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Paolo Nutini - Hos Bente, Denmark
christa - Veenendaal, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: christmas eve I celebrate christmas with my boyfriend. First christmas day, we celebrate christmas with the kids. this will be our first real christmas with our kids, because they are 2 years old and the youngest is ten months. So this is a very special christmas for me! I am so happy with my boyfriend and 2 little sons, i can cry!! Second christmas day we will eat turkey at our parents with the hole family. we will give eachother gifts, but the love is the most important thing! At these days we take the time to stood still at the love for eachother!
christine - princeton, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I grew up in a Christian household where Christmas was celebrated in traditional fashion, with lots of food, presents and a tree. But holidays were not always happy times in my family. I met and married a Jewish man who also was not comfortable celebrating around the holidays. However, it so happens that my birthday falls on Christmas, which gave him a reason to really celebrate! As our children grew we developed a tradition where we decorate our small live tree in a pot, or "Hannukah bush", with things that are important to us and that span many religions and spiritual beliefs, thus teaching our children as we believe to celebrate the solstice and the festival of lights, and respect and embrace all peoples (and furry and feathered creatures). We then plant the tree outside each spring. We have been doing this now for ten years and our holiday is blessed and wonderful, and there are many trees with our memories.
Christine - Leiden, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: To give to other people around christmas time. This year, 1000 people of my hospital, get a free visit to the musical "sunset boulevard".It was given by the frontplayer of this musical. It was even on the frontpage of this newspaper. It makes us very happy, an evening to the theater is very nice!!
Christine - Leiden, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In the time between the dutch Sint Nicolaas party and Christmas My workmates and i always have a nice evening togeter. Everybody brings special selfmade home goodies and we play a game with presents to win.. Everybody tries to buy the most uglie's thing om earth and during the game when you win one of this "nichtmare's ' You try to get lost of it as soon as possible!!!! It's a very Happy moment for al of us we have lots of fun.. This evening is always by one of us at home and this year it was in my home and we had special footware for my delicate floor wite the name of oure department in the hospital, a gift of our boss!!
Joleen - Bear, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year as a young girl I would wish for a father someone to share traditions of Christmas. I never got my wish, but I am so lucky to have a great husband now. He is a great father now to our children and we have great traditions that we have passed down to our grandchildren. One of our favorite traditions are looking at Christmas lights!!! This is a picture of my husband Scott and my granddaughter Olivia this Christmas looking at all the beautiful lights of Christmas. Even though I didn't get to share Christmas with a father, I am so glad I get to share all these traditions with the family I have now!!! I feel so lucky!!!
Lisa - Cirencester, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In the village where I live most people move away when they get older. However, at Christmas when old friends come back to stay with their families we put up a marquee and have a big get together, everyone brings food, drink, we have a band and dancing...it's my favourite tradition of all.
Maja - Terhagen, Belgium

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On this picture you see my mom she's 84 years young and still enjoying Christmas. It's has always been the tradition that my mom did everything to make it a wonderfull day for the whole family. This year my mom wont be able to do anything because she has twee fractures in her spinalcord. My mom is feeling so sad and guilty because she can't give a Christmas fest. I told her not to be sad, that it is time to pass on this tradition to somebody elses. That's why I have desided to take over the tast of being the Christmas godmother for the family. I hope my mom can still be around to enjoy how I do it, for years to come. I love you mom for everything you did for us all those years. XXX
Signe - Jelsum, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: It started out with me making a christmas card for a friend and it turned into a tradition. Now I make a Christmas card every year. I have done little velt stars with ribbon on a card, a small candle on a blue card, a drawing of me and my horse and cat, a little booklet with wise words from the desiderate and so on.. Everyone is looking forward to what I have come up with... this year it is pretty in pink and red and photoshopped. A Fairy (me) Blizzmas ( my horse is called Blizz)
Heidi - Horsens, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In denmark we celebrate the last 4 sondays before christmas. At our house Santa Claus is too busy to come every day - that is why he only comes on sondays. So our children gets a present the last 4 sondays until christmas. Here is Mathilde waiting for her last present - and she cannot wait until it is christmas. Merry Christmas from Jensen Family.
sigrid - Jevnaker, Norway

