Home First Holiday- What was it and did you do anything special?

[Smurfysmiles]

I''ll start! Our first holiday as a married couple will be thanksgiving the week after the wedding is done We both have a 4 day weekend so I''m planning to cook lots of yummy food and hopefully invite some friends over to celebrate with us who do not have any family in town

 

[Haven]

Oooh, I LOVE holidays!

Our first holiday was Thanksgiving, as well. (Well, we were married *on* Independence Day, so that doesn''t count, right?)

We hosted Thanksgiving for about 18 friends and family. It was so much fun, even though I ended up staying up half the night preparing. I made everything, and it was a huge hit. I remember feeling like it really warmed up the house having everyone there, filling up on good food and laughing. I think you''ll have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Smurfy!

We then went on to entertain a lot after that.
On Christmas Eve we had our Pizza Throwdown--we''re Jewish so what else is there to do?
We actually hosted Apple Fest at the end of September, we went apple picking with our niece and nephew and some friends, an then came back to our place and made an apple-themed feast, complete with caramel apples and apple votive holders, and invite a ton of people over for dinner. We''re doing it again this year, but much bigger. We''re inviting all of our friends with kids this time, now that I know it was a hit last year. I can''t wait, I love the fall and apple picking! I''ve been working on the menu for a while, now.
We threw a surprise birthday party for a good friend, and I hosted a huge birthday party for DH, as well.
Of course we had to have a big 4th of July party, so we had over 50 people over for that, and it was a blast. My sister left for a year in Israel on the 5th, so it was a bon voyage/4th of July party.

I feel like we did more but I can''t remember at the moment. Can you tell I adore having people over?

We want to throw a Halloween party too because our block is NUTS on Halloween. We didn''t know it until we lived through it last year, but it seems like our entire town comes to our street to trick-or-treat, I''ve never seen anything like it. It was so much fun.

Enjoy your first holiday together! I think entertaining is the best way to fill your house with warmth, I love it. Poor DH goes crazy making sure everyone''s using coasters, but otherwise he enjoys it, too.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

you sound a lot like me haven! i love love love planning parties (well except for wedding receptions hahhaah)
Fi and I are currently trying to make more friends so we can have more than 3 people over lol!

 

[princesss]

We actually had our first Christmas together last year. We moved to our town together and since Christmas was a Thursday and we were the lowest on the totem pole at our jobs, we couldn't get Boxing Day off. So we hung around my apartment, made dinner and tried to watch a movie. Only apparently everybody and their brother goes out to a movie on Christmas! So we got snacks and watched movies at his house instead.

This year it looks like we're on our own for Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas, but we're not sure so no plans have been made.

 

[CNOS128]

Hmm, I guess it was July 4th. We.... I don''t remember what we did.

 

[Elmorton]

ETA: I wrote that our first holiday was thanksgiving, but that was a lie. It was the 4th - but it's such a minor holiday I forgot! DH and I had all his co-workers over for a BBQ and invited a few of my friends who lived nearby.

We actually figured out the major holidays the year we got engaged, though we'd been sharing holidays since the year before, I believe - is it bad that I don't remember?? We try to spend nearly every holiday with family, but we felt like switching around where we go each year for the winter holidays would get frustrating, so we basically decided where we go and when, and it's worked out really well.

Since Thanksgiving is really a 1-day holiday (DH often has to work the next day - no long weekend), we go to my grandparents (it works out really well now since my grandparents live the closest to us). Last year, we also extended the invite to DH's grandparents which was really fun. DH's parents are divorced, so spending Thanksgiving with my family is an easy way to avoid multiple meals and hurt feelings. Plus, my grandma's oyster dressing is amazing.

For Christmas, we spend the day or two before Christmas with my family - about 3 hrs away. Christmas eve is the big family celebration, ending with midnight mass. We get back to my parents' house around 2am, and then DH and I wake up at 7 or 8am and leave to go to his parents' houses, which is a 1.5 hour drive.

His mom's house is very non-traditional - you open your gifts kindof whenever, and we usually watch a completely inappropriate Xmas movie - the first year I went, I believe the movie was Orgazmo, but the food is usually excellent - good Christmas cookies and family stand-by recipes. I love her house too because there are tons of pets, which is nice since I typically really miss our kitties after a few days.

DH's dad's house is like Christmas in the movies - with stepsiblings, DH is one of 5, so there are tons of people our age (in contrast to my house, where it's DH, me, and my parents), and they get REALLY into the holidays. Several Christmas trees, tons of presents, and usually an insane amount of food that looks like it came out of the pages of Bon Appetit's holiday issue, and dinner takes place formal dining room with holiday china. Oh, and there's a ridiculous amount of alcohol. After dinner, we might sit around and play card games.

