Odd quirks that only your family does

[tiredtiredtiredtired]

Mine sit on the kitchen worktops, when waiting for the kettle to boil or just to have a chat. never thought anyone else did this! Anyone else got any?

notsurewhatshappening, there's a brand of chewing gum called Chiclets, the brand name being derived from the Spanish word chicle which is the name for chewing gum (according to Wiki). Perhaps someone in your family likes Chiclets, or you have Spanish connections and the word has been slightly mangled over the years?

I've remembered one from one of my aunts; when we were going out in the car she used to say "hands on heads" and all us kids had to put our hands on our heads prior to all the car doors being shut - presumably to make sure that none of us got our hands caught when the doors were being closed; we didn't have to stay like that for the entire journey though!

Waaay to many to mention and now they are moving into teens I am seriously worried how they will describe our oddities to their friends.

The thing I need to work on most is privacy. We all probably see far too much of each other and am worried about being described as some kind of naturist exhibitionist mother.

We constantly use quotes from Asterix & Obelix cartoons in normal conversations.

We pretend to be asleep when someone comes home, regardless of what we are doing at the time.

We name the turkey before we cook it at christmas and drink a toast to it during the meal.

I tend to make a veggie version of the food. My classes send each other a Christmas card around Christmas time. Even the little ones in Kindergarten and first grade hand out cards and small gifts.
The older children in third grade help me decorate the classroom for Christmas too. I love Christmas. My family play games and watch television together as well.

Yellow cars are 'cheese on wheels', and accompanied by a dead arm thump to the person sitting next to you. - not our family, but my son and all his mates have this thing about yellow cars!

Everyone talks for their pets, surely?

Ours is fast becoming 'Up the downstairs' to go u the stairs. Our little boy is only 2 and when upstairs, he asks to go down the stairs but when he is down stairs & wants to go up, he asks to go 'up the down stairs' haha

DS1 (age 5) also calls any sort of sweet treat after dinner his "something else," as in "Mummy, can I have my something else now?" or "Mummy, I forgot to have my something else," usually declared en route to bed 

Our perfectly normal family tradition is saying cheers and touching glasses/mugs/beakers/sippy cups at the start of every meal we all eat together, regardless of what we're drinking.

"FOX LORRY!" Shouted at the top of lungs by the first person to spot it. (It delivers Foxes Rock ale to some local shops and is all painted with foxes)

Someone wants peas and the rest all yell "piz" in a weird french/Italian accent (no idea why)

Send cards (and occasionally presents) from the cats

Yeling "Cows on the roof!!!", driving past Chertsey, although I believe they've gone now?

until recently, I would have said DH's family calling table napkins 'serviettes' but I have discovered it is a North/South thing.

@DeadBod
We used to do this too growing up, now I do it to my DP,
he thinks it's weird 😂

We play with our food on saturday teatimes! Lots of choices laid out for the meal and dessert and we see who makes the most beautiful plateful. ie, burgers, buns, cheese slices, bacon, salad, relishes, wedges, pickles or wraps and fillings or jacket potatoes and toppings. This Saturday was skewers, bananas, strawberries, meringues, marshmallows, melted chocolate etc. It's a pain to prepare sometimes and messy but has become tradition!

We shout "Gritturrrr" in a West country/pirate voice whenever we see a council gritting lorry.

Quoting films/TV in otherwise normal conversations, particularly The Road to El Dorado. New SIL was most surprised the first New Year she spent with us and after midnight we all turned to each other and said "And so dawns the Age of the Jaguar. Happy New Year." :-)

Other quotes we use that I can remember: "I have no brain - turns out you don't need one! Totally overrated!" (Monsters vs Aliens) "I have one job on this ship, it's stupid, but I'm gonna do it!" (Galaxy Quest) and "My face- my beautiful face! I'm an ugly, stinky llama! Waah, llama face!" (The Emperor's New Groove).

My brothers and Dad - playfighting in the house. My brothers range from 19 to 30, and my dad's in his 50's, but they'll scrap like puppies. Mum, sisters and I have all learned to push them out of our way and tell them to go and fight in the garden.

If we are having baking potatoes for dinner, when someone asks 'what's for dinner' those in the know reply in the worst forrin' accents 'bakka patatas wid duh cot tajer chaysuh' (baked potatoes with the cottage cheese).

We also speak on behalf of pets, who are also genius level and have important scientific or technology careers.

Someone will say a line from a film and others have to join in. Then the film is guessed. New dh thought we had lost the plot at first!!

We do a toast “to absent friends” during special occasions except in a German accent, as a tribute to rocky horror. But it usually ends up sounding South African. BIL was mortified when me and my sister merrily screeched this out during a pub lunch, he nearly slid under the table in shame. My new DP will be coming for Christmas lunch this year and I have decided not to tell him in advance.

Our Teddy's all have personalities and will tell you to 'fuck off' or call you a twat if you fling them from the bed.
There is one that got called the wrong name by a toddler. It is called Bear (origianl, I know) , but for some reason a toddler called him " Tommy Ted" - so naturally, if you can't find Bear, you have to say "Where's Tommy Ted?" and 'he' will reply with "Who the fuck is Tommy Ted?"

Yep.

We're loons

My stepdaughter likes to eat biscuits at dinner. She asks for a biscuit from the sweet cupboard. Also we love to play games with each other too. Our current favourite is who can spot the most number of cars.

we play the yellow car game exactly as you've said! including teenagers!

On a long road journey we have a competition to see who spots the first road kill (sorry).

I used to ask DD if she wanted anything else after dinner, that led to her asking for "any else" instead of pudding. Found out recently that childless DSis and BIL ask each other if they can have any else!