Posted by sarabell on 2005-07-20 13:19:51
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i definitely agree that music affects your mood - creatively and otherwise. the most creatively-inspiring cds that i can think of were all when i was in christmas production mode (but weren't christmas music.)
the best wrapping paper that i've ever painted was when i was listening to the Kundun soundtrack by Phillip Glass. Also did some great paper while watching Fantasia.
last year's paper mache bird christmas ornaments were made while mostly listening to Bjork's Homogenic. they turned out so nice that i was tempted to hunt down her address and send her one!
Posted by roxy_fondue on 2004-12-19 13:42:16
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i'm knee deep in the warm and fuzzy holiday spirit, and LOVIN' every minute of it (lame, lame...i know :)
my cartoon favourite is Garfield's Christmas, but I haven't seen it this year! I need my annual dosage, especially the part when the whole family lights the Christmas tree and goes "oooooh". I love the way their lips curl!
i love to sit on the floor with wrapping paper and tape and lots of gifts, and wrap them up while listening to Christmas music. i've listened predominantly to Christmas music since the middle of November. surprisingly, i'm not sick of it yet.
other holiday rituals include:
- going out just to look at Christmas lights
- drinking egg nog with nutmeg
- every night, i have this reverent moment when i first turn on the Christmas tree.
- devising and re-writing my New Years resolution list. yes, i have an entire list!!!
- Christmas morning, once again sitting on the floor (i sit on the floor a lot during the holidays), opening gifts and crumpling up wrapping paper to throw for the cats to chase.
i could go on, but my overt chipper-ness is beginning to annoy even me :)
Posted by danielepea on 2004-11-29 23:39:00
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Being that this is my first fall/winter in a warm climate since I was about 3, I hadn't been feeling the holiday season at all until this weekend. Yesterday it was cool enough for me to get a peppermint hot chocolate while walking around town. Then I came home and worked on some Christmas presents while listening to Christmas music. And now it does feel a bit more like the holiday season.
Come next week I am going to get slapped in the face with holiday cheer when I go back to the NYC area for winter break. First on my list of things to do is buy a coat!
Posted by PamTheQueen on 2004-11-29 23:22:16
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I try to not feel Christmas too much too early. I'm afraid of losing my soul to the excessive holiday commercialism if I start earlier.
The biggies:
I not decorate for Christmas until 12 days before(lights, trees, wreath, nativity scene). (but I do have snowmen up since we did have some snow in Indiana last week!)
I do prepare gifts (the homemade type) before the 12 days, but I don't purchase from stores until then (except for supplies to make stuff!).
Major ughs:
I heard Christmas music at the mall the day before Halloween.
Several neighbors had Christmas decorations and trees up the week after Halloween.
Posted by jean on 2005-11-27 10:03:33
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so happy to find this thread! it's just the sort of thing i needed this morning.
we just got our christmas tree and began decorating...and friends were making fun of me for it! since i had kids, i;ve gone from hating the holidays to being crazy for it and having fun. kathy---you crack me up about the starbucks cups. i can totally relate!
and you reminded me that i need some good christmas music! last year we bought the nutcracker cd, but that's the entire extent of our christmas music collection. we hardly even have ornaments! but i figure we'll collect them over the years and next year we'll even make some, (and give them away to strangers...thanks for the idea kathy!)
i found that if i start the whole christmas thing early, and plan on making at least a few of my own gifts, that the love and giving of the season will win out against the rampant consumer. finding the right gifts for folks is really a talent and requires lots of thought, which is why i tried to start sketching out ideas last month and even bought a few gifts in early november, a first for me!
but now i'm swamped with work, so there will inevitably the stress right before christmas day...i don't know if it can be avoided. so we'll make the popcorn thingee-mabobs for the christmas tree, drink some wine, and call it christmas!
Posted by aubrigail on 2004-11-07 02:47:50
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I am looking forward to...
Thanksgiving--getting to see my family, meet my parents' new puppy, Bailey, good food, and shopping the day after Thanksgiving!!
After Thanksgiving--when I'll let myself put up Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas music non-stop =) and when I'll really have to start getting people's presents together
Posted by Ann Berry on 2004-12-20 18:14:24
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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 moon_lemming on 2004-12-20 09:17:03
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To get in the xmas spirit, I must:
- plan a fabulous gift for mr. lemming that I can be geekily excited about until the very MOMENT he opens it (doesn't have to be big, just has to be perfect).
- pull out the box full of Christmas books (my mom's bought me and my sisters each a Christmas-oriented book every year since I was six, and I'm doing the same for Rabbit).
- put up ornaments/decorate the tree. this is the first year since I moved out of my parents' house that we've been able to put up a tree, so until now I've just been hanging ornaments on nails on the wall. which looked good, actually, it's just that all the holes in the wall were a pain in the ass to patch up. this year, we've only got our ornaments from last year to put on the tree (the rest are in storage), so I put some bright bows in the branches and will probly hang some cinnamon ornaments (after I make them) and some paper snowflakes and a felt garland (ditto).
- plan an elaborate gift list (that usually gets cut in half by xmas).
- go to the xmas cantata at my mom's church. it's like visiting an ex-boyfriend (I used to go to her church/be in the choir).
- watch It's A Wonderful Life (although it's a mixed feeling because I associate it with my grandpa who died on xmas eve).
I don't have any Christmas music I have to listen to because I always end up forgetting to hunt down my xmas cds and tapes.
Posted by AndiMae on 2005-11-28 02:15:59
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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 Knits4Fun on 2007-11-20 09:19:42
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I make my grandma's fudge every year. One batch makes about 4 lbs give or take. I pour it into mini loaf pans--I try to find festive foil ones. It's a huge hit. The only down side to most (I feel the better) fudge recipes, is that you have to stand at the stove for about a half hour each batch stirring while it boils . . . . ugh. I just put Christmas music on (cheesy I know) and swing my hips to it!!
Posted by Diana on 2005-11-23 15:17:24
Post Subject: Stockings are my favourite part of Xmas!!!
When my nephews and niece were little I gave them coupon books that entitled them to activities with me such as an afternoon with me baking cookies, a trip to the park to fly kites, or a special dinner or lunch at their favourite restaurant (unfortunately that was usually Chucky Cheese!) with just me, no siblings or parents. I made the booklets so that there was a coupon for each month of the year so the fun was spaced out. And July was always Christmas in July where we made Christmas cookies, played Christmas music, and made some sort of craft. All three of the kids really enjoyed these booklets.
Personally, I like to get fancy teas and bath goodies in mine. And one year my Dad filled my stocking with lots of great embroidery threads. Last year my brother put a hot pink rubber ducky peeking out of the top of my stocking. Very fun!!
Posted by xuli on 2004-12-22 10:38:39
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the radios and muzak is holiday music
You know, I think this is my least favorite thing about the holidays (I hope I'm not being Scrooge-like by saying this). I actually enjoy some Christmas music in, like, July (I love Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town") but when everything is just saturated with it, and you know you can't go into a store or turn on the radio without getting some really bad Christmas song stuck in your head, it just makes you want to withdraw from all human contact.