Last year, a few of my newlywed friends decided not to travel home and do the holiday as a couple, but I seriously LOVE the family Christmases - while it might be fun once to share a holiday just with DH, I'd really, really, really miss all the chaos of holiday travel even if we are exhausted by the end of it. My parents' house is relatively quiet and serene, DH's mom's is off-beat, and his Dad's is uber traditional - it's the Christmas trifecta.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

wow elmorton, i think ill come spend christmas with both of your families too! sounds like so much fun!

 

[musey]

Halloween: we went straight to a party from the airport... after a 12 hour flight!

Then my birthday, then Thanksgiving, which we spent at a friend's. Holidays post-wedding have been about the same as they were pre-. Some are special, some are ordinary. Never really occurred to me to do things differently after getting married!

 

[lliang_chi]

Ours will be Thanksgiving. He''s going down to his folks, I"m staying in Chicago. I work in Finance so I don''t have the day after Turkey Day off and I would''ve blown ALL my vacation on the HM. So, I''m staying, he''s going. My sis is staying so we''ll do our annual Orphan Thanksgiving. Christmas will be: Christmas Eve his folks, Christmas night my folks. My fam has a big party Christmas dinner, so it works out.

 

[jcrow]

our first holiday as a married couple was thanksgiving and since we had *just* gotten married, we were on our honeymoon for the holiday. we celebrated with a yummy caribbean diner.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Ours will be Christmas (6 days after our wedding) and we''ll be loungin'' on a beach in Kauai

It will be bittersweet, though, as we''re accustomed to spending the holidays with our parents, siblings, and extended families. At least we''ll see them a few days before the holiday!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Sounds like everyone has some good plans I''d like to add that I love that musey considers her birthday a holiday haha!

 

[musey]

Date: 9/4/2009 10:37:05 AM
Author: Smurfyimproved
Sounds like everyone has some good plans I''d like to add that I love that musey considers her birthday a holiday haha!

um, okay.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

i just meant bc you put your list of holidays and other special events together i was just joking

 

[Blackpaw]

Date: 9/3/2009 5:35:28 PM
Author: Elmorton
ETA: I wrote that our first holiday was thanksgiving, but that was a lie. It was the 4th - but it''s such a minor holiday I forgot! DH and I had all his co-workers over for a BBQ and invited a few of my friends who lived nearby.


We actually figured out the major holidays the year we got engaged, though we''d been sharing holidays since the year before, I believe - is it bad that I don''t remember?? We try to spend nearly every holiday with family, but we felt like switching around where we go each year for the winter holidays would get frustrating, so we basically decided where we go and when, and it''s worked out really well.


Since Thanksgiving is really a 1-day holiday (DH often has to work the next day - no long weekend), we go to my grandparents (it works out really well now since my grandparents live the closest to us). Last year, we also extended the invite to DH''s grandparents which was really fun. DH''s parents are divorced, so spending Thanksgiving with my family is an easy way to avoid multiple meals and hurt feelings. Plus, my grandma''s oyster dressing is amazing.


For Christmas, we spend the day or two before Christmas with my family - about 3 hrs away. Christmas eve is the big family celebration, ending with midnight mass. We get back to my parents'' house around 2am, and then DH and I wake up at 7 or 8am and leave to go to his parents'' houses, which is a 1.5 hour drive.


His mom''s house is very non-traditional - you open your gifts kindof whenever, and we usually watch a completely inappropriate Xmas movie - the first year I went, I believe the movie was Orgazmo, but the food is usually excellent - good Christmas cookies and family stand-by recipes. I love her house too because there are tons of pets, which is nice since I typically really miss our kitties after a few days.


DH''s dad''s house is like Christmas in the movies - with stepsiblings, DH is one of 5, so there are tons of people our age (in contrast to my house, where it''s DH, me, and my parents), and they get REALLY into the holidays. Several Christmas trees, tons of presents, and usually an insane amount of food that looks like it came out of the pages of Bon Appetit''s holiday issue, and dinner takes place formal dining room with holiday china. Oh, and there''s a ridiculous amount of alcohol. After dinner, we might sit around and play card games.


Last year, a few of my newlywed friends decided not to travel home and do the holiday as a couple, but I seriously LOVE the family Christmases - while it might be fun once to share a holiday just with DH, I''d really, really, really miss all the chaos of holiday travel even if we are exhausted by the end of it. My parents'' house is relatively quiet and serene, DH''s mom''s is off-beat, and his Dad''s is uber traditional - it''s the Christmas trifecta.

