Happily Ever After Cafe discussion

What are some of your most cherished holiday traditions?

As a child one of my fave traditions was going to my grandmother's house and putting up the tree that she wasn't going to put up that year. It was a silver tree and not real big but we had lots of fun. As an adult I have gotten away from traditions. The Christmas dinner with family is about the only one we still do.

Sadly, I have none. My family was horribly dysfunctional and so any "traditions" we had growing up, were not happy ones.

SO, I made my own for my kids. My favorite, and the most important in my family is that we have a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas day. I know it's not really His birthday, but I just always wanted the kids to keep in mind what the holiday was meant to represent.

That's really sweet Dhestiny.

I like that one Dhes!

My husband and I had some different traditions growing up, so we picked our favorites and added new ones. From his side: We also do the birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday. From my side: Opening one (small) gift on Christmas Eve. Created together: We go out on Christmas Eve to look at the lights and watch It's a Wonderful Life when we get home. I also have the kids pick one new Christmas ornament every year, so that when they leave home, they already have 18 ornaments to decorate their own tree.

I like going out looking at the lights and I love that movie. It's on my top 100 movies list of all time.

I've told my girls they can have any of the ornaments on my tree. We do an ornament exchange with my husband's family so they're coming out of our ears. There are only 2 that are special to me.

I love the birthday cake!
Most of the childhood traditions are gone now except for opening a present on Christmas Eve and my dad makes this HUGE breakfast for everyone on Christmas morning.

I've always wanted a HUGE breakfast spread, but the kids start digging through packages before we have a chance to get the eggs cracked!!!

We went to a Christmas Eve party 2 years and you had to bring an ornament as a gift for the host and hostess.

UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "I've always wanted a HUGE breakfast spread, but the kids start digging through packages before we have a chance to get the eggs cracked!!!"


LOL We didn't start that one until we were a little older. But I was never up early to get into the presents. I wanted to sleep. I knew the presents would still be there. It's always been a big joke around here that I was the only child in the world that had to be dragged out of the bed on Christmas morning! :P

Nissie, lol. Dragged out of bed? You poor thing. I can't believe anyone would do such a thing. Christmas is the only day I DON'T have to drag my daughter out of bed.

Pamela, I've been a night person my entire life! The holidays were a very special time of sleeping in for me lol! No one else wanted to go along with it,however.

It was the same way with my boys when they were little. They never wanted to get up in the morning except for Christmas and they were always up before dawn.

We do the same thing! We make a birthday cake and celebrate the birth before anything else. I wanted my kids to remember what Christmas is about before the presents are torn open!

I love cake :)

Shel wrote: "We do the same thing! We make a birthday cake and celebrate the birth before anything else. I wanted my kids to remember what Christmas is about before the presents are torn open!"

Yep! Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to "push" Christianity, but I was shocked by how many of my kids' friends had no idea that the "Christ" in Christmas actually had some significance - other than the swear word, that is.

How about Christmas Carols? Got a favorite? Or one that you despise?

Or how about a fave holiday movie? Or one you are sick of?

We watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every year on Thanksgiving evening. We also almost always watch the classics...the old Miracle of 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. We never get tired of any of these!

It isn't Christmas without A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation! I also LOVE The Muppet Christmas Carol

I love It's a Wonderful Life but I can't stand A Christmas Story. Something about that movie makes me cringe.

I love the "religious" Christmas songs over the wintery, generic stuff. O Holy Night, Silent Night and Mary Did You Know are some faves. But I'm fond of Rudolph and Frosty too.

Angels We Have Heard On High and The Messiah are some of my favorites. I love Oh Holy Night when done well.

Love those too :)

Carol of the Bells is one of my favorite Christmas songs, especially the version done by the Transiberian Orchestra. I also love O Holy Night and anything done by Manheim Steamroller.

My all-time favorite Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life. I also like the Santa Clause movies, Miracle on 34th Street, The Nativity Story, and if they count as movies, all the old Christmas classics from TV, Rudolph, Frosty, The Little Drummer Boy.

