Siouxie

caretaker

Oink

This is not just a music thread, it's good to share Christmas the traditions that we've had and now have transitioned and combined from the UK to Canada. I like buy a pork pie, stilton cheese, pickled onions for Christmas eve.

Siouxie

Christmas morning our tradition is to have a bloody mary with a bagel, garlic and herb cream cheese and smoked salmon with a squeeze of lemon and a smidge of black pepper (freshly ground), followed by a coffee.. and then opening our stockings

We do mostly 'silly' santa sacks except for one or two fairly sensible items (such as socks and chocolate). After the stockings we might indulge in another small drink (water or decaf for me, lol).. before the first of the proper presents is opened.

There are certain foods that must be bought at Christmas. I must make mince pies and proper roast potato's and stuffing - or there would be a rebellion. There must be mini sausage rolls, walkers shortbread, chocolate, smoked salmon, cambazola and brie, pickled onions.. Christmas wouldn't be the same without them!

Oink

The most magical thing about Christmas when I was eight, it was when my grandparents came over to our house, they would turn up around 11:00am (sherry time) and then instantly my parents stopped fighting with each other. That was Christmas, it was tranquility (watching a new film after Christmas dinner) up until they [grandparents] left around 6:30pm and then it all kicked off again. Luckily they had bought me an Atari game console which distracted me from the vitriol.

BristolUK

Quality Street, although it would be nicer if they included a coffee cream. Whisky marmalade. And, of course, not just one stuffing.
Glass of Bristol Cream before eating.

Teaandtoday5

spouse of scouse

I know that I don't really belong on this thread, but just wanted to quickly say that the traditional British roast Christmas dinner survives in Oz, even though it's usually stinking hot on Christmas Day. As the cook I sometimes long for the barbies and seafood platters my friends do, but there's something about a 'proper' dinner that makes me keep doing it. My lovely Liverpool lad loves them too.

BristolUK

Marmite cream then?

Siouxie

Just because you don't happen to live in Canada at this time, that doesn't mean you don't belong

You're always welcome in our cozy Canadian corner

Paul_Shepherd

I must say I do miss the traditional Christmas of the past....and most of those songs remind me of them....since my parents passed away and my sister and cousins got married and had children, it was never the same again, one of the reasons I left and came to Canada... as I knew Id never relive those great family traditions...

Christmas's here have been mixed, but then these last 3 or 4 years I have developed my own tradition that seems to work well; Christmas Eve party at my buddies place....stay over there for the night.....then head back to my own place (c/w quality hangover) and after a skype with my sis and nephews in the UK, I begin to prepare my Christmas curry from scratch.... .no not a turkey or sprout in sight! lol I wanted to break with tradition for reasons I have stated above. Anyway not sure how I manage to prepare and cook it with a hang over but somehow its theraputic.... the couple of stiff kraken and eggnogs help enormously though!!

Curry takes 2-3 hours to prepare, so its usually done around 5pm....around this time a lot of my friends arrive (after they have done their family stuff) for the evening.....we usually have drinks banter, play stupid made up games (it was guess the TV theme tune last year! lol) and people help themselves to curry all in a very casual manner, no big table or anything like that.

So thats been a great new tradition for the last 3 or 4 years, last year was a lot of fun.

Not sure what will happen this year as I dont live close enough to my friends anymore.....(i moved to be closer to a new job at the beginning of this year) however my cousin and her husband are coming over to spend a week with me....picking them up at Pearson on Christmas day!!....so I am really looking forward to this year!
.

Paul_Shepherd

Nice one!!!

Thats one tradition I uphold......a visit to the British shop for pork pie, pickled onions, stilton for a Christmas Eve!!

Jerseygirl

Men!

What about Mince Pies, Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding, Quality Street, Roses...all the good stuff?

Oink

I just wanted to put it out there that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, whether you're in darkest Peru, deepest Africa, the Gobi desert, one of the plethora of Sunshine coasts around the world or the UK, everybody is welcome to share their Christmas or any other religious or secular holiday stories and traditions on this thread.

spouse of scouse

Thanks mates! I do enjoy pottering around the Canada forum, it's a nice, friendly place.

edit. Siouxie, I multi-quoted your post but it didn't appear. Message was for you too