I am sure you all have interesting traditions for this time of year. Please describe how your family celebrates the holidays. For years my family enjoyed special sandwiches that we would make ourselves. We called them "sloppy Joe" sandwiches. These were always reserved for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve celebrations. Can anyone describe this special sandwich? Just so you know, it does not contain any ground beef. When I was young, my brother and I used to spend all evening on New Year's Eve cutting up old newspapers to make confetti. At the stroke of midnight, we would go out in the street and throw it around. We made sure we had pots and pans to bang together too. Our parents always had a party so there were many young kids there to join our party in the street.
Tell us about your holidays. Who, what, where, when, why can all be used to describe your celebrations. Don't forget to include how far back in your family this tradition can be traced. Was it the same celebration that your grandmother would have had or your great-grandmother or back and back and back? How has your family's tradition developed or changed? I think you would need to ask your parents about their holidays when they were little to answer that question.
Do a little family research before you post your comments. We can talk about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I look forward to hearing from you all.
"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles."
traditional diwali for hinduism
The Ball was a geodesic sphere, six feet in diameter, and weighed approximately 1,070 pounds.
The last picture is my holiday card to all of you. Sorry I posted late today. I can't wait to hear about your traditions.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Prisbell
For christmas eve my anunts, uncles, and 4 cousins all gather at my house. We don't really have many traditions for christmas eve except that every year we hold it. For new years, my whole family goes to my aunts house in pennsylvania. After the ball drops on tv, all of the cousins run out side with sparkles and run down the street screaming happy new year. We stay overnight and then leave in the morning. It is a tradition that we always eat home on christmas eve and go out to eat on new years. Also, on new years, it is a tradition that every person has to bring a 10 dollar gift. then we all put them in a circle and pull numbers out of a hat. You pick one of the gifts in the center and then the next person goes. Although, the next person can choose to open another gift or steal one that someone else has already opened. Alouth the gift can not be stolen more than 3 times. It is usally pretty funny since most of the gift are funny ones.
ReplyDelete-Jenna Walker
Yes I am first! :) My family doesnt have any traditions for Christmas or Thanksgiving. I either go with my dad or mom (they are divorced, so my siblings and I alternate between parents). My dad would always take me to my grandma Sharons for either holiday, but she died on my birthday this year :'( so I dont know what were doing; We might be going to my aunts for Christmas instead. My Mom is taking us to my other grandmothers house December 18th because that's the only day we all arent busy. So no "traditions." But my other other grandmother (my family tree is a bit weird) and I started a new tradition for the 4th Of July and Labor Day. She takes us up to NYC to visit her family with my grandpa to see our cousins and uncles, aunts, etc.
ReplyDeleteDang, a tie for first at the sames second!! Thanks Jenna, I was hoping to be first :/
ReplyDeleteHa! I can't believe Jenna and Jimmy tied for first. Jenna's tradition seems close to mine.
ReplyDelete@Jimmy....I am glad you and your other grandmother started a new tradition for another time of year. NYC is great anytime! Sounds like a good one. I assume you see the fireworks on the waterfront too.
Thanks to both of you for sharing.
Mrs. Prisbell
Some traditions in my family are like we always have my grandma's potato salad every thanksgiving and it's delicious, after the ball drops we also go outside with pots and pans and bang then together and keep yelling the year, we go christmas caroling every year with my aunt because it is so much fun and we enjoy singing for people, and we always trade presents in the same order every year like the adults first, oldest kids, and than youngest kids. My favorite tradition is definitely the christmas caroling with my aunt because it's just so much fun and I never see her because she's lived in North Carolina for the past 5 years. Traditions, for me, are always fun things. Oooo btw, I won't be handing in that permission slip for the holiday movie because I won't be here next friday because I am leaving for Florida on the Thursday, the day before. See ya tomorrow, Mrs.P!!! :)
ReplyDelete~Courtney M.
@ Courtney M....I was happy to hear that your family still keeps the tradition of Christmas Caroling alive. I love that too. As far as the gifts go, I am surprised the little ones can wait to be last to open gifts. Ha.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know about the permission slip.
See you tomorrow too.