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I am missing our family tradition. So long I remember we were celebrating Christmas with the whole family. The whole year through everybody in the family are argueing with everybody of the family but not on Christmas. On Christmas we were sitting together and giving us presents. little ones but it comes from our hearts but now I am missing my family. I have moved away and I haven't the possibility to fly home for christmas. So for 4 years ago I have start a new tradition. I work with Christmas so that others can go home to there family so that they can celebrate there Christmas with joy. Merry Christmas to everybody where ever you are.
Chiara Hollies - Bay City, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year my mom would take a picture of my brother and myself to send off in a christmas card for family and friends. We would try to hold out for the first snow of the season and we would play and mom would snap away! We always looked forward to this and now we have a great picture timeline of our childhood at one of the happiest times of the year!!!
Signe-Sanne - Jelsum, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On my birthday (12 dec) I got my long awaited Trollbeads! A few days later I finished a sculpture of a stonetroll witha bird on its head. It turned out to be the perfect perch for my trollbeads bracelet when I am not wearing it. This will be the future christmas tradition, hopefully. My troll and the Trollbeads and watchingb the amount of beads grow as the years pass...
Marci - Erie, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: The best part of Christmas is spending time with Family and Friends..... Merry Christmas to all... and a Happy New Year!
Jennifer - McDonough, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We love to visit the town square of Covington and shop, have dinner, and ride in horse drawn carriages through the historic town. It is beautiful! Our three year old twin boys love all of the lights! I love just being with my family during this special time of year!
Sabine - Frickenhausen, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year if christmas eve is coming near, my family buys me a Santa or an Angel. Sometimes I do it also by myself, if I´m at another town at a Christmas Market and see a nice one. At christmas I put them up on my desk so that every visitor sees them. And when I bring them down from the loft and put them on the desk, I remember where I get every single one from and smile, because every Santa has got his own story. Here is a little selection.
Signe-Sanne - Jelsum, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year my mom and I go shopping. We love to see the different christmas decoration all the shops have. We make lists of what we like and the day after christmas we go back to the stores. They usually have up to 50% discount. We shop and buy and pack our new christmas decoration up into the attic, next to the old. We always surprise ourselves with last years treasures when we start deocrating..
Tracey - Didcot, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year when my brother and i were small it was a tradition to make handmade decorations for our tree with our mother. Now i am older and have a little girl who's nearly two i am continuing the tradition with her. This year we made salt dough stars together and she painted them (and the table!!!) She made them for our tree and for family and friends- pictured are ones she made and i wrote the names on of her little friends at the local playgroup she goes to- she gave them to them as presents...It brings back so many happy memories to continue this tradition with my little girl.
Sally Watson - Kununurra, Australia
Kalin - Apple Valley, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year on my birthday my mom will give me a Christmas ornament that she made. It will have a theme that is something that happened during the year or a special event or place that I went. Sometimes it will include many different things including the names of my friends, places I traveled, and events such as Confirmation or being named Captain of the volleyball team. My mom is amazing and I will treasure these ornaments the rest of my life. I plan to do the same for my kids someday (not for awhile- I just turned 17 two days ago). She also does the same for my brother Ben who turned 19 last week.
Kalin Stenhaug - Apple Valley, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We have "fortune lefse" on Christmas Eve! My mom types up slips of paper that pertain to each guest at the dinner table. She then rolls them into the lefse so that the slip sticks out slightly (just like a fortune cookie). The fortunes may pertain to something that has happened to the person in the past year or may be a prediction for the future. They are a highlight of the dinner and the room is often filled with laughter as they are read.
Krista - Apple Valley, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year I make an ornament for each of my children (Ben,19 and Kalin,17) that commemorates the year. I try to choose a particular event or hobby that was important to them for the year. The one I have pictured here is an ornament I made for Kalin from the year when all she wanted to do was read, read, read! She shares my warped sense of humor and the ornament can be used as a bookmark during the rest of the year. The kids are always excited to see what I come up with and love to look at the tree and relive the years/highlights of their childhood. They both receive their ornament on their birthdays since they were both born in December.
Jacque - NSW, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My mum's the best. Each year she decorates the tree with a slightly different theme and as a child it was always exciting to see what mum had made. Now, my daughter Lily joins in the fun. This year, I think is mum's most original. Instead of the three kings travelling on camels, she has them travelling on kangaroos - very original don't you think? Love you mum.
Andrea - Schwarzenbruck, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: These are the (just finished) "Stollen", my mother-in-law is presenting every year to her children and children's familys. Stollen is a very special kind of Christmas-cake, who's origin goes back to the Middle Ages. It's a bread-like fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, dried citus peel, dried fruits, almonds, raisins and different spices such as cardamom. The finished cake is sprinkled with icing sugar. The shape of the cake was originally meant to represent the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. Grandma's Stollen is very, very delicious !!!!! (And we are also looking forward to her wonderful Christmas cookies......)
Andrea - Schwarzenbruck, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: These are the (just finished) "Stollen", my mother-in-law is presenting every year to her children and children's familys. Stollen is a very special kind of Christmas-cake, who's origin goes back to the Middle Ages. It's a bread-like fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, dried citus peel, dried fruits, almonds, raisins and different spices such as cardamom. The finished cake is sprinkled with icing sugar. The shape of the cake was originally meant to represent the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. Grandma's Stollen is very, very delicious !!!!! (And we are also looking forward to her wonderful Christmas cookies......)
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: The elves and one reindeer take time out for exercise and play. A busy time is coming!!!
Lisa - Idaho Falls, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I belong to a Colored Pencil art group. Every December we have a party and each create a small piece of artwork to exchange. The art is carefully wrapped up and then numbers are drawn to decide which piece you receive. It is so special to get one of these original treasures because seeing the art brings to mind the wonderful artist who created it. My exchange piece - our state turned into a neon ornament.
Sabine - Frickenhausen, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year if christmas eve is coming near, my family buys me a Santa or an Angel. Sometimes I do it also by myself, if I´m at another town at a Christmas Market and see a nice one. At Christmas I put them up on my desk so that every visitor sees them. And when I bring them down from the loft and put them on the desk, I remember where I get every single one from and smile, because every Santa has got his own story.
Markus Schieren - Motherwell, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Since I am over in Scotland to live with my rather gorgious girlfriend for nearly 5 years now, it became a tradition that my mum and my dad send me over Christmas parcels full of Christmas Cards, sweets and traditional cake from my Hometown Aachen in Germany. It is made by a very famous bakery and well known all over Germany. I usually have that cake on Christmas Eve. This year I also got a little Christmas Donkey from my Godson, Dustin. Merry Christmas to all my family back home in Aachen, Germany! Markus
sacha - SCHAGEN, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We make it a tradition to make a long walk in the forest, and then go home an d make a nice fire to warm up again! Happy Christmas and a good 2009 to all!
Signe-Sanne - Jelsum, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Decorating the house with lights and baubels is a tradition in almost every country. Because I have my birhtday on 12 th december it is tradition in my family to wait until the thirteenth before taking out the christmas decorations. I still wait. This year I made a wreath, all in white colours. We don`t get snow anymore in the Netherlands and I miss it dearly.
Linda - Cape Coral, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: When my children were little, it was always fun and special to hang a photo ornament of them on the tree. Now they are grown but the tradition continues with my granddaughter Madeline who is just 16 months old. We have a special picture frame ornament just for her and it is especially enjoyable to walk by the tree and see "her" ornament because we will not be seeing her over the holidays--she lives so far away and winter travel is not easy for us. It helps to keep her close to us . . . in Spirit.
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our Advent tree is getting filled up. We continue to put on the decorations as the Blessed Birthday comes nearer. The tree and pieces were all made by a good friend and is a treasured part of our Christmas celebration.
Petra - Nottuln, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: These are Christmas decorations from the 'Erzgebirge', typical for my native country saxony. The Christmas pyramids and arches, the figurines of miners and angels have accompanied me since I was a little girl. The story of the ornaments reaches way back in time and every Christmas I decorate the house with those treasures and keep this tradition up as it reminds me so much of my childhood.
Petra - Nottuln, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: These are Christmas decorations from the 'Erzgebirge', typical for my native country saxony. The Christmas pyramids and arches, the figurines of miners and angels have accompanied me since I was a little girl. The story of the ornaments reaches way back in time and every Christmas I decorate the house with those treasures and keep this tradition up as it reminds me so much of my childhood.
Petra - Nottuln, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: These are Christmas decorations from the 'Erzgebirge', typical for my native country saxony. The Christmas pyramids and arches, the figurines of miners and angels have accompanied me since I was a little girl. The story of the ornaments reaches way back in time and every Christmas I decorate the house with those treasures and keep this tradition up as it reminds me so much of my childhood.
Francesca - Roma, Italy

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every Christmas we prepare some candy garlands to give as presents to our closest friends. In this picture my daughter Livia is helping my mother-in-law Nicoletta to tie the candies to a very light but strong wire frame. Since the frames are very difficult to find in Italy (Nicoletta bought them in the USA many years ago) we really treasure them, so every year we ask our friends not to throw them away but give them back to us after finishing the candies. To be sure they do it, we promise a new garland for the next Christmas for each returned frame. So frames and garlands come and go every year creating a sort of bond between friends and family. To be honest, I must add that usually Nicoletta does all the real job and Livia eats lots of candies, but it’s all part of the fun!
Hilda - Watergrasshill, Ireland