I like those too, Julie. Not too thrill over the newer animated stuff but love that Rudolph and Frosty bunches. I also love Charlie Brown's Christmas.

I caught part of The Celtic Women doing some Christmas special on AETN. I enjoyed that.

I love Home Alone and The Family Stone. I just saw one this year that I've never seen before called Noel with Susan Sarandon and Paul Walker. It was good,too.

I love almost all the music.

Never saw The Family Stone or Noel.

They both made me cry a little.

Guess I'll watch for em :)

I love A Christmas Carol with Albert Finney. It is a kind of a musical but well done.
The Fourth Wise Man ... Martin Sheen and Alan Arkin

Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "I like those too, Julie. Not too thrill over the newer animated stuff but love that Rudolph and Frosty bunches. I also love Charlie Brown's Christmas. "

I love Charlie Brown too. That poor little Christmas tree is just so cute.

Nissie wrote: "I love Home Alone and The Family Stone. I just saw one this year that I've never seen before called Noel with Susan Sarandon and Paul Walker. It was good,too."

I like Home Alone too. It's another fun one I didn't think of.

Elf!!! I love that movie! And A Christmas Story and The Nativity Story- just amazing and a great movie to watch every year with the kids to remind them of why we celebrate Christmas!

The Nativity story IS beautiful!!!!

The last couple of years we have gone to see TSO (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) when they do their winter tour. There is nothing better to get you in a holiday mood.

Another one I forgot to mention is The Polar Express. I thought it was cute.
And I hope I don't put a damper on things, but I LOVE the Grinch. :)

He's a mean one, Mr. Grinch....and I love him, too!

Melanie, I haven't seen them but I bet they are wonderful. I love listening to orchestras.

I have yet to see The Polar Express from the beginning. I've seen parts of it but never from the start.

And I love the animated The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!

I'd love to see the TSO,too.

And yes,the animated Grinch is much better than the "real people" version.

TSO does an amazing show....fireworks, snow falling, fire...wonderful =)

That really does sound amazing! Hope I get to see it some day. :)

The animated Grinch is another great one I forgot about.

The TSO concert does sound fabulous. I've also been wanting to see Manheim Steamroller for years. Someday!

BTW, if I read a cookbook, I only count it if I've made several recipes. I made Ina's, Lemon Poppyseed Cake last night - for tonight's dinner. It turned out delicious (a couple crumbs fell off, so I tasted it). I took a pic, because my BFF bought me a new bundt cake pan from Williams-Sonoma and wanted to see how the design impression turned out.





So good it might become a new holiday tradition!

Love Ina! Her recipes never fail me. I was lucky to hear her in person the other week. She was just fabulous. Got a signed copy of the book.

Sweet Potato Casserole With Praline Topping

This has taken the place of 'marshmallow-topped' sweet potatoes, at my house, and it's so easy!


Ingredients

Sweet Potato Filling

1 (29 ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained


1/4 cup sugar


4 tablespoons butter, melted


2 eggs


1 teaspoon vanilla


1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


1/4 teaspoon salt


Topping

1 cup pecans, chopped


4 tablespoons butter, melted


1/4 cup flour


1/2 cup light brown sugar

3/4-1 cup sweetened flaked coconut.

Directions

1. FILLING: Mash potatoes in a medium sized bowl. Add all the other filling ingredients; mix well. Pour into a greased deep dish pie pan or 8x8 deep casserole dish.


2. TOPPING: Mix all ingredients well and sprinkle over top of potato mixture.


3. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Ooooooh! Coconut!

Lisa Kay wrote: "Ooooooh! Coconut!"

Oh yes, the coconut and pecans were the ingredients that really inspired me to try this recipe, and when I did a daughter said "That's it, from now on ,no more marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, only this recipe!"

It sounds good except for the part about the sweet potatoes. :-)

On Christmas Day, my brother and I always stay up late watching the Die Hard trilogy...some people like It's a Wonderful Life, we prefer Bruce William kicking some butt. Sometimes my Dad joins us. Lol.

DC, I love it!

LOL! True. Good holiday movies, those.