Mrs. Prisbell
My family honestly doesn't have many traditions. Every year, my sister and I make a slideshow about how much things have changed over the past year, and then we show it to our families. It's usually quite the tear-jerker! Also, we always watch movies such as "My Cousin Vinnie" or "Weekend At Bernie's." We never really liked Christmas movies, and in my family, those movies are classics.
ReplyDeleteOk so like every Christmas before me n my sisters were born, my grandma,momom, had a Christmas eve party every year. This was the best party of the year and it is suprising how many people fit in her house lol. Unfortunately she had passed beofrebi was born so my uncle bill took in the rolebas the party person. So whnebi finally cane about lol on Christmas eve, we would go to my gtanfmas house for a sit down dinner which consisted of baked macaroni and cheese , ham, and all the fixens. Them we would go to my uncles house for the sweet treats, family, and party. But when my grandma wad sick we ended up having dinner at our house n now she is gone but we have a nice dinner all to ourselves and then head off to the party. On Christmas morning everyone cones to iur house for a nice buffet for breakfast. My grandpa always comes first and so did my grandma. And a bout an hour layer the rest if the gang will show up. We have Christmas diner in a lot ofvplaces but have had it at out house for the past few years, and the guests change as time goes on. After dinner we go to my aunt sandys house for more dessert and presents and singing some songs around a big table. On news years eve , we have a nice dinner ussually prime rib, and used to have my grandma and grandpa but now just my grandpa and maybe a cousin or two. My grandpa always bring like little things that make noise and the tiaras that say new years and stuff. We wait unfilled the ball drops and start banging pots and pans, and call my uncle who is ussually down the road at my uncle frank and aunt debbies making noise too, and wish them all a happy holiday. For the fourth if July, my family goes out in boats to some places to swim and grill and stuff and then go back in and cone out again to whatcha the fire works, we don't really have a big dinner that night but we have alot of fun. Oh n I think the day before the fourth if July, we go to our friend Dennis's house for a big party with the family. I really don't have my whole family in barnegat btw, but we call all if our close friends family. Js
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYeah. That's the main tradition in my family and I know! I don't know how they wait until the end!!! Your Welcome! Can't wait to finish the Outsiders book!!!!!!!! :)
ReplyDelete~Courtney M.
Ok, now it gets tricky. I don't celebrate Christmas, I'm a Hindu (no I do not speak Hindu I speak HINDI, it is not possible to speak a religion people). It's a very complicated religion to explain and it could take hours to explain because it's so confusing. We have one main "god" which is a man and a woman and many deities. So, in order to acknowledge all of them, we basically have some sort of festival every month. Mostly it's just fasting for one or two days. The really big holiday that recently passed was diwali, the festival of lights. In India people light candles outside to form special images and use chalk to draw pictures. Then they light fireworks. On this day we get new clothing and eat good food, almost like Christmas. Since we use a lunar calendar, the holidays fall on a different day every year.
ReplyDeleteThe next big holiday that we will be celebrating is called holi. It is the festival of colors and springtime. On this day people get sprayed with colored water and different colored dyes. According to my mom its really fun and you get let out of school for this. Holi usually happens in March or February.
So I don't celebrate Christmas like most people but we still do fun things. For diwali my mom probably lit 30 candles and put them outside! It was really pretty. I've never been to a holi celebration though, its not fun unless the entire country is doing it, that's why I wanted to go to India.
P.S. Morgan I love the movie "My Cousin Vinnie"
@ Morgan G....Those movies are classics in my family too. Isn't "Weekend at Bernie's" the all time worst movie ever? Oh, no, "Weekend at Bernie's TWO" wins that award hands down.
ReplyDeleteYour video idea is a great tradition.
@ Morgan R....Your family has some great traditions. Sounds like fun. BTW It was especially hard to read your typing this time. Ha.
@ Jazmine...Thanks so much for the Hindu holiday information. I will look for some pictures especially for your holidays. Check back soon.
Mrs. Prisbell
I only have a couple of traditions with my family. One of them is with my dad's side, where I have about 13 other cousins... For christmas, instead of buying everyone a present, we put everyone's name in a hat and go around picking one name out of the hat. Which ever name we pick, that is the person we buy a gift for. This way, everyone gets a gift! Also, on Christmas Day, I wake up, open my gifts, and go to church at around 10 am. Most people I know of have a special Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, but my family? No way. We just have the regular.
