GTKY 5/17

kboydbowman

Favorite holiday tradition (any holiday)?

laj0217

We open Christmas gifts one gift at a time from youngest person to oldest person. We go around the circle repeatedly until all gifts have been opened. It’s great because everyone gets to admire the gift and the kids especially get to enjoy/play with that item until it’s their turn again. It does mean gifts can take 2+ hours, though. 

pangolindrome

Midsummer In Sweden, people come together to dance around a midsummer pole, sing songs, play games, get drunk, and stay out all night because it's so warm and nice. We eat good food and enjoy the season, and it is always such a pretty time of year in Sweden. Some people dress up in traditional, regional clothes and it's always a lot of fun.

Since they look different depending on country, this is a Swedish midsummer pole. As you might notice, it is a fertility symbol (male genitalia) and it is supposed to bring good harvests.

whitta1015

@pangolindrome Not sure how I missed that you were in Sweden. I work for a Swedish company here in the states!

jhysmath

My favorite growing up was always the 4th of July. We often went camping when I was younger that week and there would be a few families that went. We would have so much fun. As I got older I would go to my friends lake house for the 4th and we'd have a big BBQ spend the day swimming and then her dad and some of the other lake dads would shoot off a giant display of fireworks. 

The last three summers I've made it a point to come back to NH and take my kids to the beach and stay up and watch fireworks. My husband's family doesn't really do the 4th of July really. I think the 2 summers I was there after FIL passed I spent the weekend running a yard sale and then my mil brought me out to watch the fireworks when I asked, but honestly it's just not the same as a big family or friend get together and it makes me sad. I told my husband about my favorite holiday is the 4th and explain how we always went camping as kids, and he said we could work on starting those traditions. (Though he had said he doesn't see the point of camping when we basically live in the woods and have camp fires every day anyhow)

melyrae

For Christmas, we do not have regular stockings. We get a bunch of large paper grocery bags. We draw names of the whole family. Whoever's name we get, we decorate their paper bag stockings! Then we show them off to everyone. Coloring, stickers, hilarious and crude images/jokes are encouraged. This Christmas, me and my hubby went away to the Dominican (our first christmas just us two) and so I brought two little paper lunch bags, 5 markers, and a pack of candy for each "stocking"... It was fun to keep the tradition alive in a little way! 

kboydbowman

@whitta1015 she's not in Sweden, she's in Oregon, but she's originally from Sweden.

@pangolindrome You forgot the part with "and then we burn a couple visitors alive." 

On Christmas eve, we all got to pick one present to open, then we watched White Christmas while playing mah johng (the actual game, not the solitaire "match the tile" bastardizations you play on computers) and eating Christmas candies my mom had made.

laj0217

@melyrae I love that idea!

pangolindrome

@kboydbowman I DID forget about the bonfires. I usually went on my personal Midsummer wander before then. Honestly, for bonfires, Walpurgis Night is better... and there's fireworks! Orebro, my home city, has the BEST fireworks display and it's all coordinated and organized amazingly.

@melyrae Fleece navidad! I am DEAD! xD... also this idea rocks!

lilienne

Thanksgiving, but only for the food! Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams, all of it.

bigworldlittleg

Agree with @lilienne - love the food on Thanksgiving! We also do Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. I'm a big seafood lover. Every year I get excited for Crab Artichoke Dip and Bacon-Wrapped Scallops yumm

blanket_girl

Every year, my husband and I host thanksgiving for a few of his (very single) friends. I really love having an excuse to cook a full meal at home- and these boys can eat, so I don’t have to worry about going overboard! We eat early dinner here at our place, then go over to my parent’s house for second dinner and do it all over again haha 

The next day we all drive to a cabin in the middle of nowhere for the long weekend. If there’s not too much snow we go on a few short hikes and if there is, we just stay inside and play board games and watch movies all weekend 😊

Not sure how this baby will affect our tradition this year but I’m hoping we can at least have them come stay with us for the holiday, even if we can’t do the cabin trip! 

millygolitely

Halloween! I love dressing up and think having such a unique event like trick or treating is so cool. The last few years I have not really done much in the way of going to parties but always give out candy at home. Excited to start the tradition with the little one!