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Each year on Christmas Eve my family gather in our parents house. On Christmas day we open our gifts, go to Mass and afterwards we visit our grandmother’s grave to lay the holly wreath our father made. From there we go to my grandfathers house where our entire family meet, from grandfather to great-grandchildren and there is lots of noise and laughter as all 47 of us catch up and wish each other Merry Christmas! Afterwards we go home and eat the beautiful Christmas meal our mother makes and then light a fire and sit together talking and laughing into the night. It’s always such a happy Christmas day! In the photo are my sisters and I with my brother’s girlfriend all the way from New Zealand on Christmas Day last year! Nollaig Shona Duit as Eireann – Merry Christmas from Ireland!!
Hjørdis Nielsen - 4180 Sorø, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our restroom "nisse"
Pia - Eindhoven, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: As a child I always liked the cribs in some of the villages city centers. Now I collect small cribs and hope to find a new one every few years. this is a picture of my smallest one. To illustrate how small it is, I took a picture with 2 of my most beautifull Trollbeads. I will upload both of the pictures. With my crib collection picture I forgot to x the competition, but I would like to join with that one also.
Pia - Eindhoven, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: As a child I always liked the cribs in some of the villages city centers. Now I collect small cribs and hope to find a new one every few years. this is a picture of my smallest one. To illustrate how small it is, I took a picture with 2 of my most beautifull Trollbeads. I will upload both of the pictures.
Pia - Eindhoven, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: As a child I always liked the cribs in some of the villages city centers. Now I collect small cribs and hope to find a new one every few years. this is a picture of my smallest ones.
Charmaine - Queanbeyan, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On the 1st day of December I decorate our Christmas Tree. We also have the traditional squabble over the tangled Christmas Tree lights.
Morgan - Middletown, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: One of my Christmas traditions of 3 years is to take my dogs to the local humane association's Santa Claus picture fundraiser. My dogs are the one wondering why their mom makes them wear something funny every year, like the red jingle bell necklaces. Their grandma gets a new picture for her Christmas frame each time!
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A visit with Santa is an essential part of the Christmas season.
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My girls make there own Lucia-parade. Its small - but beautiful
Bridget - Sunderland, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My husband and daughters go outside to select and cut down a Christmas tree. I have hot cocoa ready for them when they come in.
Mary - Bethel Park, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My tradition is collecting figures of Santa. I chose to feature an American Santa to perpetuate the feeling of faith in the American spirit when so many are feeling despair at this time of the year.
Nam - Robina, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Christmas is for me all about family and traditions. I grew up in Sweden and over there a large baked Christmas ham is the pride of the Christmas Eve “smorgasbord” for most families. Each year my family prepare special mustard to be eaten along with the ham. This mustard recipe was given to me by my grandmother and she got it from her mother…..My grandma passed away some years ago but she is still very much a part of my Christmas, even if I now live in Australia.
Jennifer - Lugoff, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I buy my two boys new pajamas each year for Christmas. I wrap them and let the kids open them on Christmas eve. They wear them to bed and then have on their new pajams for Chritmas morning and all of the pictures too.
Tracey - Didcot, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year i decorate our christmas tree with a different theme. This year with my little girl Emily in mind i based our tree around the rhyme- "...sugar and spice and all things nice...that's what little girls are made of" and made felt hearts and used candy canes and gingerbread stars to decorate it...a very tempting tree to a 2 year old!!!!!
Veronika - Mettmann, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On the 11th Day of Christmas my little Santa gave to me: Eleven red hearts of glass.I made them.I love my TB's so much and it was my greatest wish to learn how to melt glass and create my own christmas ornaments.
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: To små nisser i sneen
Bente Wallin - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year my studie-group and our familys gather in Sweeden a weekend before christmas. In 2004 there was lots and lots of snow, and we lost all electricity - so we had to cook the christmas meal on a barbecue on the Terese.
Bonita - Richmond, Canada

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Each year we like to redo our Christmas Tree with a differant theme. This year we chose "sports". It is a lot of fun assembling itmes to put on the tree and they are always unique.
letticia - middlesex, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Hubby and i pack up the dogs and daughter and drive down to the coast for a winter picnic. This is the start of our celebrations, as you can see sometimes its very cold, but we always take a thermus of hot tea. After a freezing picnic the hot warm house seems so cosy.
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: After many years of purchasing gifts for each other, our friends decided to pool our money and take names off an angel tree for needy children in our community. This picture was taken after one of our shopping adventures for a young girl and boy. It was a delightful shopping spree and we all felt better about helping the less fortunate. Afterwards we would wrap the presents and then have a delicious meal.
Christine - Amersfoort, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our group of friends (generally known as the Scooby Gang) like doing unusual stuff. We've known eachother for many years now and we used to have traditional Xmas diners together. Until one summer one of us said she was tired of everybody barbecuing in summer, and why not do it in winter instead? So that year we had a midwinter Xmas barbecue. We've never had so many volunteers to turn over the meet, coz it was the only way to stay a little bit warm. Well, and as you can see, the beer helped as well (although I'm the one drinking tea =o). The neighbours weren't quite expecting a barbecue, because so far, we've had two years in which the fire brigade showed up because there were reports of a fire. Luckily they could see the fun of it all and shared a nice steamy hamburger with us! =o) So since then, we've been celebrating Xmas with a nice (and very cold!!) barbecue! Merry Xmas and best wishes for 2009, Christine
Lotte - Heerlen, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: She looks like an angel
Kathleen - Essen, Belgium

