Posted by Knits4Fun on 2006-10-26 09:04:41
Post Subject:
For Christmas Eve, on my dad's side (he was half Italian), his dad (my paternal grandfather was all Italian). Anyway, every Christmas Eve we'd do a "version" of The Feast of the Seven Fishes, some info:
Intriguing is the fact that you must have on the table seven fish selections. Why seven? Seven is a very important number. It stands for the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. The seven days of creation. In Biblical numerology, seven is a number of perfection. There is no set menu for this feast.
We would sometimes have more than seven or less than seven fish dishes--we never really followed it that strictly.
Here's a site with more facts and recipes:
http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/articles.asp?id=80
We still do this now that my grandfather has passed only now it's at my sister's house on Christmas Eve with her inlaws who are Italian. I love seafood so I look forward to it every year!
Posted by artgeek on 2006-10-25 20:50:55
Post Subject: A Polish Christmas
Since most of my family traditions are Polish, I'll outline those, with the following caveats:
1. Many Poles are Roman Catholic, so there tends to be a lot of religious symbolism to these things.
2. I'm going to explain the traditions as I would to another adult; it's up to you to make it appropriate for the pre-K set!
3. I've never been to Poland, so I'm hardly an expert. I've included links to Wikipedia articles throughout my post below to provide you with more background.
In my opinion, Poland is unique because Christmas Eve is a much bigger deal than Christmas Day. Polish families celebrate togetherness, tradition, and spirituality in a Christmas Eve meal called Wigilia (pronounced: "vyg-ILY-uh"); roughly, this means "Vigil Eve," and the meal begins as soon as the first star is sighted in the night sky.
Everyone gathers around the table, and on each plate is an oplatek, an unleavened wafer embossed with a religious image. Each guest offers their oplatki to every person around the table, and the exchange kisses and well wishes. Then the feasting begins! Though it varies by region, my family has always served nine dishes as part of the Wigilia feast. Some other serve 12, referencing Jesus's disciples. Traditional Polish dishes include pierogies, golumpki, and latke, but in our family we also served those alongside regional fare, such as grouper. :) Also, the courses are generally meat-free (though fish is okay) both as a form of abstinence prior to going to church and (traditionally) out of respect for the livestock.
Particularly religious families may also create an empty place at the table in honor of Jesus and will likely go to midnight mass, called pasterka, after the meal.
That's Wigilia in a nutshell. Though I stopped being Catholic long ago, I've always held on to this bit of family tradition because it takes the focus off of Christmas gift-giving and brings it back to the people sharing your table and the bond you share.
Though I know you hope to get personal stories about holidays around the world, Wikipedia does have an article about Christmas traditions worldwide.
Posted by rahrah on 2004-07-13 16:01:47
Post Subject: In dire need of best friend advice!
ok... I need help with a dilema that's been bothering me for months. I'll try & keep it as short as possible:)
My closest friend met & fell in love with a guy around Christmas time. I met him briefly when I stopped by her place on Christmas eve to pick her up & go for a drink - he didn't feel up to going. This is the only time I have ever met him so I have no idea what he is like, but he made a good first impression.
2 months go by... my phone calls aren't returned in a timely fashion, she/they are not available to go out etc... Ok, I'm thinking: we've all been through that phase when we first meet someone & want to spend all our time with them. I understand perfectly. It's not a big deal.
I wait a few more weeks & I call her & tell her I would really like to see her & hear what's going on with her. We meet for lunch...
I find out the reason she won't spend time with me (or any of her other friends) is because her now fiance is not comfortable with his english & it's too much of an effort for him to communicate. (she only speaks english by the way)
All that is fine. I can kind of understand that & he could be really shy to boot.
But she then told me that her friends aren't a priority in her life any more. They are getting married & if he never wants to meet her friends she will support him in that.
This came about 10 weeks after they met.
My dilema is:
I feel so insulted that she has cut me out of this part of her life. I have never had this experience with my other partnered friends - actually, no one I know has had a similar experience. I still have not met him other than that first, brief time on Christmas eve.
She calls me every 3 weeks or so to go for a coffee. Up until now I have been going but I just have no desire to go any more or to share anything important in my life with her. I can't decide if I should just cut her out of my life or hold on a bit more.
Has any one been in this situation before? I don't want to end a 10yr. friendship without thinking through every angle.
My friends here think I should just cut her off but we were such close friends it's hard.
Any thoughts on the matter are welcome.
She has no connection to or has ever visited this forum by the way.
Posted by sjkmaurice on 2006-12-25 22:18:59
Post Subject:
My husband's family tradition is to have a big dinner and open presents on Christmas eve. My family tradition is to open presents on Christmas day and have a big breakfast. We go to the in-laws Christmas eve and stay home Christmas day.
Posted by oldskoolgeek on 2006-12-27 21:56:51
Post Subject:
This is a huge problem for me too and is causing quite a bit of drama right now. Growing up, all of my extended family lived locally within an hour radius so traditionally we'd spend Christmas Eve at my grandparents on my mother's side and Christmas Day with my grandparents on my dad's side (and this included all the aunt, uncles, cousins, and family friends too). Now as an adult all of my grandparents have passed away except for my mom's dad so we're still doing Christmas eve at his house and now my father's spinster sister has taken over Christmas Day activities.
