What do you guys do for the holidays this time of year? Do you celebrate Christmas, Chanukkah, something different? How do you celebrate it? Etc. As for me, I celebrate Christmas in addition to showing respect for the Jews and praying on each day of Chanukkah. For Christmas day my sister, niece, nephew, and brother-in-law all come over for about two hours for our gifts to them before we all go over to my grandma's house for dinner and gift exchanging with the rest of the family.
Christmas here is just a family gift exchange and dinner. However, BEFORE christmas, when we're setting up our artificial tree, we let the cats chew on it.
I celebrate Christmas as a consumer. That is to say, I don't believe in any of the religion behind it, and instead enjoy the nice tree and the free stuff. I know, it's an immensely hypocritical stance to take, but at least I acknowledge that I'm only in it for the food and gifts.
I'm kind of on the same side as Pika, haha. I'm not apart of the actual religious side of it (though some of my family members are), but I do celebrate Christmas. Usually on Christmas Eve I'll go to my dad's house and sleep there. Around midday on Christmas I'll go to my aunt's house with my mom and celebrate with her side of the family there.
I celebrate Christmas, but lately I've been trying to become less conumer and more of the religious aspect. My mom has collected nativity scenes over the years and she usually breaks them out. Unfortunately, this year we're moving so it would be redundent to bring them out. And, for some strange reason, we have to hear "Christmas Shoes" by Newsong at least once every year. I really don't know what. I mean, the song is good, but it's kind of depressing at the same time. I found the FM Static cover of it; it sounds a bit poppy but it still caputes the main story. My uncle also dresses up as Santa on Christmas Eve. He hands us out presents as we continue the act for my six year old brother. Then, we get to open one present early. The next day, my family starts to fight, someone starts to cry, and then we open gifts. I'm not lying, that's what really happens every year. Still, we suck it up as we have guests coming int the afternoon as we play a game I like to call "Haha, my parents love me more than yours do!". Lately, I have been adapting to a more religous feel for the holiday. Yes, I still love all the specials on television, but I'm also looking for new ways to celebrate so I could pass it down to my kin. An idea I had was get a tree and add a decoration that has to do with the Bible everyday until Christmas (ie, day one would be an apple, day two would be an ark, etc). I've done this for past years, but more drawing it out on paper, and I usually lose interest by the 15.
No, we have this fake one from when I was a kid. We pull it out and it has some lights on it. It sort of sings christmas jingles! But that reminds me of another Christmas tradition for me. I have this small glass tree that has ribbons inside and I think used to hold Candy Canes for me. It was given to me by a nurse when I was in the hospital around Christmas time while I was very young. That's my personal Christmas tree. I didn't know the nurse, but the symbolism behind the tree just makes it feel like Christmas.
Christmas cookies is the only real consistent one for me. c: Every year. When I lived with my dad, it was a tradition to always get to open one present on Christmas Eve. That present would be new pajamas. Then we'd sleep in them and wake up Christmas morning for presents.
Well, this isn't exactly a "Christmas" tradition, but around this time every year. My family makes these cookies called Welsh Cakes. We got the recipe from my grandmother.
I don't think so. Here in America some fully Jewish families (about 15% of them) celebrate Christmas not as a religious holiday, but a national holiday. I suspect that's your logic behind it despite not living in America, am I right?
We don't really have a set tradition. It's usually a time where my brother, cousin, and I all come home from school (me for a month, they only for a few days). My mom and grandma handle the decorations, but I add the finishing touches. My kid sister goes crazy with her room. We used to have a tree, but once we got a cat, she kept knocking it down. So for the last two years, we just decorated this huge plant in the living room. Christmas night (we never celebrate it in the morning), we all get dressed up, maybe have a glass of wine, eat, then exchange gifts. After pictures, a group of us usually go out to a party (last year, my brother, aunt, uncle, me, and my mom's friend were the group), get a little drunk, and return home. I use Christmas break as my relaxation and party time from school. I spend most of the month outside the house, usually at a friend's house. This year, I've been spending it with my girlfriend. Once my friend comes home for her break this weekend, we'll probably be spending time with her. Probably fall under the influence of several things. Last week of the break is when things calm down. My brother and cousin are usually gone by then and I"m getting ready for school again and trying to hide my under the influence driving and activities from teh rest of the family.
