Any odd family traditions?

This is a Christmas related one. Christmas has NOT been a good time of year for me. Too much bad crap goes on. However, this isn’t about that.

Now, I know you’ve seen in movies how the clock stirkes midnight to start Christmas and then there’s a stampede down the stairs and an orgy-type flurry of gift wrap shredding activity. It’s only scarier when you see it happen for reals. I was at my future in-laws house when it happened. I’m still recovering from that emotional trauma to this day.

I haven’t even set the stage yet.

Now, most people use Black Friday to get gifts for each other. No, not my in-laws, at least not the next year. They used Black Friday for, as I put it, “self gifting”. As a result of their self-indulgent activities, Christmas was excessively difficult that year. Basically, everything that was going to be given was already gotten. This self-gifting occurred all the way up to December 24th. As a result of this, it was essentially impossible to purchase any gifts for anyone.

I had to implement a new policy. Any self-purchases between Thanksgiving and Christmas would result in that person having their Christmas cancelled. Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes people need clothing because of one thing or another. You can wait off a few days to get a remote control car or an iPodor a video game, for example.

This plan WORKED. The next year, they managed to exercise some element of self control and people were actually able to exchange gifts that year.

On an related side-score, I was finally able to convince the in-laws to please simply exclude me from their gift giving. Finally, no more gift cards to places I don’t shop at, or shirts I ain’t gonna wear from places I don’t shop at and they don’t issue refunds, so it’s like throwing money down the toilet.

I have to determine if I will self gift. I most likely will. I know what I’m getting my wife, I know what I’m getting 2 of the 4 kids at the moment. My kids usually make me something for Christmas, so I’ve got some fairly unique one of a kind things I keep stored in a safe place so they can’t be lost, damaged or destroyed. My wife acts shocked that I keep that sort of stuff.

Hmm, what to get… Yeah, you can probably bet it will be yoyo-related. You know, that messenger bag is looking very temping! However, I may have to get it like now, as I could use it on an upcoming trip.

Pod family traditions let’s see…
Every April 1st my mom puts newspaper in my dads work boots and he falls for it every year. Oh yeah and every leap year my mom tells the story of how she proposed to my dad on that day. Plus in December my we go to the thrift shop and me and my siblings buy something for each other cause were not the richest of families. But those aren’t really odd Family traditions just kinda out of the ordinary ones.