ReplyDeleteErin O...I like the name-out-of-a-hat idea!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Prisbell
My family doesn't have much tradition, but every Christmas Eve, my parents, my sister and I go to my grandparents on my dads side. That night is usually only us, my grandparents and my uncle. When we get there we usually eat dinner and watch Christmas movie's or talk. Then we have dessert and later open some presents. For Christmas morning, when everyone in my house is up, we open our presents up and take pictures with our gifts. A little after that we go up north to my grandparents on my mom's side and spend the day up there. I always love spending Christmas there because I have a lot of cousins and that side, matter of fact, 10! It's really nice to see them because I rarely get to because of the long distance. I love Christmas because it brings my whole family together in one to have a nice time. It's one of my favourite holidays!
ReplyDeleteCourtney W....I agree that the best part of Christmas is that it brings the family together. I was also the oldest of 10 cousins and getting together was always special.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Mrs. Prisbell
Here's a Christmas quote "Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
ReplyDeleteby Calvin Coolidge
For Thanksgiving we usually make cookies with my mother. An old tradition was picking clothes out of the old clothes closet. My brother would wear my dad's tie, my dad a flowered shirt, etc. (Dinner would be with just my family of course!) We also make cookies for Christmas. The tradidtion does not date back, but we do it almost every year. The recipes, though, are passed down from my great granparents. When we put up the Christmas tree, we listen to holiday music. We go to Church every year. On Christmas, we are always with family. Everyone is invited and all who come enjoy music,dancing food, and laughter! We always take the "wonderful" Christmas pictures! My three brothers don't always cooperate because they don't enjoy the experience. I am alright, although, I get tired after so many. There always seems to be one of us looking crazy! On New Year's Eve we stay up to watch the ball drop. We watch movies, play games, and make horderves.In my family, the holidays are all about being with the ones you love and making memories.
ReplyDeleteDevony...Very good point about the holidays are about being with family.
ReplyDeleteHi Calvin. What a perfect quote. I love it. Let's share with the class next week.
P. S. I love your pen name.
Mrs. Prisbell
Hayley o,
ReplyDeleteI was the person with the idea but anyways I found this topic pretty interesting. In my homeroom we had like adissucion of traditions and some
Were very typical others unique. My family traditions are that we get a few presents Xmas, bake, read Xmas stories at night, and my favorite is making the reindeer food which we spread all over the yard. I love the holidays and to me it's sad when they're over which is why I love Xmas eve! I can't believe next week at this time it will be the night before christmas!!!
For Christmas,my dad makes rice pudding every year. There is always one raisin in the whole pot of pudding, and whoever gets it is supposed to have good luck for a year! It started with my grandfather (my dad's dad) and we have been doing it ever since. We also have a lot of pasta and homemade Italian meatballs. This is because my dad's grandfather came from Italy, and we LOVE pasta in my family. Other than that, we decorate our tree with ornaments from generations handed down. On New Year's, we have baklava every year. That started with my great-grandmother (my dad's grandmother), who came from Greece. ~Emma A.
ReplyDeleteFor Christmas, a few simple traditions are all that I have. On christmas eve we would normally go to my uncles up north and exchange gifts with the cousins on the mom's side of the family. Then, two years ago it was so crazy and tons of traffic going to and from their house, we decided to switch our tradition up and have OUR Christmas eve the tuesday after. For as long as as I can remember, my aunt from up north comes down to my house on christmas with my cousins and exchanges gifts that day. We always enjoy the same meal and same sequence of events because my dad's side of the family DOES NOT like to drift away from the usual traditions. So, my mom makes home made italian wedding soup and lasgna from scratch.I enjoy this meal so much and look forward to it every year. I do have to say though, I really don't like changing up traditions because if it is all that I had known, why would we want to differ from it? Traditions are a very important and sentimental centerpiece in my family and every year it is cherished.
ReplyDelete@ Hayley...Thanks for the idea. I can't believe it's all over. So fast...
ReplyDelete@ Emma....What delicious traditions your family has!
@ Erika...I agree with your idea on traditions. Hopefully, you will keep them the same when you have your own family.
Mrs. Prisbell