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Here my Christmas card,I make by myself,with my 2 lovely beagles I wish everybody in the world very good look and all the love we can give to each other
karlijn - Grou, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On this picture you'll see our little ferret Mira. Mira her christmas wasn't so nice last year. On christmas eve she came in a shelter for ferrets. She was verry skinny and sick. This year is totally different! She is having a home and getting pressents with christmas. Mira is our little christmas angel and that why I made the picture of her underneath the christmas tree the beginning of a new tradition!
karlijn - Grou, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is our Christmascard of this year. Each year we make our own card of a photo of our beloved ferrets. On this photo you'll see Furo one of our youngest ferrets.
margriet - Doorn, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Kissing my little hamster and let her walk on the table when we are having an early christmas breakfast...
margriet - Doorn, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I really would like to have a white christmas, so we can go out and enjoy...
margriet - Doorn, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Spending those days with my family. Last year my cousins from Paris and South-Africa were here and hugging my daughter, who misses them very much....I hope we can celebrate the birth of Christ together with the whole family for many many years...
Sas - Schagen, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year we sent and recieve X-mas cards. There is one person , who is very special for me. When i was a teenager , i was a student of a Katholic school, and did get lessons from a very kind nun.. who was a teacher aswell. She liked my questions, about religion, and let her smile a lot. Then she get ill, and i sent her a get well card to the convent. I did save the adress, and after leaving school, at age of 16 , we started sending christmascards to eachother. We never skipt a year, so we do it for 32 years now! This year the first card i recieved , was from nun Maria,and my first card i did write was for her. It's a very dear tradition for both of us!
Mary - Bloomingdale, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I have this little troll and his name is Bartholomew. He often models new trollbeads for me. The last two years I find him hiding all over my home. How cute is he in a stocking!
Chloe - Hampton, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Christmas in our house is a time for celebrating love and family. This photo shows my sister and I, wearing the beautiful matching Christmas dresses our Mother made us, kissing in front of our tree. Many of the decorations on the tree are cherished family heirlooms - ragged paper angels, painted stars and coloured pasta chains made at kindergarten and school. Note the big earrings Santa brought us. All girls love a bit of jewellery at Christmas!
sally salisbury - Didcot, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We attended the childrens carol concert at their school and afterwards we go home to Grandmas for mince pies and cream.
Jacqueline - Nieuwegein, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Christmas means to me, taking a day of together with my husband (without my three kids), travel to another city, shopping, lunch and occasionally go out. In short: spending some quality time together. Every year, every Christmas.
Jacqueline - Nieuwegein, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Visit my father. He is alone since one and a half year. My mother is living in a home for the eldery. It's hard for him. It's difficult for us to visit him frequently. But I always try to go to him around Christmas, so I can make him feel a little better.
Mary - Oswego, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I decorate a white christmas tree with antique mercury glass miniature bulbs and 100 tiny white light bulbs. I place the tree in my bedroom every year. I adore the way the white lights illuminate my room and how they create reflection in the glass bulbs. It makes me feel warm and cozy as the long days and nights of winter darkness approach. My husband and my three maine coon cats enjoy it too! The kitties knock at least one glass bulb off the tree each day. It's their way to celebrate Christmas Time. Meow!
Lonemerete Anderesen - Ølgod, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Rocking around the christmas tree
Lonemerete Anderesen - Ølgod, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Enjoys the holliday and love when there is some snow.
Ursula - Apeldoorn, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every Christmas Eve, we eat turkey for dinner. Years ago we did not have much to spent but I saved nickels and dimes during the whole year, to be able to buy the Christmas Turkey. We were so happy to have one for christmas, we even gave the bird a name: Jan! Fortunately times are better now, so saving for the turkey ain't neccesary anymore, but we still name him Jan every year. And the other tradition involving the bird named Jan, is eating the cold leftovers early in the morning, first Christmasday!
Karlijn - Grou, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In our home Christmas is for everyone! Even our beloved ferrets getting presents and a Christmas diner! If you look at the picture you'll see our 2 ferrets Snits en Snats eating there Christmas diner!
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My husband always find some new lovely trollbreads to give me:-)
TH - Esbjerg, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: There are many special moments in december. Some days before christmas we are meeting with family and we have fun making candy for christmas evening :) And the 23th december we go to my boyfriends family and eat "risengrød" :-) And ohhh the best day is offcourse christmas evening where we dance around the christnas tree singing and enjoying being together. This year will be the first time we hold christmas in ouer house with both our families
grethe - silkeborg, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: When everybody has been dancing arround the christmastree we take a little timeout and just sit or lay arround the tree to admire it with the candle in, just before we go on to the gifts.
Christine - Sugar Grove, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: When I see the ballet I always think of my sister who loved to go as often as she could. The Nutcracker was the Christmas favorite and in her will she left a donation to the Pittsburgh Ballet to be used for new costumes for the mice in the Nutcracker. Now, this photo isn't from the Nutcracker but it reminds me of my sister all the same!!!
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This little guy has been a part of our Christmas for over 30 years. He is truly happy with his new adornment and being a part of the spirit of Christmas.
karin møller - løsning, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: vi tar til vandet den 23 her laver vi bål leger og hygger får æbleskiver og varm kakao.
Sherry - Midland, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My neighborhood friends and I all get together for cocktails and fun. We put our swimsuits on, bundle up, and go outdoors to sit in the hot tub!! It's cold going out, but feels wonderful and refreshing once you're in!
Sherry - Midland, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We all go to the local hospital and walk thru the halls, singing Christmas carols to cheer the people working and ill, giving treats to those who are able to have them. It cheers the people up and gives us a good feeling!
Marci - Erie, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Each of the 22 years my Husband and I have been in our home we try to get a large tree for our front window.... we even put a double door in the house so we could fit them... this years is sooooo big we had to cut a foot off the top so the Angel fits.... she looks like she's sitting on a pedestal! Our neighbors all come over and help decorate.... this is our favorite tradition of starting the season with our dear friends!
Helen - oxfordshire, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is another picture of my children Kayleigh and Marc on Christmas Eve with their gingerbread house they have made.
Helen - OXfordshire, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every Christmas Eve when all the jobs have been done, myself, my daughter Kayleigh and son Marc make and decorate a gingerbread house. We like to keep it on show over Christmas then have great pleasure smashing it up and eating it in the New Year!!
Jacque - 2444, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We live on the North Shore in Port Macquarie, NSW on the Hastings River. The North Shore is accessed by vehicular ferry from the mainland which runs 24 hours. Each Christmas morning, Santa with his heavily packed sleigh arrives on the 8 o'clock ferry to the North Shore where all the children and their families are waiting to greet him. A chair is provided for Santa and his helper Mary Christmas in the shade and he proceeds to call out the names on the gifts to the children. It's a lovely way to start the day and where the community gets to wish all their neighbours and friends a joyful and peaceful Christmas and good tidings for the coming year. It's also lovely to see all the new babies and their families each year. Originally there were about 30 people waiting to greet Santa, now, over about a 10 year period, there are almost 200! Wishing always for peace on earth. Jacque
Kirsten - Nærum, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We love to do our own christmas decorations. The last couble of years it has been the very special danish braided christmas hearts thats takes quit some patience and ingenuity to do.
Mary - Colne, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On Boxing day we have "Tattie" Pie, That is meat and potatoe pie, with mushy peas and red cabbage, rather than turkey. For years a family friend came for Boxing Day and he loved potato pie, but did not have it at home. So we always made it for him and his wife. They have sadly passed away now, but we still have pie!
Louise - Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our Childrens School Play
Wendy - Harrisonburg, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Making garland to decorate our house and Christmas tree has been a tradition in my family since I was little... popcorn, pretty sparkly beads, and other items were used to make decorations. I have continued this tradition and this year I decided to make my garland out of 24 origami paper cranes, due to their representation of peace. On the wings of each crane I have written scriptures and special messages of peace and hope. Each day counting down to Christmas I read the message on that crane, enjoying the holiday spirit!!
Erika - Galten, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My family and I lights the "adventskrans" every day when we are all gathered. I have 3 children, and they all loves this tradition.
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We are joined with friends on a Christmas outing on Sanibel Island, Florida. The Island has a luminary celebration where luminaries are lit by Boy Scouts along the walking path which stretches most of the length of the island. Many churches and businesses provide refreshments for visitors during the evening. One of the churches provides entertainment in the form of a living Nativity, carols, and bell ringing. A great time was had by all.
Julie - FLITWICK, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: On Christmas morning my children are always so excited, but are not allowed downstairs until everyone is ready to see if Father Christmas has arrived. (This is also to make sure I am ready with the camera to caputure the childrens' smiles). My Son Harrison is so excited that he didn't want to get dressed and just put his Santa hat on!
Nathalie - Stadskanaal, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A big Christmas trea!! Lots of presents!! My mother is cooking 3 days before christmas wonderfull things!! Playing games with the family! For me are Christmas days, days to stand still that we have lost very loving people, en that i love the people around me the most!! My son 'Hero', my husband, parents, brothers.... That we all may have a healthy en happy 2009! Fot you Trollbeads a creative 2009!! Merry Christmas, lots of love Nathalie (and family)
Keiran - SYLVANIA, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our Christmas Tradition is the unveiling and cutting of my Grandmother's Christmas Pudding -always spectularly presented! (And the gift of a new Trollbead!)
Nanette - Wee Waa, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every Christmas we wear a Christmas hat to lunch !
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is a favorite tradition any time of year--Sanibel Island, Florida. This picture was taken last Christmas. Such a beautiful site and place to be.
Hanne - Værløse, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our special Christmas tradition is this old pakkekalender. My grandma made this fine needlework for me back in 1966. When I was a child the presents were much smaller than today. The 1st of December all 24 presents would hang on the calendar and it was fun to feel and try to guess what was inside. Since 1997 the calendar has been my daughters. The presents are larger now a days, so we decided only to hang up one present at the time. We told Alexandra that Santa had been there in the middle of the night and for many year she believed that. Now she's 12 years old and every weekend she gets an advent present.
CLARE CURTIS - WALLINGFORD, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My next door neighbour of 12 years lost her daughter to cot death, and has a tradition of holding a coffee morning for cot death. She has been doing this for 32 years . All money raised go the the charity for cot death. We have to make a donation and bring a wrapped christmas present . Her daughter would be have been 32 next years old next week. I have been going for 12 years now and enjoy it every year .
Marjorie - Gilford, Canada

