I am not talking traditional traditions (Tradition!) but those smaller, more personal traditions.

My holiday traditions start on November 1st, when I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Following somewhere after that are Hogfather and the Alister Sims version of A Christmas Carol, as well as the classic Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. (I admit it - I can sing along with the whole thing.)

The original Grinch might be in there as well, but that ends the 'always do it' list for movies and shows.

Weird holiday foods, including plum pudding, spiced rum and cider, probably a Yorkshire pudding and a bit of Beef Wellington.

Others?

The Auld Grump, with razzleberry dressing!

My wife and I always seem to watch Nightmare Before Christmas somewhere in there as well as Invader Zim-The Worst Christmas Ever. We did the latter tonight!

We cruise the neighborhoods after Christmas and check out what kind of boxes are left out for the trash man to get an idea of which houses to hit. You can get some good stuff that way.
Some people just don't get it that they should not advertise the goodies in their house.

Actually we usually have a marathon game session with games like Risk, Scrabble, Mexican Train, Monopoly, etc. Thanksgiving is more for the grownups, Christmas more for the little ones.

National Lampoon's: Christmas Vacation is watched every Christmas Eve night after the smaller ones go to bed.

Eggnog is made (easiest thing ever: ice-cream that has eggs, rum and nutmeg to taste) for any family gathering.

With next year being the first that my daughter will understand what is going on at all (she will be 2 1/2 then), we are discussing which traditions to start up. Elf on the shelf is one we might do.

I have to admit, we watch Christmas Vacation and Strange Brew, then we have some really good Mexican food. We always have a 1500+ piece puzzle on some table for everyone to work on.

Well, watch crappy repeats till 10.00pm then walk the dogs drunkenly, pass out and hope to wake up @ 10 am on christmas day, it's not happened yet and I'm usually out with the mad few @ 8.00am walking the dogs around the park (Can't watch a dvd as I'm deaf to low freq and have to use a sub woofer which shakes the house).
Maybe chat on various fourms till late untill I pass out!

A big "Second!" on the eggnog vote for the entire holiday season.
Aside from some Meier's non-alchoholic sparkling stuff I load up on tons of Bailey's Irish Creme (original - like my coffee I like my stuff 'straight').
Restock on herring in sour cream sauce... can we say 'lutefisk'? (Sorry, I'm Swedish)

With just me in the house I put up my antique little Walgreens Aluminum Christmas Tree. Been seriously considering getting the Peanut's Charlie Brown Christmas tree (you know the one: one poor twig with a single bulb haning from it). I saw it first time last year and missed out on picking one up, but see its on the shelf again now.

New Year's Day I try to have a couple friends over and we do a Tolkein marathon: all three Lord of the Rings in the Extended Cut version (over 45 minutes extra for each movie not seen in the original theatrical release) - almost 12 solid hours! Oh, I bake turkey for sandwiches throughout the marathon along with have nachos and cheese.

Otherwise, spend time with the family still in the area.

Tinned grapefruit for Xmas breakfast.

The story: My grandparents lived in London during WWII when fruit and vegetables were very hard to get, especially during winter. Early in the Blitz my grandfather scored a few cans of tinned grapefruit which he kept for Christmas. Christmas morning they shared one tin around the family as a breakfast treat, and then saved the others for the next Christmas (now that's what I call faith in the future). The tins lasted them through the rest of the war and the worst of the rationing (as did the whole family), by which time the tradition was solidly established.

In the midst of Christmas excess they remind me just how fortunate we are these days (even with the impacts of the current recession).

Xmas day is double time and a half at work, so cashing in big time is my new tradition.

Yorkshire Pudding is a big tradition for the holidays around here

I'm due to watch Scrooged to get me in the Christmas spirit.
If all else fails, it's the Muppet Christmas Carol.

We've made our Ginger Wine, that I wouldn't want to drive afterwards.
But there's simply nothing to beat just being with my family on the day itself.

Yeah, I need to add a few more movies to my list - Muppet Christmas Carol is one. (We're Marley and Marley....)

Also, A Christmas Story and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

And, because I am such a giving person....



The Auld Grump, a movie that has to be seen to be believed!

This is not a tradition yet, but I do love to make food (cook is too specific a term), so I am thinking of preparing some figgie pudding. I have never thought much about it until this year, and it looks yummy. If it works, it may become a tradition.

One of our traditions is our Christmas party (possibly a holiday party in the sense that we usually have a Christmas party except the one year we decided to do Oktoberfest instead).

We invite friends from all over and usually have a great showing. Everyone brings something, either food or beverage, to share, and we do a white elephant gift exchange which goes from fun to raunchy to hillarious. I cannot get into too many of the saucier details here but people definitely get creative - and then to see the "hot" items change hands is fun!