Favorite European Christmas Traditions?
Dec 13th, 2010, 09:25 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Favorite European Christmas Traditions?
So today I was thinking how much I love Christmas...and how much I love Europe. I've never spent a Christmas IN Europe, but I do love to bring touches of the Old World into our festivities. So many of our American traditions (like the Christmas tree) come from Europe/England anyway.
SO my question for you is, What's your favorite European Christmas tradition? Or, How do you incorporate your European travels into your home at the holidays?
A few of my favorite ways:
*Tree ornaments that I purchased abroad
*Watching Rick Steves' "European Christmas" and other Christmas movies set in Europe (The Holiday, The Last Holiday, etc)
*Baking traditional recipes like Gingerbread & Wassail
What about you? Help us add to the list of European cheer this Christmas?
SO my question for you is, What's your favorite European Christmas tradition? Or, How do you incorporate your European travels into your home at the holidays?
A few of my favorite ways:
*Tree ornaments that I purchased abroad
*Watching Rick Steves' "European Christmas" and other Christmas movies set in Europe (The Holiday, The Last Holiday, etc)
*Baking traditional recipes like Gingerbread & Wassail
What about you? Help us add to the list of European cheer this Christmas?
Dec 14th, 2010, 04:13 AM
#4
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here is something a little different.
Soon after we moved to Witney, Oxfordshire, in November, 1954, my mother made and put a Christmas wreath on our door.
A couple of days later, the postman knocked to deliver something to large for the mail slot. When my mother answered, the postman said. "I am so sorry, Madam, and at this time of year!"
In that town, at that time, the residents only used wreaths as signs of mourning, not as Christmas decorations, and the postman thought we had experienced a death in the family.
We very quickly adopted the UK Christmas cake that persimmondeb describes above, but we had a tiny Santa (well, Father Christmas) and sleigh and an tiny evergreen tree that we used to decorate the cake for many years.
Soon after we moved to Witney, Oxfordshire, in November, 1954, my mother made and put a Christmas wreath on our door.
A couple of days later, the postman knocked to deliver something to large for the mail slot. When my mother answered, the postman said. "I am so sorry, Madam, and at this time of year!"
In that town, at that time, the residents only used wreaths as signs of mourning, not as Christmas decorations, and the postman thought we had experienced a death in the family.
We very quickly adopted the UK Christmas cake that persimmondeb describes above, but we had a tiny Santa (well, Father Christmas) and sleigh and an tiny evergreen tree that we used to decorate the cake for many years.
Dec 14th, 2010, 07:12 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Christmas traditions in our house include decorating the tree on Christmas eve whilst listening to the 9 lessons and Carols from Cambridge. (The Christmas tree came to Britain from Germany with Queen Charlotte, and was popularised under Victoria, Canada had Christmas trees before Britain did.)
Hanging up the stockings on the mantelpiece, and leaving a mince pie and a glass of something strong and warming for Father Christmas. Even though my sons are grown up and married they still come and hang their stockings if they can.
Stockings opened on Christmas morning, then breakfast. Presents next. Lunch follows, turkey all the trimmings Christmas pudding (with a silver sixpence if I make it myself). Christmas crackers with awful jokes rubbish gifts and paper hats are all part of the fun.
After that it is walk the dog(s) and then collapse in the afternoon, doze a while, and then play games and eat turkey sandwiches until late.
I love Christmas cake but no one else does, so I don't make one any more.
This doesn't necessarily all take place on Christmas day in our house - it depends on when everyone can come.
Two sons have Dutch partners so celebrate Sinterklaas, and Christmas. One has a German partner - so they go to Germany for Christmas eve then drive to us on Christmas day if that is the day we are celebrating.
This year we are going to my son for the first time, so time for some new traditions to be created
.
The Dutch tend to decorate their tree the weekend after Sinterklaas (5 December) and never used to have Christmas presents. Now increasingly they give present and are becoming more "American" (their words, not mine) about it all, though Sinterklaas is making a comeback I'm pleased to say. They don't tend to eat turkey, but have game, or pork or a meat fondue. Often they eat at a restaurant one of the two days.
There is not much Christmas stuff in the shops until after Sinterklaas, except at the garden centres.
Hanging up the stockings on the mantelpiece, and leaving a mince pie and a glass of something strong and warming for Father Christmas. Even though my sons are grown up and married they still come and hang their stockings if they can.
Stockings opened on Christmas morning, then breakfast. Presents next. Lunch follows, turkey all the trimmings Christmas pudding (with a silver sixpence if I make it myself). Christmas crackers with awful jokes rubbish gifts and paper hats are all part of the fun.
After that it is walk the dog(s) and then collapse in the afternoon, doze a while, and then play games and eat turkey sandwiches until late.
I love Christmas cake but no one else does, so I don't make one any more.
This doesn't necessarily all take place on Christmas day in our house - it depends on when everyone can come.
Two sons have Dutch partners so celebrate Sinterklaas, and Christmas. One has a German partner - so they go to Germany for Christmas eve then drive to us on Christmas day if that is the day we are celebrating.
This year we are going to my son for the first time, so time for some new traditions to be created
.The Dutch tend to decorate their tree the weekend after Sinterklaas (5 December) and never used to have Christmas presents. Now increasingly they give present and are becoming more "American" (their words, not mine) about it all, though Sinterklaas is making a comeback I'm pleased to say. They don't tend to eat turkey, but have game, or pork or a meat fondue. Often they eat at a restaurant one of the two days.
There is not much Christmas stuff in the shops until after Sinterklaas, except at the garden centres.
