One of the things I love so much about Christmas time is the different traditions and routines that families hold. Some people open their presents on the 24th, some open them on the 25th; heck some open them as soon as the get them. Some people like to eat turkey, some like to eat fish – some go out for dinner! Tradition is such a wonderful thing and it unites us and reminds us what family and friends are about. Here are four of my personal traditions.
My Freaking Awesome Traditions
Going Out Partying on Christmas Eve
I realise that this heading might make some people think eh.. WTF?! But it is true 😀 ! Since the age of about 16, I have been going out for a social night out with my friends and welcomed in Christmas from the dance floor of a nightclub! This year it might even be Gangnam Style! (jokes) No,I am not an alcoholic, but instead all my friends from back home and school get together and reunite. My family normally go to bed early anyway, so it is not like I am missing out.
Christmas Day Swim in a Loch
I realise we are starting to see a crazy-like trend here, but I assure you I’m not! For the last few years, we have welcomed in Christmas day by running into a Loch (the Scottish word for a lake), submerging ourselves underwater and running out! It is at times like these I wish that I was not blogging anonymously… I have an amazing video which documents the evidence. (Message me if you really want to see)!
Poker Night with Friends From School
This tradition has been going for a LOOONG time! In fact, this year probably marks a decade of our annual poker night meeting! Essentially, a group of around 20 of us from school meet, drink, drink more, eat the hottest curry we can, drink some more and play poker! Our game is well known to go on into the very early hours of the morning; the record being 9.30 am. I am pleased to announce that I have won twice, finished joint top once (we split the pot) and second twice as well. We all end up ‘buying-in’ for about £10 each (if there is no monetary prize, there is little point playing… right?) and the winner comes away with a pretty decent pot! Win or Lose, it is an amazing way to catch up and ‘take-off from where we left-off’.
courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Bothying on the Eve of Christmas Eve
I can’t claim to do this every year; in fact, it has been a number of years since I did this. For those of you who don’t know what ‘bothying’ is – Scotland has a number of cottages that are situated in isolated locations. So isolated in fact, that you really have to know where they are to find them! An organisation is responsible for the upkeep of these cottages and permit you to stay in them free of charge. There is no electricity, no toilets and no running water – although they are usually situated next to a stream! There is no way to book them, so you have no guarantee if you will have the place to yourself or will be sharing it with 10 others!
I have visited bothys a number of times and you can actually meet some great and entertaining people! A 5 mile + walk is usually required to get there, so you can almost instantly disregard a lot of potential visitors. Generally, on December 23rd they are usually pretty empty! In the past, we have walked in with head torches in the pitch black, arrived to make a fire, share wine and tell ghost stories. Even as I write this, I recall how much fun these adventures were and the truly happy memories associated with the event. Perhaps this would be the perfect year to return and introduce bothying to Mrs Scot.
How do you like some of my photos from Christmas Walks in 2010?
The last tradition sounds absolutely awesome! I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland (I am listening to the Braveheart soundtrack as I type this) but made it as close as Ireland. It sounds wonderful. Definitely something we’ll have to try when we make it there. I like going somewhere and doing something that’s off the beaten path and not touristy.
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Cheers John… Let me know when you plan to head there – I will give you a tour of all the secret castles 🙂 … Braveheart is awesome – you have got me feeling patriotic now! 🙂
I’ll have to check the bothys on my next trip to Scotland, looks like just my kind of place! On the coldest day of Christmas, my grandfather had declared “St Icecream day”, and would take all the kids out in the rain to go eat as much ice cream as humanely possible. We’d go back frozen and with a huge sugar rush that drove our parents insane, it was awesome.
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Hello! Thanks for the reply – replyme should be installed now, so let me know if you get this. That St Icecream day sounds phenomenal!! 🙂
You got some good (and quite unique) traditions there. I think I would enjoy them all! My favorite has always been a big family hike on Christmas Eve. We typically end up in the mountains in the county I live in. A great way to burn some calories for the feast that follows!
