For many years, my family did the following: - My children and I went as a family to choose our tree on the first weekend in December and brought it home and decorated it. I did lights and tinsel and then the kids hung up the ornaments. Each child hung any ornaments that had been given to them or made by them in previous years and they shared hanging the "family" ones. I also hung a couple ornaments myself that were particular favorites and had been gifts. (In the earliest years, I also "re-dispersed" the ornaments hung by the children so that there were at least a few near the top!!) - Christmas Eve was spent with extended family (usually 60+ strong) at someone's home or eventually a clubhouse we rented due to the growth of our family. We had a pot-luck dinner and exchanged gifts from names drawn earlier. Lately, with economic times being tougher, we started doing smaller token gifts like ornaments. - After the extended family Christmas Eve, we went to the Candlelight Sevice at church. - Presents were opened on Christmas morning as soon as daylight appeared ("dawn" rule was made because Mom is a procrastinator and tended to wrap until the wee hours of Christmas Eve and I needed some sleep!). I always did stockings for each child - even when the were grown and those were opened first (each item individually wrapped to draw it out a bit!!). We tried to open the gifts one at a time, but were not always successful! So Santa's gifts were always wrapped in solid red paper with white bows and the kids were allowed to "tear into" them and we slowed it down a bit when it came to the others. - After presents, Mom cooked a big breakfast and then everyone tended to drift back to their beds to catch up on missed sleep. When my parents were alive, we went to their house Christmas afternoon. My children are now grown, and there are many pulls for their time on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. So I have changed my traditions accordingly. So for the past few years: - Any of us who can will go to the extended family celebration on Christmas Eve (some of the children have spouses or significant others with similar family events, so they are alternating years with ours). - Afterward, anyone who is available goes together to the Candlelight Church Service. - Christmas morning is left to be celebrated at each individual home if desired. When my children eventually have their own kids, they will have this time to celebrate at home with them so that Santa can come to the children's own home and they will be tucked up in their own beds. This allows the parents to come up with their own traditions, ie cookies for Santa, reading of books, etc. For now, with no grandbabies, my children can still come to our house Christmas Eve night and be there for the morning if they choose... but we are doing it differently! - We are no longer doing the dawn rush for presents as there are no small children waiting eagerly for Santa. Instead, we allow everyone to sleep alittle later and I still do the big Christmas breakfast about 9am for anyone staying here or joining us. - In years past, Christmas evening tended to be somewhat of a "let-down" with the presents already opened and all the holiday merry-making coming to an end...and I was so exhausted from getting up at dawn and wrapping till whenever that I did not do a real "Christmas Dinner". So now Christmas evening is when we have our family Christmas celebration. In late afternoon (3p-4p) we have a big Christmas dinner with the best china and all the trimmings. This time-frame allows time for anyone needing to be other places in the morning or midday for other celebrations. Anyone staying home can help decorate cookies or assist with dinner or just watch football etc! I have asked the children to dress up for our Christmas Dinner and make it a bit more formal now that they are grown and I think they actually enjoy it! I asked for "nicer clothes" but now I see even suits and party dresses... and I love it since we rarely have dressy occassions and it makes for wonderful photos!! - After dinner, we open some wine, snack on desserts and goodies, take photos, talk, and play games...just be together till about 8pm. I like to wait till dark because the tree and lights and candles are so much more beautiful. Where my focus used to be on piles of morning gifts, I now spend my energy on the food and decorations...making it a warm, loving evening with lots of old fashioned, traditional charm. Tons of candles, a fire in the fireplace, soft Christmas music, and way too many sweets (I love to bake!) - Finally, we exchange gifts. Having changed the focus of our Christmas celebration, and also the "quantity" of gifts we give, we open them one at a time with everyone watching to make each one more special. I feel it returns us to the days when people selected one or two gifts for a person and they were very special with alot of thought put into each gift and maybe even doing some special wrapping...rather than the flood of gifts I gave the kids each year. We sat down a few years ago and discussed it as a family, so no one was disappointed on Christmas(well not too much!!). It was at first an economic decision, but I think it has challenged everyone to make more of an effort to choose special gifts with real meaning for each other. - After gifts, we continue the wine and goodies and games until people need to go home (only if they skipped the wine!) or retire here for the night. - The other side of our family celebrates the first Sunday AFTER Christmas, so this allows the holiday to flow alittle smoother! I am please with the new changes we have made and hope that it allows my children (and eventually their families) to celebrate Christmas together yet not feel stressed by being pulled in so many directions at the same time! Merry Christmas!!

