What are your Christmas traditions? - Empty Closets - A safe online community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered people coming out

Helen XX · 14th Dec 2010, 11:45 PM

In my family its Christmas Eve shopping. We have done it every year for as long as I can remember.

Jay · 15th Dec 2010, 07:16 AM

Work? It's Christmas Eve "Thank you for calling!" for the second year in a row :O

maverick · 15th Dec 2010, 07:35 AM

The most consistent one is bitching about the soulless commercialization of the holiday season, driven by our relentless corporatocratic overlords.

Miss Bubbles · 15th Dec 2010, 08:22 AM

My brothers and I have to sleep in the same room, then the next morning around 5:30 my dad wakes us up while my ma starts breakfats we open our presents!!!!!! Then we clean the rest of the day or go to a family members house for the day. Last year my bro and i played santa and ate the cookies while my dad drank the beer. (please don't ask about why beer instead of milk)

malachite · 15th Dec 2010, 09:41 AM

My family and I do a secret Santa open gifts and my Grandparents used to come over, they're both dead now

That is only thing I really miss around the holidays was getting to see Grammy and Pops

Helen XX · 17th Dec 2010, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay

Work? It's Christmas Eve "Thank you for calling!" for the second year in a row :O

That sucks. I'll be working all through Christmas too. Sometimes being your own boss isnt so good! lol!

MMAnick · 17th Dec 2010, 01:48 AM

I have to see A Christmas Story at lest one time during this season. And christmas day we normally open gifts then go to my cusins house to give my now 7 and 3 year old cusins their gifts and hang out with family then to my grandma's house for more gift and more importantly family fun. Then back home to get ready for a movie with family and/or friends....even if I get no gifts I just love being around so much family tbh.

redsapphire · 17th Dec 2010, 03:03 AM

I have this pillow with a picture of Santa on it that I only ever get out for Christmas Eve, then it goes away for another year!

MusicIsLife · 17th Dec 2010, 03:38 AM

some of our traditions include listening to my grandfather complain about there being too many presents under the tree, my mom telling my brother slow down as he speeds through opening his stocking presents so fast that hes not even seeing what hes getting, little things like that.

**Lexington** · 17th Dec 2010, 08:40 AM

Mainly fun ones.

In order to make shopping easier for everybody, we draw names. Everybody in the family (my parents, my aunt, my brother, his wife, my sister, her husband, my partner and myself) draws a name, and that's the person you buy a large-ish gift for. Most people also buy small things for other people - $5 or so - but it's not necessary. We do have to buy something for my niece, too, because she's four and that's just what you do for kids, apparently.

These gifts get opened Christmas morning if everybody's in town. If not, we wait until everybody IS in town before opening.

We also do a separate gift purchase - the white elephant. We find the WORST thing we can find, and wrap it in special paper. Then on Christmas eve, we put everything in the center of the living room, we each pick a present, we open it, and laugh ourselves silly about the awful things we've found. Then we have dinner, which oddly is always something different. My parents and my brother's family go to midnight mass - the rest of us don't.

Christmas brunch, on the other hand, is always the same. Apple-sausage ring with scrambled eggs in the middle, biscuits and perhaps a hash brown or some potato dish. We never have it any day but Christmas.

My parents get a live tree every year. When we were young, we'd help decorate it with a variety of weird ornaments of all kinds - the standard colored metallic balls, the four-color lights, craft fair projects, everything. On top wasn't a star but a cloth drummer boy - not sure why. Once we got older, my father decided he'd rather decorate the tree himself, and they usually end up with all white lights and all gold balls, or something along those lines. Certainly prettier, but the old way was much more fun, I think.

Lex

Courtneyyy · 17th Dec 2010, 09:07 AM

Christmas Eve- Go to Applebees for drinks and appetizers with my best friend's family. Then we'll be off to church, altho I've been away at school till today I'll be singing with the choir. We go to Applebees because that's the only place that's open in the evening on Christmas Eve. We'll get home and my mom, brother and I will probably watch a movie and drink margaritas or fruity martinins. Chex mix will possibly be eaten.