Throw in the fact that I'm now married and my husband's parents are divorced and can't stand each other we have to have four seperate Christmases! My family is pretty religious so they get offended if we don't do all the Christmas stuff and we've tried to invite my hubby's parents but his mom is an athiest so I don't want my Bible beating relatives making her feel weird and to be honest we can't invite her and then not invite my husband's dad but when we had our wedding we had to make sure they were on opposite sides of the room so they never even saw each other. In years past this whole holiday thing hasn't been much of a problem because his mom SEEMED understanding and not to care about the day so much since she understood my family was religious, but then just Christmas day she called bawling saying she didn't think anyone cared about her and how awful it was to spend the holiday alone. To be honest, it's enough to make your head explode, but I'd love to hear others suggestions on how to solve this!
Posted by WildSnowflake on 2006-12-05 17:07:18
Post Subject:
I liken my town to Stars Hallow. My store had a turkey drive for Thanksgiving and after Christmas we collect used kids coats for the local food bank. Just this weekend, one of the many churches (we still have more bars than churches but it's pretty close!) held an "Old Fashioned Christmas" at the downtown movie theater. The town's Halloween parade has been done for over 70 years.
There is a local organization that gives holiday meals to 500 families in the area. Churches have "Trees of Need" The high school students are required to do service hours in order to graduate, we have a holiday display in the town square, a street fair in the fall, the churches have fish frys and soup suppers. Christmas Eve, Santa is driven in a fire engine through all the street of the town throwing out candy canes to the kids. While you are waiting, you can go to the movie theater for a free viewing of Miracle on 34th Street. The Boy Scouts sell luminaries as a fundraiser and the sidewalks on Christmas Eve are lined by glowing paper bag lanterns.
I think every town does a little something for the holidays. The fact that it's bigger in the city is because it's well, THE city. Companies know how many tourists and residents are in the area and these "donations" are actually coming for the marketing/advertising budgets (yes, that does include NYC's government too).
Posted by peenkfrik on 2006-12-11 03:00:03
Post Subject: Re: Secret gift giver
Have you been a secret gift giver?
I'm not but my mom was.
When I was a kid I used to really believe that Santa exists. We don't have chimney walls here but I and my younger siblings manage to hang our socks by the door. And on Christmas eve, we woke up to find out that ours socks have already been filled with chocolates and candies. There was even one time when my mom set up a drama with a friend and made me believe that it was Santa who gave me my Barbie. I miss those days....
Posted by sublimestitcher on 2005-12-07 16:26:14
Post Subject:
I don't know that I have anything to add. Just being there will be a huge comfort to her, I'm sure. Sharing your feelings isn't easy, but it means so much. When my grandfather died, the most meaningful thing another person said to me was "We loved him too."
The holidays are a very difficult time for most people. They underline who is no longer with us, and if you've had the misfortune of having a death occur around Christmas (my mother-in-law was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer on Christmas Eve, my father spent many Christmases in the hospital, a few in a coma...and this year...my grandmother has just been diagnosed with cancer) they become a painfull hallmark. But don't let me steal your thunder! :_) Just the fact that you are concerned about how she's feeling will be felt and understood. Ya know?
Posted by moon_lemming on 2004-12-27 09:22:42
Post Subject: holiday cooking success stories?
I ended up making an elaborate dinner Christmas Eve for the three of us. Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup, Nutty Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips with Garlic, Breaded Cod with Tomatoes, and for dessert, Chocolate (Croissant) Bread Pudding. (Most of those recipes came from foodtv.com; the bread pudding one came from Gale Gand's Short and Sweet.) The only things that came out perfectly were the soup (with a puff pastry top, so damn good) and the brussels sprouts. The croissants in the bread pudding weren't stale enough, the mashed potatoes/parsnips were okay, but I missed a few chunks of parsnip (made for a weird texture), and we've discovered we don't like cod (the sauce was good, though).
I cooked for a good five hours at least. It wasn't worth it food-wise, but it was worth it experience-wise, since I've never done any cooking that involved that much planning and work.
Non-dinner speaking, my holiday baking went really well. I pared it down to the basics since I didn't have much time and only made enough for us to eat that week and for gifts. The sugared pecans were excellent and everyone loved the peppermint bark.
Posted by amygdala on 2004-12-07 10:37:16
Post Subject:
FYI, Hanukkah starts TONIGHT!
I'm throwing my annual Hanukkah party Friday, at which I serve all my non-Jewish friends latkes and we get all wine-drunk. And I make cutouts in Hannukah shapes. yes, I have a menorah cookie cutter. I've never had any complaints about not including Christmas, and I'm not so keen on the Christmukkah thing. And I grew up in an interfaith home, at least until my parents got divorced. Though since I've been an adult, I've become more observant and have completely abandoned all the Christian holidays and acoutrements thereof.
Sweet potato latkes: I've tried this. If you make them just with sweet potato, it'll be tricky since they are so much drier than regular potatoes, they don't really hold together when you fry them. You can either add a TON of eggs, which changes the taste a bit, or make them with part sweet and part regular potato.
Being interfaith was usually okay this time of year but got a bit weird when the holidays would overlap. One year, we had my grandmother on my Dad's side (the generic Protestant side) over for Christmas Eve, and my mom made...matzo ball soup. My poor grandmother, who'd never seen anything like it before, just had no clue what to do. She was searching for something to say about it and settled on, "this ball is very light! I expected it to be hard!"
Posted by jenjar985 on 2006-12-25 18:09:46
Post Subject:
The schedule that always worked for my family was Christmas Eve at one persons house , Christmas morning and afternoon at home with time to open presents and play with them a little bit, and then Christmas dinner at another person's house .
