this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2025
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I'm from the UK and my partner is from the States. Every year she has the kids leave milk and cookies out for Santa, which I find odd because we left out sherry and a mince pie in my house. At the same time, we live in Scandinavia and I'm sure the Christmas gnome (julenissen) is unhappy about the lack of porridge.

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[–] Sergio@piefed.social 17 points 19 hours ago

til:

a household spirit from Nordic folklore which has always been described as a small human-like creature wearing a red cap and gray clothing, doing house and stable chores, and expecting to be rewarded at least once a year around winter solstice (yuletide), with the gift of its favorite food, porridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisse_(folklore)

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 15 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

We left a carrot for the reindeer. USA.

[–] Berengaria_of_Navarre@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago

Yeah we did that. I once found the end of the carrot in the garden next to some reindeer droppings that must have fallen off the roof. Although I think his reindeer might be having digestive issues, because it looked a lot like sheep shit.

[–] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 12 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Nothing in lithuania :3.. or at least no one I know leaves stuff out for Santa

Probably cause for christmas eve we have a tradition of leaving the 12 dishes we make out overnight for spirits. That whole thing kinda comes from our pagan traditions, which overall are quite prevalent in all our holidays

[–] Berengaria_of_Navarre@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago

I also can't be bothered clearing the table.

[–] Pipster@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Also uk but it was baileys and a mince pie as neither of my parents liked sherry

[–] Berengaria_of_Navarre@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (3 children)

But Baileys? Whiskey, rum, cognac, brandy, gin and tonic, anything but Baileys! The only use for Baileys is in novelty shots like a monkeys brain or cement mixer.

[–] Pipster@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 19 hours ago

Nah, we love those creamy liqueurs. We were never a big alcohol household, i dont think i ever saw them drink anything neat.

[–] kelpie_returns@lemmy.world 7 points 17 hours ago

Baileys is delicious and you have lost my respect today.

[–] LordMayor@piefed.social 2 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

You asked people what they do. Then you shit on their tradition when they tell you? Fuck off.

Obviously a serious comment. You're right to be offended!

[–] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 1 points 16 hours ago

Wow! That's overly aggressive and rude.

[–] twinnie@feddit.uk 9 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Milk and cookies seem bizarre, there’s nothing Christmassy about that. You need to put your foot down there.

We’re also UK and we just left out a mince pie, a chocolate biscuit that my daughter wanted to give him, a carrot, and some whisky which Santa asked for when we went to see him. We let our daughter pour the whisky and it was quite a generous serving. My wife said “That’s quite a lot, he’s going to be tipsy” and my daughter said “It’s only half a glass mummy”. I just poured it back into the bottle.

[–] UsefulInfoPlz@lemmy.world 11 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

In the states nothing says Christmas more than sugar cookies cut into christmas shapes and painted by the kids. I don’t know how prevalent it is these days, but when i was a kid, it was a big deal. And what do you drink while eating cookies? Milk. So yeah here in the states it’s very Christmasy.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 7 points 17 hours ago

My mom used to make like a dozen different kinds of cookies around Xmas, and as kids we would help decorate some of them, but ALL them were kinds of cookies she'd only make at Xmas time, so were considered Xmas cookies. To this day, the idea of making a kind of cookie that you would eat during the rest of the year for xmas, like a chocolate chip cookie, seems very wrong to me.

[–] runner_g@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

that's super adorable. when she turns legal drinking age, you should pour for her the same amount, telling her "it's only half a glass, daughter".

TBF I saw a guy in Scotland drink a dirty pint when he turned 18. It had a different shot in it for every year of his life +1 for luck (bad luck as it turned out). Topped off with tenants lager. He was not well.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Nothing.

He's at work after all and we take work very serious. Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps basically means work first, fun later on your own time. Ordnung muss sein.

Also, we don't expect him to work overnight but usually to be finished by 8 or 9 in the evening of the 24th. Making him work at night sounds like a labour laws issue that would at least necessitate additional monetary nighttime compensation.

I guess work will set him free...

[–] trd@feddit.nu 6 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Nothing like sitting in the stables eating cold porridge and get a suprise visit from the children looking for santa, the aquavit helps.

Oat, rice, or rømme?

[–] JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

This is pretty interesting I didn't know milk and cookies was a strictly American tradition.

We used to sometimes leave out "reindeer food", which I think was just trail mix, candies, and sometimes sprinkles. We never made it at home though, it was something that would get made or handed out to kids at Christmas parties.

[–] Berengaria_of_Navarre@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Please don't feed refined sugar to the reindeer it's really bad for them.

[–] kubofhromoslav@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

Same for humans, especially kids.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)
[–] kubofhromoslav@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

Slovakia: nothing.

When I was very young kid I have proposed to leave something for him but my family talked me out of it.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 hours ago

I don't normally complain about immigration, but at least my fellow countrymen have the decency to put out some julegrøt for nissen..

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

You fucking cheapskate, OP, what about the carrot for the reindeer?

Obviously the reindeer get a carrot.