Christmas Day- Some sort of nasty sausage or egg breakfast. Gifts as family. Then in the afternoon we're going to my mom's coworker's house for dinner with her family. PS, this coworker of her's was my spanish teacher when i was in 9th grade. Haha.

GoinStag · 17th Dec 2010, 11:51 AM

Me and the rest of my cousins pull names out of a hat, kinda like a Secret Santa type thing. It's pretty much the worst tradition I've ever taken part in. It never stays a secret who got who (I don't car so much about that part), and the spending limit is like $10. That can't even buy a CD unless it's on sale or it's an EP or something lol.

Plgrm43 · 24th Dec 2010, 09:51 PM

My family has a few of the normal ones - wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve (in different parts of the house, though we always seem to find excuses to peak around at each other!), Church in the morning, BIG breakfast, opening gifts.

The BEST one though has got to be one of my favorites in the whole world. We put a stuffed squirrel into our tree after we put it up.

Now, it's a little different I know but can anyone guess where we were inspired to do this?

Merry, Happy, Joyous Christmas!

Lotty · 26th Dec 2010, 04:43 PM

My grandparents, my aunt and my two very annoying cousins come over at around 3 o'clock.
My mum, dad, grandparents, aunt, sister and me start talking about uninteresting things. My cousins and little brother go upstairs to play, come downstairs every now and then, shooting with fake guns and talking about spies and stuff. Then we have dinner. Then we talk, while the little boys go play again. Then the boys come downstairs and announce that they made a musical. So we have to watch a musical without songs for at least twenty boring minutes. Then my aunt decides it's time for my youngest cousin to go to bed and they leave. We're stuck with the mess, and as our parents are half-drunk, my sister and I have to clean up.
But it's still great.

Nodnarb · 26th Dec 2010, 04:57 PM

Christmas Eve my parents, my sister, and I go up to my aunt's house to spend the day with my mom's family. Not many people on that side of the family, so everybody gets everyone else something. We don't really have any other traditions with them. Well, we always have pizza rather than something traditional like turkey. But that's about it.

Christmas morning, we get up and open presents at home. Then in the afternoon we head down to my grandparents' house with the rest of my dad's family. That side of the family is huge. We used to draw names for gifts, but we don't anymore. Now it's pretty much everybody gets gifts for my grandparents, and for anybody who had a new baby or just got married, and the grandparents get things for everybody. My grandma was practically buried under her pile of presents yesterday

In the past we played a couple basketball games in the driveway (weather permitting), but my grandma broke her arm playing several years back and we don't do that much anymore

And the biggest tradition, of course, is the annual paper-ball fight. After all the gifts are unwrapped, things turn into an all-out war. It's amazing we haven't broken more stuff over the years

mischa91 · 27th Dec 2010, 06:15 AM

We used to have traditions, when me and my brother were little we'd all (family and friends) go out to a pub and have icecreams and drinks on christmas eve. christmas day we would open gifts then visit the cousins and them we'd have dinner at the house with our grandparents.

now my parents and i have moved overseas from the rest of the family we tend to do something different every year. i miss going for icecream on christmas eve.

Fintan · 27th Dec 2010, 09:20 PM

Christmas eve is spent wrapping gifts and then off to the Christmas Eve Service at our little country church, basically a second family to me as I have been going to this 50 people church every weekend (until I went to University) since I can remember. Then, we come home and relax around the tree. Most go to bed by 11, but I love to stay up and turn the tv to the Vatican's Midnight Mass. I'm not a Catholic but I love the pomp and ceremony around the whole thing with all the languages, different people from around the world, cool traditions... its pretty spectacular.

Christmas morning is spent with my immediate family opening stockings and gifts, then a good fry-up for lunch. Then off to my grandparents house where my 25 closest relatives arrive to open a few more gifts and Christmas dinner!