Posted by happydaisydoo on 2007-12-22 15:18:27
Post Subject:
My family is big and very into celebrations. Seriously, we'll celebrate anything. So, there is always a traditional Christmas dinner with extended family on Christmas day. In order to avoid the same foods Christmas Eve, we have what is affectionately known as "Taco Christmas." We have tacos, dips, chips, etc. and are all ready for our traditional meal the next day. Its fun.
Posted by spiderlady on 2006-01-05 12:04:33
Post Subject:
I caught a bad cold just before Christmas, and I was at my worst on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The worst part of it was, I couldn't get near my new little granddaughter, because I didn't want her to get sick as well. Bummer.
Posted by Joyosaurusrex on 2006-12-26 19:32:35
Post Subject:
im my family (i am not married but this is how my parents did it)it went like this
christmas eve: visit extended family(who live more than a 30 min drive away) and open presents from/for them at their house
christmas day: we allotted about 3 hours christmas morning to open our family presents, ones my parents and sibling bought for each other, and have christmas breakfast then had a open house(told everyone to come around noonish) of sorts where extended family was invited to come and bring a covered dish and graze over the dishes all day
the reason this worked:
-most of our family lived within 30 minute driving time and it wasn't a burden to drive to our house
-it gave us a chance to see our friends/neighbors on christmas
-noone was having to drive to multiple households, just ours
-our extended family worked well together
-we live in fl so its always nice outside weather so you aren't crowded
-gave everyone a chance to have christmas morning immediate family only
but we are a verry relaxed family and southern so the whole buffett all day thing works well for us where it may not for others
and yes bringing everyone into your house can be a bit nerve racking but the fact that we were all together in the comfort of our own home made it so worth it
sorry about the long reply this was the first year i was not able to be with family over the holidays and i couldn't help running with this
Posted by Knits4Fun on 2005-12-23 10:24:26
Post Subject:
That is rough. Maybe someone can do Christmas Eve and the other Christmas Day? It's hard and awkward I bet.
I would suggest before Thanksgiving next year you invite them for Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve, or Day whichever. See what they say.
I personally don't think it's fair of your son and daughter-in-law. I mean I spend one holiday with my family and the other with his. I'm lucky in that my in-law's are only an hour drive away and my parents are in my town. This year, we spent Thanksgiving with my parents, Christmas Eve with my family at my sister's, and we'll spend Christmas Day with his parents. Next year, maybe it will be Thanksgiving with his parents. We rotate and try to see everyone.
Posted by amyr on 2005-12-19 15:29:02
Post Subject: Christmas Eve Dinner
Help! Any ideas for a good Christmas Eve dinner menu? It can't be ham--we're having that on Christmas day. I'll have about 12 people, and I want something not too formal--more on the casual side! Thanks for your help.
Posted by Marcie on 2007-12-22 23:26:45
Post Subject:
Since my husband and I got married 2 years ago, we now have aproximately 6 Christmas celebrations - and that is without a single divorce in the family! First of all, there is our Christmas together - we are trying to create traditions so that one day, when we have a family of our own, we will have something to pass down to our children. Our tradition thus far has been to forgo the actual "presents" and just give each other a stocking. It is always so much fun! We also try to make the Christmas eve church service at our church. Then we have Christmas with my immediate family - this includes a large meal prepared by my mom (she goes all out), watching White Christmas, and my mom always gives us a pair of PJ's so that we are looking our best for Christmas morning, haha.
THEN, we have Christmas with my dad's side of the family. They are all insane, and it is the loudest family gathering you could imagine. This year, we are doing a mexican Christmas - Chicken tamales (home made by a friend of the family), queso, chips, salsa, etc.
The day after Christmas, we travel to Missouri to my husband's family. That night, when we get there, we exchange gifts with his mom, dad and brother. That is always a lot of fun because they are so genuinely happy and everyone loves the giving more than the receiving.
Then we have Christmas with HIS dad's side, and then Christmas with his mom's side (Grandma makes the best fried chicken EVER!). Whew... I am worn out just thinking about it.
I love Christmas!! Does it seem to anyone but me that there are fewer and fewer people in the Christmas spirit this year?
Even going shopping - it doesnt seem as magical as I remember in the past! Oh well - I'll keep it up, and maybe convince some other people that it is special too.
Posted by katieod on 2005-12-21 12:51:44
Post Subject: christmas eve din din
my family used to have christmas eve dinners with our neighbors, which brought up the total people to around 12-15. she would just make a large lasagne (or two) maybe one with beef and the other with veggies. maybe with some risotto on this side, a salad and some bread. it's not very traditional but it was super easy for her to prepare most of it early then throw it in the oven so she can spend time with her guests!
Posted by Guinness on 2006-01-06 01:24:41
Post Subject:
I went to my boyfriend's house on Christmas Eve around 11:30 to do a gift exchange and just kind of hang out. His mom and I are sitting in the living room with him watching South Park and we're just kind of relaxing.
His dad flips out and says he wants to go to bed. On the couch. He won't sleep in his room (!) and he needs to go to sleep because he's "been up for 12 hours" (!!) His mom counters with with "Well, I spent the last 5 hours in a smoke-filled house because of YOUR family..."
Rand's parents start fighting at top decibel. I put on my coat, when his dad pulls out "AND IT'S FUCKING DISRESPECTFUL FOR SOMEONE TO JUST STROLL ON INTO MY HOUSE AT 12 IN THE MORNING. WHO FUCKING DOES THAT? THAT'S FUCKING DISRESPECTFUL."
