Thursday Thirteen
5. If you are going to wake up your parents early, you have to do it by singing Christmas carols.
6. When we were children, we all slept in the same bedroom on Christmas Eve.
7. If you touch a present under the Christmas tree before Christmas, it goes away.
8. No one opens presents until coffee is poured. However, you may open your stocking.
9. Presents are opened in order of age. Youngest to Oldest. One person is the present passer-outer. They take a present and hand it to the person it is FROM who then hands it to the person they got the present for. The exception is presents from Santa.
10. Santa only uses wrapping paper with pictures of Santa on it. And only cartoon Santas, because real old-men Santa’s scare me.
11. Everyone opens one present, and then it moves to the next person. Once it is no longer your turn, you are not allowed to play with your presents. You are supposed to watch the other person open their present.
12. If you get caught playing with your present when it is not your turn, you get skipped on your next turn. The exception is your clothes. You can wear as many your new clothes, bows, and curly ribbon as you want. This does not cause you to be skipped.
13. If you are my brother, you will get skipped many, many, many times. But it all works out in the end, because then you get to open three or four presents in a row.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!
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December 7th, 2006 at 2:18 am
Great traditions! Ours includes watching It’s A Wonderful Life and drinking Bailey’s on the rocks on Christmas Eve…this tradition instituted by my Jewish husband…go figure!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:19 am
Those sound very familiar to the rules of Christmas morning when I was growing up.
Really cool idea for a list!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:24 am
Merry Christmas, and for today? Happy TT!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:34 am
Great list of traditions. And #10 is hilarious. My TT is up also on why I don’t have a cat.
Merry Christmas!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:40 am
Wow! Ever so organized. My Christmases are never that orderly.
December 7th, 2006 at 2:41 am
Wow! We’re lucky to get our tree up by Christmas! Those are really nice traditions, though. I could use a few of them!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:57 am
Those are awesome! You never realize how much you cherish traditions…
Happy TT!
December 7th, 2006 at 3:04 am
Ok, I’m totally going to have to come back to your blog when I can spend more time reading. I was glancing through your past entries and saw too many references to the “sperm bank” to not wonder what the heck is going on!
It’s my first Thursday Thirteen and I’m making the rounds. I love the Christmas Traditions. It’s an awesome theme. We also grew up with the tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. We always hoped mom would let us pick the gift… nope… she always picked it and get what Christmas Eve gift was? Pajamas. Every Year. But as much as we always hoped we’d get to pick the big one in the corner… I was always so excited to open my new pajamas… it really signaled the beginning of Christmas. Now I have same tradition with my girls and goodness… I so enjoy them opening those pajamas on Christmas Eve.
Ah… Your post gave me the warm and fuzzies. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve got my post up as well: http://writingaspirations.blogspot.com/2006/12/wish-list-goes-on-thursday-13.html
December 7th, 2006 at 3:04 am
Number 8 is a rule here also and Santa doesn’t wrap presents. He’s afraid it might get him caught if you know what I mean. Some of our traditions include leaving a plate of cookies and some carrots for santa and the reindeer. Also, we sprinkle magic food out front for the reindeer.
December 7th, 2006 at 3:19 am
Yikes! Those are strict traditions! I remember watching for santa out of my grandma’s living room window when I was small.
Happy TT!
December 7th, 2006 at 3:19 am
really good topic for a TT! Number 10 made me laugh!
Mine is up, come visit!
December 7th, 2006 at 3:25 am
Oh, I hated youngest to oldest! Mainly because I’m the first grandchild on both sides and when we would all get together to open presents I was ALWAYS last ~ except for the one year when I threw a fit and they went oldest to youngest! I think that was my favorite Christmas growing up!
I’m really looking forward to starting some Christmas traditions of my own when my kids get a little older. I think I will steal #3, #4, #5, #8, and #10. As far as the opening of one present at a time…MY family does that. Hubby’s family doesn’t. It’s a huge disagreement between us every year because I get so angry I don’t get to see my nieces and nephews open the gifts I buy them. ARGH!
