What's the one thing that makes christmas special for you?

Well, christmas is just around the corner and will be upon us before we know it. What is the one thing you enjoy the most about christmas?

I love decorating the house and the tree and seeing all the lights lit up at night. It just gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Also, having everyone coming home safe and sound is another plus for me.

spending time with family and the furkids

decorating the tree and the house

wrapping presents and seeing the smile on my family's faces on Christmas morning when they open their presents. just spending time with family and the furkids in general. and drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas sugar cookies on Christmas morning gives me the warm fuzzies for some reason.

Mine is the tradition of going to my grandmothers on christmas eve. All of the family is there and we all exchange gifts. It is the best day of the year!

I love decorating the house and tree , baking all the special treats, buying, wrapping presents. I trying to make them as pretty as I can. I love Christmas carols. Making Ginerbread houses with the kids, I love driving around drinking hot chocolate, looking at Christmas lights, I love the belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream , My DH makes on Christmas morning. I love it all

Mom's cookies Although I might make them this year since her back is really bad.

We also have Christmas Eve here (7 fish).

I love staring at the lights too. Taking a drive around the neighborhood

I love decorating the house and cooking for everyone. I exchange goodies with some of the neighbors, and enjoy thinking up gourmet desserts to give them--this year, I'm giving out banana jam, green tomato relish, and cranberry sauce that I canned, instead of baking.

I also love having my in-laws come down for an early Christmas--I move the dining room table into the study (that's where the fireplace is, and it's a much larger room). I have have a nice fire going while we eat dinner, and decorate the table. I have a small, faux tree in an urn, too. I put a small, wrapped gift at each place setting, and we play "Dirty Bingo" (or "Yankee Swap"), which is their tradition. We always have so much fun! They're great folks, and I love being with them.

I also have a tradition of doing something for charity every year--no matter how small a gesture. To me, that's very important. I think doing something selfless helps keep the holiday in perspective.

I usually have at least 1 week of vacation then, too, and enjoy spoiling myself! I usually meet friends for lunch, do a lot of reading by the fireside, pet the cats, and hit the post-holiday sales, take myself out to lunch, etc. (DH has to work, so I'm alone.) This year, I'm hoping to spend some time at a day-spa, getting a massage, pedicure, manicure facial, etc. (If I can afford it!)

What I enjoy most is giving people gifts I've made myself. Since I make jewelry, it's easy with women... and some of the men in my life like bolo ties, which I can also make... but my brother is difficult. The only thing I can make that he likes is cookies.

I used to love to go caroling at Christmas, too, with friends... mostly to nursing homes and hospitals. Nobody seems to do that anymore, though. Anybody in the Dallas area wanna go caroling this year?

The other thing that always used to delight me at Christmas hasn't happened in about forty years: a stocking full of tangerines and hazelnuts. It was a childhood tradition (at least to me), but at some point, my parents stopped doing it. And by golly, I miss it!

One of my favorite memories about Christmas is now a favorite tradition that I have continued...making what my Gram called "christmas pizza" which really isn't a pizza, but a dish created in the area of Sicily that she and my grandfather were from (both were immigrants to this country, in their teens).

It is actually called a Scifincione (think I spelled that right) and is made in a square shape, very simple with bits of anchovy, a cheese my gram called "basket" cheese, seasoned breadcrumbs (scallions is part of the seasoning), and clumps of tomato. It was a favorite of my grandfathers, and now of my husbands

And I while I've had such a busy time these past few years that I don't get a tree up, I love decorating a tree, filling a stocking for dh, watching him open his presents I love giving presents!!!

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

I used to love to go caroling at Christmas, too, with friends... mostly to nursing homes and hospitals. Nobody seems to do that anymore, though. Anybody in the Dallas area wanna go caroling this year?

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I'd go with you, if I lived closer! I used to love doing that also!

Christmas isn't really a big deal for my family. I usually go to Midnight Mass with my ex-M-I-L. I usually volunteer to be on call on Christmas day, so that someone with children doesn't get stuck with it....so I'm on call again this Christmas. My parents and I usually open gifts on Christmas Eve, with my sister in San Diego on the phone...so we can open them together and share. I haven't decorated a Christmas tree since my grandmothers died. I can't imagine what Maggie-the-cord-chewer would do with all of those light cords to chew on!!! I have visions of the 'Christmas Vacation' cat. Maybe someday, if she ever loses interest in electrical cords, I can have a Christmas tree again....

One of the things that's become very special to me is the Christmas Family that we adopt in the O.R. This year we adopted a mom with 6 children. The entire O.R. gets ridiculously generous and we buy everything on the list, as well as a bazillion other things like vouchers for Consumers Power, gas station vouchers, food for Christmas dinner, etc. It's very heartwarming to see how much the giving spirit fills everyone.

I think for me its the look on my son's face when he sees the heap of presents in the living room. Also the decorations.

And you can't forget the dodgy gifts you get from some family members. You just know it's Christmas!!!

The whole build up from putting up the decorations, to having the family get together

I love all the build up to Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve's my favourite day of the year. I love having the decorations up and being cosy with my furries, oh and the food of course ! Last year was awful due to my ex fiance so this will be my first Christmas with my partner and Jupey, it should be extra special!
(I love all these Christmas threads! )

I love the lights, from totally outlined houses to one string across a porch, it doesn't matter. As a child, I scared my mom by staring at the bubble lights, almost in a trance. I guess it carried over.

My birthday is December 9th, so I always get to pick something to do. This year we have tickets for the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. We are taking the train down to Grand Central, and then walking everywhere. I love seeing the Rockefeller Center Tree and the store fronts.

I string popcorn and cranberries every year for the tree. I make gingerbread men to hang. We have a dog this year again, so I may let that one go.

My son lives in Florida, so we have are flying down there Dec 21st. My in laws go down there (1 1/2 hour from my son) for the winter, so it will be a family get together. I've never been anyplace warm at Christmas, but I do want to see palm trees with lights on them. So I'm back to the lights again as one of my favorite things about Christmas.

I think the SHOPPING also makes Christmas!!! It the one time of year that I have a valid excuse!!

Having my brother and Sister-in-law come visit us, going to the Christmas Eve service, or, on rare occasions, going to the Midnight service, and, of course, opening presents!

I enjoy family time the most, the holiday spirit. The the great food.

I am not very Christmassy, usually, but this is my Granddaughter's first real Christmas tht she kind of knows what is going on, so I will buying a few presents for her, and try to watch her on the webcam.
I guess my biggest tradition is to feed feral cats if I know where there are any. I was glad last year that I could not find any. There are some around where I work, so they will get a nice meal this year. I have some of the other cat lovers to take their left overs from lunch or dinner leaving edibles around when they leave work. There is a black and white mama with a small black kitten out there, and they are cute as can be. They are even becoming friendly.

29 DAYS TO GO!

I'm the same - i love it when the tree is all brightly lit, and of course, another thing that makes Christmas special -- the prezzzzziees! lol

I would say the decorations, I don't have the tree up yet so I don't feel like it's even close to Christmas yet. I think I will find a spot tomorrow, clear it out and put up the tree there.

My whole family being together at one time (which never happens), and pancake breakfast