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Cheers Kyle… Glad to hear you guys do something fun on Christmas Eve too – that almost sounds like a tradition to me!!
Some day when we know each other better I’m going to come hang with you for Christmas. Sounds like fun…well except for the poker part. Not much of a card player. Those cottages sound very similar to places in New Zealand along a hiking path. I don’t have any kind of tradition at all. Kind of boring huh? I make my own each year. 🙂
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For sure!! Making new traditions each year sounds v exciting to me 🙂
You have some pretty cool traditions there mate. I personally don’t really have any except going to the relatives, loading up on food and drinks and having a great time! Happy Holidays mate! Mr.CBB
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Why Thank You MR CBB! Your ‘traditions’ sounds pretty awesome (even if they aren’t unique)! Do you have a favourite board game you play?
Not really mate, I’m not into board games or video games.
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I don’t have any traditions quite like those. We are starting out own with playing board games and watching Christmas movies with out daughter. Things change a bit when you have a kiddo at Christmas. Those bothys sound really cool. Colorado has a yurt system that sounds similar, although I have never tried one. I need to do that.
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I LOVE boardgames too! Risk has got to be one of my favourites! I have heard about the Yurts… I think it is almost the same idea. When you going to try one? 2013? 🙂
We definitely do a yearly Christmas/Holiday Poker tournament! Our biggest year we had 30+ people and the pot was right around $1,000. I’ve won a couple times. Recently we’ve started to go to the casino afterwards and play blackjack into the wee hours of the morning. It’s a good time!
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See we just keep realising we are more and more similar DC! $1000 pot sounds amazing.. the biggest we got to was about £250. I love the idea of hitting the casino after – although that is a vice of mine that I have to control 😛
These are great past times! My friend has started hosting a bow-tie Dec 24th party, it is lots of fun. Everyone’s supposed to dress up in all sorts of crazy ways. Lots of people made their bow ties themselves and wore them with T shirts 🙂
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That sounds amazing!!! I love the idea of picking out a crazy bowtie! I saw a few funky ones the other day actually – I love any excuse to wear a bow tie (usually with my kilt) …. Merry Christmas Anne 🙂
Those sound like fun traditions. I didn’t know what bothying is but that sounds like so much fun!
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Thanks Daisy – Bothying is essentially camping, but instead of staying in a tent, you stay in a bothy (a cottage which is free to use – no water / electricity etc.) It is a LOT of fun 😀 – Merry Christmas
Wow, Your traditions sound awesome. We typically get together with our families and play lots of games together. A couple years ago we ended up having a Wii tournament that lasted till 4 am. It was nuts. Lots of laughs. Now we seem to play rounds of Ticket to Ride. It is really fun.
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Thanks! 🙂 I love playing games at Christmas too – I learned a new one this year called Ligretto! Ooooh and we have been playing some serious Tiger Woods on the Wii… even if you don’t like golfing, it is a LOT of fun 😛 – What is Ticket to Ride?
It’s a board game. You can get it off Amazon. You should check it out.
Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..How To Organize A Project
I will certainly do that… I just got hooked on Ligretto! 🙂
I want to go bothying, a word and action that I have just learned. Thank you for defining this for your U.S. readers! In Colorado people will hike to cabins or yurts that are located throughout the mountains.
Hey Michelle! Glad to hear it has taken your fancy… Great to hear Colorado has a similar offering! 🙂
Okay Scot, you’ve finally convinced me. My next holiday is in Scotland. I’ve done a fair amount of what you call bothying in eastern europe over the last year. It’s amazing how interesting (but 90% of the times also REALLY weird) people you can meet in places like that. Will definitely get in touch for some tips on where to travel up there if you don’t mind! 🙂
Btw. happy new year, hope you had great christmas!
Cheers,
C
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Yes, I failed to mention how ‘weird’ some of the people you meet can be.. that said, they are normally innocently weird! Glad to hear you are considering a trip North… hit me for some advice whenever Chris 🙂