Happy Thursday! Love the new look (BTW) It’s been a while since I’ve stopped by!
December 7th, 2006 at 3:38 am
Great list! My family had the opening one present on Christmas Eve tradition too. I’m with you on the old man Santas. They are kind of creepy…
December 7th, 2006 at 4:00 am
Ooh! I love #7 about if you touch a present, it goes away! I’ll have to try that for my kids!
I also like the idea of all the kids sleeping in the same room. How fun. I might try that this year too.
Mine’s up–and it’s got a contest to go along with it; come on over and check it out.
December 7th, 2006 at 4:08 am
what a strict and fun tradition indeed.
Mine’s up.
December 7th, 2006 at 4:55 am
Those are really good! We weren’t allowed to open presents either until Mum had her coffee, but we were allowed to do the stockings.
My list is up too - Happy TT!!
December 7th, 2006 at 5:05 am
Sounds strict … we weren’t allowed to open presents until my Dad had eaten breakfast! Slowest breakfast of the year in my opinion )
December 7th, 2006 at 5:47 am
What great traditions! We always went around the room and opened our presents one at time. It’s something I will never forget.
Thanks for sharing!
Happy TT!!
December 7th, 2006 at 6:18 am
We had a passer-outer too when I was a kid. And had to open gifts one at a time too. I really like the “wake the parents up with Christmas carols.” That is a terrific idea.
December 7th, 2006 at 6:44 am
#1 through #4 - I can hang.
#5 - I’d have to request they come bearing gifts of hot coffee and poptarts, too. [grin]
#7 - Ooooh! That one would scare me away from the tree.
#8 - I like the way you think.
#9 - Huh? I’m lost already.
#10 - [chuckle]
#11 - Uh–Wha–Huh?
#12 - I’m scared now.
#13 - I think I’ll just be sitting over here in the corner with your brother. Lemme know when it’s my turn, K?
[heh]
Wow. You, um, wouldn’t happen to have OCD, would you? I’m just saying, my son does, and I could sooooo see him making up a similar list of rules.
Um, yeah… Happy Holiday’s to you and yours.
December 7th, 2006 at 6:48 am
When I was a kid we got to open our stockings on christmas morning then had to wait an hour for Grandma and Grandpa to wake up, drive across town and watch us do the rest. Torture I tell you.
December 7th, 2006 at 7:14 am
We had a lot of rules that made Christmas a wonderful tradition.
December 7th, 2006 at 7:52 am
that’s a lot of traditions. we don’t have any here. we don’t even have the tree up anymore!
December 7th, 2006 at 8:01 am
Too delightful for words! I love hearing about Christmas traditions and love that you can share yours with the internet as well as Bug. It’s just so lovely!
I hope you’re enjoying the season so far.
December 7th, 2006 at 10:56 am
As strange as some of these sound, you have to realize that they were passed down from her Mom. There are 9 children and if you didn’t take turns, it would be a wild mess. Besides, it makes all the work of getting ready for Christmas seem more worth while.
Brother always wanted to play with toys, take a zillion pieces of legos out and then open another toy with pieces and in the end, something would get lost or thrown in with the wrapping paper.
oh yeah, we always got pj’s, socks, gloves, a puzzle, coloring books and a gmae or doll.
I am glad Baggage has passed on my family traditions to her daughter. Then at least “Bug” will know what to do when she is visiting Nana at Christmas!
December 7th, 2006 at 11:01 am
That sounds sooooo nice! We never did it the traditional way - sometimes I wish we had, it sounds so cosy
Happy TT!
December 7th, 2006 at 11:24 am
Great traditions - mine also include Christmas Carols must be played whilst opening presents. Of course that quickly gets overturned if someone gets a CD off Santa!!!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
We had similar rules growing up. It was a shock going to my husband’s family the first Christmas…opening presents was a free for all. No one watched anyone else open presents, it was awful. Needless to say the one person at a time rule as been put in place in our home!
