80 all relatives?

Yeah. in laws and out laws included of course. :)

I don't think I even know 80 people!

ortho, the empty place setting does seem like a wonderful tradition. I've heard of people doing that for a Halloween/Day of the Dead meal, to honor friends and family that have passed on, but never for Christmas. What are the 12 dishes in the Ukrainian meal?

Ortho- did you ever hear about that time an old, old man came into dinner to fill the empty place? The family got all silent and gave him dinner but they were freaked because it was the husband's DEAD FATHER who had come to dine.

That's a Romanian story about vampires.

We air grievances and practice feats of strength, natch.

Interesting.

We err grievances and practice feets of strength.

footfootfoot comes to your place for the holidays?

we never do anything consistently. Ever. We rarely celebrate the way other families do (my father's Scottish miserliness) when my sister got her Master's degree-nothing. Oh, well, I do think they paid to have her diploma framed. Whup.


One year at Christmas we had tacos for dinner. My younger boy was STUNNED. "I thought you were JOKING when you said that!"


Me? Now I'm all alone-I light candles and incense and decorate beyond what I should as who the hell comes to see me, right? But I like to honor the seasons. I have a deer and cardinal theme going now. In spring it changes, natch. I think I"ve got the whole wheel pretty much covered.

:ivy:

Hello again there nowhere man!

Y'all sound like you have great traditions.
We're not big on them in my family.
My sister established her own as soon as she met Gary and she's dictated times and dates ever since.
Ste & E almost always come over on Christmas Eve - she's an only child so I understand that her parents get dibs on what they do. And we'll have salmon en coute and a prawn ring mostly for her benefit.

Now all the older generation has gone it's just me, Mum & Dad on the day. No Christmas tree ("too much mess and bother and I'm the one who has to hoover it up!" sez Mum) And no cooking because it's not worth all the fuss just for us. Well, she did it for years and she's 66 now so I suppose I can't blame her. We're off to the pub like last year. I tried to bow out but she was so upset I didn't have the heart. I'll barely make it through the starter at this rate. MUST remember plastic boxes!

My Christmas traditions are in the Cellar.
No Secret Santa this year, but giving and receiving cards.
Meeting up with Dani and Limey for the panto and going out for dinner.
Photos and laughs and JB and friendship.

I don't even like most Christmas food.
But I miss the feeling of belonging that only comes from in-jokes and traditions.

See? you and me really ARE related Sundae! both our families could give a fuck for tradition. I think we have ONE that might, might still remain: my mom gives my BIL a sweatshirt, EVERY year, for christmas.

She gives the rest of her brood 100.00. I've already spent mine.

Twice over.

You're not of secret gypsy ancestry are you? ;)

Actually, I can see this. At Thanksgiving, there were 32 of us and only my cousins had kids, 2 each. On our side, all single, and that's not counting some of my other siblings who didn't come. Now, imagine if EVERYBODY comes, aunts, uncles, cousins with their significant other with kids, siblings and spouse, and nieces and nephews, and ... grandkids, etc. Come to think of it, 80 is not too big of a number, hehe.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe it's three days per hundred pounds field dressed weight.
How long has he been hanging? Be sure to keep the temp below 40.

Damn, he's gotta be bad by now.

Q for the Aussies: How do you decorate for the holidays? I was laughing at the incongruity of seeing inflatable snow men on our very green front yards, but it is still technically winter for all that it's 80F outside. I imagine snowflakes don't really make sense at all when it's summer.