Local Christmas traditions, just curious!

Being born and raised in Texas I don't know of any specific Texas christmas traditions. Down here like 49 of the 50 states of the US, we are a compilation of traditions brought from other countries and handed down thru the generations since our ancestors came to this country.

My history includes Irish, Scots and German but over the last couple of hundred years most of the old traditions have been either dropped or watered down to the point they are not recognizable.

The two things I do remember from my childhood that was specific to my immediate family were started by my Dad.
One, he hated the chaos of everyone opening gifts at the same time because no one could have the pleasure of seeing others enjoyment of what they received. We always spread out around the livingroom, my brother and I alternated years being Santa and passing out the gifts. Then we all took turns opening one gift at a time. That tradition continued with my family and now to Lisa's family...with new spouses being taught the tradition as they joined us.

Two, and I read somewhere several years ago that this might be a German 'thing' (but most likely is a touch of OCD that runs in our family) My Dad and I avidly believe that if you are going to put tinsel on the tree it IS to be done one strip at a time, carefully laid over the branches to hang without impediment.
My Mom, brother, Randy and Amanda have no qualms whatsoever about taking a handfull and tossing it on the tree to fall where it may. Lisa (my oldest) thinks tinsel is tacky and refuses to have it on her tree. Rolling Eyes

The traditions up here are almost simular to droopys but a tad different.

dec 23 the tree goes up, with all the same kinds of ornaments, hearts, flags, lights, balls. then the 24 at 1:00 i make rice porridge as our pre-dinner. the big dinner is a whole cod (tørsk) an gravlaks or basically rotted fish. but ohh so good, made from aquavite. (a potato based liquor) roasted potato, kalarabi(rutabega for americans) onions and butter, raw grated carrots, an then a green veggie of somekind usually brussel sprouts (rosenkål) plus there is alot of other things put out.. tyttebær jam ect. then we have the rice porridge mixed with fresh whipped creme an also an almond is put in, an the one who gets the almond wins a christmas prize, usually a marzipan pig. an over that is a cloudberry (multe, molte, depends on dialect here) sauce that i make an also some cloudberries that i save whole. I pick these in late june an freeze just for christmas. then we open gifts, one at a time also. and sing an talk about the past an future. then we have my ginger cake an coffee. porridge is set out for the nisse.

25th is a dinner towards evening with turkey an all the trimmings that i can find here. On this day we do a tradition that i have carried over from my childhood which is Saa'mi. We set a place at the table just a small plate, an fill it with a spoonful of everything, this represents all those who have pasted an all those to come as a way of saying we won't forget an welcome to the new. then we have dessert later that night which is cakes, mørslefse, krumkake (pizzels? spelling, for the americans but thinner) filled with creme an berries. usually the cloudberry or blueberries, and apple cake with carmel an vanilla sauce over it an whipped creme. Then the small plate from dinner is taken outside an set there.

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