Happy TT, number 6 is up for me!
December 7th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
wow, now that sounds like the Santa Police for sure. Though I do agree, the Norad Sight is awesome on Christmas eve!
On the touching rule, what if its accidentally bumped?
December 7th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
This sounds like a very organized and fun way to do the gift opening. With children, it can be total chaos and nobody really enjoys any of it. I like your method.
My TT #4 is up.
December 7th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
Those sound like some very good rules to me! We only have one in the house that still believes in Santa. Our current rule is that if the one that doesn’t believe spills the magic beans about Santa to the one that does believe, the one that doesn’t believe gets no presents for Christmas. Now he goes out of his way to talk up Santa to his little sister.
December 7th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Oh, and my TT is up!
December 7th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
i love it! my parents used to make us wait to open presents and let us open up our stockings. i love the idea about waking us up with christmas carols! i might have to steal that one! and the old santas cracks me up, you’re so right! great list! happy tt!!!!
December 7th, 2006 at 3:49 pm
Wow-you’re strict. My husband the engineer would LOVE Christmas at your house. He’s all about order and rules
December 7th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
I love bubble lights!
Happy Thursday.
December 7th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
The last one cracked me up.
Happy TT!
December 7th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Ooh, you are strict!
Loved your list…brought back a lot of good memories. My TT is up too.
December 7th, 2006 at 5:41 pm
We share a lot of the same traditions. My favourite is opening a present on Christmas eve. I’ve ALWAYS done that, and can’t imagine ever stopping.
December 7th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Thursday 13: Things the Cat Wants for Christmas…
With the Christmas season upon us in force, it seemed only fair to carry the theme into the Thursday 13. This week’s offering is based on a note to Santa I found under the tree, written in strangely scratchy script:
13 Things The Cat Wants for …
December 7th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
i *love* your traditions! we don’t put up a tree until the first Sunday of Advent though. 3, 5, 7 & 12 are *awesome*. and Santa wraps his gifts in only Santa paper for us too! (they don’t have to be cartoon Santas though.)
happy TT! i played too. =)
December 7th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
My gosh! That’s a lot of rules! Makes me think of ones we had (and didn’t any more after my parents split) and ones I still have. Funny how codified holidays become!
December 7th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
Those are great traditions! We follow #1 (although we wait until the day after Thanksgiving - no later) and #6. Although Big Girl is an only child, she interprets this as “I’m going to bed in Mommy and Daddy’s room, because it’s Christmas Eve.” Yes, we celebrate Christmas, the Winter Solstice and Hanukkah - mostly because we all like a good party.
December 8th, 2006 at 12:46 am
The santa tracker is too cool! I think we’ll steal that one!
I’m really set in my “Santa presents” ways, but I think Santa gifts should be unwrapped & assembled. They can be played with until parents are awake.
We’ve always done 1 gift on Christmas eve too. And I always want my tree to go up on Thanksgiving, but it never works out for me
December 8th, 2006 at 12:48 am
Neat list. I know when I was younger we (we being my brother and sister) used to wake our parents early for Christmas. Now when I go over their house for Christmas, usually Xmas Eve and spend the night, I get woken the next morning by my parents now, they can’t wait to get to the presents.
Oh, my new 13 is up finally.
December 8th, 2006 at 1:04 am
great, great list! I love your traditions, they are very similar to ones we used to have.
Thank you for posting that!
happy TT!
(Love your template, btw.)
December 8th, 2006 at 2:29 am
Great traditions - one of ours is watching A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve, another is that even though we have no children, we still do stockings and open them up first.
December 8th, 2006 at 4:20 am
What a fun list!!! Mine is up too:
http://fourbzboysmom.blogspot.com/
December 8th, 2006 at 5:00 am
Awesome list.