I'm shocked, because I hadn't said two words to him. Whenever I go over there, he NEVER acknowledges my presence. He doesn't say "hi", he doesn't even look at me. So I do the same, figuring it's for the best.
His mom starts to say something but Rand and I are out the door. We stop outside and can hear them screaming at each other. I'm crying because I'm upset, Rand looks like he's going to murder someone.
I drive home, drink brandy and watch James Bond with my dad.
Rand calls at 2 to say he's been kicked out of his house and he's at his grandma's. He doesn't sound too happy, obviously.
The next day, I called him to see if he wanted to go do Christmas stuff with my mom. He didn't really want to, because his dad had his brother (Chad) call him, and then had Chad give him the phone.
"You should really think about coming home, your mother's been crying all day." He acted like he hadn't flipped a bitch and thrown him out of the house (without letting him grab clothes or a toothbrush or anything) less than 12 hours earlier. Needless to say, he didn't really feel like doing much of anything Christmas-y (it's already his least favorite holiday.)
My mom and I spent Christmas Day ranting about Rand's dad.
He's back at home now, but he's not very happy about it.
Merry fucking Christmas?
Posted by vmandala on 2005-12-23 17:00:10
Post Subject: From a big fam
I'm just like your daughter in law!! What my husband and I decided that we would alternate holidays! It got really hard after we had our son and everyone wanted to see us!
For example: This year
Thanksgiving - our house
Christmas Eve - my parents house
Christmas Day - his parents house
Next Year:
Thankgiving ???
Christmas Eve - his parents
Christmas Day - my parents
that way both families get to celebrate and alternating christmas days are spent with my family. Neither family can complain cause they both get the same treatment.
I hope this helps. It's never easy.
You can also suggest having it at THEIR house and both families can come.
Posted by Chelsea on 2006-01-01 14:25:00
Post Subject:
We use Christmas eve and Christmas Day.
On Christmas Eve we go out to dinner with his mom and his brothers and sister.
We go to my parents house on Christmas morning, and then to my family (aunts uncles, etc)
We don't really do anything with his extended family at all. And I hate the guilt trip my extended family tries to put on us. Because when we go all we do is sit and get ignored.
This year, though, we didn't go to any extended family. We had our own Christmas. His mom didn't even call us, but we did go to my parent's house in the morning. Later on we ordered pizza and watched a movie with his brother and sister.
If it's just you and your husband, maybe you could go to their family's celebration? My Granny from my mom's side didn't have much of any family that got together for Christmas, so she would always come with us to my dad's side of the family.
Posted by MRSM103 on 2005-12-23 18:42:19
Post Subject:
I am kind of on the other end of a situation like this. I am the DIL and my husband is the only child. My family has parties on Christmas Eve and Christmas day as does his family. (I also have a large family and his is small). On previous years we went to both families on both days and it was so rushed every year!! To make matters worse, my children belong to my first husband so I have to figure in time for the kids to be with him and his family also. This year my husband and I are splitting up on Christmas Eve and going to our respective families and dividing Christmas Day up between the two families and our families are having a fit!! I'm so fed up with all this bickering! I just really want to stay home now! I feel its ridiculous that my husband and I have to be apart. (we were apart on Thanksgiving too!) I realize that he is an only child and I adore my in-laws and I love my family too, but as far as I'm concerned, they are all being selfish! I almost wish that we lived in another state so I wouldnt have to worry so much about making someone else unhappy.
Posted by sarabell on 2006-09-26 19:40:43
Post Subject:
my sister bought me a fondue pot a few years back at target. love fondue; do it with my family every christmas eve. but my lovely chrome unit is still in its lovely packaging yet to be used. and now with a few moves under the belt since i got it, i have no idea where it is. now i wanna do fondue. of course, with two toddlers, i see it staying in its box for a bit longer!
Posted by AndiMae on 2005-11-28 02:15:59
Post Subject:
Its so fun to read about everyone's Christmas ideas/traditions! Its really helping me get into the holiday mood!
Some of my fam's traditions...
Both my husband and I both grew up with the ornament tradition of getting a new one every year. It was great because when we got married, we already had a ton of ornaments! We plan on continuing the tradition with our new baby.
My parents always got us new pjs as the one gift that we could open on Christmas eve and I have always loved that tradition. There was always something special about crawling into bed Christmas eve night wearing cozy new pjs.
Putting paper snowflakes on our windows- it doesn't usually snow here in December, so it helps create some holiday atmosphere.
Another tradition that I thought would be cool to start when Audrey (my baby) gets a little older is one relating to her gifts. I read in a magazine about the idea of just giving three gifts (plus the stocking gifts)- the first gift is something that the child really wants- like a bike or something big like that, the second gift is something that the child needs- like a new coat or a pair of shoes, and then the third gift is something for the whole famiy to do together- like a zoo pass or season tickets to whatever. The thing I like about this idea is that I think it would make the gift giving more intentional.
I can't wait to start decorating, baking, and listening to Christmas music. This is the first year that I am not in school or working during the season, plus the first year with a baby, so I am sooooo excited to go all out on everything!
Posted by bessiemae on 2005-11-27 10:55:18
Post Subject:
Christmas with the Monkey Boys is now in High Gear.
We read the Jean Shepherd "Christmas Story" and watch the dvd at least a zillion times! Like others, we also imbibe in shmaltzy clay-mation marathons of "Drummer Boy" and various Santa movies.
