How do YOU celebrate the holidays?

Holidays Forum

I'm sure there's an old thread somewhere...

but how do YOU celebrate the holidays at home?
(or not at home) ... (or NOT celebrate the holidays?)

Thanksgiving:
we have a big family so one person volunteers their house (which relieves them of xmas duties) and we all get together, go around the table and say what we're thankful for, say grace, pig out and air out no football b/c we're ecuadorian - very few people like american football. Then after dinner we pick our secret santa name.

Xmas Eve (we celebrate that night):
EVVVEERRYYONNE (sometimes 40 or so) go to a house. we eat dinner, take LOTSA pictures. Listen to music (it's rarely xmas music) and do our secret santa by having people guess who we got with hints (this part is lame). Then we make fun of eachother (it's usually the youngest - me - who gets screwed). After that we USED to go to midnight mass but haven't in YEARS. My parents, brother and I go home and exchange OUR gifts at midnight. take MORE pictures. Have hot coco and go to bed and wake up super late xmas morning.

when we were little, all of us cousins (there's A LOT OF US) had to wait until AFTER MIDNIGHT MASS to open our gifts. Imagine a 6 year old waiting til 1am!!! Now the bratty little kids open their gifts right after dinner at like 7pm on xmas eve..... those mcbastards. They have no idea how to be patient.

New Years:
let's just say, my family throws some rockin' parties

I don't anymore -- too many of my family members have passed away on or near a birthday or holiday. Research states that the stresses associated with a holiday or birthday can induce a fatal heart attack or stroke. As far as I'm concerned, a holiday or birthday is just another day of the week...

Thanksgiving...
Normally, we have around 35 - 50 people at my mom's.
This year, there won't even be 15. My mom and my aunt are splitting up the amount, and each having a dinner at their house. Makes it nicer, because it's just too many damn people.
We're all meeting at my mom's, possibly doing a deep fried turkey this year. We're going to each bring something over to help out with food. We usually watch a football game, and a Disney movie. One year, we all watched, "Monsters, Inc." and had the BEST time. Don't know what it will be this year... but I have tons of Disney, WB, Pixar, etc... movies to bring over for us all to pick from.


Xmas Eve
Everyone and their dog comes to my mom's. We let all the kids open up their presents and have an 'easy' dinner. Simple foods. Then, everyone goes to church for the service, and I usually stay at my moms and clean up all the food, and mess, as a gift to her. Then, people come back and the adults exchange gifts.

Xmas day
We drive over to my aunts and have brunch there... and exchange gifts with the other side of my family (my dads relatives).

New Years Eve
I don't normally go out. I hate being out on this one night, because of all the drunk drivers. I like to stay home and watch the ball drop at midnight, in NY, and then, if I'm lucky, I make it up until midnight our time.

Oh I forgot Xmas Day!

Xmas Day:

We wake up all late. Have a late breakfast/lunch. Usually the rest of the family who didn't come for xmas eve comes to our house or we go to theirs for an early dinner. Or we just go to the movies or do something together. We used to go up to the mountain and play in the snow, but it's too crazy now. We're lazy It's all about family for us anyway.

You know, I used to go to a movie on Thanksgiving day. It was fun. But, that was when I didn't live here, in San Diego, with my family. When I was in Florida, my friends all went to see Titanic (I think that was the movie). We had a blast.

The holidays I celebrate:

Thanksgiving
Football, turkey, sleep, hanging out at some family members house.

Christmas
Depends, sometimes dinner, nothing too big.

St. Patricks Day
Dinking with friends, my most favorite day of the year. Must take off work the next day.

New Years Eve
Party the new year alllllll night.

Elvis' Birthday
No work for me.

-HECK!

Thanksgiving is the only one we keep. We eat like pigs, then take a nap.