Christmas Traditions

  • December 13, 2011 7:40 AM PST
     ....I started making these over 30 years ago around Christmas time, and they became a big hit with my friends and family from the start. I turned Chili on to them, and now it seems every year the batch we make gets bigger and bigger. I live in a small town in the woods and we know all the waitresses at the tiny down town restaurant  and every year we take a plateful in to them for Christmas. Last year we did an "experiment" and made a small batch with.... Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon....you know...the stuff Kid Rock drinks....they were awesome ...eating one of those was like doing a shot of chocolate cherry bourbon...we call them...Red Stag Bombers ! ...I was in the restaurant yesterday....was 40 degrees and no snow on the ground so I rode the bike out for coffee....the waitresses are already talking about...when am I bringing .."the cherries" ?


    ....Its a great Tradition...and we make plates up for alot of our friends..local and out of state.....


    ....Anyone else have a Christmas Tradition that they do every year ? .. 






    • 0 posts
    December 13, 2011 7:49 AM PST
    Cool mate.Marni makes Jack Daniels Christmas balls..Most people make rum balls but we dont like rum so she makes them with Jack..She made a heap for a party on the weekend and I think I actually got 1..Pretty bloody popular..CHEERS BOOF
    • 1161 posts
    December 13, 2011 10:30 AM PST
    We use to go out driving the night before Christmas and look at all the lights on homes. And go to a local area where they do a drive through so you can drive into them. The boys use to enjoy it and my sister did when she as younger.
    • 9 posts
    December 13, 2011 10:00 PM PST
    Sounds silly at my age, but I HAVE to see "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", each and every year, or it just isn't Christmas. Along those lines, I make "ROAST BEAST" for Christmas dinner. Turkey is for thanksgiving....

    Ride Free
    Tweek
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    • 19007 posts
    December 13, 2011 11:12 PM PST
    I bet them Cherries are Great, Boof tell Marnie to save some for me. I love the Jack Balls.
    • 2072 posts
    December 13, 2011 11:53 PM PST
    One of my best friends does a toy drive every year for needy kids. On Christmas Eve he sits in his driveway (with more decorations than Disneyland !!!) dressed as Santa (Even has a REAL white beard) and hands out toys to about 300 - 350 kids. For the past few years my wife and I have braved the cold & played "Elves" to help him out. Such a thrill seeing these kids that have NOTHING having such a great Christmas. A couple of years ago it was like 28 degrees out and we were freezing. A girl about 12 years old came by me pushing her brand new bicycle with tears streaming down both cheeks....... I told my wife, THAT is why we do it !!!!!
  • December 14, 2011 7:09 AM PST
     ....very cool Cruiser. ...nothing like the feeling that comes with putting a smile on a childs face.....Merry Christmas my friend... 
  • December 14, 2011 2:11 PM PST
    Our family is one of the traditional types. When I was growing up, it was always oyster stew for Christmas Eve supper. Well, after getting married, that lasted one year. Our heritage is Scandinavian, so now it's Ris Grot (rice porridge) for supper. Sounds better in Norwegian than English. It's rice cooked in milk and cream until you can hardly discern the kernels. You cook it until it's thick and spread it on a plate. Very rich and tastes great with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
    • 1 posts
    December 16, 2011 7:50 AM PST
    My parents moved off and retired in Arizona so my tradition of spending it with them earting Mom's great cooking is over. This will be the first Christmas ever I didn't see mom and dad. Mom was actually crying the other night when I told her I would probably just spend the day alone or may go have a drink at the bar.

    I might just show up on their doorstep on Christmas Eve!!!
    • 834 posts
    December 16, 2011 11:47 AM PST
    Sounds like you really need to go see mom for Christmas there Bailout. I she is anywhere near Phoenix or Tucson, let me know and we'll get together when you come visit!
    • 5417 posts
    December 17, 2011 5:05 AM PST
    Hey Timbrwolf, Do you soak the cherries in the Brandy / Bourbon before dipping in chocolate?
  • December 17, 2011 5:25 AM PST
    Tweek wrote...
    Sounds silly at my age, but I HAVE to see "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", each and every year, or it just isn't Christmas. Along those lines, I make "ROAST BEAST" for Christmas dinner. Turkey is for thanksgiving....

    Ride Free
    Tweek

    Ha ha Tweek! Did you get the collection that is / was available at Costco? We did
    Don't forget  'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

    Coop

  • December 17, 2011 5:29 AM PST
    BailOut wrote...
    My parents moved off and retired in Arizona so my tradition of spending it with them earting Mom's great cooking is over. This will be the first Christmas ever I didn't see mom and dad. Mom was actually crying the other night when I told her I would probably just spend the day alone or may go have a drink at the bar.