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Around the 8th of December my Son's Birthday we always celebrate with a Tree Trimming Party and invite family and friends they bring an ornament to place on the tree. it is great fun for the hooting and hollering just seeing the dates on some of the ornaments they go back to my parents tree when I was a little girl. There is lots of food and a wonderful time reminising and catching up on the goings on of the year that is about to end. The picture that I have sent is of my two youngest grandaughters and the treee that they alone decorated.
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My husband is finishing the last stick of "Log Cabin Candy." The recipe for the Log Cabin came from his grandmother. She worked in a candy factory in Boulder, Colorado. She would make the candy every year and distribute it among family and friends. We have been making the candy since 1984 when the recipe was passed on to us. We always make it at Christmas and share it with friends and family. We have also made it for other special family occasions--weddings, birthdays, etc. When my in-laws were alive, they would each have their own stick so that they could nibble on it throughout the year--often lasting in to the fall.
Sherry - Midland, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year my 4 children, my husband and I get together Christmas Eve. We pop poscorn and exchange our gifts among each other. If the whether is cold enough (it usually is in Pennsylvania) we will make hand-made pull taffy, and wrap it in wax paper. We only make this taffy for Christmas.
Pia - Århus V, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every christmas we put flags on our christmas tree, and after the dancing and singing around the tree we read the story about when Jesus was born....and then finally the children, both young and old ones gets gifts.
Jonna Larsen - Brovst, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I alwas send Christmas cart i have make on my owen.
Lea - Børkop, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My boyfriend and I bought our house 4 months ago. So this is a picture of our FIRST Christmas tree... Our first real Christmas tradition together .... definitely not the last :)
jenny - Holland, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year for the past 14 years my husband, the boys and I go to The Toledo Zoo for the Lights Before Christmas. We arrive by 5:00 p.m. to be first in line to see Santa. We then stop and get Gingerbread Men and hot chocolate and then walk through the zoo to see the millions of lights. The boys were in diapers when we started, they are now driving! And, yes, they still sit on Santa's lap! This year I took my trollbeads to ask Santa to bring me some more! This year was bittersweet as I think our tradition will be changing as the boys continue to grow and move on with their lives and become fine young men.
Rika - Breda, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My special Christmas tradition is to be with the onces I love,my husband, mum, mother in law, and ofcourse my beloved pet doggies Buffy, Sari and Twinky. And to think about the onces we miss in life..my father and father in law..
Tracy - Columbia, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year, my Mom and I go to my Brother’s house for Christmas breakfast where we have Christmas morning with him and his wife, her Mom and her mom’s beaux, and her 10 year old daughter. I always bring crackers to this breakfast. Before we have our meal, we pop open the crackers and this small group of adults, plus one child, have a great time playing with the inexpensive little plastic toys and wearing the paper crowns all throughout breakfast, and for some time after.
Maja - Terhagen, Belgium

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In my class at school are some children from witch the parents can't have vacation for the Christmas days. That's why my mom desided to invite all our friends from class to go skating during the Christmas holidays. We always have lots of fun and it's a good way to clear our heads after the examination period.
Linda - Amsterdam, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year on one of the two Christmasdays all the family comes together for a good dinner and a good chat. We all bring our animals and dress up smart so we have a real feast. This year for the first time we will bring our dog. So he needs to be dressed up. As you can see he is ready for the party.
Alison - Edson, Canada

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year for the past 12 years we have had wild moose that come in to dine with our horses everyday at feeding time. On Christmas Day I always take the horses a special hot oat & molasses treat to warm them up and now I've started bringing extra for the moose. They seem to like it and haven't trampled me yet (moose can be quite dangerous) so I think it is a good tradition to keep. Here is a calf from last year...
Laura - Vermilion, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Teaching chidlren the real meaning of Christmas can be difficult. For the past few years my family has volunteered to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. We have tried to teach the kids that Christmas is as much giving as it receiving. They know that the money collected goes towards making someone else's Christmas the best it can be!
Celia - Newton,/Massachusetts, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We would go to a Danish-born friend's house to celebrate with their family and friends. After sharing sweet treats brought by the guests, we would hold hands around their Christmas tree decorated with lighted candles and sing songs. The soft glow of the candles on the twinkling ornaments, the fragrant scent of the tree and the sounds of merriment were a warm reminder of the spirit of Christmas.
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year we are some coworkers who gather and make our own christmas pixy. Everybody works hard ;-) and the result is stunning. When we have worked long and hard, we order Pizza. Afterwords we end our work. Not all pixy's lovely - but we are all having fun making them:-)
Pia - Frederikshavn, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In December we have a christmas game at work. Each employees are pixy to one of their colleagues. The pixy give small presents to the colleague. It could be sweets ore other nice stuff. But you can not be sure about the pixy. Sometimes the pixy are teasing their colleagues by fx. hide their chairs ore wrap up the computer in newspaper. It is very important for the pixy not to be discovered. If a colleague find out who his pixy is, the pixy has to give the colleague a littel christmas present.
linda - Utrecht , Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: my eldest son is born on 1th christmasday so i already have the ultimate cristmaspresant he becomes 8 jears this xmas and all of our family and friends will come and celabrate with us drik gluwine and eat lost of nice foods everyone have yourselfs a very merry xmas xxx linda
Gitte - Frederikshavn, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: When Christmas is near my family and I goes to the woods and gather a lot of spruce, cones, leaves etc. And when we come home we use it to make all kind of different Christmas decoration.
Anja - sleeuwijk, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Wonderful things to do with my special friend Jose.
Carol - Blaxland, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I am a nurse and I work in a newborn intensive care unit at the Children's Hospital in Sydney. I mostly work on Christmas day and there are two traditions that are part of my Christmas. Firstly, because of my work commitments it has become a tradition for my family to celebrate our christmas meal together on Christmas eve. This is not the normal practice in Australia as I believe it is in Europe. We are only a small family now with just my husband and our 2 daughters and their partners. We organise our get together at our house where we have traditional christmas ham, prawns, chicken and pudding, and we have a competition to see who can find the wackiest christmas novelty. It is surprising what we can find. My other tradition is at my hospital work unit on Christmas day. We provide tiny Christmas outfits for all the babies to wear for the day (elves for the little boys and fairies for the baby girls). It is important that we make the day special for the families and their babies because most are miles away from their homes and trying to cope with a sick little one. We (nurses and doctors) bring in various Christmas food items and dishes and provide Christmas lunch and tea for us all. It is always a very special way to celebrate Christmas.
Rikke - Hallein-Bad Dürrnberg, Austria

