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*Farmgirl Barter™:  Planning Ahead English Xmas Exchange  |
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farmgirlof4
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Angela
Canyon Country
California
USA
37 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 16 2008 : 7:13:56 PM
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I would love to get an idea of some of the old traditions in America. Being raised in England for 18 years I have had the delight of some wonderful traditions, from rescipe's to die for and formal dinners that we continue to do every year even though I am now back in the good old USA! There are so many things small in detail but big in our hearts that I would love to share. I am looking for some body out there who lives in the heart of Amercia's oldest traditions to share their Christmas with me.
We could set a $ limit and still get a real taste of how it is and see just how different but how equally wonderful our differences are. I know I will enjoy getting a little carried away!
I thought we could plan to exchange in time for us to enjoy each others traditions this Christmas and then send pictures to each other on how we added it to our holiday season!
Let me know a little bit about where your from in the USA?
I am so excited!
God Bless!
Angela
.....always a farmgirl at heart! |
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amyartgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
991 Posts
Amy
Junction City
Ohio
USA
991 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 07:25:28 AM
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Hi Angela,
How neat. I would love to take part in this. My hubby and I go to a British tea room in Buckeye Lake (not too far from where we live)...the owner lady is from 'across the pond'. My hubby has been to England more than a few times durring his college days. We have a couple of friends from there too who holiday here in the states (Florida). Where in California are you from? We have friends and some family out there in southern CA.
I live in Reynoldsburg...which is a suburb of our capital city (Columbus)in Ohio. Ever since I was born, I have lived in the central ohio area....went to college here,got married here and continue to live here...
Farmgirl Sister #21
Heart of Ohio Farmgirls
Proud member of Bees w/o Borders and ArtFuL SisTeRs
http://artfulheart.blogspot.com
http://farmgirltales.blogspot.com |
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bboopster
True Blue Farmgirl
1140 Posts
Betty Jo
West Bend
Wisconsin
USA
1140 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 08:04:24 AM
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For Christmas we use our side car motorcycle to go and cut our Christmas tree. Load it on the side car and parade home. Then we hang our tree upside down and decorate it. We do fancy dinners, spend days making cookies with what ever family member can make it. Visit with family. Shoot off fire works. This will be the first year we have a baby with us as the first Grand baby is due at the end of Sept. Oh Christmas I can hardly believe it is only months away. 
http://www.bboopster.blogspot.com
3 Blue Star Mother and Proud of it!
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>) |
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Contrary Wife
True Blue Farmgirl
2164 Posts
Teresa Sue
Tekoa
WA
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 12:53:07 PM
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Hi Angela,
I would like to participate in your American Traditions exchange. On Thanksgiving we do the whole formal, traditional turkey dinner thing, but on Christmas eve we have a Mexican food extravaganza. But I do make a traditional plum pudding cause we love that too. I'm introducing some new traditions this year with my grandbabies to get them more involved. Mmmm fireworks on Christmas, I like that idea Betty Jo. We can't have fire works for the 4th cause all the wheat fields would catch fire.
Warmly,
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
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debinmtns
True Blue Farmgirl
925 Posts
Debi
Hope
Idaho
USA
925 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 1:04:13 PM
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I am from back East, come December 1st we always put our tree up and stay until Dec 31st. (Jan 1st starts another traditon)
Most, make it a family tradition to get the tree together. We did not do this at our home. Everything we had was from stratch and homemade. We always have percimmon pudding, oyster stuffing, turkey (Fresh) and Ham-smoked cured, cranberries, rolls, pumkpin pie,apple pie, waldoff salad, eggnog, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshallows, green beans, red hot apple jello salad, french cookie-(more of a cake, acorn squash. Breakfast was always homemade cinnamon rolls and monkey bread ( pull apart bread with cinnamond and butter) We all sit around the christmas tree and opened our gifts one at a time. Except we watched the children first, to hard to wait that long for them. We won't discuss thanksgiving, just too much to eat and choose from. We also gave from for food drives, one elected person in the family drove to everyone house and collect and took it to a church or two. Collected for Toys 4 Tots the same way. Most of them are gone now and there's only 3 of us living besides my boys. But such grand memories...
debinmtns #63
http://www.handcraftedncreated.blogspot.com
http://www.abunchofcountryswappingals.blogspot.com |
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farmgirlof4
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Angela
Canyon Country
California
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 8:12:00 PM
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Betty those are some great traditions and many congratulations with the Grand Baby!!
