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The cool thing about meeting new people and having an active social life isn’t just the awesome company—you get to expand your understanding of the world and humankind. Namely, you get to see what things you have in common with others while also discovering a simple fact—what’s ‘normal’ for you and your folks might not be how your neighbors live.
Internet users took to an online thread to share the strangest family traditions that they’ve personally witnessed while visiting someone else’s home. While some of these are incredibly wholesome (we love the ‘turkey parade’ and Addams Family theme song recital), others are weirder than weird. We’ve collected the most interesting traditions of the bunch to share with you, so scroll down to take a peek.
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#1
Instead of praying, a full family recital of the Addams family theme song before meals. They were wonderful people and foster parents.
Ace 11 months ago
A bit odd, but a fun family thing, I guess, harmless enough, and certainly not as creepy as actually praying together before a meal.
TribbleThinking 11 months ago
I agree. It may also not be merely as frivolously fun as might initially appear , as from what I can gather the Addams Family is based on the premise of a family devoted to each other despite each member being not conventionally beautiful nor acceptable or even merely palatable!
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Stannous Flouride 11 months ago
I wonder whether they all snapped their fingers. They'd HAVE to, right?
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Addams, after their creator, New Yorker cartonist Charles Addams (who loved the show).
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RELATED:
#2
We have The Werewolf Seat. My father reserved it for people that were new to the family circle, new boyfriends or family friends. He figured that if a Werewolf attacked it would eat the new person in that seat. He would calmly tell the would be partner or friend that they would be the first to go when the werewolf showed up. It was quite the ice breaker. My dad's insane and wonderful.
#3
My uncle does real gifts for everyone on Christmas, but then you get something random too. This year i got a piece of toast. He toasted a piece of bread, stuck it in a ziplock and stuck that in the gift bag with some (much appreciated) gift cards. It’s fun when someone brings a new partner over and they’re so confused. I’ve gotten zip ties, a turkey baster, i think one partially used 9 volt battery (or it was a package of two that had one left, i can’t remember). All of them have been useful at some point, especially the 9 volt bc my smoke detector needed a new battery almost immediately after lol. My kid even stole the piece of toast when he was hungry and found it in the gift bags (it was early the next morning, before the sun was even up, and i forgot it was in there). He said it was “actually REALLY good.” There was no butter or anything on it lol. It’s a cute tradition and i can’t wait for my kid to be old enough to get one but he’s still young enough that he’s not even really aware of the joke right now.
JLN 11 months ago
We do this with stockings, usually they contain useful fun stuff, but it’s evolved into what weird random c**p can I leave in here to make them wonder what the heck is wrong with you?!? Sometimes it’s dollar store d**g tests, gift cards that only have $0.37 left on it, hair clips for someone who is bald, you get the idea. My brother and I have gone a bit overboard if we get each others name but it’s all in fun and it makes everyone laugh
What’s important isn’t that you have a handful of incredibly specific traditions that you follow but that you have something—anything!—that you consistently do with your family to connect with them. This can be Sunday lunch together, vacationing at your usual spot, watching sports live or on TV every time there’s a big game on, celebrating Xmas, going to Easter mass, or organizing football game watch parties where all of your loved ones and neighbors are invited. It can be any combination of activities, anything at all. The feeling, not the format, is what’s important here.
Meanwhile, there are bound to be variations even among widespread traditions like Christmas. Some families might focus on the religious aspects while others hone in on a more lighthearted approach. What food you serve, when you eat, how you decorate, when you exchange gifts, what your overall philosophy on gift-giving is… there are bound to be tons of differences. Over time, these differences can grow and you end up with lots of variations of traditions. It’s nice because you feel like you’re celebrating with your local community while also having a slightly different approach to the holidays that’s unique to your family.
#4
Hot dog time.
My buddy in middle school had like 4 or 5 other siblings, and occasionally they'd do this activity for dinner called hot dog time. Each child was given a paper plate with a bun and plain hot dog. Condiments were hidden around the house, like easter eggs. There was a countdown, and his parents would shout "relish, set, go!". Then we'd run off and try to find the condiments we wanted. "I got mustard!" would be called out, so if we wanted mustard, we'd have to go get some mustard before continuing the hunt. "I got ketchup!" echoed through the house, but I didn't like ketchup, so I always skipped it. If someone dropped a hog dog while running around, everyone would chant "don't cry over spilled dogs!", then they'd be given a cold one as punishment. I once had to eat the cold hot dog.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago
This person might not worship Satan per say, but they clearly think he has some good ideas. Ketchup is the ONLY thing that goes on a hot dog.
Never Snarky 11 months ago
The National Mustard Museum in Wisconsin (and I) disagree heartily.
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#5
On the first day of winter they’d all (3 kids and both parents) eat ice cream for dinner, with milkshakes to drink. Needless to say I was very happy to be invited several times.
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
When I was growing up, our family ritual for Saturday night dinner was popcorn, chocolate ice cream, and a coke (the only time we were allowed to drink soda).
#6
Eating dessert before dinner because “life’s too short.”
GenuineJen 11 months ago
As long as I can also have dessert after dinner, this sounds perfect!
Stannous Flouride 11 months ago
A University of Arizona study in 2019 found that eating a high-calorie dessert first can lead to eating fewer calories overall: In a study that controlled for other factors, diners who chose a high-calorie dessert first ate about 30% fewer calories than those who chose a healthier dessert first.
