Potent Quotables
“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.”
Home Alone
The Catalan region of this country has the tradition of taking care of a log named the Tio de Nadal during December.
Spain
"My parents liked treating us to a BBQ lunch for Christmas. My dad was the grill master and even made his own grill – concrete blocks, charcoal briquettes. One special piece of equipment my dad used to fire up the briquettes pronto was a flame thrower. Picture Sigourney Weaver in Aliens - but shorter, 40 years older, and wearing knee-high argyle socks."
Marianne Olson
"When my grandparents were alive, we would play tournament-style Monopoly in their basement for one hour timed, with prizes for the winner of each table and also for the champion."
Owen Granke
“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love is actually is all around.”
Love Actually
Christmas in this country is highly commercialized and is associated with KFC and strawberry shortcake
Japan
"Back in high school, I once got my family to venture out into the freezing cold to watch the Washington Crossing the Delaware reenactment held on Christmas Day. (This event is still going strong in 2025!)"
Lesli Sheppard
We were at Grandma’s house in Connecticut for the holidays, baking cookies, watching holiday movies. Grandma called the grandbabies (maybe 3 and 5 years old) over to the window to see a whole herd of deer in the big back yard. They ooh’ed and awe’ed for a few minutes, and then went back to movies and cookies. Hours later, the 3 year old found Grandma and pulled her over to the window and demanded to see “Eight Tiny Reindeer” again. We laughed and explained they had to go back to the North Pole."
Katrina Wilson
“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
In this Nordic country, some hide their brooms on Christmas Eve to ward off evil witches.
Norway
"My aunt throws a big festivus party every December 23rd, complete with feats of strength, an aluminum pole instead of a tree, and (quite lengthy) airing of grievances."
Mike
"My Dad went all out on decorations - especially lights - and our uncle brought his family into town in his RV. My Dad got bent out of shape that he didn't get a Christmas bonus and my uncle kidnapped my uncle. The SWAT team showed up at our house, but then we all laughed at the misunderstanding."
Plot of Christmas Vacation
“Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.”
Christmas Vacation
In Slovakia, it’s a Christmas dinner tradition for the most senior member of the family to throw pudding onto this.
The ceiling. The amount that sticks is the amount of luck they'll have in the new year.
"My dad once sat next to an executive of the company that made cabbage patch kids, at the peak of their popularity. He befriended the guy and was taken to a warehouse where they kept all the dolls to take what he wanted."
Kathleen Hutchinson
"I am hosting 14 people in my house over the Christmas holidays. I get a call from my doctor on Dec. 24 telling me he needs to deliver my baby on “Thursday.” I say “Oh, ok. You mean next Thursday, January 2.” The doctor says “No – I mean the day after tomorrow. Merry Christmas and see you in two days!!”
Parisa
“Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind.”
Miracle on 34th Street
In this country, 13 mischievous Yule Lads leave treats or rotten potatoes in children’s shoes for 13 nights. . . . nights where you might look outside and see the Northern Lights.
Iceland
Every year, my Grammie's fake tree would be so decorated no one ever knew what the underlying tree looked like. I was the youngest of my cousins and they dared me to put my arm inside the tree and run away. I stuck my little 8-year-old arm inside and I hit tree. Upon removing my arm, my uncle let out an “oh no” as the 10ft tree fell over, sprinkling all the carefully placed ornaments and colored lights everywhere. My grandmother ran in and started yelling expletives that my little mind did quite understand. I still recall hearing light bulbs bursting under my uncle’s shoes as they rehoisted the tree into place.
Jackie O'Reilly
"My uncle flew to LA to go to my aunt's office holiday party in Nakatomi Plaza when these guys took the whole building hostage. My uncle had to defeat each henchman one-by-one to save everyone."
The plot of Die Hard