I love Christmas!

14th Dec 2010, 11:45 PM	#1
Helen XX Well Known Full Member Gender: Female Orientation: Gay Out Status: A few friends! Location: Europe Age: 20 Posts: 167 Join Date: Nov 2010	What are your Christmas traditions? In my family its Christmas Eve shopping. We have done it every year for as long as I can remember. __________________ You can stop law but you can't stop love-Sing You Home (Jodi Picoult)

15th Dec 2010, 07:16 AM	#2
Jay Proud 2b Catholic, Proud 2b Gay Full Member Gender: Hombre Orientation: Gay cookie with Bi sprinkles. Out Status: I won't deny it. Location: Bartlett, TN Posts: 571 Join Date: Feb 2009	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? Work? It's Christmas Eve "Thank you for calling!" for the second year in a row :O __________________ Another view. HERMAPHRODITES!!! Should we cut off their extra "penaynay"? Or enlarge their existing penis and get rid of the vajayjay? Because evolutionarily, they dont' make sense either.

15th Dec 2010, 07:35 AM	#3
maverick let watchers become warriors Full Member Gender: You tell me. Orientation: Hey good lookin'. wink Out Status: It's pretty obvious. Location: Alabama cue banjos Age: 26 Posts: 2,118 Join Date: Nov 2010	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? The most consistent one is bitching about the soulless commercialization of the holiday season, driven by our relentless corporatocratic overlords. __________________ Shelter me oh genius words, just give me strength / to pen these things, and give me peace to well her wings / and oh, oh carry on, all you minstrels of the world, we will catch our lady's ear, we will win for us the girl.

15th Dec 2010, 08:22 AM	#4
Miss Bubbles EC Addict Full Member Gender: confused on some levels Orientation: of the homosexual persuation. Out Status: So out im in Location: Indiana Age: 19 Posts: 1,037 Join Date: Nov 2009	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? My brothers and I have to sleep in the same room, then the next morning around 5:30 my dad wakes us up while my ma starts breakfats we open our presents!!!!!! Then we clean the rest of the day or go to a family members house for the day. Last year my bro and i played santa and ate the cookies while my dad drank the beer. (please don't ask about why beer instead of milk) __________________ A Dialogue my besty made up in first period: Oh this reminds me of the time joan rivers made that fatal mistake: Oh apples how I hunger for youuuuu. "Joan Don't Touch those!" -bite- -hiss- 'Joan you and adam are cast out of heaven!!!!'-- Ashley D.

15th Dec 2010, 09:41 AM	#5
malachite EC's realist Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Out to everyone Location: Orlando Posts: 6,480 Join Date: Apr 2009	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? My family and I do a secret Santa open gifts and my Grandparents used to come over, they're both dead now That is only thing I really miss around the holidays was getting to see Grammy and Pops __________________ It's the 21st century, your bigotry is outdated. Either upgrade or go away.

17th Dec 2010, 01:48 AM	#7
MMAnick MMA Nick Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: 30% BI and 70% Gay i do belive at this point Out Status: 1 person :) Location: GA Age: 23 Posts: 137 Join Date: Nov 2010	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? I have to see A Christmas Story at lest one time during this season. And christmas day we normally open gifts then go to my cusins house to give my now 7 and 3 year old cusins their gifts and hang out with family then to my grandma's house for more gift and more importantly family fun. Then back home to get ready for a movie with family and/or friends....even if I get no gifts I just love being around so much family tbh. __________________ "But they ALL didn't see...the little bit of sadness in me..." - Kid Cudi

17th Dec 2010, 03:03 AM	#8
redsapphire EC's resident witch Full Member Gender: Female Orientation: Wow Mama Out Status: most except family Location: Bonny Lingland Age: 20 Posts: 877 Join Date: Jul 2008	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? I have this pillow with a picture of Santa on it that I only ever get out for Christmas Eve, then it goes away for another year! __________________ *Don't Bend, Don't Break, Baby Don't Back Down...*

17th Dec 2010, 03:38 AM	#9
MusicIsLife EC Addict Full Member Gender: Not even sure anymore. Something in between. Orientation: I like girls :) Out Status: Everyone on orientation 7 people on trans issue. Location: Montréal, QC Age: 23 Posts: 1,595 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? some of our traditions include listening to my grandfather complain about there being too many presents under the tree, my mom telling my brother slow down as he speeds through opening his stocking presents so fast that hes not even seeing what hes getting, little things like that.