We cut down our Christmas tree at the tree farm behind us. There is just something so cool and family fun about bundling up, saw in hand and traipsing through mucky or snowy farm land to find the perfect imperfect tree (crooked trunks and missing branches r us!), cut it down, haul it at least a half mile, and then secure it to the top of the Craptastic minivan. We rationalize this annual excursion and expense by claiming the cash stays in our local economy and it ensures more green space and fewer developments.
About 5yrs ago, to coincide with the arrival of a Lab puppy, we stopped using the fancy glass ornaments and started making our own. Paper chains. Popcorn garland. Recycled cards. Juice can lids. Clothes pin snowflakes. Glitter dipped pinecones. Scandinavian hearts. Our only caveat is that we use nothing fragile, in case the dogs tip the tree.
We bake lots of cookies and give them away. Consume way too many. Bake doggie treats for the many pups on our street.
Eat several crates of clementines and swill egg nog.
This year, we're making fleece blankies to give to the lone homeless shelter in our rural area. Donating various coats and outerwear, as well.
Kids both have Christmas Concerts- one for Cello Boy and some freaky weird Holiday hoo-ha for the younger. We all cram into the unheated auditorium, wet boots, tired siblings, and indigestion from hurriedly inhaled dinner to watch our kid sing off- key Culturally Sensitive holiday songs no one's ever heard, complete with goofy hand gestures. Awesome good time!
I got up at 4AM to be at Mega Retailer for the 5AM opening on Black Friday. It's a tradition and I refuse to even begin my shopping until then. Keeps me in budget. 4:30 AM, in line with Gal Pal, sipping a Poor Man's Mocha Latte (instant coffee with instant hot cocoa mix) in a travel mug, 8 degrees F in predawn dark,and shuffling in the Lake Effect snow to get my Star Wars Ultimate Light Saber kit for $21, because "Santa can do anything". Armed with cell phones and military precision, we were in and out in less than 36 minutes.
One of our favorite traditions is the Christmas Eve gingerbread house. Every year we would make a gingerbread house the long afternoon of Christmas Eve. Leave the creation on the dining room table and attend the Children's Service at church. Every year, No, No Bad Dog would eat it. No, No, Bad Dog passed into "doggie heaven", but we continue the Ginger bread house tradition.
We check out the lights and the Christkindl market in Akron, and do a bit of ice skating.
We do make some of our gifts, but not all. And we try to buy from other crafters.
Posted by stella on 2006-12-13 23:16:21
Post Subject:
i hate christmas, so i don't celebrate it. you don't have to.
i guess the crucial thing is that my entire family hates and doesn't celebrate christmas, so i don't end up feeling guilty. if i were in the situation where i would feel guilty, i would probably either make something really easy like fleece scarves, or make as big a donation to an organization like Doctors Without Borders as i could afford and tell people i made a donation instead of buying gifts.
as much at tv makes it look like only mean and horrible people don't celebrate christmas by buying tons of shit and wearing ugly sweaters, there are millions of people who don't celebrate christmas and are completely fine with it.
*as a side note, i worked the holidays in retail for a few years, and i have never been more glad i don't do christmas anymore. watching people freak out about buying things made the whole holiday more pathetic than anything else. i just liked getting time and a half for working christmas eve and the 26th. my sister used to work christmas day at a cafe, and she loved it because she got huge tips.
Posted by Snufkin on 2004-12-09 15:35:34
Post Subject:
Having started the Holiday Angst thread, I hear you ladies on the Christmas anxiety.
And lex, I guess you can always listen to the Santaland Diaries to get some relief from having to work retail during the holidays. And maybe spending time with your relatives in town during the season could turn out to be nice. I had a really horrible boss when I was in grad school. Among other mean things that he did, he made all of his staff stay over the holidays because he had nowhere to go and wasn't on speaking terms with his relatives. It ended up that I had to stay at school over the break and spend Chirstmas away from my family.
Although my jerk boss made me come in to work on Christmas Eve (and gave me crap about cutting out early), I had cousins 3 hours away who hosted me for the holiday. It turned out to be one of the best family holiday experiences I've ever had. Especially because two of my cousins have since passed away. Looking back on that time, I don't even think about all the mean stuff I had to put up with at work. I'm just grateful that it happened so that I could go spend the holidays with people who aren't around anymore. So I hope that even though it seems like a bummer to you, maybe things will work themselves out for the best in the end : ).
Posted by kindarana on 2004-12-14 10:30:30
Post Subject:
Mmm, that strata sounds good, and a bit similar to the brunch casserole we have on Christmas morning. Though we don't do any fancy layering, just some milk and bread and eggs and cheese and optional bacon bits and maybe some onion, all into a bowl and it hides in the back of the fridge on Christmas Eve (that's our big dinner night) and just goes in the oven. Simple but tasty, that's what matters.
Will there be kids? Maybe they'd like to pour waffles or something; we used to dilute food coloring and paint bread with it (just buy one of those cheap packs of plastic brushes) and then you put it in the toaster and it comes out cool.
Posted by pudding on 2005-12-27 02:29:30
Post Subject:
On Christmas Eve, it was 104 F. By 630am that morning it was already 84 F and it didn't cool down until late that night. Christmas time in Australia is always hot, but that was a very hot day - very uncomfortable. Right now, 630pm, day after Boxing Day, it's 81 F outside. Lovely!