ILoveMySon 11 months ago
My mother always orders dessert first when we go out to dinner. She didn't let us do as much as children. 😂
Chich the witch 11 months ago
Well of course. If you choke to death on dinner you miss dessert. Can't take the chance :P
WebMD explains that there are three main categories of traditions: religious, cultural, and family-specific. The latter might not have anything to do with things greater than the family itself, but they’re still very meaningful.
Traditions as a whole help you connect to your family, neighbors, country, culture, and religion. They’re a way to feel part of a community and to develop relationships with the people around you through shared values, ideas, and beliefs.
Aside from connection, you also get a feeling of stability. If you and your family cook lunch together every weekend, no matter what, it’s something solid for you to cling to, no matter how tough or chaotic things get in other areas of your life.
#7
I had Thanksgiving with a family who took me in once. They did a turkey parade thanksgiving morning. Where they took the turkey through each room in the house saying "turkey parade"
Janissary35680 11 months ago
I feel we need more details. Is this a live turkey led on a tether? A frozen turkey in a little wheelbarrow? Since it's morning, I'm guessing it's not the roasted turkey in the picture, but then one never knows. 🤔
MotherRobinson 11 months ago
I do this when I make a really presentable dish. My teen hates it so I skip her door.
GenuineJen 11 months ago
Too much risk involved. That turkey has to be undropped and unmutilated!
#8
It was s Sunday. My family was visiting church friends because they had kids the same age as us. We were sent to the basement where we sat. We did nothing. They had a rule that you couldn't watch tv, listen to music, read, or even do homework on Sunday. We were that bored we asked about homework! They literally sat and did nothing on Sunday after church.
We never went back. I think my parents even thought it was a little weird.
tori Ohno 11 months ago
Sounds like my friend's Mormon family when I was a kid. They went to church, and then the females worked their a$$es off to cook dinner while the males did NOTHING
Tamra 11 months ago
Religion has never been all that beneficial for women.
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Uncommon Sense 11 months ago
Also not a million miles off of abuse - psychological and neglect.
#9
Years ago, Thanksgiving at a friends house. When the table got set up, and we all sat down, the Westminster (?) dog show was playing on a small 13inch TV/VCR combo on a buffet table at the head of the table. When I started to speak general table conversation, I was shh'ed, and told (like I was an idiot), "TV is on," and they pointed to the TV. Not a word was uttered the entire meal, just all 10-12 people around the table, all watching the dog show on this tiny TV while serving themselves in silence.
Later on, my friend said it wasn't so much that they "worshipped television," as I had accused them of, but that years ago, the fighting around the table got so bad that the rule became "no talking while the TV was on." So, that worked, and so when the TV was on in the room, nobody was allowed to speak. This eliminated all the snippy side comments that turned into verbal brawls, I guess.
Other than that, they seemed like a nice family.
Keep in mind that traditions aren’t static. They gradually change over time to accommodate new people and ideas. And that’s okay. Again, to reiterate, the important thing is to have the tradition itself, not clinging to one particular way that it’s expressed. So long as you and others get together, deepen your connection, and feel uplifted, you’re doing things right.
The awesome thing is that you can start new traditions whenever you want, but you’ll need to be proactive. A weekly hike or a family meal (preferably with no phones at the table!) might not require too much effort, but it still needs to be organized.
#10
Santa leaving each family member matching pajamas while everyone is at midnight Mass. Kinda sweet really.
Upstaged75 11 months ago
My mom did that as a gift and let us open them on Xmas eve so that we could wear them. Now we do the same for my brother's kids.
#11
They all got up at like 7am sharp, showered and dressed for the day, and then went downstairs to eat breakfast together at the table.
I guess that's not weird in of itself (well, it was for me), the weird thing is that apparently they didn't inform guests of that.
I slept over said friend's house when I was 11-12, wondered where my friend had wandered off to when I woke up. I came downstairs still in my pajamas, hair unbrushed, to find them at the fully set up table finishing up. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, orange juice, the works.
The parents shot me a dirty look. They said I couldn't eat at the table because there wasn't enough room and they only made enough for their family. They offered me a bowl of cereal instead lol. I wasn't even allowed to take a shower because I didn't bring any toiletries and they didn't have any to spare.
I went home hungry and in my pajamas, never went back!
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
That's rude. A real friend might have explained this, but then again, given their ages they probably thought everyone did this.
Kise Miarse 11 months ago
Yeah I agree. The friend might not have known the difference, but the parents had surely been around long enough to know not everyone followed their schedule.
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#12
One for my husband: my family does a Thanksgiving lasagna instead of the traditional meal.
My mom hated all the food fuss, so I suggested making lasagna instead one year. It stuck until I left home, and my mom will always make one if we visit for the holiday and vice versa. My husband was baffled at first, but has loved the tradition. Doesn't matter if it's homemade or store bought, just depends on what we feel like doing each year.
Janissary35680 11 months ago (edited)
When I was 12 or 13 living in northern NJ we were invited to Xmas dinner at an extended Italian-American family that one of my uncles had married into. The meal began with an elaborate antipasto followed by a huge tray of lasagna (the best I've ever had in my life) BEFORE the turkey and all the trimmings were brought in. Dessert included pumpkin and mince pies and an enormous tower of struffoli. I've never forgotten that meal because (1) I got to drink red wine for the first time in my life since everyone else at table did and (2) it introduced me to the Italian side of my family, in particular to my uncle's wife's mother, a true nonna and kindred spirit whom I loved dearly and who taught me everything I needed to know about southern Italian cuisine.
