neighborhoods and model houses.

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growing up:
- hors buffet on xmas eve
- playing board games with my family (I loved that togetherness as a child)
- my mom baking multiple kinds of cookies at xmas
-Sat. nights of "visiting" with cousins for free Sat. entertainment. Adults play cards and kids play.

now:
-Friday night movie night at home
-Sundays "relaxing" days

growing up
christmas eve went to late church for music only ceremony
christmas eve we had chilli and cinnamon rolls then opened our presents
christmas day we opened our gift santa left and our stockings
saturday nights we ate at papa juans a mexican joint
sundays we had a brunch at home after church
we made snow men first good packing snow

things i do with my kids
bake their b-day cakes
friday night is movie night with popcorn and m&m's
friday nights is camp out night the kids get to camp out in the living room
saturday if we are home is game night
we build snow forts and snow men the first good packing snow
christmas eve we have homemade pizza and they open their gifts from us
christmas morning we have a big breakfast the kids open gifts santa left

a new thing we started recently is ask me any question we each have a box and we can ask a question a week that we might not have asked in conversation and in passing it has been alot of fun.

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We had many family traditions growing up, which would probably be carried on more if we still lived in the area or on the farm. I remember every little silly thing we would do as kids with our parents, which is why I so want to create the same memories for my kids.

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I just started this last night, after too many nights of a hyper child.

We color together before bedtime for relaxation.

The only tradition that I can really think of that we do with the kids is we always go to DH's family's house on Christmas Eve, have a huge dinner there and then open up gifts with that side of the family. I am trying to form a family fun night filled with games and such, but as the kids get older they seem to lose interest in playing these games.

Something I do remember from growing up, is always eating the candy from our stockings for breakfast.

My parents were really nontraditional, so my husband and I have created some of our own for the kids. One is that we give them each an ornament or decoration on the night we put up our tree so that each year they have a special item of their own, plus it helps our very slim collection of Christmas decorations grow. It could be something hand made or store bought, or their baby shoe (my personal favorite).

For Christmas- We take a tour or two of the lights. We sing Christmas carols and have a great time. We also spend a day at Target for the kids letting them pick out a gift for each of their sibblings. While I am shopping with them their Dad sits at the snack bar with the others. We come home a secretly wrap them. My kids have some friends over and we have a cookie decorating session. Christmas eve is spent at my MIL with my DH's family in tow.

For Valentines day I hide a small gift for each of my kids and they have to find it with the clues I have for them. For the ones that can't read I do picture clues. My kids love this even if at the end of the clues the gift is a book or a new toothbrush.

St. Patricks day- their lunch is green (green chips, green peanutbutter (yes this is possible), green cookies, etc. For breakfast they have green eggs and green milk. The toliet water is even green.

Sundays- are for church and relax with family day. We run, run all week so we take Sun to relax and catch up with one another.

Friday nights- is normally pizza night.

Thanksgiving day- the turkey trot is ran by our family.

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A Family of 5's quest to forget the Joneses.

In the spirit of Christmas - kids make candy. Each year my brothers and I would make candy from scratch, we all had our own "kind". I started my kids doing it a couple years ago and they love doing it.