Posted by zbann on 2005-11-28 21:38:19
Post Subject:
I made some stocking holders and they are on our entertainment center. Right now they are off to the side (because or they would block the TV)but on Christmas Eve they hang over the front.
Posted by nataxia on 2004-12-20 18:55:40
Post Subject:
wrapping presents and baking just like everybody else
on christmas eve i like to sit on the steps outside of churches during midnight mass and listen to the singing... i'm not christian but the concentration of outpouring of love & faith & devotion always brings tears to my eyes....
Posted by boheme-anne on 2004-12-20 17:56:41
Post Subject:
Just making gifts usaully puts me in the mood. That and we have a traditional christmas eve meal I'm looking forward too. My Christmas will last all weekend too since not all the realitives come at once, I like to prolong the holiday if I can! It's too much for just one day!
Posted by Ann Berry on 2004-12-20 18:14:24
Post Subject:
Great forum:
I like to:
-ALSO put all my Christmas CDs on shuffle
-Must listen to the Nutcracker CD at least once
-Put my grandmother's crocheted tree skirt underneath the tree with lots of presents around/ontop of it
-Make fudge
-go to at least two cookie swaps
-go at least once to the mall!
-watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' as well as all those stop-motion animation classics (I have 'em on tape)!
-listen to Christmas music in the car
-get together w/friends some weekend before in Dec.
-go to my sister's on Christmas Eve for our version of the feast of the seven fishes!
-Newest tradition is to take my son's picture taken (this year got it done end of November) to put on holiday card.
Posted by Spoilt Rotten on 2004-12-20 12:27:17
Post Subject:
Getting ready for christmas includes:
- Putting all the christmas cds in the cd player on shuffle, my favourite - sadly enough - is Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is YOU!" That's my leading up to christmas song. I like "Silent Night" for Christmas eve.
- Christmas cooking. I used to bake christmas biscuits with my gran. My sister made some today but something went wrong with one of the ingredients and they tasted like toxic waste.
- Finding the perfect gift for everyone, very very time consuming!
- Buying a new diary for the impending new year and VOWING to use it.
- This year Christmas includes being a part of our parish "Come to Bethlehem and see..." In which I get to play one of the girls from Herod's harem... send some vibes my way so that no-one I know sees me!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-12-23 03:33:18
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Is her family out of town??
We're lucky that our parents are still in the same city as we are.
Our holiday routine is the same every year. Christmas eve at my MIL's, Christmas morning we do our gift opening and brunch at home, then Christmas afternoon we go to my parent's home.
It all works out quite well.
Posted by sallysunshine on 2007-01-01 17:03:32
Post Subject: Scrapbooking: can this craft be saved?
I have an embarrassing confession to make. I kind of want to take up scrapbooking. I made scrapbooks as a kid, before "scrapbooking" was a verb, and I enjoyed it. I realized on Christmas Eve, when I went to my friend's house and helped her little girl make ornaments out of construction paper, that I really enjoy paper crafts. And I have huge piles of mementos and various other crap piling up in my bedroom, just begging to be pasted into photo albums. But I associate scrapbooking entirely with, well, everything that is wrong with the universe: cheesiness, commercialization, sentimentality, etc.. Is it possible to redeem the scrapbook? Has anyone tried?
Posted by smudgy_cat on 2006-01-03 03:56:19
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We do Christmas eve at chuch with my parents, then go to the inlaws for dinner leftovers and party gift exchange.
Christmas day, we opened our things at home, then went to his parents house for the brunch. For dinner, we went to my parents house. It worked out well, since everyone is local.
Since they have several kids, how about suggesting that you show up Christmas morning and can watch the kids open the presents that santa left at your house?
Or suggest dropping by on the 26th? I think if you appeal to her wanting less stress, and you offering to meet them, since you are more mobile than a flock of kids, you might be able to strike up something that works for everyone.
Posted by creativecat on 2005-12-23 08:32:33
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My brother and sister-in-law spend most of the day Christmas travelling. They open presents at home, then go to her parents', her grandparents', and his fathers'. They all live in the same town so this works well for them.
Some years my mother-in-law and her husband go to their house and tag along to her parents' and grandparents'.
Also, when we lived closer to my parents' and my mother-in-law, she came to my parents' and we all celebrated together.
Other than that, all I can suggest is splitting the holidays. For example, her family gets Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and you get Christmas and New Years'. I really think that since everyone is so close, spending the holidays together or part of the day at one house and part at the other is the best solution.
Posted by h_pets360 on 2007-01-05 14:02:48
Post Subject: Re: Scrapbooking: can this craft be saved?
I have an embarrassing confession to make. I kind of want to take up scrapbooking. I made scrapbooks as a kid, before "scrapbooking" was a verb, and I enjoyed it. I realized on Christmas Eve, when I went to my friend's house and helped her little girl make ornaments out of construction paper, that I really enjoy paper crafts. And I have huge piles of mementos and various other crap piling up in my bedroom, just begging to be pasted into photo albums. But I associate scrapbooking entirely with, well, everything that is wrong with the universe: cheesiness, commercialization, sentimentality, etc.. Is it possible to redeem the scrapbook? Has anyone tried?
I feel that way too. The frustration with the commercialism and the desire to record memories.
My favorite quilts are the ones that have been made with scraps of old dresses and bits of other outfits - real memories. This carries over to my idea of ideal scrapbooking. Scrapbooking. Buying bits of things in three layers of plastic containers and then taking the paper backing off and sticking it down to the precoordinated page isn't my idea of personalization.
