Tree, lights, decorations, give gifts and pig out.

That sounds just like our place at Christmas...

Kerrie may have changed her mind now... we may be taking a road trip!

Hi Jen
mmmmm,prawns & bugs. I haven't had bugs for ages.

Good luck with the road trip Anthony, hope you don't have to go too far.

Hi Jods how are you going? Its funny someone asked today about the bugs we take our different country cuisines for granted dont we?
I suppose eating a bug sounds gross

Hi Jen
I'm good. You're right about the different food traditions. I know with our weather at Christmas I couldn't be bothered doing the whole roast meal.
Bugs do sound gross if you haven't had them, but with garlic butter mmmm!

How about one of you take a pic of the Prawns and Bugs for us clueless ones and post it LOL. I am so lost. Cookie I love the way you describe your Christmas!

geesh! i don't think i could eat shrimp cause it looks too much like bugs, i really don't think i could eat whatever you're calling bugs. i don't eat any seafood, grew up hillbilly, landlocked. i did used to catch and play with crawdads, they look like shrimp with legs, lol. but i don't think i'd eat em.

Bugs are a seafood... more to the point, see it for yourself: http://www.sea-ex.com/fishphotos/bug,1.htm

Also known as Bay Lobster, Bug, Shovelnose Lobster, Slipper Lobster, Squat Lobster and Mud Bug.

I haven't been home for a while, but at home Christmas is a really big deal. It's common to make ice sculptures of some kind in your front yard as decoration. My family uses old milk cartons, pour water and food colouring in them and let them freeze outside. Then you take the milk cartons off, and you have coloured blocks of ice, which are usually put together to make a castle, a ship or a lighthouse. Then you put lights behind the sculpture, so it's very pretty at night. The women in my family have a cookie baking party just before Christmas as well, lots of different cookies are baked, and people take home a variety of cookies. If there's anyone single, they are encourged to go to a taffy pull... all single people who want to get married go to a taffy pull to meet someone haha. It's supposed to be good luck, to meet your spouse at Christmas time.

Christmas Eve we have fish for supper, usually salmon or cod. We go to Midnight Mass and open presents right after mass. Christmas Day everyone sleeps in, and our meal is lobster and roast beef, yorkshire pudding, christmas cake, etc. There's also locally made candy called Barley Candy and Chicken Bones. Barley Candy is on a stick and shaped like Christmas trees or Reindeer or whatever. Chicken Bones are pink cinnamon candies with a chocolate centre.

Then for the 12 days of Christmas (starting with Boxing Day, Dec.6, until Old Christmas Day, Jan. 6), the mummers come to your house, or you can go mummering yourself if you like. Mummers dress up in a weird costume, including a mask, and go to people's houses. They knock on the door, and say in a disguised voice, "any mummers 'loud in?" If you let them in, they will sing, dance, play an instrument or do some other kind of entertainment, in order to receive some grog, Christmas cake, or even money. You have to try and guess who they are, and if you can't, somebody from your house has to get dressed up like a mummer too and go out with them to the next house.

christmas is my favorite festival of all time, we usually throw a big party at my house with all family members and relatives and friends, so theres heaps of ppl , and we all do kris kringle underneath the christmas tree. We also have themes, so everyone has to dress up in christmas colours and a christmas character haha cool stuff eh?