Matthew Currie 11 months ago
We do exactly the same thing. I usually go the whole route and roll out fresh lasagna and my wife makes the sauce. It turns out that everyone like a good lasagna.
beccabootie 11 months ago
My late husband and I would have Thanksgiving spaghetti or meatloaf. Much less expensive and much more tasty than the traditional meal.
Upstaged75 11 months ago
My family did Beef Wellington this year. Last year we did chicken pot pie. None of us really like turkey. I have a friend who lives in New England and her in-laws do lobster.
Tammy Kirks 11 months ago
We did lasagna at Christmas this past year and it was great. None of us like traditional Thanksgiving dishes so we end up with smoked tri-tip, filets, pork roast, etc with unconventional sides. It's fantastic.
What are the weirdest traditions that your families have, dear Pandas? Do you know how they came about?
What’s the strangest tradition you’ve seen being practiced in other homes? We can’t wait to hear about your experiences. Share your thoughts in the comments!
#13
In high school, I gave a buddy a ride home after football practice. His mom asked me to stay for dinner.
I sit down with the family, my buddy, his mom, dad, and brother. They’re having a roast and potatoes. There’s also a 2 liter of coke on the table.
After a few minutes, I’m thirsty, so I ask where they keep their glasses. The dad tells me, “we just drink out of the bottle” and takes a swig of coke. He passes it to the younger brother, who also drinks from it, and he hands it to me.
I just said, “I’m good”. I ate and got the heck out of there.
Brian Droste 11 months ago
And the germs. I wonder if they had glasses in the house at all?
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#14
I had a friend who was required to go to church 7 days a week. No church in town actually did that, so they would go to several different churches, even though they weren't the same denomination. I was invited once to the pentecostal. It was.. an experience.
Never Snarky 11 months ago
I got invited to a Pentecostal church service in Peru. Hallelujah! Yes, an experience.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Sort of like drinking a different brand of cleaning fluid every day.
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WinterLady 11 months ago
I was only 10 or 11 the one time I went to a Pentecostal church service. I had no warning of what was coming. I almost started screaming when the first person started talking in tongues. Needless to say, I never went back.
Beth Wheeler 11 months ago
There's Pentecostal and then there's PENTECOSTAL. I went to an Assembly of God Pentecostal for over 20 years that is very similar to the Baptist Church I grew up i. Nice calm relaxed and you can listen and concentrate on the sermon. Then you have the crazy wile screaming, crying, running around, falling on the floor PENTECOSTAL that I would never step foot in. I used to work with a lady a long time ago that went to that type and tried to talk me into going and I wouldn't do it... No thanks NOT interested!
Michael Largey 11 months ago (edited)
The PENTECOSTAL people you refer to are just performance artists for the mentally bewildered.
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My O My 11 months ago
That sounds very time consuming. When do you get work ect done? Do you routinely leave work for a "synagogue break" and, what do your coworkers say? O god..sorry I'm sooo curious to hear about other persons lifes and religious and cultural traditions. Only answer if you are fine with my curiousity
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#15
Maybe not the strangest after reading the rest of this thread but my childhood best friend had a couch nobody was allowed to sit on. It was all white and had plastic sheets over it. I sat on it one day while putting my shoes on to leave his house and go out to play. His dad proceeded to berate me and tell me that the couch was just for show and nobody was allowed to sit on it. I have no idea why that was the case. Who the f**k has furniture you’re not allowed to sit on. Especially when it’s covered in protective plastic?
Outgraygeous 11 months ago
It's a real thing. I've known people with entire rooms that were reserved for "guests" but no guest was ever good enough to enter the space. Even as a child, I thought it bizarre.
Austzn 11 months ago
Me too; like whole front of the house "entertainment rooms" that they actually constructed for this purpose. My friend told me on the first visit, "Oh, that room is only for entertaining guests and can't be used for anything else but it mostly collects dust."
Load More Replies... Bryn 11 months ago (edited)
i mean, i've heard of people putting plastic over their furniture, but forbidding everyone from sitting on it.
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CanadianDimes 11 months ago
I had a friend whose family had a whole living room like this. Not the plastic covers but no one was allowed in there because it was the “good” living room.
Brian Droste 11 months ago (edited)
When I was little, I had a uncle that a had room with furniture in it. Nobody was allowed in that room. You could look in the room though. It had one of those rope type that you see in theaters across the front of the room. I don't know if the furniture was extremely expensive or not. Later in life he removed the rope. I still didn't go in that room.
GalPalAl 11 months ago
Something similar when I lived with my parents. Mom decorated living room with furniture and accessories nobody was allowed to touch, meanwhile, everything available in the adjoining family room. Effing weird and controlling.
Matthew Currie 11 months ago
I have run into this in a few places, especially in older people in older houses, where there was often a parlor used only for special occasions, even though special occasions might never happen except perhaps for their own funerals. But I also ran into a passive-aggressive variant of that, with the now ex wife of a relative, who had a room full of what we came to call "confrontational furniture." White couch at which one could not sit, marble dining table which required expensive re-grinding if spilled on, and generally any kind of furniture, dishware, etc. that could not be used in a normal way. Some people maintain their sense of control by insuring that there is always an offense to complain about.
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Scott Rackley 11 months ago
My great aunt had a whole room of "looking at" furniture. I doubt anyone has sat on any of the furniture, at least I never saw it. Also, yes, it all had plastic. I assume if the president or the pope came by they could use it, maybe.
