But my idea is to allow us to interact and have fun here -- and also to give something away each day. On the days that I do manage to write codas, that will be the giveaway. :-)
Anyway, the object of the game is interaction and engagement. It's the holidays, after all!
So today's kick-off post is for my British friends -- and those of you who shop through Audible.UK. I have several audio download codes for Audible.UK and I am giving them away to 4 randomly selected readers who share a British or European holiday tradition with me.
Post in the comment section below. :-)
I hadn't seen your advent calendar. NIce idea!
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to give me anything, because I've already milked you enough for audio books. But you made me think of an Italian holiday tradition which I supposed might be dying out in front of electronic devices: we used to play tombola with the family (like bingo, numbers from 1 to 90). It was a nice moment when the whole family relaxed together.
Ciao
Antonella
:-D
DeleteWell, I do have these codes for Audible.UK though...
I can't believe I missed this! I follow your blog via a reader to make sure I see every post, but for some reason all the posts so far arrived together in my reader this morning (8th December). So expect a battery of comments as I read through them all...
ReplyDeleteThere area couple of traditions my family follows which I am not sure are peculiarly British or European. One is an Advent wreath, made of evergreen plants such as pine and ivy with four candles. The first is lit on the first Sunday in Advent, for an hour or so. One the second Sunday the first is lit again with the second one, and so on.
My mother always makes a little Nativity scene using figures she's had forever (the Holy Family plus donkey and cows, and sheep) -- she make the starry backdrop on which she hangs the angel and a larger star, and the stable. The manger is empty but the baby is put into on Christmas Eve. The Three Kings are also put in that day.
*cough*
DeleteWell, that would be because I only had time to start the calendar this weekend. So I had to make up for lost time. :-D
... And like Antonella, you've already given me several audiobook codes so don't give me another!
ReplyDelete:-D
DeleteI'm not sure how "British" these are (or English even - some might be of Irish descent), but we always get new pyjamas for Christmas Eve. Plus we eat lots and lots of pickles after Christmas, with cold meat and cheese. We have some family traditions - Christmas tree goes up first Sunday in December, the dogs have doggy advent calendars, and then I have a personal one of buying at least one pair of Christmas socks every year. I'm going for The 40 Days of Christmas this year just so I can wear them all. :)
ReplyDeleteIf an audiobook comes my way I'm going to get my other half on it (I read rather than listen) so he can stop sighing at me when I narrate entire chapters to him.
p.s. Comfort and Joy just arrived on my Kindle. Yuss!
Well, your traditions don't have to be English. I love hearing about everyone's holiday habits. So intriguing peeking through the window...
DeleteA German tradition when I was growing up was to leave your shoe on the window sill on the 5th along with a carrot or two. In the morning the carrots would be gone and your shoe would be filled with nuts, oranges and chocolate. :)
ReplyDelete-Andy Slayde (can't seem to sign in any other way)
Chocolate for carrots! Now THAT is what I call a holiday tradition.
DeleteIndeed. The carrots are for Saint Nick's reindeer ;)
Delete-Andy Slayde
This year I am not my traditional Grinch. I made 2 Advent wreaths - I will have to bake my neighbors some cookies as I cut a few little branches off one of their pine trees - haven't made an Advent wreath in over ten years.
ReplyDeleteI also made advent calendars for my sister, dad, and housemate. I used a shoe organizer that you hang on the door (24 pockets) and decorated it with ribbon and made cards for each slot with the date. On the back of the cards are bits of the story A Wish For Wings That Work by Berkeley Breathed and naturally the slots are filled with chocolate and little gifts.
But another tradition we had growing up involved hazelnuts. Bowls of nuts are always around for Christmas. If you crack a hazelnut and there are 2 halves in it, you give one half to a sweetheart and you both eat the halves. The next day the first to say (I can't even begin to spell it) wins and the other needs to buy a little gift for the winner.
Another tradition - when I am visiting family in Germany for the holidays- is Yule Klapp. We play this on Christmas day. We all get together for dinner and everyone brings 2 wrapped gifts no more than $10 dollars and one is cheesy and one is nicer. they go into a pile (one for cheesy one for nice). Then you take the cheesy gifts and hand one out to everybody. They all unwrap and show everyone what they have. Then a timer gets set for 5-10 minutes and a die is produced. Who ever rolls a 6 has to exchange their gift with someone else. The die is still in play and when the timer rings you keep what you have. You repeat with the other set of gifts. There is always one gift in both rounds that everyone wants and it is a race to get it before the timer rings.
Food - Growing up xmas eve was potato salad and German hot dogs. My family grew up in Hamburg and carp was the traditional meal and my dad hated carp so his mom would make him that. It stuck. Christmas day we had goose. I am trying to convince my cooking friends that we should have one this year.
When in Germany xmas eve is fondue with chicken and beef. And Christmas day tends to be buffet.
In Germany my tradition is also going to the Christmas markets. And if I timed my visit correctly going to the fair. hamburg has three big fairs - summer, fall and winter.
Another game from step mother #1 who was from east Germany. You take a little gift wrap it loosely in newspaper or gift wrap. And repeat so there are a ton of layers. Place it in the middle of the table along with a hat, mittens, scarf and knife and fork - plastic. Roll a die and when you get a 6 don the winter wear and take the knife and fork and unwrap - one layer at a time. The die is still in play so the person who next rolls a 6 is taking the items from you so they can unwrap and try and win the loot. That was played Christmas Eve.
-Andy Slayde
Well, I think my winners are Antonella, Helena, Debbie and Andy. The prizes here were codes to Audible.Uk, but I can come up with a US code for Andy. Antonella and Helena have asked to be excused, so that's still 3 UK Audible codes floating around for some British or European reader. :-)
ReplyDeleteDebbie, contact me back channel. Andy, I know where you live. :-D
I love reading these traditions, by the way! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDeleteI had fun reading everyone's traditions as well.
-Andy
Well, I am so late for this, but I love to write (talk to people) here, and ,on occasion, win a thing or two :). Anyway, my traditions are very different and yet very similar to yours. See, I am Orthodox Christian (like Russians and Greeks) and, unlike Greeks for example, we (Serbian Orthodox Church) kept the old Julian calendar, unlike Gregorian that we all use today. The difference between them is in 14 days. Gregorian is 14 days (in dates) behind Julian, so my Christmas is 25th of December Julian, or 7th of January Gregorian calendar. My Christmas comes 2 weeks after the rest of you. Everything else is the same:the tree, the gifts, going to the church, the meal (of course,we have certain dishes that we make on Christmas). The one big difference is an oak tree. We cut it the day before Christmas and bring it into the house. Well, not the tree itself, but small branch with leaves. It's considered good look and symbolizes the wood that was burned in the cave where Jesus was born. It's not specific only for the Slaves. I read that Celts had a similar custom, not for Christmas though. But to us it's a sacred thing.
ReplyDeleteGoge