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is my daughters Pakke Kalender, every morning she is sooooooo exited, what´s inside!! She used to feel and try to find out! Christmastime is really one of the most wonderful time of the year!
Rikke - Hallein-Bad Dürrnberg, Austria

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Christmas is the most wonderful time, especally when the children are small. We used to decorate our house and are sitting together drinking "punsch" and we used to do our own christmasdecoration. It´s one of the most exiting things for our small christmastrolls!
Maja - Terhagen, Belgium

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: From when I was a little girl we have a tradition of making our own Christmas decorations. I thaught it was a good idea not only to wear my Trollbeads but use them as Christmas tree decorations. So now I make my own Trollbeads hangers for our Christmas tree and it has never been so unique as it is now. Thank you Trollbeads-team for giving me this new inspiration.
Arie Mark - Denver, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: The kids and I decorate the Xmas tree on the evening of Thanksgiving. On the first weekend following it we ride around the city looking at all of the buildings and homes decorated with Xmas lights. When we return home we hot chocolate with yummy marshmallows! What fun!
Linnea - baton rouge, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: At xmas time we always had a traditional swedish tree. Complete with yulebach to lutefisk(sorry, I never aquired a taste for it!).
Veronika - Mettmann, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My mother is collecting elks.The elk is the sign of her homeland.Every year on Christmas Eve we give her an elk as a present.And every year my sister is so jealous of mum's gift.Also we bought her an elk too.
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Always, when we are at vacation, we by a ornimant for the christmastree. We've got things from many places in the world - buituful stof:-)
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: The very best thing - is snow at christmas:-)
Markus Schieren - Motherwell, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our tradition is to decorate the house early Decembre to get us all into the festive and christmas spirit. Its lots of fun while decorating the house and obviusly seeing people driving by and looking at it. Merry Chistmas By the way: doing this for my beautiful girlfriend. Love you xxx
sally salisbury - Didcot, United Kingdom
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This very special crewel embroidery was done by my mother in the 1970s. My father loved it so much that they had it on display in their home all year around. It has become a very important part of our Christmas traditions.
Take - Tokyo, Japan
MASSOT - LA SALVETAT SAINT GILLES, France

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our little spider loves to decorate its web for Christmas !!! and we love to decorate the Christmas tree all together and dance around it with danish tradionnal songs, like the danish Christmas diner and the milk-rice with almond to find !
Andy Curtis - WALLINGFORD, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My wife has found some new friend to feed her Trollbead habit , This is going to be her new tradition meeting up up with these ladies 2/3 times a year. Not just a christmas all year round . They all brought the same bead as a reminder !! Small planet . Clare had a fantastic time
Kirsten - Lyngby, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: The first Advent me, my husband and my daughters family join together makeing Advent wreaths. Severals advent wreaths lather we eat the first chritmas meal. It is a tradition the 7th of us always look forward to.
Doreen - Dover, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Loki's Christmas picture with Santa
Bente - Haslev, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We give each other presents at christmas. The girls are dressed up, maybe in white or red, and looks like lepacorns or eangels.
Christine - Leiden, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Its x-tra special when we have snow on Christmas.. We take a walk in the park with family and friends. We have cold cheeks and nose's and the dogs are running true this strange white world.. The nature is beatiful and after it we drink hot coco and eat christmas treats
Christine - Leiden, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: With Christmas i make the house beatiful with ornaments, tree and warm admosfhere. We make on christmas evening a very special time, its my birthday and al my loveone's and friens come to celebrate it with me. Its very warm and cosy celebration in this special time of the year and everybothy enjoy's it. when we were one moment to buzy with tolking, laufhing or eating my little nossy cat, Buddha, thake's his change to take a closer look to that strange tree that suddely apears in the room with the candels and nice glittering balls... What a yoy to play with....
Renate - Perg, Austria

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: For me it’s tradition to decorate the christmas tree with my 14 and 16 year old children on 22. or 23. of December. In the evening of 24. the whole family enjoys a great meal before opening the presents. The next day we meet the grannys and all cousins, aunts and uncles. It’s great to see them all and celebrate christmas. Christmas 2007 I found my first Trollbeads under the christmas tree. I love them so much and I hope that it becomes tradition too.
Lone - Virum, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is a picture of our 24-package-calendar for our parents, now 79 and 83 years old. My sister and I (50 and 47) thought it was "pay-back-time" when we moved away from home approx. 25 years ago. So we made this Christmas circle, with 23 small sacks and 1 larger with the number "24" sewed on the sack. Every year since, the days from 1 December until 23 December, our parents pick their choice of package, and on the 24 (the last day) they unwrap the last sack - which always contains a little bottle of Danish aquavit "snaps" (for 2 persons) and a little Marzipan pig - also a Danish Christmas tradition. If I win one of the Troll-rings in December, I will put the ring into sack no. 24 - which will be a great surprice to our Mom! And a good one! You never get too old to look forward to Christmas presents, and their grand-children (our children, now 17-25 years old) also get "advents prensents" - the last 4 Sundays before Christmas ... all arranged by our parents/grand parents :-)
Renate - Perg, Austria

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: For me it’s tradition to decorate the christmas tree with my 14 and 16 year old children on 22. or 23. of December. In the evening of 24. the whole family enjoys a great meal before opening the presents. The next day we meet the grannys and all cousins, aunts and uncles. It’s great to see them all and celebrate christmas. Christmas 2007 I found my first Trollbeads under the christmas tree. I love them so much and I hope that it becomes tradition too.
Natasja Hansen - Ringsted, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: we play chrismas eve
Beverly - Fort Myers, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This miniature village is comprised of houses that my mother started collecting from Hallmark in 1984. When she passed away in 1992, we continued the tradition of putting up the village. The first house in the set is the second house from the left. There are now 26 houses and shops. This is the housing scene. The focal point of the scene is a miniature skating set that also belonged to my mother and is probably 55-60 years old. It is what they call "pewter flats" made in Germany. Each is an individual piece. Christmas would not be the same without our village.
Lynz - Alloa, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My daughter is 6 years old and every year since she was born my Mum (her Granny) has bought her a special tree bauble. They all represent who she was at any given Christmas, from the little angel all in pink when she was 18 months up to the current pony obsession! It's really lovely to see her tree grow more full every year, they are a special tradition for myself, my Mum and Holly.
Sanne - Snekkersten, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In our family the most special about the present you receive - is the card. Every card is homemade and with a special wish for to the receiver! The card is designed by the heart and made by the hands... And my husbond Allan is excellent and creative - here too! Merry christmas to everyone :-)
Kathleen - Kensington, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: THE MAGIC YARN BALL What is a magic yarn ball? Something that's loved by one and all! You take some yarn, or even string, and drop in goodies, any small thing... maybe some earrings, candy, a book, all for which your friend must look! You wrap them up in said yarn or string, as your friend unravels it, she'll find everything! Every year she hopes she finds what she really needs, which is, of course, lots of Trollbeads!!! My friend and I exchange one every year at Christmas time, hope you've enjoyed my little rhyme! Happy Holidays!!!
Barbara - Torino, Italy

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A X'mas gift tradition: Every year, just some days before X'mas, we organize a dinner reserved to the women of the family to exchange a "good-luck-for-new-year" gift. This year will be my turn to host the dinner at my home and I've decided to prepare a special "GingerBEAD man". This is the one for my cousin Cri, so that we will have a new shared passion for 2009!
Barbara - Torino, Italy