CanadianDimes 11 months ago
Yes but only the formal corpses in the good body bags
Load More Replies... #16
I would not call this tradition, but I went over to someone's house in the summer(when I was a kid) and for breakfast, they brought their son the food from the previous night's dinner that he didn't eat. They had blended it in a blender and heated it up for him. Was spaghetti or something.
His Mom said, "We don't know how you do things in your house, but in our house when we pray over the food, we have to eat all of the food."
I can't explain it adequately, but it was creepy.
L Sarris 11 months ago
because its not about waste really, that's the excuse. Its about punishing the kid for not doing what they wanted them to do. Thats why the blending. IF it was a lovely left over- where is the punishment?
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Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago (edited)
I would say that if you are consuming an animal of some sort, it is disrespectful to the animal not to eat it all. EDIT: Apparently, some downvote monkey disagrees. They must prefer to waste it.
Ace 11 months ago
It's wasteful to take more food than you need, animal or not, but disrespectful? What nonsense. It makes no difference to the cow whether you finish your steak or not.
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#17
My wife's family has a chant they do for anyone opening presents, so birthdays and Christmas presents. Every single grandchild (and there are a lot of them) added their own line to the chant... when they were 3. Every line also has added gestures to go with it. Nothing like a room full of adults yelling "dee! dee! dee! dee!" while pointing at the nearest ceiling fan! My favorite is probably making siren noises while doing a low level head bang, though.
It takes 2 to 3 minutes and they do it before. every. single. person. opens their first gift. Thankfully it's been toned down as it used to be done every single time for every single gift. In a group of over a dozen people!
That first Christmas was hell, and let me tell you, I did that chant in full every single time wondering about my life choices. Still married though, and they're great people!
Kise Miarse 11 months ago
I actually think this is sort of cute. 😊 Though yeah - at some point you need an abridged version as the family grows. 😆
Bryn 11 months ago
maybe once or twice. but before every gift? no thanks.
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Wasn’t my encounter; a friend of mine told me about the first time they stayed at their partner’s in-laws for a holiday to spend the night.
The place wasn’t spacious, which was fine, and the partner’s mother used a sound machine to fall asleep. Something a lot of people do. I do that, my kids do. Fan sound, ocean sound- it’s fairly common.
What they discovered, too late, was that the mother of the house went to sleep every night listening to *vacuum cleaner* noise. And not a handheld, whirring one. More like a big- industrial sounding suck machine. She would turn it on before bed, and the gentle calm was assaulted with loud pipe exhaust and squealing belts.
When my friend asked their partner why they didn’t at least warn them, they told them they hadn’t thought it was a big deal.
Chich the witch 11 months ago
I'b be tempted to fire up a selection of belt fed melodies to doze off to.
#19
Strange? My in laws invite like 40 people over for Christmas or thanksgiving, only have enough food for like 20 people and watch all the outsiders starve while the blood family knows to rush the food trays and load up their plates like gluttons.
Needless to say I have not spent another holiday with them in over 10 years. Love having to leave a family event to go to Jack in the box
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
I wonder how many times guests would actually attend such a dinner? Once, is my guess. Next holiday they'll have to find different people to invite.
ILoveMySon 11 months ago
I can relate as I am a "feeder". Nobody leaves my home hungry or without food to take home.
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The Starsong Princess 11 months ago
My uncle’s wife invited his kids and grandkids for lunch. They drove an hour and half to attend. She served one pork tenderloin for eight people - there wasn’t even a slice each and a small salad. No dessert, no other food. They left and went to a restaurant.
#20
It was tradition to watch Goonies on Thanksgiving Day.
ILoveMySon 11 months ago
We are "A Christmas Story" family. Yes, we all have the lamp as well. 🙂
Annabel Again 11 months ago
My best friend’s family watches home alone on Thanksgiving every year
#21
I went to dinner at an older couple’s home in the late 90s. They invited my whole family. They had classical music playing. Candles lit. Little treats on silver platters. They owned a few paintings from famous artists. The whole night was like a fairy tale dream. Soft light. Plush furniture. No television in sight. The man even got my chicken plant worker country dad wrapped up in a conversation about Monet painting his wife on her death bed. I thought that’s what life should look like. Just perfect.
We say our goodbyes. It’s after 11pm. Taken our fill of cheesecake puffs and amaretto (it was what the French do so my parents were cool with it) we get into our rusty buick lesaber and pull out of the driveway. Our car slips in the ice and gets stuck in the debris on the side of the road.
My sister and I walk up the driveway to knock on the door and ask to use their phone to call our uncle with 4 wheel drive to come get us.
The couple were watching an Adam Sandler movie (happy Gilmore I think?) and wearing sweatpants already. Suddenly there was a huge tube television on a rolling cart underneath the impressionist paintings.
The man answered the door and had a Budweiser in his hand. All the candles were out and the bright lights were on. I called my uncle and just stood there. The couple said we were welcome to sit on the porch until my uncle came. They ushered us out of the house as soon as I hung the phone up. Turned off all the lights, including the porch lights.
Me and my sister slid down the driveway telling each other we would never tell our parents what we just saw.
Papa 11 months ago
Yep. There's nothing wrong with drinking Budweiser in sweat pants (at least I hope not).
