When I was a child My grandmother used to have everyone over to the house on Christmas day. You were not allowed to not come, no matter how far you may have moved away from your home town. She made sure everyone came for for Christmas. She would get tables and chairs from the church and set a place for everyone to eat. Somehow she managed to get us all a gift. She has 14 children with spouses and 52 grand children (I think) anyhow too many cousins to count. I recall going over there everynight the week before Christmas to bake cookies, donuts, surgar pie, and get salads ready all for our famlies feast. The boys & men would be working outside getting all the snow machines ready to race and take the kids out for a ride Christmas day. My uncles always had about 10 snowmachines on hand for us to drive. Christmas for us was sliding on the huge hill in my grandmothers back yard, snow machine rides, gifts and a huge feast, most importantly the intyre family was together for that one day. My grandmother was always so happy to see us all together, all her creation. She has now passed and the family still meets, but it a smaller group now
Oh yes and my father always made sure we were at Church service Christmas eve.. that was also a must
Well thill I was 16 then he kicked me out of the house... lol but my grandmother still made sure I made it to her house.Now I don't go all the way to Timmins anymore 8 hour drive in the snow is too dangerous, I now follow in my husbands families traditions they are very simular to childhood traditions. minius the snowmachine rides.