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A X'mas gift tradition: Every year, just some days before X'mas, we organize a dinner reserved to the women of the family to exchange a "good-luck-for-new-year" gift. This year will be my turn to host the dinner at my home and I've decided to prepare a special "GingerBEAD man". This is the one for my aunt Iaia, so that we will have a new shared passion for 2009!
Barbara - Torino, Italy

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A X'mas gift tradition: Every year, just some days before X'mas, we organize a dinner reserved to the women of the family to exchange a "good-luck-for-new-year" gift. This year will be my turn to host the dinner at my home and I've decided to prepare a special "GingerBEAD man". This is the one for my sister Laura, so that we will have a new shared passion for 2009!
Barbara - Torino, Italy

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A X'mas gift tradition: Every year, just some days before X'mas, we organize a dinner reserved to the women of the family to exchange a "good-luck-for-new-year" gift. This year will be my turn to host the dinner at my home and I've decided to prepare a special "GingerBEAD man". This is the one for my Mom, so that we will have a new shared passion for 2009!
Barbara - Torino, Italy

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: A X'mas gift tradition: Every year, just some days before X'mas, we organize a dinner reserved to the women of the family to exchange a "good-luck-for-new-year" gift. This year will be my turn to host the dinner at my home and I've decided to prepare a special "GingerBEAD man" for Mom, Laura, aunt Iaia and Cri. So that we will have a new shared passion for 2009!
linnea - baton rouge, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We always got a new outfit for christmas,that year, I was sooo excited to be a cowgirl!
Jeanne - Woodinville, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year we have a Scandinavian themed Christmas Party. All of the food is Scandinavian based, we sing "Oh, Lutefisk", and each family gets to make a food-based craft. Last year, we all made Snow Castles from Finland out of sugarcubes. This year we are making sugar cookie christmas trees from "Norway". It is truly joyful to bring the neighborhood together to celebrate with an international flair. Considering that we all come from different backgrounds and ethnicities, it is fun to expose the kids to some Scandinavian culture. It is a favorite family tradition at Christmastime.
Kayla - Mt. Sidney, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year for Christmas my sister and I get each other unique gifts... This year we treated each other to a tattoo, and believe me... we needed each other's support to make it through.
Renate - Perg, Austria

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: For me it’s tradition to decorate the christmas tree with my children on 22. or 23. of December. In the evening of 24. the whole family enjoys a great meal before opening the presents. The next day we meet the grannys and all cousins, aunts and uncles. It’s great to see them all and celebrate christmas. Christmas 2007 I found my first Trollbeads under the christmas tree. I love them so much and I hope that it becomes tradition too.
Renate - Perg, Austria

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: For me it’s tradition to decorate the christmas tree with my children on 22. or 23. of December. In the evening of 24. the whole family enjoys a great meal before opening the presents. The next day we meet the grannys and all cousins, aunts and uncles. It’s great to see them all and celebrate christmas. Christmas 2007 I found my first Trollbeads under the christmas tree. I love them so much and I hope that it becomes tradition too.
marja - groenlo, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Samen met mijn 3 zusjes (en aanhang) en ouders samen zijn en gezellig bij de kerstboom kerst kado's uitpakken.
sally salisbury - Didcot, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I hosted a troll evening for my colleages at work who collect trollbeads. Thay all brought their collections along,and we talked troll all night. the youngest was Tegan. So we are starting a tradition of our own troll eves, having fun, good food and the best dessert trollbeads.
lotte - Heerlen, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Snow!
Annemarie - Dirkshorn, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Making gingerbread houses with the kids. This is my youngest son nibbling at his selfmade gingerbread house and that without his two front teeth!
Vick - Zwolle, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year we make handmade Christmas-cards. Sometimes it seems like a card-factory in our livingroom! All familymembers join the fun of creating something special for our friends and relatives, to bring them the best wishes for the new year.
Vick - Zwolle, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: a snowy white Christmas! ;-)
Clare - WALLINGFORD, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is my son Fraser's calender This comes out every year its 14 years old now that is his tradition .
Hilda - Watergrasshill, Ireland

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: My birthday is on December 16th and when I was young I was always upset because it is so close to Christmas that people were always to busy to help me celebrate. So my parents started our tradition of collecting and decorating our Christmas tree on that day to make my birthday more special. We still do it to this day and so they don't feel left out, we include our animals. As you can see Ivy isn't too happy about her hat, but she loves her trollbead necklace and is always playing with my beads!
Johanne - København NV, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year in early December, we take off in the woods to gather moss for Christmas decorations.
Jolanta - Alytus, Lithuania

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We have one Christmas tradition in the company I work with. Every year just before Christmas we invite all the children of our employers' to meet a Santa Claus in our office. This event brings a lot of fun for children and for adults as well. The adults enjoy the fact that the role of Santa Claus is given to our general director. He is a very original Santa Claus, who tells very original stories and gives original advices to everyone. This makes a lot of fun. These Christmas parties for children leave a lot good emotions and good atmosphere for a long time. We love the noise, the laugh candies wrappings, and even kind of a chaos, children bring to the office.
Lauren - Risca, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year we make a decoration for our Christmas tree. This year I also made one for our office - I'm sure our little office angel will be pleased when he sees this tomorrow morning!!!
samantha - Leicestershire, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every Christmas eve from about 17:30 myself or my Husband jingle a set of bells out of sight of the children. They believe it's the reindeers bells of Father Christmas delivering presents to all the Children that are already in bed. By 19:00 the bells are getting louder so the children are wanting to go to bed as they don't want Father Christmas to pass by the house without dropping of their presents. Children are in bed asleep for about 19:30 which is when myself and my Husband are able to get on with the huge task of retrieving all the hidden presents and placing them under the tree and in the stocking in their bedroom. It's a really fun night full of excited anticipation.
Iris - Bielefeld, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: When I was little my mom always told me that when the sky is especially red on a Winter's evening, the angels are baking cookies for Christmas. So still today it's our tradition to spot the winter evening with the reddest sky. In December 2006 the heavenly bakery must have been very busy as you can see on this picture taken from our balcony!
Stacey - Stow, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: This is a picture of one of my most favorite, and most meaningful, holiday traditions. I have a wonderful group of friends that I met at college about 10 years ago, and we started a tradition of having potluck dinners and a gift exchange at Christmas. This is a picture at our very first Christmas party in 1998. Our first dinner and Christmas exchange was held in the lounge on our dormitory, and we each contributed to the Christmas decorations—someone even brought a miniature Christmas tree, around which we piled up our presents for each other. Over the next ten years, we all wound up in different parts of the country—and even the world— some of us have lived in the following places: California, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Switzerland and Germany. Somehow, we’ve always managed to meet each other for Christmas—sometimes for a potluck dinner, or sometimes for a dinner at a restaurant. And each of those times we meet for Christmas, I’m reminded of what wonderful friends I have, and how important they are to me. It is true what they say: Friends are the family that you choose.
Tracy - Columbia, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We have a meal every year at my brother's house. His 10 year old stepdaughter creates place cards for us that show us where we are to sit at the holiday table. The picture shows the place card she created for me. My name does not appear there, but my trollbeads are there, which is how I knew it was me.
Eva - Regensburg, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: The picture i sent you shows a very new "tradition" last year I started making christmas-hampers with homemade specialities for our familys together with a friend. We've been producing loads of special christmas-marmelade, liqueurs, cookies, sugar- and salt-mixtures, chutneys... The flavour in our flats was so delicate christmassy! We had great fun and really got into christmas feeling! And all our family members have been very happy about this very personal presents. I'm sure we'll stick to this new "tradition"!
Helen - New South Wales, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We have many traditions that we keep every Christmas but my favourite started in 1969 - our first Christmas in Australia (we migrated from England) and I was 7 years old. Mum and dad did not have much money that Christmas and our new, generous neighbours invited us in as one of their own family. At the end of our meal a huge pie was presented, it was not a real pie more like a box with ribbons coming out of it with our names on them. As we pulled on the ribbons a present came out of the top of the pie for us to keep. Since that year onwards mum has repeated this tradition. She wraps a cake tin with Christmas paper and places small personal gifts inside. Each has a red ribbon with our name attached to it and she tops off the pie with cotton wool to look like icing. We each take turn to pull our ribbon out of the pie to reveal our special gift from mum. Our young children love this tradition that our mother, their grandmother has instilled in them. It will continue always I am sure. Merry Christmas from Sydney, Australia
Kristen - Mangerton, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We go on a family camping trip to Wee Jasper where fashion comes second to fun. The fishing is great and the river is cool in the heat of an Australian Christmas.
Justine - Sydney, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year at the beginning of Christmas we take a photo of our children dressed in Santa hats. We then include this photo in Christmas Cards to relatives who live far away.
Jennie - Heemskerk, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every year I make my own chrismas greetings card which I send to my loved ones! And always there is a picture of my 2 cheering boys on.
Lone - Virum, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: From the year 1700 the Lord of Frederiksdal castle, took his horse to the town Virum to wish all the farmers a merry christmas. Today the children and adults from Frederiksdals ridingclub follow the same tradition, dressed up for cristmas on the 24. dec. riding from Frederiksdals castle trough Virum to wish everybody a merry christmas on there way on horsebag.
deborah - sanger, United States