Load More Replies... #22
My friends stepdad doesn’t let anybody out of their bedrooms in the morning until they’ve gotten dressed. like can’t even go to the bathroom or eat breakfast in the morning in your pajamas because it’s “sloppy.” i hate that guy.
Tamsin Far 11 months ago
What sense does it make to put on clothes before taking a shower? Or to drip toothpaste over the nice shirt?
#23
My wife and I would occasionally have dinner with this family who had a large dog. While eating dinner they would all stick a piece of food between their own teeth and get the dog to eat it out of their mouth. All of them. It was some weird trick they taught the dog and did it every dinner. They asked us to do it too, which was even weirder.
#24
Baby sat for a family once that had recently bought a turkey for a pet. Apparently the store told them to feed the turkey corn, but didn’t get any more specific. These people were city folks newly transplanted to our rural area, so they didn’t know dry, cracked corn for animal feed was a thing. They were feeding their turkey canned corn. I grew up on a hobby farm with a few turkeys and was so incredibly confused when they told me to give their turkey a can of corn for dinner. That was 20 years ago and I still think about it frequently lol
TribbleThinking 11 months ago
I wonder how confused the turkey was the first time it was confronted by a stack of canned corn instead of its normal feed.
Janissary35680 11 months ago (edited)
Turkeys will eat or at least try to eat just about anything they see if you give them a chance.
Load More Replies... #25
You need to leave the same door you came in. came in the back door? must leave the back door
Blue Bunny of Happiness 11 months ago
An old superstition that it’s bad luck to leave via a different door. Used to come across it a lot when doing home visits.
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
Well, I would probably do this anyway because there's probably a very good reason why I came in a particular door. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago (edited)
I feel that most people probably naturally do this without thinking about it. Generally we exclusively use one door to get in and out of the house/etc... and when we use a different door, we go back thru when done with whatever it was to cause the use of the alternate door.
#26
Licking the plates clean after having dinner, but the plates were see through glass ones
Brian Droste 11 months ago (edited)
I do this at home myself but not anywhere else. If I have company over which is very rare, I wouldn't do it either.
Skater Chick (he/him) 11 months ago
OH MY GOD NOOOOOO YOU COULD PROBABLY SEE THEIR DIRTYASS TONGUES THAT'S DISGUUUUSSTIIIINGGG
#27
The mom roping the living room off in the summer, rope had a keep out sign on it lol.
Chich the witch 11 months ago
Knew several houses like this. Plastic still on the furniture in one or two cases. Never understood it. If you buy a house, use the house.
Janissary35680 11 months ago
Our grandparents' house had a "parlor" that was strictly off limits to everyone except (very infrequent) guests.
Brian Droste 11 months ago
Find my comment further up about a uncle I had that he had a room roped off when I was growing up.
#28
Was at a sleepover at a friends house and we had a bunch of junk food, one of which was a bag of marshmallows. Friends mom comes in while we are watching a movie and takes the bag of marshmallows because and I quote " No marshmallows after midnight, they will expand in your throat and choke you while you sleep".
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago
Sounds like someone's mom wanted some marshmallows all for herself.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
I wonder it has anything to do with the game popular at sleepovers where you stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth at once as you can. There are kids who died doing it.
ZuriLovesYou 11 months ago
They don't stay in your throat, lady. You chew them and swallow them like everything else you eat!
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
Sometimes you learn something new that's good for you, and then there's this. 🙄
#29
Thanking a picture of Jesus. I grew up with atheist parents so I thought every single Christian kid did that. It was just my friends family
Roni Stone 11 months ago
Quick! Somebody sneak in an early pic of Kenny Loggins! Now he deserves some thanks.
#30
I remember as a kid at my friend's house they would make openface sandwiches with white bread and a thick layer of butter covered in sugar. I had never had that before but ngl, it was tasty.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago (edited)
Oooooh. Butter and sugar is delicious. Generally on toast. Haven't done that since I was a kid, though. Now I'm on a statin and high blood pressure meds and metformin, so I don't think I could get away with it today. Being 40ish sucks.
Boo 11 months ago
Same, but mid 50's here lol. So many comfort foods I miss.
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Annabel Again 11 months ago
In Australia, they use rainbow sprinkles, and it’s called fairy toast
The Starsong Princess 11 months ago
On toast then broil it in the oven. But I haven’t had that since I was a kid.
Pagan squirrel 11 months ago
Mmmmm sugar sandwiches! I used to love them. Would feel too guilty to eat one now. But now I want one!
SleepSycho 11 months ago
Poor latchkey kid here, thought I invented that. But my variation was white wonder bread, white sugar, microwave for 10 sec then rolled up. No butter--wish I thought to add it. It wasn't that it was good, but it filled the tummy and satiated the sweet tooth, and easy for a kid to make, an invention born of necessity
#31
Ate a meal with an Asian family when I was in high school. When I finished I got up to wash my plate. The family laughed because my buddy was still eating. They said that if anyone was still eating when someone washed their plate, the one still eating would never marry. Buddy never got married. True story. Also how I learned to eat crabs and rice with my hands.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 11 months ago
They got up to wash their plate while someone was still eating? That's just rude. You stay at the table until everyone has finished.
highwaycrossingfrog 11 months ago
I also would never wash my plate in another person's home. Help clear the table? Yes (obviously after everyone has finished eating). But just start merrily washing my own plate? That's weird and kind of rude
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#32
My boyfriend collects nutcrackers and displays them every year. Not necessarily strange I guess, but I find it adorable how excited he gets when he receives a new one to put up during the holidays
#33
So not necessarily a tradition, but my friend thought it was. She comes over once a week and has for almost a year. Every evening, I use an old laptop to charge my vape basically using it as a portable charger. The thing is though, it has to be open and on which gets annoying so I cover it with a towel.
