How Do You Celebrate Your Holidays? What Do You Do Special?

I don't do a lot of big stuff for holidays. I save the big celebrations for my daughter's birthday.

I don't decorate, because I hate taking down decorations and putting them away. When my daughter was small, I did it for her, but now that she's grown, I'm just not willing to put out the effort. I make a stocking for her and for the animals, I buy gifts for family and a few friends, and I bake bread as gifts for other friends.
When she was little, Santa would come and leave her gifts and fill her stocking.

For Ostara, I make her a small basket with a few sweets from the dollar store. When she was little, the Easter Bunny would come and fill her basket.

July 4, I go down to the levee for an all-day music fest and fireworks show after dark. I took my daughter with me when she was little, and we still go together if she has the day off.

Thanksgiving, if I stay home, I cook a big dinner and invite family and friends over. Sometimes I go out of town and spend a long weekend at a friend's beach house.

Samhain, I dress in costume and hand out candy to the neighborhood kids. A local theater troupe puts on a live production of The Rocky Horror Show at the end of October every year. Last year I worked sound and video for the show. If I'm not working the show, I dress up in my skanky lingerie and go as a spectator.
When my daughter was little, I took her trick-or-treating, and we watched Rocky Horror at home. When she was in middle school, I started taking her to the live show with me.

Um,
Easter church and a family meal;
Memorial and Labor Day bbq
4th of July my ALL TIME FAV holiday, HUGH family gathering with lunch, supper and local fireworks
Halloween trick or treating with friends/family
Thanksgiving lunch and supper with family on Thursday and Saturday with shopping on Friday
Christmas Eve family supper and candle light church service
Christmas Day open gifts from Santa and stocking from my parents then huge family meal for supper again.

We have a huge family that is super close so we spend tons of time with them throughout the year and I wouldn't change it for anything.

As a family, we go to church together and then most often everyone pitches in to help make something for the (extended) family dinner.

As an extended family, our focus is the dinner. We gather around 4:30 and everyone brings a dish. Usually everyone is assigned their specialty. We eat together at the dinner table and on make-shift tables and chairs.

I was pretty close to my X-brother-in-laws family. He had a wonderful aunt and they had a lot of celebrations at her house. She has passed, however, I had the most beautiful dream about her. I was walking outside a house, looking inside a window and saw a lot of kids, which were her grandchildren and great grandchildren. They all had plates full of food. Some kids were sitting on end tables, some on the couch, and some on the floor. They were all so busy eating and talking they didn't notice me watching through the window. I was trying so hard to see her through the window, but she was busy in the kitchen cooking. I never got to see her, but some how in the dream, I knew it was her house, her kids, and her that was around the corner cooking. It was wonderful memory of some of the great meals I have shared with that family.

That is all it takes to be special for me.

Well, the only "American" holidays (aside from the Hallmark ones) are July 4th and Thanksgiving, right?

We just moved from NY to FL, but we were usually with my parents in FL for July 4th. Typically on that day we go to the beach early in the day before it gets too hot. The kids all have patriotic suits and whatever T-shirt Old Navy is selling that year to wear. They spend the morning digging and swimming and then we head to my parents for more swimming and a BBQ. At night, we all sit on the front lawn and watch fireworks while my father, husband and BIL do little fireworks with the kids. It's a lot of fun.

Thanksgiving we have traditionally been with my husband's family. This will probably be the first year we will not be with them. In the morning, I make a special breakfast... homemade cinnamon buns, bacon, fresh fruit and eggs. We have a huge breakfast and then don't really eat again until supper. The Macy's parade is on all morning and we stay in our jammies until it's time to get dressed up. We go to my SIL's house around 3 for appetizers and then have dinner around 4:00- the usual Thanksgiving fare. After dinner, my SIL brings out the BINGO set and tons of little prizes and we all (20 of us) play BINGO before dessert and coffee.

Seems to me that you would rather they learn about where you come from in celebrating holidays. They will get the 'American' ways at school.

Christmas: We do a very typical Christmas celebration. Friends and family, everyone is welcome. Lots of food. Kids everywhere. On Christmas eve, we give the kids new pajamas and slippers. My husband reads the Christmas story from Luke. On Christmas morning they get their stockings. We open presents together after everyone wakes up. More food. Church.

Easter: We go to Chuch, visit family, have baskets, the normal stuff. This year we visited family on Saturday, went to church Sunday, and had friends over for a BBQ Sunday afternoon.

Memorial Day: We go camping and canoeing the week prior to the holiday weekend, and then come home on Saturday when everyone else is leaving to go out. :-) Spend the rest of the weekend relaxing. I love doing this!

4th of July: BBQ, friends, wine, go watch fireworks above the capital building.

Halloween: Decorate the house, go to our church's big halloween party.

Thanksgiving: I cook a huge meal and see how many people I can pack into my house. :-)

I'm sure not all of us Americans celebrate the same way but here goes:
-For Christmas, we celebrate the night before then the next day. We get
together w/family, eat a fun dinner, lots of appetizers, open a few presents, we used to go to midnight mass. Next day wake up early, open
presents, have hot cocoa, a fun breakfast, play w/our new toys//gifts then
have a nice sit down dinner w/ham & a nicely set table.
-Halloween, just get dressed up in costumes & take the kids at dark around the neighborhood to knock on doors, say trick or treat & get a little candy.
-Easter, wake up to easter baskets from the Easter bunny, look for eggs we dyed ourselves the week before, go to mass, have a nice brunch.
-4th of July is just a fun outdoor holiday at the lake or park. Bbq w/friends, watch fireworks at night.
-Thanksgiving is a nice sit down dinner w/family. Turkey, all the trimmings & a time to say what you are thankful for.
-While Valentine's Day is a made up holiday (they say by the greeting card company), I set the table up in red, pink & white, give the kids cards & a box of chocolates. My husb always buys me flowers.

I like the traditions of it all even if they are made up by big stores.
If they weren't, not all families would get together & celebrate. Not all families would find a little time to be happy & celebrate the little things & being together.