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I wrap 1 dollar, 5 dollar,10 dollar, 20 dollar and a 50 dollar bill and wrap in ugly to beautiful disigns and each of us pick a present. It is the last thing we do on Christmas and everyone loves the anticipation of the tiny boxes and not knowing which amount they will receive.
Beatriz - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In Spain, the traditional day for giving the Xmas presents is the 6th January as we celebrate The Three Kings. The previous day, families go buy the "Roscón de Reyes," a ring-shaped cake with crystallized fruit and with cream or confectioner's custard filling. In my case, however, it is my father who wakes up early in the morning the 6th January to buy the Roscón so that it's freshly baked and nice for our breakfast, and so, when we get up, we find this delicious cake waiting for us! Thanks, daddy!!!
Tanja - Hambühren, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Every Year in Dezember I work as Troll in our Sauna. All the people, they visit us, are very happy for it! ... I think, it´s easy to open hearts and see a smile in there faces..... That´s the wonderfull christmas time for me!!!
Rakel - Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: At our home we have a small "vættur" (a magical gnome or pixie" that come for a visite every night from 1. to 24. december and leaves a little "pakke" for each of the 3 childen in the house. He hides the presents somwere, and pust a note in our beautiful christmas-callender (on the picture). He is calles Vættra William and lives with his family in a rock by the catedral of Tórshavn. The children are looking forward to his visites for months.
Jette - DK-Tommerup, Denmark

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I give my husbond a Pakke Kalender, which is 24 different beers and he is very happy for it.
Pamela - Anmore, Canada

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We have always made our own Christmas cards to send out to family and friends. We try to be unique and have the boys in the photo. In the photo we sent I made the boys shape into a letter and I cut/paste the letter's together to spell "JOY". This is exactly (joy) how we feel everytime we look back at all of our christmas cards.
Fiona Crawford - Croydon, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Girlfriends are just as special as our related families. A group of six gorgeous girlfriends get together for a "Girl's Christmas Lunch". Each year we share around the tasks of entree, main, desert, drinks, hosting and themeing. A great day is always had with many laughs. It is a tradition that we aim to continue forever (as life always as surprises around the corner) as we cherish the time together. Merry Christmas!
Davena - Berwick, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Our Christmas tradition is a new one, I think it speaks of the diversity of the family unit. My son's father and I have been divorced since 2001, but each Christmas he is invited to our house on Christmas Day. My son always gets a board game for Christmas and part of our tradition is after our big Christmas lunch we all sit down together and play the game. This always leads to lots of talking, shouting and laughter. My ex-husband recently got re-married, and we hope that his new wife will continue the tradion as well.
Maria - Uppsala, Sweden

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Ever since my husband was small it has been a tradition to bake a birthday cake on christmas. His baby sister decided that if you get presents like on a birthday, then you should get the cake as well! It is after all Jesus birthday we are celebrating
Susanne - Kelowna, Canada

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum, what fun it is to go and select the perfect Christmas tree with family and friends. It is one of our traditions ,to finish it of hot chocolat and goodies will be served, yum!
Jacky - Yarralumla, Australia

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I usually work Christmas day at the local hospital, and every year my husband brings our two daughters into the hospital with their violin and cello, and we go around the all the wards we can, playing Christmas carols to the patients and their families. The photo shows them in our intensive care nursery. After work, we celebrate Christmas the Aussie way - water skiing and a barbeque. Fantastic!
Iris - Bielefeld, Germany

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: I can't imagine a Christmas eve without our family's traditional Christmas dish. It's been in my dad's family for generations and the only year I didn't have it, was when we were away visiting friends over Christmas and that was no 'real' Christmas for me... Believe it or not, this dish is called 'fish sauce' and there is not a tiny little bit of fish in it. Traditionally it was a sauce eaten with carp, but in the old days, that fish was too expensive for the lowly people and so they had sausages instead of carp and so this traditional dish was continued without fish. The sausages are delicious and only a few butchers still know how to make them properly, it's another Christmas specialty too. But the interesting thing is the sauce: It's a soup cooked with pork chops, carrots, parsley root and celery, but then its thickened with gingerbread and dark sweet beer. Sounds disgusting? It's delicious! Especially when you eat it, like we do, over a dark gray bread and with sauerkraut at the side! ***God Jul***Merry Christmas***Frohe Weihnachten***
Jan - Sandown, United Kingdom

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: We bought this wooden doll on a trip to India over 12 years ago,much to the amusement of the rest of our family, we've used instead of a fairy, to go on the top of our christmas tree every year since.
Marjon - Delden, Netherlands

What is your special Christmas tradition?

Answer: In Holland just before Christmas on 5 december we celebrate the Birthday of Sinterklaas. He is like Santa Claus to the Dutch children and brings gifts to all the little ones. In the weeks before the children may place there shoes in the evening before the fire place and then at night Sinterklaas rides on his horse Americo over the roofs and his compagnion Zwarte (Black) Piet comes down the chimney's and brings gifts and little presents into the shoes of those who have been sweet. Most children put a carrot or shuggar lumps into their shoes for Americo to please Sinterklaas...