She apparently never saw me plug my vape into it so for months she thought I just brought out a like ceremonial laptop and covered it with a towel. 😂
I'm amazed she still kept coming over and even more surprised she just rolled with it!
#34
More a rule than a tradition, but I had a sleepover with a friend once when I was a kid, and during dinner we weren't allowed to have any of our drink until we had completely finished our food.
It was so bizarre I still think about it 25+ years later.
Outgraygeous 11 months ago
My dad used to withhold our drinks when we were young. He said it was to prevent us from filling up on liquids instead of food
Noname 11 months ago
That was the rule in my family, too. Plus, we couldn't take any meat until we had eaten our vegetables. I still unconsciously follow these rules for myself (habit) but I have never imposed them on my kids.
Load More Replies... Ashtophet’sRevenge 11 months ago
I have to drink while I eat… I had friends like this, and can conform to the house rules, but otherwise I will drink be sipping after every few bites…
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
My daughter held back the milk for her two girls until they were well into their meal. Otherwise, they'd often drink all their milk first and wouldn't eat much at all. She didn't make them finish everything first, though.
Skater Chick (he/him) 11 months ago
it was like that at the preschool i went to. we couldn't even open our milk cartons until we had finished our "main thing." it was annoying but eventuallybecame a habit so now i hardly drink at mealtimes lol
Ace 11 months ago
Growing up we would never have drinks on the table while eating. It wasn't any sort of rule, just that you ate your food then you had a cup of tea afterwards. I still find it weird in the US when a glass of water is automatically poured as soon as you sit down in a diner - did I ask for a drink? Did I want a drink?
Dances with Bees 11 months ago
We could drink up to half of our drink during the meal and then finish it off at the end.
#35
Had a friend when I was a kid whose parents were cheap as hell. They pinched a penny so tight they could sell it as copper wire.
One example - no toilet paper in the bathroom. They had a basket of socks. Use the sock, then toss it in the diaper basket.
They'd laugh when a girl visited, "just don't use Timmy's socks, you might get pregnant." (Tim was 14)
highwaycrossingfrog 11 months ago
The socks are bad enough in themselves, but the family also wore them?
#36
My in-laws bake a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas and sing him the Happy Birthday song. They open gifts on Boxing Day.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
The church I started going to a few years ago has a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas eve, at the children's service. Was weird at first but I think it's kind of cute now.
#37
Having to open presents one by one while everyone stares at you and waits for your reaction. I feel like an actor with the bright lights on. I'm not a good actor.
HeavyMetalHeart 11 months ago
Is that really weird? My family always did that and I prefer it to everyone just tearing into them at the same time because you don’t really see what everyone got.
highwaycrossingfrog 11 months ago
This is how we all do it in my family as well. I love seeing what everyone's got. Also, my mum will often buy my sister and I the same things, so we have to time them so we're opening at the same time, which would be very tricky in a free-for-all
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#38
Once I was at my neighbor's house, which was huge and worth millions. She was the top producer in a mlm and they were all about appearances, so their clothes, cars, everything were flashy. But in the kitchen cabinets were just paper plates, flatware, and cups - she's like "yeah, I hate washing dishes."
#39
In middle school, friend’s mom invited me to come over for dinner before we would leave for a concert which was nice. But I found it just a little odd that it was the night the two kids of the house had to make dinner as a chore, and I was expected to help since I was a kid too.
I guess it could be a cultural disconnect because in my house, my mother would have cut her hand off before asking a guest to do work. If I had school friends over, chores were postponed or if it was time sensitive, my mom would either ask my friend to wait 5 minutes for me or do it herself because…guests.
#40
When I stayed at my friend's house for the weekend in high school, his mom had this thing she’d make us do before we could go to bed. She’d call everyone down to the living room, put on Christian praise and worship videos, and we had to stand there singing along. If we didn’t sing, we’d be stuck there even longer.
So rude-- interrupting her son and his friends watching American Pie to sing Jesus songs.
#41
You were not allowed to be barefoot. They had a basket of socks for guests to wear if they did not arrive with their own socks. When you left you returned their socks. You were still expected to remove shoes when you arrived.
Janissary35680 11 months ago (edited)
Taking off one's street shoes before entering a house is common in some cultures and countries. Slippers are generally provided in such cases. I have seen little plastic overshoes being offered instead, albeit rarely. I never heard of socks before.
#42
My friends mom used to sit on people’s heads while they were on the couch and fart. horrified the first time i witnessed this my friend said “haha she does that it’s her thing”. never encountered it again and it is not,in fact, a thing.
Glen Ellyn 11 months ago
Um, nope. That is not couth! Even if she wasn't actually sitting on someone's head.
#43
After dinner you go and watch Dad crack the whip. Literally just cracking a whip. At first I thought it was weird but, actually it's kinda cool to watch so *shrug*
#44
My family has the strange ones lol. Tonight is new years. Most of my family (the ones that follow the family tradition) will get an apple and shove as many quarters in it as they can and it goes to the first male that enters the house after midnight. I have read a male has to be the first to walk through the door after new years because it’s good luck. The apple I don’t know… must be my family tradition.
