christmas,who loves it??what do you do?

[clare]

Whatever your religious or non religious beliefs who loves Christmas??Well I do......
Its the whole feasting together as a family, the decorating of the tree(ours is real in a pot grown on each year) and the house with greenery from the garden. The making of crackers and mince pies. The making and sending of cards and the excitement, of course, of the children coming down on Christmas morning to their gifts. We go to the village church candlelit carol service with a glass of wine and a mince pie afterwards which I really enjoy as I love carols and it is a family social event we all enjoy. We also donate lots of tins to the food bank when we can afford to and think of others who may not have as good a Christmas as ourselves and we too have been through hard times at Christmas so it is good to help others when you are able at Christmas .I hear the children sing their Carols at the school carol service, they have a Christmas party at school and then finish for the Christmas break .We then have the carol service, we have my youngests birthday on the 21st(badly planned!!) so we put up the tree after her day.We have all the family to us this year so preparations for that will be done Christmas eve. On the day After presents we get ready and have mince pies and sausage rolls when they all arrive and then late turkey lunch at 2:30 ish, followed by board games/chess/ A Christmas film before children off to bed and a bit of adult tv (Miranda and Mrs Browns boys last year!!)and of course the turkey sandwiches.........
What do you do at Christmastime ??
not long to go......
Clare

[Crickleymal]

I always used to love Christmas. But nowadays the festival seems to creep further back down the calender so decorations go up in November and it seems to dilute it. Plus the TV seems to be even worse than when I was a kid, or maybe my tastes have matured so that Strictly Come Dine with the X Factor Christmas Special just makes me want to hurl.

[bonniethomas06]

I love Chrismas, though I take your point Crickleymal, I take steps to innoculate myself against the more cynical aspects of Chrismas - I don't set foot in a shop (apart from a food shop and that is bad enough) during late November/December, it all gets ordered on line. I don't listen to xmas music until well into december, I turn over when there are xmas adverts on TV!

But I love the pagan elements of christmas - the candles everywhere (to make up for the sun at it's weakest), bringing greenery inside, celebrating the return of the light etc - it all just feels so right on a human level. Might even get to Stonehenge for the winter solstace this year.

It is lovely to get the family together too - must be lovely if you have kids, but nonetheless still nice to just spend a day in eachothers company, I personally don't like the TV on xmas day, it is the one day of the year we are forced to play board games instead!

[dustydave]

I love this time of the year, but am more geared up to the solstice than Christmas. I suppose the choice of whether to celebrate the sun, or to celebrate Saturn with all of its materialism, or Christianity, or...

lots to choose from.

[clare]

Goodness I agree, no christmas songs till December .our greenery and tree doesn't go up until the 22nd Dec and the tv only goes on if there's a good family christmas film on.absolutely no xfactor ,strictly,I'm a celebrity etc that is why we play board games,not just at christmas ! My children only get gifts at christmas and birthdays so are very excited at this time,but only put 4 things each on their father christmas letters so I hope I'm doing something right.I am making fudge too ,we only have it at christmas and I look forward to my wrapping time when the woodburner is lit,a coffee and a mince pie on the table with my choral carols CD on I set to gift wrapping for everyone, I love it.....

[Pumkinpie]

I love the family time together at Christmas. My daughters birthday is the week before so I usually have a mad flurry after her birthday. A much simpler home made Christmas this year with hand made presents. Retirement has given me time to put the love into making the presents rather than grabbing last minute stuff. I have also gained new skills whilst making them I am especially proud of the earrings and other stuff I made on my silversmithing course. Still got to finish some bits and bobs but I would rather be "doing" than be in a indoor shopping centre battling with lots of other people.
Oh the best present me and my hubby got was my daughter many years ago. I escaped from hospital at 9 pm Christmas Eve and had Christmas Day with my family and a week old baby.
Happy green Christmas in advance to everyone on the site.

[tosca]

We will be having a totally stress free Christmas this year. No family to visit/visit us, no presents, no shops full of goodies since the day the kids went back to school after summer, no work or works dos, no driving. No idea what we will have on the day, something will turn up. Don't drink and don't have to buy it in for others. No expectations.

We will put family decorations up later, but not too soon as they will be covered in a thick layer of dust from the wood fired oven/heaters. We will watch telly and speak to family on Skype. Then relax with the dogs. Bliss.

Love living in Bulgaria!

[Flo]

I'm of an age where the family is adult with lives of their own so there's no real pressure to join in the festivities. So if I want to go to the allotment because the weather is fair and there are jobs to do, go and walk a green way with a flask of soup, take the camera for a walk locally so be it. If there's a foot of snow, a howling gale, floods or other such mayhem well I can stay at home.

That said, I've a fruit cake in the oven that says it's a Christmas cake (no alcohol so presumably just a rich fruit cake) which will have marzipan and royal icing added because I like it. Whatever. Am I the grinch that stole Christmas? Not really - just don't feel the urge to join in the pointless shenanigans that have grown up. Mind - as a child I went out on the stock rounds on the farm before presents were opened on Christmas day as the stock were livelihood. When you know that cows still have to be milked, it kind of puts things in perspective.