    I might just show up on their doorstep on Christmas Eve!!!

    Do it man ~ been there on Christmas at the bar... all I could think of was 'Sad Cafe'... we just got the news our son is going to fly home for Christmas ~ couldn't ask for a better gift
    Merry Christmas!!!

    • 3006 posts
    December 17, 2011 2:30 PM PST
    Those look delicious Twolf !! Save me some..lol.. !
    My Mom puts up a Nativity scene thats pretty elaborate,she been doing that for over 60 years(just like her Mom did),we all gather on Christmas Eve light the nativity candles and say a special family prayer thats been passed down for the last 300+ years on her side of the family.She makes a lot of cookies too many to mentionmy favorite part !!
    Have a Merry Christmas !!
    • 844 posts
    December 18, 2012 8:05 AM PST
    We have lots of traditions here. Christmas eve is always a ham and all the fixens for dinner. After dinner we watch a couple of Christmas shows like Charlie Brown's Christmas and Smurf Christmas (kids are young). Then right before bed the kids always get to open their presents from grandma and grandpa which are always new PJs so they look good on Christmas morning.

    Christmas morning is a mad house. I wake up to two sets of eyes staring at me. I am never sure how long they been there but my slightest movement even a twitch is cause for them both to scream daddy's up we can open presents. My wife starts the hot chocolate and the frenzy begins. Two weeks worth of shopping and hours of wrapping all undone in seconds!

    After everyone has played with there new toys a bit its off to grandma and grandpas house for Christmas turkey lunch/dinner. Then me and my father-in-law fall asleep on the couches. Can't vary from tradition!!!
    • 5417 posts
    December 18, 2012 8:28 AM PST
    Sounds a lot like the Christmases we had when the kids were little.  Right down to the new pajamas on Christmas eve. 

    Now the kids are grown and have their own families, except for our youngest and he's 16.  So some of the traditions have gone from our house and moved to the kids houses. 

    We still have one tradition that will live forever - RAVIOLIS - my mom was Italian and I have had raviolis every single Christmas since I was old enough to eat solid food!  And knowing my mom, I probably had mushed raviolis when I was a baby!
    • 1855 posts
    December 18, 2012 9:13 AM PST
    I envy all of you. I remember very little of my childhood
    • 1 posts
    December 19, 2012 4:21 PM PST
    my Grandma made the best plum pudding ever...too her weeks to prepare it...Now days since she's gone no one bothers, funny how times have changed..now plum puddin comes in a tin...
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    • 16795 posts
    December 20, 2012 1:28 AM PST
    This year will be totally different both Christmas and Christmas Eve due to the economy and folks' work schedules.
    • 3006 posts
    December 20, 2012 6:29 AM PST
    The one dish I will miss the most this year, is the yorkshire puddings, my sis, who passed away used to make, so delicious.Recall one year almost losing dinner from eating like 4 of em LOL
    Christmas is one holiday we all enjoy & the family will gather together & share some Christmas joy in spite of the tough year we all had.My only solace is knowing that my loved ones are in a better place,and someday we will be reunited again
    wish everyone a most scrumptious & fulfilling Christmas,full of your favorite treats & holiday joy !!!
    • 601 posts
    December 20, 2012 10:22 AM PST
    lots of traditional stuff here , but one that we as a family always do is the youngest in the house lights a candle at 6pm on Christmas eve and then puts the angel on top of the tree...and then its PARTY TIME !!!!!!
  • December 21, 2012 3:10 AM PST
    We have this silly little thing, is that we all get together at my mom's house on Christmas day and hide drinks and take shots together in the garage until we are all liquored up really well, because my mother does not like booze and she also don't allow it in their house.
  • December 24, 2012 2:32 AM PST
    COOKIES, lots and lots of cookies. The tradition started when we were first married and all we could really afford as gifts for our large families was home made cookies. As years passed and the families got even bigger, so did the cookie "orders". We send a dozen cookies to everyone in the family which means at the high point we were making 21 dozen cookies. When the kids were growing up it was a great family project, now its back to just the wife and I making cookies and we are down to about 10 dozen.
    • 5417 posts
    December 23, 2013 10:33 AM PST
    Just went out and got all the fixin's for the Ravioli dinner. Since we will be having Christmas dinner at my oldest son's house this year, I will be making my raviolis on Christmas Eve.