I hear that the premade bits of things you can buy are getting more diverse at least. and a lot of the papers ARE really pretty. But so are old maps, and handmade paper...
Posted by violet13 on 2006-01-04 15:01:56
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My parents are divorced which makes holidays sort of chaotic, and now that I'm married it throws another family into the mix.
The Husband and I made an agreement that we would split holidays and alternate each year. This year we drove 5 hrs to see his family on Thansgiving and spent Christmas with my family that lives close by. My family is split up even more, Christmas Eve is with my Stepfather's family, Christmas morning we have brunch with my Mom's side of the family, in the evening we have dinner with my Dad and his wife.
I made it clear to my husband that holidays were always difficult for me, running around and tring to see my whole family, and I would not let his family try to guilt us into seeing them at every holiday and we'd try to be fair about everything. They have tried to pull the guilt thing a few times but we have stuck to our guns and everything has been going fine.
Is there a way to split up the day, have a brunch in the morning?
Posted by smudgy_cat on 2006-12-29 16:14:16
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My mixer was an amazon thing, so it came with the splatter guard. It's okay, but not completely necessary (for me). The slow speed is so much slower than my mom's old one, so i can incorporate ingredients without splatter pretty easily. It did come in handy when I mixed up some cranberry-whipped cream concoction for Christmas eve.
Plastic wrap could do a similar job. :-)
If you are interested in the attachments, buy a set at bed, bath, and beyond. They have a great return policy, even on used items.
Posted by teagrrl on 2004-12-27 11:11:02
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Yeah...now they say 23 000 dead and many missing...and it's expected that there will be epidemics of e.g. cholera soon, which will lead to more deaths.
I have a friend who's travelling in India, I hope she hasn't been near the coast (last email was on Christmas Eve, when she was in the eastern part of the country).
There are several different organisations sending aid to SE Asia now, the Red Cross (as linked above) is of course always a safe bet, but there's also UNHCR, Doctors without borders and Save the Children (I hope that link works, otherwise it's www.savethechildren.com) among many others. Even the smallest donation helps.
Posted by maize on 2004-12-07 01:08:11
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I was in the fourth grade and it was Christmas. We lived on this really big block. I'm originally from Montana and it snowed A LOT! What was really cool about his block was that all the houses were on the edge and all of our lawns were in the middle. It was big enough in the middle that you could snowmobile from one house to another! Of course, we had a snowmobile!!!
Anyway, I decided I was going to make banana bread for all of the neighbors on the block. There were 12 houses in all. I wrapped them all in aluminum foil and tied them with a nice little ribbon. That was a lot of little banana loaves to deliver on Christmas Eve! But I did it all by myself!
Posted by rodeo618 on 2006-01-14 17:10:56
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i wasn't really raised as anything- sometimes we would go to my Gram's methodist church (christmas eve and easter). i went to sunday school a couple of times. my mother claims to have baptized me in the kitchen sink. when i was about 6 i found my great grandmothers rosary beads in the wall in the attic and felt a strong attachment to them. my father's family was Irish Catholic- but my immediate family wasn't. last year, at 26, i became Catholic- i was baptised, confirmed, and received my first communion on Easter. I finally feel that i belong to a Church- and am on the Litugry (decorating) Committtee. I think it was a good choice to do it as an adult- when i decided to chose my own religion. and after 9 months of adult religious ed i feel like i have a good grasp on learning all there is to know about the Catholic Church. :) edited to ad that for my birthday last year my dad gave me the rosary beads that i had found as a child...
Posted by amygdala on 2004-12-26 10:31:28
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I mostly celebrate Hanukkah, but my dad isn't Jewish, so my sister and I do Xmas with him every year (the only good thing for me about growing up in an interfaith home was that once my parents split, there was none of that nasty fighting about who to spend Xmas/Hanukkah with).
So for Hanukkah, from mom, sis, and bf:
Ice tongs, wine decanter, wine bottle chiller (bf)
Thai cookbook with really nice pictures and subscription to Bon Appetit (yay!) (sister)
Black cashmere sweater, Le Crueset 5 qt. casserole dish, burgundy velvet gloves, belt, socks, and a great black Tahari suit (that she totally scored at TJ Maxx for mad cheap, I'm so proud!)(mom)
And Xmas, all from Dad, who is still trying to buy my love back since he disowned me for a few years after the divorce:
Black and pink PJs with matching slippers, Simpsons trivia calendar, Trivial Pursiut 90s edition, America: The book (woohoo!), the Far Side wall calendar, and....AN IPOD! The ipod was the only thing I actually asked for. And he's sending me the port thingy that you can use to hook up the ipod through the FM frequency to the stereo, I guess the store was out.
The best was that my mom, sister, and I celebrated make-up Hanukkah on Christams eve, so I got to eat latkes and roast chicken on Christmas Eve, then we tried to avoid all the Christmas holiday programming that took over the airwaves.
Posted by kissmyknitz on 2005-12-01 17:54:04
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O I thought of a terrific thing to do but I have to have some babies first...
I saw some beautiful knit stockings in all sizes, so I thought it would be cute to buy the smallest, and have the kiddo hang it up Christmas eve, and then once they're asleep, switch it for the gigantic one filled with goodies!! Imagine the look on their tiny faces the next morning when their stocking has grown so large!!!