In a way, yes. I still think it's a hypocritical stance to take. I think that if one wants to benefit from Christmas, they should follow the traditions of Christmas, and respect it for what it is: A holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, as opposed to making the centrepiece a man in a suit designed by Coca Cola. That doesn't stop me getting my gifts, or celebrating it as a consumer festival, but it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Eh, whatever you say. You can still celebrate his birth though. He was still a wise man that made many contributions to modern philosophy. I'm weird like that. I always look at my religion first under the premise that there is no God, and then as a theist.
Indeed; in fact, there was one year that we actually had two trees, since my dad didn't like the first one we got, and decided to pick out a second. My mother dislikes it, and has officially sworn herself out of any shade of involvement in the selecting and cutting down of said tree. I would do the same, if it weren't for the fact that my dad and older brother would never let me skip out on such a "joyous" occassion. They usually bring me along so that they don't have to hit the ground to cut the tree down. I disklike it, mostly because it winds up being me getting yelled at. I am, however, more than up to the task of decorating it once it's been put up. As for Christmas traditions, my family's have been waning over the years, especially, I've found, since my grandfather passed away a few years ago. I mean, we still do what we can around the holidays, but it's just no the same as it used to be. Unrelated to that matter, Christmas time used to see my house (or my aunt's house at times) become a cookie factory, as my mother would always make loads of special Christmas cookies to give to friends of the family, and to have for our Christmas Eve/Christmas Day festivities with the family. That tradition has since been declining from its former excitement. Christmas Eve often involves hanging around the house during the day, for me mentally preparing myself for the onslought of activity to come. That night, we usually go visit my grandmother, and have a small get together where we get a few gifts. In the passed, we would go home, and take the time to put Christmas lights at the last minute. Fortunately, we've already got most of our lights up already, so we won't have to worry about doing any on Christmas Eve this year. Christmas day consists of sleeping in, and then waking up. Last year, my mother mixed for me and my brother this drink with champaign and orange juice which was pretty good, if I say so myself. We usually wait around for a few hours before we decide to do anything. Most of the time, we don't open gifts until that night. In liue of opening presents, we tend to bicker with one another most of the morning, and then we pack up the car, and visit my aunt's house where my mother's side of the family congregates in large masses. Sadly, my father's side of the family hasn't been to keen on having us around for the holidays the passed few years (like I've speculated, the grandfather passing away probably is probably what lead it to this). After several hours with the extended family, we return home. That's when the gift unwrapping usually commences. We take it in turns to open what we've gotten, and make whatever witty and sarcastic comments we have to go along with them. My mother usually gets a bit annoyed at this point, mostly saying that no one needed to get anything for her. My cats would always be around for the occassion of course. One of them (who will be missed dearly this Christmas) would either be underneath the tree, or somewhere near my mother. The other usually breaks out into random fits, and stampeded from room to room; I've often suspected that he suffers from some sort of post traumatic stress disorder. So yeah, for the most part, I observe the holidays from... well, not really a consumer standpoint, but from a secular standpoint. It's more about the atmosphere and being arond the family, and the tradition, as opposed to actually celebrating a religous event. In fact, I haven't been to chruch for Christmas (or in general) in about six years now. Most years, esepcially recently, I haven't been too picky as far what I've wanted for Christmas gifts, and mostly tell people to "surprise me." other than that, I try to stay from asking for indulgences, since I am more than capable of attaining those for myself. New Years/New Years Eve, for the most part, either consists of me being my parents' shadow for a night, and going either where ever they're going, or to where ever they tell me I have to go, or just sitting around the house by myself wondering why my so called "friends" have managed to forget about me yet again. One year, one such "friend" even went so far as to lie to me about a party that they were having. So yep, that's my holiday tradition right there.
I usually just put on a santa hat every now and then, I go to my dads the day before Christmas Eve and have Christmas over there with him. Then on Christmas Eve night my grandparents come over and stay the night :) Then the next morning... PRESENT TIME!
Normally, our family breaks out this artificial tree we got a while ago-it's kind of a tradition, but we decided to get a real tree this year.
