Holiday Traditions

Aside from the run of the mill Thanksgiving dishes, what are some of your family traditions that it wouldn't be a family holiday without?

My dad's side of the family is Southern through and through, so the Turkey must be accompanied by dumplings at his mom's house.

On my mom's side, my great grandmother immigrated from Austria Hungary in ~1917, and my grandfather grew up in the ethnic neighborhoods of Bridgeport, CT. A holiday at their house was not complete without pierogies. My family makes them with mashed potatoes, cinnamon, and sharp cheddar. They are then placed in a large vessel with lots of melted butter. Everybody is responsible for their own defribillator paddles.

These are the things that complete the holiday meals in my family. What about yours?

-Pete

you beat me to it Pete, but this is not a food tradition.

Ever since our daughters were very young, we drive around and look at Christmas lights. As they got older and could talk, we "rate" the houses. From A, B, C, D and there is no F, but there is a GRINCHES! rating, lol. The drives have evolved, i pack snacks and drinks now, and we have fun talking about past Christmas houses that we loved AND hated. The girls are now 13 and 11 and we have the boys who are 2 and 1 to take along also now. We are interested to see how our 2 yr. old will react to the houses, he is old enough to enjoy it now. As of now, he likes to drive around and see the PUNKINS! on doorsteps.

Pete, the Veneman household has a couple....both of my favs were developed in my dear Grandmother's hand, and she passed them to me and my mother.

1) Dressing balls----there was always a fight at the table as to who would get the crunchy part of the dressing....so Mimi rolled them into balls and put them on a cookie sheet to bake and everybody was happy, especially when we could beat the squirells to the Chestnut trees in the backyard.....it has been a staple of the holidays ever since.

2) Mimi's Bourbon Yams ---- couldn't be simpler.....big can of yams in syrup, Brown Sugar, OJ, and 2 shot of Jack. Everything is to taste....no measureing----and usually the booze got "spilled" a bit.

As for "traditions", I always brine my turkey (just roasted two turkey breasts this evening after brining for a few hours; awesome!). Also, I'm the only one who likes them, but I always like to make a Navy Bean Pie. Hubby won't even try it, which always ticks me off. Otherwise, our Thanksgiving meal is pretty run of the mill.

Big 'ol dinner around 2PM then off to the movies, home for a nap.

It's not a Thanksgiving holiday tradition, but every year, when my mom and dad are putting the lights up on the Christmas tree, they get in a huge screaming match, because my dad is super OCD about stuff like that. Everything has to be evenly spaced, and just so, and it drives my mother to insanity. I think they should drink some (spiked) eggnog, THEN hang the lights.

My "Grandmother's Spaghetti and Meatballs" are truly one of the things I look forward to most in the holiday season. You can only take two meatball's until everyone goes through the buffet. Some years, that's 50+.
Born mostly out of necessity; because we have a HUGE Catholic family on my father's side, that dish has defined our hoilday meal for years. I've tried to replicate it and have gotten pretty close, but don't have it down quite yet.
I'm afraid it will pass we she does.

My "Grandmother's Spaghetti and Meatballs" are truly one of the things I look forward to most in the holiday season. You can only take two meatball's until everyone goes through the buffet. Some years, that's 50+.
Born mostly out of necessity; because we have a HUGE Catholic family on my father's side, that dish has defined our hoilday meal for years. I've tried to replicate it and have gotten pretty close, but don't have it down quite yet.
I'm afraid it will pass we she does.

Dan my mother makes a traditional Puerto Rican rice called arroz con gandules. My whole family LOVES it and whenever we would have a family gathering/get together/party we would beg her to make her rice. I cannot make it, but i have thought about it and i don't think i want to.

I want to have the memory of my mother's rice, to me the best rice i have ever had. It is comfort, home, family, it completely encompasses my mother's love. It is something that just cannot be replicated.