My children are spread over long distance now. Mi,Id, an here in Wa have not had them all together in over 12 years, but DH and I still keep to one tradation started when I was a child. Because Christmas day was so busy with Church, Large meal, all kinds of family and friends gathering together. We had a family only night on Cristmas Eve, no big meal,(thats what people who don,t prepare the food say, LOL)our menue is cold food only, smoked turkey summer saug, crab, shrimp, smoked oysters, Pickeled fish (my Gran father was from Denmark and loved this, it is an aquired taste,) all kinds of cheese, crackers, raw veg. and dips, cheese logs, you get the idea, we spend the nite remmembering loved ones we have lost(my Granfather has ben gone almost 40 years and I still get one pickeled fish sent to me by a friend from pikes market in Seattle every year, and evey year my kids and grands all ask how could Grand-pa-dad eat this stuff! I just laugh and my Granmother, Mom and I have a bite in rememberence of him. We talk about past Christmas, laugh, play board games, and listen for bells, and chase the kids away from picking at the gifts under the tree. All gifts go home with those who live close to be opened Christmas morning.