Hellobee Boards

@LuLu Mom: that sounds fun!

We go sledding or take a hike on Christmas. We used to do ice skating Christmas eve. We love being outside!

We cut down our own Charlie Brown tree each year. We find the ugliest, smallest tree on the farm and bring it home and make it beautiful. I've done it since I was a kid and my husband loves the tradition so we are hoping B stays on board with it, too.

We also go for sushi and a movie every Christmas.

Our dinner on Christmas Eve is waffles and milkshakes

@Ra: are the theaters full or empty on Christmas?

@Mamaof2: Pretty full! Not everyone celebrates Christmas and the movies are one of the few things that are open so a lot of families go.

@kiddosc: I'd love to steal your Christmas Eve chili tradition. In FL, there aren't too many ways to "feel" cold and wintery, but chili is a good one.

@Mamaof2: @Ra: we went to the movies every year too growing up. The theatres were always packed.

A friend of mine had a Christmas Day brunch with her family. I'd like to incorporate that and have everyone don their PJs.

I don't think it's very unique, but we do a Christmas Eve box with new PJs, a Christmas movie, popcorn, hot cocoa mix an Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Santa comes to visit every Christmas Day afternoon (usually FIL or D) with gifts he "forgot" to drop off the night before

My dad always made tamales for Christmas Eve dinner!

Movie theaters are definitely full on Christmas day, as are Chinese food restaruants -- among my friends, Chinese food and a movie is called "Jewish Christmas".

Because my dad is Catholic, we never did that growing up. We always celebrated Christmas with my grandparents. But my friends all did/do it! We will definitely do Chinese food and a movie this year because we unfortunately can't travel to my family's Christmas celebration out of town.

On Christmas eve, we watch a old-school Jimmy Durante movie from the 1950s with stop-action taxidermy squirrel. Yes, it is as weird as it sounds.

@MrsLonghorn: We call it Jewish Christmas, too!

Growing up, Christmas Eve meant Feast of the Seven Fishes. Trying to keep this tradition alive, as it was always my favorite meal of the year.

After Christmas Eve mass, we sprinkle the front of the house with dry oats and glitter, to attract Santa's Reindeer.

We "adopt" a family through the county mental health department, and make sure some of their Christmas wishes are met.

We celebrate Advent, and rotate who gets to light the candles. Whoever lights chooses dinner. This is DD's first year lighting candles and her meal choices have been...interesting.

On Christmas morning, we string a garland of popcorn, nuts and cranberries and decorate a nearby tree for the birds and squirrels.

Our gift tags don't just say the name of who they are for. Instead, they give a clue. Then we all have to figure out who it's for.

We celebrate winter solstice to mark the shortest day of the year, and days getting longer afterward! We do it sort of Iranian style, light a fire in the fireplace and eat lots of pomegranates

We unwrap one present at a time (so only one person is unwrapping at a time). We always alternate whose turn it is to pick a present from under the tree by birth order. Before we start unwrapping we read a Christmas story and whoever read the story is the first to choose.

We do a buffet on Christmas Eve and drink way too many margaritas. We always make the same food and it always includes a platter of Chick Fil A nuggets because I can't get them very easily where I live.

And Christmas breakfast will be turkey bacon, chocolate (cinnamon) rolls, fresh fruit.

We might try watching a Christmas movie, but DD is more into running than sitting I am mostly excited to be with DH and LO.

@LadyPantaloons: we got gifts from our pets too!

@Pumuckl: we always had just one person opening at a time too. It went youngest to oldest.