Christmas in your corner?

[viper37]

I'd like to know what you usually plan for Christmas/Holyday season, and what you're doing this year, if different.

Particularly interested in non Christians; do you celebrate Christmas anyway, even if it has no religious meaning?

As for me, on one side of the family, it is the usual stuff we have been doing for years.  Christmas Eve is at my aun't place, at 20:00 where there will be an exchange of gift, in a precise order, including time for surprise gifts wich the kids still love.  Followed by a cold buffet and there more gifts attached to game.  My father has declined to attend this year, he'll be spending Christmas with his girlfriend, her kids&grandkids.

On the 25th, we go to the same side of the family, this time at my cousin's place for a 5-7 course meal, depending on how he feels.  That's the best part, good food, good wine

On the other side of the family, there is never anything planned in advance, it seesms all of my father's family is allergic to planning.  So instead of trying to split myself during Christmas time trying to accomodate everyone, I took the initiative and invited my cousins for the 27th, leaving the adults to their own planning.

I'll be serving a non traditional roastbeef, with a standard 5 course meal, nothing really fancy, no gifts

On January 1st I'll be receiving my mother's family, as usual.  Fancier dinner, with more than decent wine.  My dad's gf kids&grandkids will also be there, wich means about 21 people.

[Valmy]

Big meal at my parents Christmas Eve afternoon (Christmas dinner #1), Church that evening, go home put the kids in the bed, fetch all the loot and then go to bed.  Wake up open presents with the kids, wife, and mother-in-law and eat breakfast.  Arrive at my parents around 11AM and stay there the rest of the day, huge Christmas dinner (Christmas dinner #2) that night.

The usual.

[Lettow77]

 Celebrating Christmas is a wonderful thing! It is nice to be close to the people you care about, and to have an excuse to feast and buy nice things for folks.

I'll be spending Christmas with my roommate's family- Used to, there was a big get-together down in Mississippi I always attended, but I don't really have any ties with my family anymore.

I have had a lot of fun shopping around to pick out the perfect gifts for everyone, and I ordered myself a nice kettle.

I'm a little confused by the idea of non-christians not celebrating Christmas. Insomuch as non-christian here means "atheists, agnostics, and other assembled white disbelievers" they are culturally Christian anyway- Christmas has always been part of the society they grew up in, and its such a nice thing. I don't know anyone who'd turn their back on it, and to do so really seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[Barrister]

My family is out of town, so we tend to alternate between going to Winnipeg for Christmas, and staying home.  This year we stay home.

My wife's family does absolutely nothing at all for Christmas Eve (which seems batty to me).  My wife's parents may or may not come over on Christmas Eve to spend the night.  I think we'll cook some good steaks.

In the morning we'll open presents with the boys of course, then slowly get everybody dressed and ready (and get naps in for the boys).  Then we'll head over to my wife's sister's place an hour out of town where we'll have turkey and the usual fixings (plus pyrogies).

Boxing Day there is another get together for the extended family at someone's house - will be a whole bunch of cousins there.

On the 27th/28th my parents are flying into town.  My brother will drive up and join them.  They'll then be with us over New Years.

[derspiess]

Every Saturday before Christmas I have a party for my niece, nephew and my own two kids.  I build a fire in the fireplace, order pizza and have snacks & cookies out for them.  They each get to pick out a Christmas show or movie they want to watch.  I have stockings out for them (I usually buy cheap stockings and put their names on them, for them to keep) and I always figure out a way to get them to go upstairs & play while I sneak down & put little presents in their stockings.  When they come downstairs I tell them Santa must have stopped by and that gets them all excited even though the stocking stuffers are mostly dollar store crap that breaks the next day.

The whole practical purpose of the party is to give my wife & sister in law a free evening to run out and do last minute shopping (or just go out for margaritas or whatever if they're caught up).  But I also feel like my family needs to build some fun traditions beyond what we've had in the past.