17th Dec 2010, 08:40 AM	#10
Lexington The gay gargoyle EC Advisor Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Out to everyone Location: Colorado Age: 42 Posts: 12,371 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? Mainly fun ones. In order to make shopping easier for everybody, we draw names. Everybody in the family (my parents, my aunt, my brother, his wife, my sister, her husband, my partner and myself) draws a name, and that's the person you buy a large-ish gift for. Most people also buy small things for other people - $5 or so - but it's not necessary. We do have to buy something for my niece, too, because she's four and that's just what you do for kids, apparently. These gifts get opened Christmas morning if everybody's in town. If not, we wait until everybody IS in town before opening. We also do a separate gift purchase - the white elephant. We find the WORST thing we can find, and wrap it in special paper. Then on Christmas eve, we put everything in the center of the living room, we each pick a present, we open it, and laugh ourselves silly about the awful things we've found. Then we have dinner, which oddly is always something different. My parents and my brother's family go to midnight mass - the rest of us don't. Christmas brunch, on the other hand, is always the same. Apple-sausage ring with scrambled eggs in the middle, biscuits and perhaps a hash brown or some potato dish. We never have it any day but Christmas. My parents get a live tree every year. When we were young, we'd help decorate it with a variety of weird ornaments of all kinds - the standard colored metallic balls, the four-color lights, craft fair projects, everything. On top wasn't a star but a cloth drummer boy - not sure why. Once we got older, my father decided he'd rather decorate the tree himself, and they usually end up with all white lights and all gold balls, or something along those lines. Certainly prettier, but the old way was much more fun, I think. Lex

17th Dec 2010, 09:07 AM	#11
Courtneyyy ColbieMarie Full Member Gender: GIRL Orientation: Lesbian Out Status: Mom, brother and close friends Location: Flagstaff, AZ Age: 23 Posts: 975 Join Date: Jan 2009	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? Christmas Eve- Go to Applebees for drinks and appetizers with my best friend's family. Then we'll be off to church, altho I've been away at school till today I'll be singing with the choir. We go to Applebees because that's the only place that's open in the evening on Christmas Eve. We'll get home and my mom, brother and I will probably watch a movie and drink margaritas or fruity martinins. Chex mix will possibly be eaten. Christmas Day- Some sort of nasty sausage or egg breakfast. Gifts as family. Then in the afternoon we're going to my mom's coworker's house for dinner with her family. PS, this coworker of her's was my spanish teacher when i was in 9th grade. Haha. __________________

17th Dec 2010, 11:51 AM	#12
GoinStag I'm straight now............sikeeee Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Guy fetish Out Status: Parents, siblings, and therapist Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Age: 18 Posts: 1,485 Join Date: May 2010	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? Me and the rest of my cousins pull names out of a hat, kinda like a Secret Santa type thing. It's pretty much the worst tradition I've ever taken part in. It never stays a secret who got who (I don't car so much about that part), and the spending limit is like $10. That can't even buy a CD unless it's on sale or it's an EP or something lol. __________________ *I've been thinking 'bout this all day long, Never felt a feeling quite this strong...I can't believe how much it turns me on, Just to be your man...*

24th Dec 2010, 09:51 PM	#13
Plgrm43 Member Full Member Gender: A pretty girl in a man's body Orientation: Bisexual Out Status: A few people Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 61 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? My family has a few of the normal ones - wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve (in different parts of the house, though we always seem to find excuses to peak around at each other!), Church in the morning, BIG breakfast, opening gifts. The BEST one though has got to be one of my favorites in the whole world. We put a stuffed squirrel into our tree after we put it up. Now, it's a little different I know but can anyone guess where we were inspired to do this? Merry, Happy, Joyous Christmas!