We have some old traditions and beliefs and a good bit go back 5+ generations. We got some scary ones too, not traditions just beliefs
Caroline Willoughby 11 months ago
First footing : Apple so they don't go hungry, money so they never go short, ... should include a piece of coal or a candle so they're never cold.
#45
Not lighting the wood burning stove (which heated the entire house) until Christmas Eve. The a******s lived on a ranch in the mountains, it got freezing in there! They are a family of weirdos (except one sister who got the hell outta Dodge)
#46
40 years ago… friend’s Bulgarian mom gets McDonald’s for dinner. Yay!
Sets table like it’s a major holiday. OK, whatever.
Takes all the food out of the wrappers and puts in plates. Sure, classy. That’s cool.
Sits down so it’s time to dig in. I pick up my Big Mac like a normal person and feel eyes upon me. Every else is eating their sandwich with a fork and knife. I just couldn’t. Ate it with my hands and shrugged.
Oh, same friend would bring sandwiches to school with 1/2” thick slice of cold-cut meat and 1/2” thick slice of cheese. “My mom buys a few pounds of uncut deli meat at a time and slices it herself.” That s**t looked so unappetizing. Remember, it’s the 80s with brown paper bags, no fancy cooled bags. So that *slab* of American cheese was melty and surely affixed it to the top of friend’s mouth like glue. Weird.
#47
Can binge drinking count as a family tradition?
I’m talking about those parties when you go in and at first you’re like “oh wow that’s a lot of alcohol!”
And then a few hours in, you’re like “Uhhh does my friend come from a family of functional alcoholics?”
I hope I don’t come off as judgemental. It’s just strange, when you mostly hang out with people who don’t drink much, to see how much actual binge drinking is normalised in some families.
Oh and also, some of the older generations haven’t gotten the memo that it’s not cool anymore to pressure people to drink. That might be what bothers me most about it.
#48
My ex and her family will not go to concerts for any band without all wearing shirts of the band. They invited me to a fall out boy show once, and my ex (still wife at the time) asked me to pick out a shirt from their merch site to order so I “would have something to wear”. She was disgusted when I said I didn’t really want to buy one. Her mom and sister also seemed pretty annoyed that I was comfortable going to that show in a shirt that I actually wanted to wear. She then explained that whenever they buy tickets to a show, the very next thing they do is buy the band’s shirts to wear.
You’d think these were like the front row super fan kind of people, but when it came to the actual tickets they always bought the cheapest ones way in the back and stood quietly for the entire show, maybe quietly singing along if they knew enough of the lyrics.
Ashtophet’sRevenge 11 months ago
They seem to be thinking of a concert like a sporting event where you have rep the home team…
Fellfromthemoon 11 months ago
It makes some sense, I believe. Oftentimes the main income for the musicians' comes from the merch.
Tamsin Far 11 months ago
To be honest - I usually do this, too, but I don't go to concerts often and I would never expect it of someone else. Last time I went to a concert with friends in non-fitting shirts our first action was to hit the merch boot, buy new ones and immediately change into them :D.
#49
Dinner at my uncle's house. After dinner, they told us to flip the plates over, food side down, so they could be saved for the next meal without washing, apparently to save water.Never ate there again.
Con O Cuinn 11 months ago
But it'll be a guest. That family probably have stomachs like billy goats.
Load More Replies... #50
Seemed strange the first time it happened, but my cousin’s family all sings the Doxology for grace at the beginning of a family meal. They were hosting Thanksgiving the year I turned 10, and all my father’s brothers and sister, and their children, about 60 people in all, were there. That year it was only the one family singing, 8 in all, that were singing, but in future years, we all did. Standing around the table, heads bowed, hand folded, singing. Every family had some choir members, we’re all musically trained, so even the non-vocalists are not bad to hear. Even remembering it now, 50 years later, it’s kind of moving.
I was at a family funeral last year and I mentioned it to one cousin, sort of as a remembrance of the deceased. Of course, she got up to eulogize, and led off by singing the Doxology - participation wasn’t universal, but she wasn’t alone. Another cherished memory.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
I thought a Doxology was only sung at the end of a service but I googled and that is apparently the Jewish tradition (but with a different name) and not all Christian churches do it at the end.
Papa 11 months ago
The church I've belonged to for over 50 years (but quit going to a few years ago) would occasionally sing it as the last hymn of the service.
Load More Replies... deejak 11 months ago (edited)
This one seems wholesome. This is the doxology I remember: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Except, the "Amen" was more like "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhn."
Gingersnap In Iowa 11 months ago
My extended family does this whenever we have a meal together.
#51
They would do a dance with their dogs in the middle, watching them eat. And only after the dogs had finished, were they allowed to start eating
#52
Having to go outside to fart.
#53
Went home with a girl from school, to be alone together
The tub in the hallway bathroom was filled with bags of garbage "from the kitchen" because her older "brother didn't want to take it out"
The smell was everywhere and I couldn't be there
Did he refuse to take it out for a week? A month? Why did her parents say nothing?
#54
I was babysat by a Spanish family across the alley. My first time eating rice and they don’t let you have any water until you cleaned your plate.
#55
Not really a tradition, but my friends family keeps their cups and coffee mugs in drawers rather than cabinets. It's absolute anarchy in that house.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago (edited)
Both my mum and the place I work do this. It is easier when you have to get a lot out at a time (or it is for a short person like me)
Papa 11 months ago
After we remodeled our house in 2019 my wife decided to keep the plates and cereal/soup bowls in a drawer. I didn't care one way or the other, so that's where they go.
