I'm traditional...my kids have strayed. They love to do something different for Christmas dinner...beef wellington, a standing rib roast..always something different.
I've lived in ethnic areas where there were traditions. In the UP it was lutefisk for Christmas Eve. In a Danish are of NW Wisconsin it was fruit soup, goose, and pudding with an almosd in it (the person who got the almond won a prize).
Family traditions are few and becoming less. We are headed for my mom's on Thanksgiving and will eat at a restaurant for their Thanksgiving Buffet. My father was big into the traditional meal including mince pie but the rest of us aren;t real upset by a restaurant meal. I will make ham for any occasion and generally orefer it to turkey.
Thanksgiving it is hard to not do tradional. I would miss the turkey and pumpkin pie. I would miss the pumpkin pie. That is the only time of year I make it. Christmas is different. I make a differnt type of meal every year. At least never the same thing two years in a row.
I would also miss turkey and pumpkin pie at T'giving! We always had ham at Easter but now if we even gather at Easter we usually go out.
a friend does not like turkey so his family has ham with all the rest of turkey dressings. pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, etc.
Traditional here, too. I have found, however, that the definition of traditional is quite varied. My Cuban-American friends have black beans with their traditional meals.
I strayed from the traditional turkey on Thanksgiving once when our boys were young, (I am not such a turkey fan), you would have thought the world came to an end. My kids love turkey, so it's tradition over here, however Christmas is a different story, we will usually have ham.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Cyn
Ham is traditional for Christmas, isn't it? I like ham for Christmas, Turkey for Thanksgiving -- they're too close together to have turkey both times. Maybe a Christmas goose is more traditional, but I never had one of those.
My mother used to make a Christmas Eve buffet that included shrimp cocktail, pigs in a blanket, beef fondue, crackers, cheese, nuts, and lots of cookies and candy! We'd feast all evening while opening gifts around the tree in the living room.
Kids are off the Late Wife's Parents for the Holiday, so the Wife and I are having Lobster, King crab, and shrimp (got all on sale).
We have the traditional Easter ham, Thanksgiving turkey, Halloween sugar fest, but Christmas has always been a bit West of tradition. We have lasagna and birthday cake (for Jesus) on Christmas Eve, then prime rib on Christmas day. Works for me.