Good stocking gifts would be tree ornaments, watches, DS or Gameboy games, wallets/ purses, pocket knives, tools, mini rubiz cube or other logic puzzles, goodies to eat including fruit and nuts, not just candy!, beanie babies....
O when am I gonna be the mum?! I wanna have some fun here! =(
Posted by udandi on 2004-11-11 12:54:26
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I love thanksgiving and prefer to keep november thanksgiving-related and december christmas-related. although my birthday is in between and I would love for at least one year, there not a be a holiday party on the same day I'd like to celebrate my birthday, but what can you do?!
As for christmas, the older I get the more I resent family traditions more than I embrace them I suppose because I have to make changes to accomodate my sister, my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins. I should be able to see these people year-round without it having to be christmas eve. But then we wouldn't be able to have that all important gift exchange, which to me is silly because we're a fortunate family that wants for nothing. It just seems to be a silly motion, without any true meaning to it.
so I don't do it, but then I have repeat that that the money I would have spent on a gift exchange among family, friends and coworkers is used to buy gifts for a homeless kids holiday party. which gets me the don't-you-think-you're-something-special attitude.
Posted by lizzymahoney on 2004-12-21 20:24:31
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I'll be working Christmas Eve and Christmas. Hell, probably New Years as well. Nursing, go figure.
Anyhow, it's kinda cool to be working with other folks who are also away from family and friends, yet we are all pulling together for the patients. Some of them may not be able to enjoy any bit of the holidays, but many of them can take pleasure in some of it.
Because my employer is affiliated with a christian religion, we have all the Christmas seasonal stuff up, and carollers (very bad carollers, but nonetheless!) and tins of cookies and candies. It's ecumenical to an extent, but I'm too buried in my work to get uptight about all the religious stuff. I was thinking of bringing in a Menorah and wearing Kwanzaa inspired mudcloth scrubs that day...
I really hate the holidays. I've had to be solo for so long that it doesn't bother me especially, it's just those damn TV commercials that are so sappy and family oriented and so unlike reality. Hey, what about that one with the young woman giving the old McScrooge across the street a Hallmark singing snowman on his doorstep? I think they have every freaking moving Hallmark Christmasy thing at my facility. It's a wonder the old folks don't have nightmares. Oh wait, some of them do.
One cool thing is that I've always been eccentric so no one has any great expectations of me in many ways. I'm as likely to pull something out of my jewelry box for my sister as to actually buy her something, and one of my brothers is getting some thrifted stuff and some guy earrings i made. But they probably won't get me anything. My elderly parents may have mailordered something useless for me. The stuff I'm most excited about are the new dog and cat collars, an every year deal for me.
Holidays bite, but if I can just close my eyes to the overcommercialization and the false sentimentality, I'll be fine.
I think I can emerge from my shell a bit more after the holidays. Work will have become routine once again, and my schedule set far in advance. I should be able to get in a dance class and some other stuff each week, something I haven't done in several years.
Posted by bessiemae on 2005-06-20 20:11:36
Post Subject:
Been out of the dating scene a long time, but ditched several beaus for:
- mistakenly treating me like I'm stupid and taking it upon himself to "teach" me about any and everything. OMG! Like Cliff Claven!
- spitting
- smoking...kissing is just gross.
- rudeness to anyone
- could date a Republican, but never marry. Sorry.
- putting everyone/thing else ahead of me...not saying I have to be #1, but it would be nice to be in the Top 10...20...heck, I'd have settled for 49 of 50.
- calling me Christmas Eve wanting me to post bail...arrested while cheating on me.
Posted by KnittyMomma on 2004-11-24 15:53:12
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i love velvet underground and happen to be making the same mirror you're talking about for my husband for our one year anniversary this Christmas Eve...what I'm doing is going to my local hobby store and buying a thick frame and a mirror to fit inside it. I am then going to paint the frame (either a solid color or pattern havent decided) and then with a silver paint pen write the lyrics I'm only doing the first verse but you could do all the lyrics if you wanted. And then you could embelish it with trinkets such as concert or movie tickets from dates....rocks from a park you guys went to...etc...just be creative...it doesnt have to be too mushy just as long as you let your heart and creativity guide you.
Posted by JeraAndJune on 2004-06-13 06:32:38
Post Subject:
Jera here,
June there.
June is my 5 month old grey/tan tabby, and she's the kind of kitty that makes bear hunters shoot their dogs.
Everything she does is adorable, and she knows it... in a humble way? is that possible?
I'm i'm 23 years old, a pisces and i enjoy picnics, inline skating, lakes and summertime (how else could a kitty born on christmas eve get a name like June?). I like smelling sweet things and staying up all night til it's light. I like poems that use foul language tastefully and i don't like the word "like" used for punctuation.
I am constantly quitting smoking over and over again. I started when i was 14 or so, so it's really suckin'. I really do try, and i really do want to.
Old "vintage" corny prints on anything make me giddy. like cheezy greens and oranges... Advocado anything makes me weak. I crochet and i sew and i like to cut clothes up and (maybe) sew them back together. I used to rave and eat lots of drugs, so i'm obligated to enjoy making beaded bracelettes. I keep a journal, have been since i was in 8th grade. I like furniture and one day i will get around to sanding all my crap down and painting it all the way it is begging to be painted. I have always been intrigued by quilting, and if someone could please convince me it's not necessary to have a bunch of heavy machinery to quilt, i might. That would be great.
I say things like "super-duper" and "totally" when i get excited. A lot. I have a tendancy to look on the bright side of things and talk to my cat way too much.
