Organizing A Christmas Family Gathering

Organizing A Christmas Family Gathering

Christmas is time to get together and celebrate the family bonding. No matter where all your relatives and friends live, this is one time of the year when they would come down to meet to and spend time together. So…how about organizing a Christmas family gathering that is full of warmth and have fun. You can prepare some really mouthwatering delicacies to treat the guests and several other things to make your party turn out great. Here are some helpful tips:

Most of the family gatherings are usually based on food. So, plan the menu in advance. If you know who likes what, try if you can get those specialties prepared to surprise them.

You need to send out invitations early so that everybody knows the where and when the party is to take place. You may as well include the starting and ending time in the invitation cards.

You can get some help from some of your family members to get the things organized. You may ask some family members to bring along some dessert, side dish or drinks to your place. If you have planned a family get-together then you can freely ask for help as organizing everything alone could be difficult. You have taken the initiative, let others help you too.

You may also organize a gift exchange at the gathering. You may as well mention this in the invitation card. This would make your party more interesting and lively. Remember the music. Get some good music CDs or DVDs and keep them playing to create the perfect ambience for the gathering.

For the kids, you may arrange for some game or a movie. All the kids can enjoy some game in a room, in the presence of an adult. You may give out prizes to the winner. You may even get some good movie DVDs for the kids to watch.

Remember to have all arrangements to accommodate the elderly and the disabled people if any. This time is to relax and cherish the moments, so enjoy the most out of it.

Santa Claus and his helpers

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Favorite Christmas Foods

Favorite foods enjoyed by Americans for any given holiday, season, or special occasion will likely include some ethnic dishes, given the many ethnic groups that reside in the United States. Despite this melting pot cuisine, there are some similarities in dishes that will be a part of most meals during celebrations such as Christmas.

Christmas in the United States comes almost one month after another big holiday, Thanksgiving, in which the traditional meal typically consists of a turkey as the main dish. This also carries over into Christmas as roast turkey is one of the main dishes served for Christmas dinner. Unlike Thanksgiving, which is solely devoted to turkey, Christmas dinners may also include other birds or poultry. These include roast goose or duck. Roasted ham may also be served. Cranberry sauce, vegetables, pumpkin pie, and a plum pudding or fruity Christmas pudding for dessert tops off traditional Christmas dinners. Mince pies and pastry that is filled with a mixture of chopped, dried fruit may also be added to the menu. For drinks with Christmas dinner, a bottle of champagne is very popular, as well as wine.

Before Christmas Day and the big dinner arrives, there's also another type of food that Americans enjoy in large quantities during the Christmas season. The consumption and sales of candies, gingerbread, and other cookies and holiday treats increases tremendously during the holidays. Just as department stores seek to attract shoppers to purchase Christmas gifts, candy manufacturers also put out special boxes of candies for Christmas and the holiday season.

A survey done in 2004 by the National Confectioners Association found that many adults derived much pleasure at Christmas from giving and receiving candies and other treats. In their responses, the survey participants said that giving decadent boxes of chocolate to friends and family, placing candy canes on the Christmas tree, and hiding candy treats in Christmas stockings were favorite ways to give and receive candies, cookies, and treats during the holidays.

Sweet treats remain popular at Christmas despite the constant message about dieting that is present every day in the media, on billboards, and from some food manufacturers. At Christmas time, people feel free to enjoy the festive season without constraints; but they also know that they can enjoy candies and cookies that are health-conscious by eating those that are targeted to the low-carb dieter or those that are sugar-free, fat-free, or both.

Cookies that are enjoyed at Christmas are often home-baked and usually include gingerbread items. The tradition of gingerbread cookies at Christmas is also believed to have originated in Germany and was brought to America by German immigrants. German bakeries began baking very fancy gingerbread houses, with icing as edible snow and other decorations, after the Grimm Brothers published their children's story, Hansel and Gretel. That story had a description of a house that was made of bread, a roof of cake, and windows of barley. The popularity of these creations gave rise to cookie cutters that were made in a variety of shapes, enabling small gingerbread cookies of various shapes to be baked at home. Some of these cookies had the shapes of little people and animals and were used to decorate Christmas trees.

More than one hundred years ago, German homes in Lancaster County, in Pennsylvania, would have cookies as tall as one foot high used as decorations in their front windows. The cookies were often giant gingerbread men and women that had colorful rows of buttons and big smiles. Passersby were cheered and intrigued by the sight and brought the idea to their homes on a smaller scale.

Being able to enjoy special dishes, candies, cookies, and other goodies during Christmas and the holidays adds a sweet flavor to the season and also helps to create warm and cherished memories.

What Makes Christmas Magical?

Christmas is a special time of the year for the joy and intangible magic that fills the season. It comes through in the delightful decorations, glorious get-togethers with family and friends, and the sheer feeling of joy one gets from giving and receiving gifts.

Although the commercialization of Christmas is often decried, shopping is an important and central activity to some of the intangible magic of Christmas. It is at the malls or downtown stores that some of the favorite sights, sounds, and scents of Christmas can be experienced.

The decorations at malls and retail establishments are usually very fanciful and eye-catching, especially to children, with the many colorful and twinkling lights. It's also a wonder, for both adults and children alike, to look at the numerous tinsels, baubles, and figurines such as fairies and angels that adorn the main Christmas Tree in the center of shopping malls and department stores. These trees are usually extremely well embellished with decorations that are arranged in a very professional way that most shoppers can't replicate in their own homes. It is, therefore, a delight for them to stare at such trees in wonder and amazement.

Along with the wide variety of decorations in retail establishments, there is also the sound of music playing, bells ringing, and the laughter and wishes of Merry Christmas from shoppers, which also create a special atmosphere and add to the magic of Christmas. Even the sound of cash registers in the background adds something to the special feeling shoppers have at Christmas time.

Of course, there's always a Santa Claus that children can meet, tell what they want for Christmas, and also have their picture taken with. Sometimes Santa Claus may distribute Christmas gifts to children, telling them that because they have been very, very good they are getting an extra special early Christmas present.

The ability to delight children by telling them stories about Santa Claus, as well as making them see and talk to the jolly old fellow, puts a lot of magic and excitement into Christmas. Once the tradition is started, or from the first time that children have been told the story, it becomes something that they look forward to every year during the Christmas season.

There is also the sound of music from choirs or school groups, who often give open performances singing Christmas carols and songs in malls and downtown areas. Families, and others who are out and about, will pause to listen, or to sing along with these groups.

Shopping is undoubtedly an enjoyable activity for most people during Christmas, but merrier and more memorable times are enjoyed when time is spent with family, friends, and colleagues during the season. Before Christmas Day arrives, there are usually parties at home and at work, evenings out with friends, and other occasions to get together and share the spirit of Christmas. The presence of special Christmas music and people dressed in holiday attire provide a different atmosphere and contribute to the magical feeling of the season.

Another thing that is different at Christmas is the scent from a fresh Christmas Tree, of gingerbread and other cookies baking, and other food preparations that are specially done at Christmas time. Most people who select a real Christmas Tree, instead of an artificial one, for their homes do so because of the wonderful scent it provides. For many people, that scent from a Christmas Tree is what puts Christmas into everything else.

Another popular scent at Christmas comes from the popular Christmas song “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” The actual roasting of chestnuts during the Christmas season may be a rare occurrence these days, but it is occasionally done in some downtown areas, and in bakeries and confectioneries that make fresh products everyday.

All of these events, activities, happenings, sights, sounds, and scents of Christmas create special and unforgettable memories. Who can deny that a pleasant memory is always something that is truly magical?