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 Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 7:40 am
I'd really like to see this guild be a little more active, and I thought maybe a fun, more light-hearted topic might entice some of our newer members to participate.
Do you celebrate Christmas? If you do, what are some Christmas traditions you and/or your family uphold? What is it like in your home on Christmas Eve up through Christmas Day? Do you go to church? Do you volunteer and keep the spirit of giving alive and well? Do you decorate your home? Do you (or another member of your family/social circle) cook loads and loads of delicious food for everyone? What's your favourite "Christmas dish", that you maybe only eat once a year? Do you always try and make it a point to spend Christmas with your family (even if you're no longer living with them)? If you had to pick one singular thing about Christmas that you like the most, what would that be?
If you do not celebrate Christmas, is there a winter holiday that you do celebrate? If so, we'd love to hear about how you and/or your family celebrate it. What are some things you love about that holiday. Basically just the same questions I asked about Christmas, go ahead and apply those to the holiday you celebrate.
What are your specific plans for this holiday season? Do you have plans to do things a little differently this year, or are you planning on sticking to those tried-and-true traditions?
Really, just discuss anything that's relevant, I'll be online again later today (I think) to share Christmas stories from my crazy family.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 9:41 am
I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I have a holiday this winter
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 10:31 am
Islamic Teacher I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I have a holiday this winter For some reason I thought that Islam did have some sort of winter holiday. I must be thinking of something else. Regardless of what time of year they take place, what are the commonly-practised holiday(s) in Islam? It's pretty shameful how little I know about Islam, to be honesty. So please, educate!
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:01 am
Usually, my partner and I go to my mother's house for Christmas. We usually stay about a week. I love getting to see my mother, my sisters, my brother, and my nephews. We're not all that good at keeping in touch year-round, and Christmas is really the only time I get to see them, or at least see them all together.
My childhood house is quite large, so even though three of my siblings have their own homes relatively nearby, everyone always stays at my mother's house for the duration of the festivities (and people who are coming in from out of town, like me, are expressly forbidden to stay in a hotel). I love that about Christmas at my mum's. It really adds a feeling of togetherness that we haven't had since...well, since I left home, although since I left home, other things have happened, like my father dying and my sister getting married and getting a flat with her husband...there's more, but I think you get the picture.
The week or so leading up to Christmas really just makes us feel like a complete family again, and that's a nice feeling.
We usually put up some fairly modest decorations, almost exclusively on the inside, we don't really bother with outdoor decorations. There is this French tradition that we've done for as long as I can remember, and we still do it. Basically, you make a yule log cake (which is, as the name suggests, a cake that looks like a log). You bake the cake with a little metal toy inside of it, and whoever gets the piece with the toy in it (and doesn't choke and die) wins a chocolate bar.
We always leave a candle lit in the front window to let Mary know that there is room at our inn...which when I stop to think about it is a little odd. I'm not really clear if that's a common tradition elsewhere.
My whole family attends Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Before we leave, we all light a candle together for my father, and I light a candle for my best friend.
Unfortunately, I have to work on Christmas this year, so I won't be going to my mother's. We'll probably do Christmas stuff with my partner's son, ex-wife, and her boyfriend. I'm not too bummed out, though. Those guys are good people, and we always have a lot of fun together. I'm hoping to visit my family for New Year's.
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High-functioning Werewolf
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:11 pm
The Sunday before Christmas, my dad's family always has a huge get together. He's the youngest of 8, I'm one of 14 cousins and most of those cousins have 3 or more children, so needless to say it's a ZOO. I don't get along with many family members on my dad's side except for a handful of cousins, but there have been some family scandals brewing this year, so I'll at least have something to gossip with my cousins about.
I usually get together with my partner's family on Christmas eve, but I work late on the 24th this year and I don't know if I'll make it. Which is a shame, because they're wonderful people and I get along with most everyone. Plus, his family is largely Korean and his Harmony makes FANTASTIC food. Sometimes we go to a midnight church service, sometimes not.
On Christmas, I usually split the day between dad and mom. In the morning my brother, my dad and I catch a late mass, then exchange gifts at his house. Then we go to my uncle's house and exchange gifts with him and mom. In the evening, we usually go to mom's partner's house and play games and drink until we're ready to drop.