Load More Replies... Brian Droste 11 months ago
My mom keeps adult glasses in a upper cabinets but plastic smaller cups for like kids in a lower cabinets.
#56
Unseasoned food at Christmas like overcooked unsalted pasta, a s**t ton of Hellman's mayo, and frozen mixed vegetables left to thaw out as you stir it in. Shaking paprika over the pumpkin with the ferocity of gentle parenting because 'you don't want it too spicy'. Being astonished at the idea of adding wholegrain mustard to a dressing.
The strangest one is that my in-laws have is the tradition of treating my husband like s**t, making him the butt of every joke, delivering snide comments about him and his interests and then roasting him for never visiting.
Papa 11 months ago
Which one? Being afraid of spices, or treating the husband like s**t? I'd say both, with the second one being the most eggregious.
Load More Replies... #57
In college I visited my friend’s family. Before eating everyone clutched their utensils upright in their fists and slammed them down on the table repeatedly chanting, “We are Romans, we are Romans.” I knew that the family was Italian American but I didn’t realize there was such a hierarchy among people from different regions. They told me that Romans had the highest prestige.
What do you think ?
Chich the witch 11 months ago
Might have written about this before. I was visiting the parents of my son's friend. I had met them around town and at a few events but this was the first time they invited me over. At one point the wife is puttering away in another room and I am sitting in the living room with her husband. We are chatting away just fine when he suddenly gets this glazed look and leans back in his chair. Just stares into space. I was about to get up and check him thinking he was having a seizure of some sort when his wife comes in. She announces that it is time to leave and tells me this is just what he does when he has figured a visit has gone on long enough. Never went back. Asked my son who said he had seen it a few times when visiting his buddy so it was a 'thing'.
Alex Boyd 11 months ago (edited)
Fewer than usual examples of outright abuse mixed in with the quirky stuff this time. I've mentioned a few times that I think separating those out would be a good way for BP to add value when harvesting this type of Reddit thread; I wonder if somebody listened?
Ace 11 months ago
Naah, I doubt it, they just copied from a coincidentally better source this time. The whole reddit thread was copied, AFAICT. I'd still rather read it here than on the chaos of the Reddit site though.
Load More Replies... Mr. Jones 11 months ago
When I lived in Chicago, I spent Christmases with my roommate's family in the suburbs. They treated me like one of their own. Christmas Eve, we're opening gifts and I get this ugly statue of praying hands. The whole room burst out in laughter. No one can remember when, but the praying hands had been a joke gift that someone else gets once a year on any gift giving holiday. It was great and I kept them up in my room all year until it was my turn to pass them on.
John Dilligaf 11 months ago
A childhood friend's family. They did not call their Mom and Dad Mom and Dad. They called them Mr. or Mrs. Smith. Like, "I can't come play on Saturday, morning. Mr Smith says I have to help clean out the garage first". Or "Mrs Smith could you sign this permission slip for the school trip?" .... They weren't foster kids or anything, and the family was totally normal otherwise.
Paulina 11 months ago
Maybe not strictly weird, but an odd little tradition I like in my family: We always end traditional Christmas Eve dinner in individually served, multicolored jello 😁 I have no idea how it started, only that my grandparents did that. But it's something we all carry on and it brings me joy every time :)
Chich the witch 11 months ago
Might have written about this before. I was visiting the parents of my son's friend. I had met them around town and at a few events but this was the first time they invited me over. At one point the wife is puttering away in another room and I am sitting in the living room with her husband. We are chatting away just fine when he suddenly gets this glazed look and leans back in his chair. Just stares into space. I was about to get up and check him thinking he was having a seizure of some sort when his wife comes in. She announces that it is time to leave and tells me this is just what he does when he has figured a visit has gone on long enough. Never went back. Asked my son who said he had seen it a few times when visiting his buddy so it was a 'thing'.
Alex Boyd 11 months ago (edited)
Fewer than usual examples of outright abuse mixed in with the quirky stuff this time. I've mentioned a few times that I think separating those out would be a good way for BP to add value when harvesting this type of Reddit thread; I wonder if somebody listened?
Ace 11 months ago
Naah, I doubt it, they just copied from a coincidentally better source this time. The whole reddit thread was copied, AFAICT. I'd still rather read it here than on the chaos of the Reddit site though.
Load More Replies... Mr. Jones 11 months ago
When I lived in Chicago, I spent Christmases with my roommate's family in the suburbs. They treated me like one of their own. Christmas Eve, we're opening gifts and I get this ugly statue of praying hands. The whole room burst out in laughter. No one can remember when, but the praying hands had been a joke gift that someone else gets once a year on any gift giving holiday. It was great and I kept them up in my room all year until it was my turn to pass them on.
John Dilligaf 11 months ago
A childhood friend's family. They did not call their Mom and Dad Mom and Dad. They called them Mr. or Mrs. Smith. Like, "I can't come play on Saturday, morning. Mr Smith says I have to help clean out the garage first". Or "Mrs Smith could you sign this permission slip for the school trip?" .... They weren't foster kids or anything, and the family was totally normal otherwise.
Paulina 11 months ago
Maybe not strictly weird, but an odd little tradition I like in my family: We always end traditional Christmas Eve dinner in individually served, multicolored jello 😁 I have no idea how it started, only that my grandparents did that. But it's something we all carry on and it brings me joy every time :)
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