26th Dec 2010, 04:43 PM	#14
Lotty Everybody's fool Regular Member Gender: Mostly female Orientation: I've given up on that one. Out Status: I don't hide it. Location: Holland!!!<3 Age: 17 Posts: 460 Join Date: Dec 2010	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? My grandparents, my aunt and my two very annoying cousins come over at around 3 o'clock. My mum, dad, grandparents, aunt, sister and me start talking about uninteresting things. My cousins and little brother go upstairs to play, come downstairs every now and then, shooting with fake guns and talking about spies and stuff. Then we have dinner. Then we talk, while the little boys go play again. Then the boys come downstairs and announce that they made a musical. So we have to watch a musical without songs for at least twenty boring minutes. Then my aunt decides it's time for my youngest cousin to go to bed and they leave. We're stuck with the mess, and as our parents are half-drunk, my sister and I have to clean up. But it's still great. __________________ .That's myself in the mirror.

26th Dec 2010, 04:57 PM	#15
Nodnarb Notoriously Homosexual Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: Most people Location: Ames, Iowa Age: 20 Posts: 3,875 Join Date: Oct 2007	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? Christmas Eve my parents, my sister, and I go up to my aunt's house to spend the day with my mom's family. Not many people on that side of the family, so everybody gets everyone else something. We don't really have any other traditions with them. Well, we always have pizza rather than something traditional like turkey. But that's about it. Christmas morning, we get up and open presents at home. Then in the afternoon we head down to my grandparents' house with the rest of my dad's family. That side of the family is huge. We used to draw names for gifts, but we don't anymore. Now it's pretty much everybody gets gifts for my grandparents, and for anybody who had a new baby or just got married, and the grandparents get things for everybody. My grandma was practically buried under her pile of presents yesterday In the past we played a couple basketball games in the driveway (weather permitting), but my grandma broke her arm playing several years back and we don't do that much anymore And the biggest tradition, of course, is the annual paper-ball fight. After all the gifts are unwrapped, things turn into an all-out war. It's amazing we haven't broken more stuff over the years __________________ Better to be hated for who you are, than be loved for who you're not.

27th Dec 2010, 06:15 AM	#16
mischa91 Well Known Full Member Gender: Genderqueer Orientation: Bisexual Out Status: Some friends and fb Location: Ohio. Originally from Newcastle Age: 28 Posts: 229 Join Date: Oct 2009	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? We used to have traditions, when me and my brother were little we'd all (family and friends) go out to a pub and have icecreams and drinks on christmas eve. christmas day we would open gifts then visit the cousins and them we'd have dinner at the house with our grandparents. now my parents and i have moved overseas from the rest of the family we tend to do something different every year. i miss going for icecream on christmas eve.

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27th Dec 2010, 09:20 PM	#17
Fintan EC Addict Full Member Gender: Male Orientation: Gay Out Status: My Family & some Friends! Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 28 Posts: 540 Join Date: Aug 2010	Re: What are your Christmas traditions? Christmas eve is spent wrapping gifts and then off to the Christmas Eve Service at our little country church, basically a second family to me as I have been going to this 50 people church every weekend (until I went to University) since I can remember. Then, we come home and relax around the tree. Most go to bed by 11, but I love to stay up and turn the tv to the Vatican's Midnight Mass. I'm not a Catholic but I love the pomp and ceremony around the whole thing with all the languages, different people from around the world, cool traditions... its pretty spectacular. Christmas morning is spent with my immediate family opening stockings and gifts, then a good fry-up for lunch. Then off to my grandparents house where my 25 closest relatives arrive to open a few more gifts and Christmas dinner! I love Christmas!