I don't usually do any serious cooking (a dish here, a dessert there), but I do go all out for new year's dinner. My guy is used to a traditional southern new year's meal, but we've had that for the past two years. I think this year, we'll have a German/Polish new year's meal. Pierogis and sausage > ham and black-eyed peas.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:51 pm
We usually have a low-key Christmas. First there's the Christmas Mass, then we head off to my grandpa's house for lunch, then we get back home and pretty much spend the rest of the festivities on our own. There's the occasional Christmas guest or two, of course.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 7:30 pm
Nice to see people keeping the Mass in Christmas whee
My family is non-religious so we celebrate secular Xmas, i.e., food, presents and seasonal movies.
As it's summer here, I'll be celebrating the Summer Solstice tomorrow night and I'll hold the Midsummer Blót a little closer to New Year.
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Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 10:52 am
SinfulGuillotine Islamic Teacher I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I have a holiday this winter For some reason I thought that Islam did have some sort of winter holiday. I must be thinking of something else. Regardless of what time of year they take place, what are the commonly-practised holiday(s) in Islam? It's pretty shameful how little I know about Islam, to be honesty. So please, educate! Muharram (1 Muharram) = The Islamic New Year Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi 1) = Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu'l-Hijjah) Laylat al-Qadr Day of Arafat Ashura Isra' and Mi'raj
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Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 2:46 pm
Islamic Teacher SinfulGuillotine Islamic Teacher I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I have a holiday this winter For some reason I thought that Islam did have some sort of winter holiday. I must be thinking of something else. Regardless of what time of year they take place, what are the commonly-practised holiday(s) in Islam? It's pretty shameful how little I know about Islam, to be honesty. So please, educate! Muharram (1 Muharram) = The Islamic New Year Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi 1) = Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu'l-Hijjah) Laylat al-Qadr Day of Arafat Ashura Isra' and Mi'raj What about Rammadan?
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:42 am
Adalido Riftscribe Islamic Teacher SinfulGuillotine Islamic Teacher I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I have a holiday this winter For some reason I thought that Islam did have some sort of winter holiday. I must be thinking of something else. Regardless of what time of year they take place, what are the commonly-practised holiday(s) in Islam? It's pretty shameful how little I know about Islam, to be honesty. So please, educate! Muharram (1 Muharram) = The Islamic New Year Mawlid al-Nabi (12 Rabi 1) = Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) Eid al-Adha (10 Dhu'l-Hijjah) Laylat al-Qadr Day of Arafat Ashura Isra' and Mi'raj What about Rammadan? Ramadan is a month of fasting Its not a holiday
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:28 am
As per usual, my brother is coming home for Christmas. We'll probably go to the Christmas Eve service at our Church (Pentecostal), and Christmas morning we usually read the Christmas story right from the Bible, then we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, then we open gifts. We'll definitely be eating turkey and pumpkin (or squash?) pie, and other stuff too (corn souffle, potatoes, bread rolls, and I don't know what else right now). Also, just for fun, my brother introduced a tradition: we each take turns looking for a pickle in the Christmas tree while everyone else sings a Christmas carol (limited time; can't look forever!), and whoever finds the pickle gets a gift he brought!
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:21 am
Orizion Also, just for fun, my brother introduced a tradition: we each take turns looking for a pickle in the Christmas tree while everyone else sings a Christmas carol (limited time; can't look forever!), and whoever finds the pickle gets a gift he brought! Haha, that's a great idea!
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:42 am
Oh, one tradition at my mum's that I left out: music!
My mother is quite a talented pianist, I, of course, am a violinist, my brother plays cello, and one of my sisters plays clarinet (albeit not especially well). Everyone else sings, to varying degrees of skill. Maybe five or six years ago, I started arranging movements of Handel's Messiah oratorio to fit the instruments and vocal ranges we have at our disposal. It's been an on-going project for me, and every year we play/sing everything I have completed thus far. I think it'll probably be finished next year, so that'll be neat.
We also play and sing Christmas songs. It's a lot of fun. I think we're just going to do that when I visit for New Year's, even though it's a little less seasonal.
When we go to my partner's ex-wife's for Christmas (like this year), I usually just play piano and sing Christmas songs, and Henry's ex-wife sings harmony with me. My step-son used to join in, but he's gotten to that age where now he just thinks it's lame.
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