Canadian Christmas traditions: Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without...

Visions of sugarplums

Hole-y Christmas
My family tradition is making homemade doughnuts. Every year, my mother and I set aside one day for making doughnuts for the holidays. Some years, we are lucky enough to have my sister and niece join us. If it just the two of us, we make about 24 dozen doughnuts. If there are four of us, we make closer to 40 dozen. We freeze them to eat at Christmas and of course, give some away. One year, we actually made our doughnuts on Christmas Eve, because as my mother puts it: "We cannot have Christmas without homemade doughnuts." Of course that year, we only made a few dozens to get us through the holiday!
- Christine Cayer

Sauerkraut soup
There are so many little things that we do during the holidays that make them special - some old some new. However, there is one thing that we have year after year - without it, it simply wouldn't be Christmas. It bubbles and simmers on the stove all day long, infusing the house with its charismatic odor; making us salivate all day long. Each one of us tries to sneak into the kitchen to lift the lid and sneak a bite.

I know once I tell you just what it is - many will turn up their noses, but we LOVE it. Kapusnica is sauerkraut soup; it's made with (surprise!) sauerkraut, dried mushrooms, peppercorns, and the secret ingredient... Chabi, a spicy sausage. The whole concoction is simmered all day long and it starts off a huge loving meal that we share with family and friends.
Merry Christmas!
-- Olga

It wouldn't be Christmas without...
In 1938, my mom arrived in Cranbrook BC from Texas as the new bride of a young seminary graduate coming to serve his first pastorate. Steamed Christmas puddings were a new experience for her and she embraced Carrot Puddings. By chance, she spotted a sauce recipe in the local newspaper...Sterling Sauce. The sauce has been used every year since - except one! During a move that spread over six months, the recipe ended up in storage. I spent three hours in the library searching for the recipe in stacks of cookbooks - unsuccessfully! The sauce I served was similar, but the family voted the recipe into the garbage. We joke that Sterling Sauce likely has a thousand calories per tablespoon - and who could have only one tablespoon!
- lindysmom

No leftovers, please
My mom's family is fairly large and extended, so there is a lot of preparation for the Christmas holidays. We (my mom, my 2 brothers and myself, my brother's spouse and 2 of my moms sisters) start on Remembrance Day by making cabbage rolls using 50 pounds of cabbage. Then a week later we start our bake-a-thons, this consists of a group of us (aunts, uncles, cousins, sons, daughters, grandkids) getting together at one persons house and baking as many sweets and dainties in one day as possible. This is done every other week until the 21rst of December. We also get together to make our other regular dishes as well. Our first day of feasting is on the 24th of December, then another meal on the 25th. We continually get together every night until the 30th of December, each night a fresh meal, no leftovers until the 31rst, at a different house. Our biggest group in one house was achieved last year on the 25th when we had 67 people for supper at my mom's. The family is close and in touch with one another, it is better then presents.
- 30cosmo1968

Christmas pizza
Since I was a little girl Christmas Eve was always a time for fun. It was a time when everyone seemed to be in a good mood and excited about the next day. Over The years out tradition was born and has become a special day for me. Now the tradition has carried over to my children. Christmas eve at our house is pretty much an open house. All friends and family can drop by for the as long as they can. There is lots of food and laughs. Then the kids get to have a pizza bake off. The younger ones pair up with an adult. The man of the house (which is always a debate between my husband and father) will choose whose pizza is the best. It's always funny to watch them eat the one that could only be loved by its creator. The children go to bed exhausted and full. It's always nice to see friends that we don't see throughout the year.
- Dawn Clark