Yum, Elmorton, sounds delish

im not a newlywed but SO and i have our christmas stitched up now too (for when we''re in the country that is

). His parents have a massive traditional do on Christmas Eve, in a beautiful stone house (the year before we left australia it even managed to snow on christmas day - can you imagine?!) that SO and his Dad and brothers built together.... We stay there that night, then go to my parents place in the morning....open presents...another traditional deal...then we go to SOs auntie''s house, for another traditional do - last time we did it i had an asthma attack at the end of it, id eaten SOOOOO much

 

[Blackpaw]

Man now i cant wait til christmas!

 

[ladypirate]

Our first holiday spent together was Thanksgiving--we went to his family''s house and my family came too so it was a big get together. We''re still trying to convince everyone to come to our place one of these years so we don''t have to travel but so far no dice.

 

[musey]

Date: 9/7/2009 11:45:51 AM
Author: Smurfyimproved
i just meant bc you put your list of holidays and other special events together i was just joking

I thought you were implying that I was self-centered for lumping my birthday in with "holidays."

I suppose it depends what you define as a holiday. For me, at least for the purposes of the kind of question posed in this thread, anything that we celebrate annually is a holiday for us. This does include birthdays (and anniversaries, for that matter). I can imagine if someone did something differently for the first Colombus Day after they got married, they could easily have done something differently for the first birthday after they got married.

If you wanted only federally recognized holidays, you shoulda specified

 

[sunnyd]

Our first holiday together was Valentine''s Day (our first date, to be specific) but our first celebrated holiday was Easter. Both families got together for dinner. Good times!

Our first holiday after getting married will be Thanksgiving. It''ll be like any other TG, just with extra rings.

 

[courtney5638]

I guess our first holiday was the 4th of July, but we had just gotten back from the honeymoon, so we didn''t do anything special. So now I am looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving. Both are a little extra special this year because we are celebrating them in the new house. For Halloween, I''ve decorated a little and we are going to carve pumpkins this weekend (I am so excited for this, I''m such a nerd sometimes). And then for Thanksgiving, his family is tentatively planning to drive out to CO from MI again this year, so if they do that we''ll have a big dinner with all the trimmings.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

you''re not a nerd! fi and i are moving into our new apt in a couple weeks and as soon as we are settled we are carving pumpkins we''ve both been putting a lot of thought into what we are going to carve. last year i carved a pumpkin mooning people (lol im terrible but we didnt have any kids come by )

 

[wannaBMrsH]

I guess, technically, it will be Thanksgiving and we are having it at our house this year, complete with the Cowboys football game...but

I really do in my heart consider Halloween a holiday and we are having a Kreepy Kegger costume party this year! I am so excited!

...And DH considers Oktoberfest a real holiday (we both took a week off from work this year) and we headed to Munich for the Opening Day festivities and partying. At one point, I thought I would drown in a liter of Hefeweizen!

So...yeah, Thanksgiving...I''ve never cooked a Turkey before, this is going to be so much fun!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Date: 10/1/2009 5:24:49 PM
Author: wannaBMrsH

So...yeah, Thanksgiving...I''ve never cooked a Turkey before, this is going to be so much fun!

you and me both, should be interesting lol, im having frozen pizza on hand "just in case" lol

 

[Haven]

Date: 10/5/2009 3:56:08 PM
Author: Smurfyimproved

Date: 10/1/2009 5:24:49 PM
Author: wannaBMrsH
So...yeah, Thanksgiving...I''ve never cooked a Turkey before, this is going to be so much fun!

you and me both, should be interesting lol, im having frozen pizza on hand ''just in case'' lol

I used this turkey brine recipe last year for my "first" turkey, and it was amazing! I have a ton of other great Thanksgiving recipes from Allrecipes, if you''re interested.
Turkey Brine

 

[Smurfysmiles]

oh thank you so much! i love getting new recipes

 

[elrohwen]

I guess Halloween will be first. For that we're going to a friend's house for a party. I hate dressing up, but I love the holiday in general!

Mostly I love fall in general.

The past couple years we've had everyone over to our place for Thanksgiving (my parents, MIL, MIL's bf, and SIL). But since we just saw them all for the wedding, we're thinking of just staying here by ourselves and going to a friend's house (last year some friends hosted a small Thanksgiving dinner which looked awesome). I guess I've just had enough family over at my house for a while

Still haven't decided on Christmas. Hopefully I'll have a new job by then, but I will probably be lacking in vacation time, so that might limit where we can go. Last year DH, myself, and my parents went to MIL's house. She's selling her house, so maybe we could all go to my parents' house this time? Who knows. But with a 5 hour drive to MIL, then 5 hours to my parents, then 8 hours back home, it's way too much driving for just a 4 day weekend or something.

 

[wishful]

aside from the 4th of July - Thanksgiving and Christmas will be our first holiday together as a married couple! And we are moving right now into our new house so my guess is we are going to book reservations at a restaurant since we will probably be living in a sea of boxes for most of November and some of December. I don''t know if we will even have a tree this year!