Non Christmas

[red]

Well bah humbug to the people who hate Christmas. .... .....I am absolutely determined to enjoy the festivities.

Zoe

yep - I enjoy Christmas a lot.. it just so happeneds i enjoy the run up before hand bit the best, and so now that's the bit I concentrate on. I think the key is.. to make it into something you enjoy.
for those that hate it.. change it...

[crowsashes]

ill be spreading the celebrations out over the next 2 weeks, bristol for a few days (cant get out of that one) xmas eve i come back i really dont want to travel by train xmas eve! then i have a bit of a run around to pick up a few bits and pieces ( ive pre-ordered stuff as the numpty partner decided to come back on xmas eve) apologies but i HATE traveling at this time of year as its just awful and expensive!

xmas day lunch, a wander through the woods, another walk on boxing day. have dinner with my mum at some point after xmas and thankfully its just pizza!

i was planning on celebrating the 21st and having a meal etc but have been forced to go to bristol.

[the.fee.fairy]

I'm far far away from all the festive stuff, so it'll be an odd Christmas here.

I'm usually a bit of a humbug, and get really irritated with all the songs and the decorations, but this year...i miss it.

So, I will be spedning Christmas Day cooking a traditional dinner (the best i can anyway...) and inviting a load of Chinese people round to party!

I've knitted presents for the other teachers here, but i have a feeling that they won't be appreciated or reciprocated. Meh...Dad always says that you should set the examplel not follow it.

I will be saving my Secret Santa present to open on Christmas Day, and hopefully, a parcel that my mum sent me will be here then. I've also bought myself some new knitting needles, hopefully they'll be here then too, so i can spend some time trying to figure out making socks. I will make some mulled wine too.

Its a bit odd really, its my first christmas away from my friends and family, so i'm a bit lost, and because Christmas is not celebrated here, there is no festive feeling in the air. I think Christmas Day will be just like any other day.

I will be having a late Christmas day in February when i come home for a week, i'll be bringing gifts for my family.

I alse celebrate Yule rather than Christmas, but the college don't seem to recognise paganism as a valid religion for having festivals off work, so i'll be working the 21st/22nd.

They celebrate Spring Festival here, which this year is on the 14th Feb. Its more like out Christmas. I'll be in the UK then...hopefully going to see a band that i really like in London!

[mrsflibble]

this house contains a pagan and an atheist who leans kinda towards agnosticism, but not much. oh, and a three year old.

We'll be celebrating Yule, meditating round a fire (or candle if it's too cold) and eating something special. we're having duck this year, last year we had free range roast pork leg.

Sophie gets the fun of a little gift, good food and meditation with mummy. James gets the fun of a happy and well settled wife and child, I get my religious fulfillment.

on christmas day we're going to my mum's for dinner.

[indy]

We have a very old fashioned christmas, I do love it so. I am a cof e christian but would never ram it down anyone's craw. Would not be fair. Anyway very old fashioned, all homemade gifts and decorations that have been handed down through the family, no tv, lots of board games and walk the puppy. And plenty of traditional christmas carols. Bizarrely is the only time my family don't fight lol. Sorry if it sounds a bit twee but tis the way it is

[mrsflibble]

indy, thats what I want our future yules to be like with our daughter.

[indy]

and they surely will be...my christmases come from the memories my grandparents left me with..long may they continue and I hope I make new memories...

[Sally Jane]

We now live 350 miles or so away from family, so can get away with having a very quiet holiday season. I used to hate the American 'Happy Holidays' all-embracing concept, but I suppose that's what we now celebrate in our own way since we've lit the Hanukkah candles (no little children in the household, so no visits from Hanukkah Harry!) but are also burning a traditional Advent candle, as it harks back to my childhood. And today, weather permitting, we may get round to gathering evergreens too!
We probably won't bother putting up a tree this year (which will appall our grown-up children who go mad decorating trees in early December as a reaction against a very mean mother who wouldn't allow it to go up before Christmas Eve when they were kids!) because our house, which is still being renovated, is just too chaotic.
Our Chrismannukah card and gift giving is becoming simpler as time goes by - next year everyone who matters will get a home-made calendar or some other little home-made gift, while the two grandchildren we were blessed with this year will get something knitted for them.
We have also given up the ritual of buying 'big' presents for each other - we are allowed to spend up to £10 on each other for a 'surprise' gift, but will then choose something together for the house as our 'big' present, a picture perhaps, or something useful that we will both enjoy using such as a quality garden tool or kitchen necessity.
We already know that we love each other and now have the maturity to realise that we don't need to spend lots of money that we don't have to show it!

Whatever you call it and however you choose to celebrate it, we wish you a wonderful one!

[Green Aura]

We already know that we love each other and now have the maturity to realise that we don't need to spend lots of money that we don't have to show it!

I agree entirely Sally Jane. Now how do I convince my daughter and mother of the same?

[Green Aura]

I haven't - but I can lend you mine if you've misplaced her (please!!!) Can we have a Uriah Heap smiley?

[Big Al]

We will be "doing Christmas" as normal. I say normal but that is only for the last 3 years. Prior to that it was lavish full family affairs at vast expense to me and with shed loads of presents and all year to pay for it till next time. It dawned on me when the family began ringing and calling around November then nothing else from January thru to nov the next year.

For the last 3 years we have only been 3 at the dinner table and modest presents but with plenty of food. Many weeks we would struggle to feed ourselves if we were " of the normal ilk" that you see in the towns and cities of the UK, all on the credit cards etc, throwing good food away needlessly buying to much but with planing and forthought we manage so Christmas is a time when we can eat, drink ( pop) and be merry.

Oh and I get to act like a kid.... more than normal but at least I get excused as it is christmas.

For example, our son was 18 and so he doesn't belive in Santa anymore ( but rudolf is the one who brings the presents now) so being of this age he wasn't going to get up until 9 am on Christmas morning 2 years ago.

I stayed awake until 2 am and then crept arount the house altering all the clocks. Every one of them including mobiles, alarm clocks, video, oven, bringing every one forward 5 hours.......

My wife and our son didn't know anything until one of the TV programs came on "early" ... by did I get my ribs sorted for that one.

Another is playing Merry Christmas by Slade at 3 am, setting a CD player with extra speakers on standby and a timer switch under the bed to go off at 6 am and things like that.

The best one was hiding in a wheely bid when the bin men came to collect the rubbish and I jumped up out of the bin shouting merry Christmas to them... Scared them sensless but at least they got 24 cans of larger to say sorry....


Still it's only once a year....

[Rosendula]

Another is playing Merry Christmas by Slade at 3 am, setting a CD player with extra speakers on standby and a timer switch under the bed to go off at 6 am and things like that.

We did something similar to this a few years ago. We had some music editing software on the computer, and on Christmas eve OH cut the Slade song down to just that bit where he yells, "It's Chri-i-i-i-is-s-ma-a-a-a-a-a-s!" (I'm sure you know the bit). Early the next morning we silently set the speakers up, one outside my son's door, one outside my daughter's door, cranked it up to no.10 and hit play. We still laugh about it now. Well, me and him do. The kids never forgave us. I was remembering the whole incident the other night while I was in bed and was giggling silently to myself. OH sensed something was going on in my head and propped himself up on his elbows to look at me in the dark to let me know. I just whispered "It's Chri-i-i-i-is-s-ma-a-a-a-a-a-s!" and he started giggling silently as well.