Wish I could say I have holiday traditions, but that's not the way with my family. We never were what you could say 'close' and or 'traditional', us kids were pretty much on our own from the time we could walk. But I do have some fall traditions that I have made for myself. Maybe that counts in this thread. One of my favorite fall traditions is fried green tomatoes. I know in the south you can buy green tomatoes year round, but it seems to be a northern thing, especially with northern males, that no tomatoe shall be picked unripe until there is absolutely no chance it will ripen. These past couple weeks I have been stuffing myself on fried green tomatoes, I want to get sick of them now because I know that I won't have them again for another year. If anyone is interested I do have recipes for green tomatoe pickles, I just never learned how to can so can't use the recipes, but have them because I collect cookbooks and read them like novels, lol. Another fall tradition is the collection of black walnuts. I only have one tree, but since me and the squirrels are the only ones eating them, that is more than enough in most years. Right now I have them laying in my driveway, it is easier to get the husk off after running over them a few weeks with the cars. But please, only do this on a blacktop driveway, they will stain concret something aweful, it will never come out, don't want anyone coming after me when black walnuts stain their driveway, lol. Soon I will be cracking them, drying the meats and then it's black walnut cake and cookies. Most of which I freeze and eat in bits and pieces since black walnuts is an aquired taste, I know very few people who love it as much as I do. Another fall favorite is the ornimental chard I put in just because I think it's pretty, namely bright lights. Just before it's about done for the season, I cook it the old fashion southern way, wilt it in bacon grease (all southern cooks have a container of bacon grease in their fridge) and add some vinegar. I also have some flowering quince that actually produce fruit from time to time. It is too bitter to eat as is, but simmer it in some sugar water, kind of candy it, and it is a tasty toast spread. And in years I am able to garden, I grow my own pumpkins and use them to make real pumpkin pie. Do you know that most canned pumpkin you buy in the stores is not real pumpkin? It's mostly squash because that makes a prettier color. My real pumpkin pies may be lighter in color and have more texture than what most are use to, not all like it, but there are some who beg me to make them a real pumpkin pie, don't want anything else once they taste mine. Oh yea, and there are the late ripening apples that I have learned to appriciate, namely Mutsu, makes about the best apple pies. Again, anyone who wants about the best apple pie recipe you could find, ask, has a special twist to it. Dang, got myself in a baking mood, might have to take advantage of all the cheap pumpkins around and make a pie or two or three or four, no problem getting rid of them, lol.

Those pilgrims look to be a good size, what a great TS find! And the turkey napkin rings--love those too. That white turkey is so pretty. Are those cutouts on his tail? I really like those dishes too, but haven't succumbed yet. Might NEED one at least to display--DIL does Thanksgiving so don't need a whole set. Work, it is fun to set up a pretty table like this just to enjoy it as part of your Fall/Thanksgiving decor. If you do want to eat at it, it's not a big deal to remove the plates/glasses/silver and run it through the dishwasher. Sort of a shame to create something so pretty and only get to enjoy it during one meal. ;o) Luvs

Trudy: " Traditional " is my favorite way also. Thought everyone went to Salting , High Heat method. Nice to see I'm not alone. I usually make mine with Stuffing, sometimes with chopped up and simmered Sausage mixed in it. Stuffing ( Double for Turkey ) 1 Celery stalk, (10in. Piece ) and ½ of a Med. l onion (chopped small) and Cooked in Micro Wave until tender (about 2 ½ min.) Some Bell Pepper may also be added. In a large Bowl mix: 1 cup of small bread cubes 2 cups of Italian Bread crumbs 1 tablesp. Parsley Flakes 2 tablesp. Of Locatelli Romano grated cheese 1 teasp. Of Onion Powder 1 teasp. Of Garlic Powder ( or more to taste ) 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning Salt to taste ( about ½ teaspoon ) Optional- 1 piece of Italian Sausage 10 in. long, skinned and cut into small pieces. Sautee till medium rare. Add the cooked Onion and Celery. Put 1 egg into a cup of chicken stock , or Chicken Soup Base ) beat well and mix this into the other ingredients. Add a little water, if the mixture is too dry. Add more sausage or whatever you like. Baking the Turkey: I use a Waterless cooker and Bake until the inside stuffing temperature reaches 165 Degrees. Take the lid off for the last 1/2 hour , to brown. I just rub oil on the turkey and sprinkle with Onion and Garlic Powder. Put 1/2 cup of water in the bottom and let her rip. Always Good !!! Here is mine , cooked Last Christmas. HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!! LOU