Spooky Holidays

[JHyde]

So it's about a month away and I thought it might be fun to share our plans for the holidays, whether it's Christmas, or Hannukah, or Chinese New Year or Festivus or ......you get the idea.

Tell us about your weird family tradition, or that crazy relative who's just inappropriate, or what you're hoping Father Christmas brings you.

Or what you think members of Section D might be doing. And before you say it, lwhite53 already said "working", so that option's taken.

I'll start. I spend my spare hours in December making mix CDs for all my friends. And not just any mix CDs. I'm talking beautifully made covers, and a tailored, old school playlist with ebb and flow. I also take Christmas cards VERY seriously - and I find people really remember and appreciate them.

Christmas Eve night I spend singing my heart out with two older family friends I've been singing with for years, they're like honorary family. Then I get the house to myself for a blessed hour while the rest of my large family are at their service. My family insist on a hot lunch on Christmas Day even though it's usually 35 degrees or higher and often a total fire ban. I spend the evening at my godmother's with my mother's many siblings and the 33 grandchildren on my mum's side. We also have great grandkids now, so that will be kind of funny this Christmas. It's always best with young kids, I miss filling my siblings' stockings after Midnight Mass.

In case you can't tell, I love Christmas. Except for the day itself until the evening. Even when I'm working.

[Beatriz]

It'll be weird for me to celebrate Christmas in 35 degrees!!

I love Christmas too, what I don't like so much is all the consumism, I think a couple of presents is just fine.

I don't send Christmas cards, I used to, but not now.
What I do is set the Christmas tree, I love it with all its lights

We are a very small family, I'm an only child, so is my father, and my mother has one sister and she's not married nor has any children, so on Christmas eve we are 6 for dinner (with my two grandmothers) but it's ok, I don't mind, we're a close family.

We also have New Year's eve dinner, and at 12 o'clock we have 12 grapes, one with each stroke, I always end laughing at any of my relatives and with my mouth full of grapes I love this tradition. And afterwards I go out with my friends. And for breakfast (after going out) we have hot chocolate with "churros" (I look it up and it's made by deep frying sweet bread dough).

Here, we have 2 present days, one is Father Christmas and the other we call them The Magician Kings (their origin is Christian, but I don't think they have them in other countries). In my family only celebrate the second one that is the 6th of January; so students have long holidays from the 22nd of December (Christmas lottery day) until 6th of January included.

[JHyde]

Yeah, I know in France they usually get their presents on the 6th too.

I don't get Christmas presents anymore, I don't think!

The grapes sound like fun

[Margaret]

Beatriz: the hot chocolate in Spain is one of the things I remember most from my visit there many years ago: there is nothing like it in the world!!!
Yum!!!

Yes, JHyde: I am from Australia too and my family likes the traditional Christmas lunch: roast turkey and maybe pork as well, ham, roast potatoes, pumpkin (maybe some of the other members will think this is weird: my Scottish relatives do: eating pumpkin!!), parsnip; usually also some other fresh vegetables from my brother's vegetable garden. To follow we have the traditional plum pudding (made by my mother) with hard sauce, or brandy sauce, cream or icecream. This 'traditional' lunch happens for our family whether the temperature is 35 deg or 15 deg. I live in Melbourne, which is notorious for a "4 seasons in one day" climate: you have to experience it to believe it!! We have had many extremely hot days, but the traditional meal goes ahead no matter what. The whole family get together on Christmas Day: we are a small family. Nowadays most of the children have grown up and the youngest is 13. Sometimes I think Christmas is mainly for the kids.

[Beatriz]

Margaret, have you tasted "churros" with hot chocolate? If you haven't, you should, it's a perfect combination

I'd love to go to Australia one day, I think you have to get used to the climate...

What is tradition is tradition, if you have to eat hot luch you eat it Christmas traditions are fun!!

[JHyde]

Exactly! That's why I started this thread. I'm so glad my family aren't the only nutcases, Margaret - most people switched to seafood years ago. And how dumb is it making a roast on a day when there's a fire ban?

[Beatriz]

Now you mention it, I forgot to tell you we usually eat seafood on Christmas and New Years eve, actually in my hometown, A Coruña, seafood is very tasty (a little of advertising don't do any harm )

[JHyde]

Hearing about what other people do at Christmas is so fascinating. I always wanted to play cricket on the beach and eat seafood, but no, I work while my family heats the house......

[lwhite53]

Christmas in my family consists of a mandatory trip home to NYC (have only managed once in my life to be somewhere else -- Paris, actually). Then a day spent with my very small immediate family -- mother, 2 sisters, brother and one sister's SO. Dinner is roast pork, sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes (for my brother who won't eat sweet potatoes) and glazed pearl onions (yummy!) -- a tradition my mother began because she likes all those foods! Oh, and we drink a whole lot! We do one secret Santa gift each but are limited to $50 (US) so it's really just a token gift. Mostly Christmas is about all being in the same place at the same time, which these days happens only once a year.

[JHyde]

NY must be fantastic at Christmas. Are you a fan of snow at Christmas? I've always thought that would be lovely.