On Christmas Eve I usually go to a mid or late evening church service with my parents and one or both of my brothers depending on their schedules.  Will probably take the kids this time.  I didn't always like going to church as a kid but I was always cool with Christmas Eve service-- always seemed like a good way to get a head start on celebrating Christmas proper.  I learned the hard way not to drag my wife off to my church, so she stays back and cooks what has become our traditional Christmas Eve late dinner-- guizo which is an Argentine stew with rice, beef, peas, and tomato sauce.  I usually let Tommy open a couple presents.  My sister in law usually drags her kids to a Papist church service and her sister usually has something on Christmas Eve so I rarely get to see my niece & nephew that night.

Christmas morning we have our own thing with the kids opening their presents to see what Santa brought, and then around noon we go to my parents' house to eat our afternoon "dinner" which can be anywhere from 1:00 to 4:00pm depending on my brother's work schedule.  Then we open presents, eat more, and watch videos of Christmases past.

[Grey Fox]

Papist church is the true church.

[Admiral Yi]

We did the annual extended family Christmas gathering last Saturday.  Usually the dynamic is the four uncles rehashing the exact same childhood memories for the 18th year in a row and the other nuclear families sitting in morose silent clumps eating their chili and chicken noodle soup.  I lucked out by getting extended one on one time with my favorite cousin.

My contribution of Calvados was generally well-recieved, and my idea to sing Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" in the bathroom (for the acoustics) turned out very well.  Particularly as all the rug rats (all amazingly cute) started dancing along to it.

Little kids really make Christmas.

Christmas day itself will once again be at the community center my dad sits on the board of.  Less fun is expected than usual as the new director has pissed off all the old school clientele and they no longer show up.

[derspiess]

Little kids really make Christmas.

Definitely, once they reach age 3 or so.

[Barrister]

Papist church is the true church.

Then why do you have a Nazi Anti-Christ in St. Peters?

[Barrister]

Little kids really make Christmas.

Definitely, once they reach age 3 or so.

Which is why, despite the fact that Timmy has already seen two Christmases, I'm really excited about this one.   

[Valmy]

Which is why, despite the fact that Timmy has already seen two Christmases, I'm really excited about this one.   

Yeah this is David's third as well and I think the first time he understands a bit what is going on.  Granted he is only 2.

[merithyn]

December 21: I'll do a little kind of Winter Solstice thing like meditate, light candles, and pray for snow. ()

December 22: We'll open presents with the kids. I'll also probably make my Baked Potato Roasted Garlic Clam Chowder with freshly baked crusty bread.

December 23: Kids go to their dad's house. I clean the house.

December 24: I work during the day, then I'm going to services at the UU church at 7:00pm, out for Chinese Buffet, then to midnight mass services at the Episcopalian church (I love the music, candles, insense, prettily-dressed people ).

December 25: Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I don't change out of my pajamas, I don't cook any food (except maybe some oatmeal if I'm feeling like a hot breakfast), I don't plan anything. We order pizza (or Chinese, if no pizza place is open) for dinner. This year, I'm considering a marathon of Tales from the Green Valley or A Tudor Feast or A Victorian Christmas. I'll also likely be painting or otherwise crafting while watching the shows.

[Malthus]

Which is why, despite the fact that Timmy has already seen two Christmases, I'm really excited about this one.   

Yeah this is David's third as well and I think the first time he understands a bit what is going on.  Granted he is only 2.

Carl's first full sentence was at Christmas.

It was "Daddy, open the presents!" 

[crazy canuck]

Usually it is a time for having meals with friends and family.

This year we are doing that a couple days early and then travelling to where it is summer.  We did that last year as well.  It may become the new normal.

[Neil]

My family is out of town, so we tend to alternate between going to Winnipeg for Christmas, and staying home.  This year we stay home.

I was going to laugh at you for having to travel to Winnipeg, but then I realized that the only advantage that Grande Prairie and Peace River have over Winnipeg is that they're closer and they don't flood as often.  Well, Grande Prairie doesn't flood at least. 

This year, we're staying in town.  My parents are coming to town so we're having dinner on the 24th at my sister's and the 25th at my place.  Gifts will be exchanged.