God Bless,
Angela
.....always a farmgirl at heart! |
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amyartgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
991 Posts
Amy
Junction City
Ohio
USA
991 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 8:16:42 PM
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As for a Christmas tradition....we put our tree up the weekend of Thanksgiving and we leave it up till Jan 6th Epiphany (The 12th day of Christmas)....we also go to my grandparents on Christmas Eve after we go to church and Christmas Day is usually spent at my parents. On my dad's side, the family there does a gift excahnge type thing.
Farmgirl Sister #21
Heart of Ohio Farmgirls
Proud member of Bees w/o Borders and ArtFuL SisTeRs
http://artfulheart.blogspot.com
http://farmgirltales.blogspot.com |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9409 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9409 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2008 : 4:48:26 PM
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I thought I'd share some of we do at Christmastime. We start out the season picking out our tree. This happens on Dec.2nd which has become a tradition since the birth of our son 20ish years ago. That is his birthday. Then comes the making of our family's "secret recipe" sugar cookies. (don't ask) Then we do lots decorating the house and buying and hiding of gifts. We watch Charlie Brown's Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. On Christmas eve we eat seafood and salad (and then my dh goes Christmas shopping with whomever he can talk into going with him that night. Lately, he has started going earlier in the year like around the 20th to the 23rd.) Then we all open one gift not of our own choosing. Christmas morning we get up put the coffee on and heat the water for tea. We also make the monkeybread and when everyone is up we start opening our gifts. We do not do this harem-scarem. We do it with each person opening a gift and the rest waiting to see what they got and from whom. This lasts quite awhile so we do take breaks and it stretches out especially when the relatives from out of state call to see if we like the gifts they sent and usually haven't opened yet. Most of all I enjoy the time we spend all togewther in one room for the day. Joking and having fun. We do attend the different services that our church holds during the month of December as well.
Denise
farmgirl sister #43
"Take a lesson from the teakettle, though up to its
neck in hot water...it sings!"
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
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bohemiangel
True Blue Farmgirl
2087 Posts
Bridget
Ligonier
pa
USA
2087 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2008 : 08:30:02 AM
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We've always just made a mishmash of our own traditions if you want to call them that. We try to put up the tree right after thanksgiving, depending on how busy everyone is. I like to shop all through the year for family and we do this. It's just nice to think of people through the year and then you have a bazillion things to give because you kept them in your heart thinking oh they will love this. It's always been a quiet christmas with mum, me, and my grandparents. Everyone else is away or we just have a small fam ha. I like to decorate alot if I get the chance. We are a musical family so we sing alot and listen to music constantly that is for the season whether it is comical (grandma got run over by a reindeer) or just the oldies but goodies. I'm obsessed with Dominic the Donkey myself ha. We always attend church it is a big part of our lives so christmas eve is a must. It's not quite as fun because mum and I are both organists at different churches so sitting together doesn't happen anymore. My grandma cooks from scratch or as scratch as she can and makes all the fixings turkey, taters, stuffing, green beans (home canned), cranberry relish, and loads of others, but for dessert we have the christmas pudding, I'll have to ask for the recipe to give you all. It is to die for!
**~~Farmgirl Sister #60~~**
"... to thine ownself be true."
http://ligonierfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://liggygirl.blogspot.com/
http://liggybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/
http://ligonierliving.blogspot.com/
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*Farmgirl Barter™: Planning Ahead English Xmas Exchange |
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Planning Ahead English Xmas Exchange
. I have lived all over but was born in Seattle. Tell me more about what you want to do, I may be able to play, this sounds fun!