View Full Version : Holiday Traditions...



Cache Maine
12-13-2004, 09:38 PM
Just wondering what everyone's holiday traditions are. My family always gets together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

This year, my brothers and their families will all meet at my parents house to open presents. We usually have some sort of buffet type meal, this year is make your own italians. Then we will all exchange and open presents...this is when the chaos starts. We usually start out good, then the kids get so excited, the paper starts flying and there's absolute chaos. It's still a treat to watch them open and enjoy their new things. But with all of that taken care of the night before, Christmas Day is relaxed and pretty laid back. Mom always puts together an amazing meal and we all gather again later in the day for that.

Hopefully this year, I'll be able to log just one Christmas cache. Does anyone else take the notion to geocache on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Beach Comber
12-13-2004, 11:31 PM
My family all lives out-of-state so our time together is typically on the phone. In years past we have been able to get together, but those opportunities are limited now.

Christmas Eve is typically spent at my in-laws with many immediate and extended family members stopping by with gifts and holiday cheer.

Unlike many families who are on the road a good part of the day, we have traditionally spent Christmas day at home. Stockings are opened upon awakening and then we have a big breakfast. Once that is finished we settle in front of a fire in the fireplace to open presents. With just one very mellow child, it's fairly sedate.

Have you seen the movie....A Christmas Story....? Set in the 50's with the child who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun? They end up having their holiday dinner at a Chinese Restaurant. We adopted that idea a number of years ago - maybe 15 - after seeing the movie. Usually it's take out, but if we feel like venturing out we may go to a restaurant. Yep - Chinese restaurants ARE open on Christmas day - well, at least in Portland they are.

A cache on Christmas day sounds wonderful! Since there is one just down the street that I haven't managed to do yet, perhaps I will get to indulge in that one. Otherwise, you can bet that once Christmas is over, I will be out on the caching trail again and frequently! One of my goals for next year is to cache as much as possible. Nope, it's not about the numbers, it's about the exercise and being outside!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!!

WhereRWe?
12-14-2004, 08:13 AM
With both kids out of the nest now, our holiday traditions have waned. Too bad, because one of my favorites was a Christmas breakfast of "Christmas Pancakes" and sausage - pancakes with chopped red and green maraschino cherries.

Now we just have tea and an English muffin.....

Sheesh!

(Oh - and RULOST2? has this bottle of perfume she's had for years but has never opened. It's traditional for it to show up in her Christmas stocking again each year, however...)

Mainiac1957
12-14-2004, 08:26 AM
We do what I think are fairly common traditions. Christmas Eve we usually let everyone open one gift to wet their appitite for morning. Then we go to midnight mass, which is usually at 10:00. (close enough I say) The we get back and finish up placing gifts and filling stockings. Putting us to bed around midight or one. I do usually manage to get up by 6:00, and then I get to get everyone up. We still have one young one in the house so it's fun for him anyway. We open the stockings, and have breakfast. Then it's usually pandimonium for the next hour or so. After we clean up the living room and find the dogs among the wrapping paper, I cook the big traditional Christmas dinner. My significant other cooks Thanksgiving and I do Christmas. We eat at 2:00 or 3:00 and then just veg out and pick leftovers for the rest of the day. Life is good! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. And yes I too would like to find a Christmas Day cache, but there aren't any quickies in this area. :(

parmachenee
12-14-2004, 10:47 AM
We have traditionally spent Christmas Eve and Day with my wife's parents enjoying a very festive holiday but now our children are out of the area. This year our son will be spending Christmas with his girlfriend's family in Alaska...North Pole, Alaska! He likes the REAL THING! :D We will be traveling to Rochester, NY to spend the holiday with my daughter, her husband and our two grandchildren. Somehow it doesn't seem like Christmas without little children around. :D I'm taking my snowshoes with the intent of doing some caching, especially at least one on Christmas Day. My wife reminded me that my first cache was on Christmas Day of 2002. Last year there was no snow on Christmas but I want to be prepared. One tradition my wife and I have is that we watch the movie "Christmas Vacation" at least a couple of times between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We always get a chuckle from it no matter how many times we watch it and it reminds us that with the stress this holiday brings, you have to slow down, relax, and laugh because nothing is perfect. Merry Christmas to all of our caching friends! We hope the new year will bring many new caches and many encounters with all of you. :) :)

Cache Maine
12-14-2004, 11:36 AM
And yes I too would like to find a Christmas Day cache, but there aren't any quickies in this area. :(
Maybe we need to fix that?!?!?! *thinking*

parmachenee
12-14-2004, 04:45 PM
I suggest climbing Mt. Waldo. :D or doing a virtual at Schoodic Pt.? Of course, "A Kings Cache" is available too. :D All we need is snow.

Cache Maine
12-19-2004, 09:02 PM
And yes I too would like to find a Christmas Day cache, but there aren't any quickies in this area. :(
I think this little issue has been fixed...am I right?