Holiday/Christmas Traditions

Holiday/Christmas Traditions

SnowMinx​(sub female){Owned} • Dec 8, 2023

You know I had to cuz I ask about all the holidays lol. But xmas is fast approaching and I'd love to hear about your family traditions or how you celebrate the holidays.

One of my favorite memories from when I was a small girl was driving around with my parents and looking at the Christmas lights. We would have hot cocoa and Christmas music playing. 🥰

Miki • Dec 8, 2023

My parents, pain-in-the-ass (at lerast part time) brother and older sister get together for that week (through Jan 2 or thereabouts), like we do on Thanksgiving week and do all the usual Christmas stuff from the tree to lighting around the place to looking at lights in and around the neighborhood-- like many others.

While never "at odds" with any of my immediate family, it's much easier to get along when we see each other but twice a year and exchange correspondence sparingly, usually if necessary.

They always maked this time of year as our friends and neighbors do.

SnowMinx​(sub female){Owned} • Dec 8, 2023

I understand you lady! I have a sister and we are just such different people that spending time together regularly would be uncomfortable. I love her but we just do not understand each either.

Sweet Ginger​(sub female){⚓ } • Dec 10, 2023

We would watch this old Christmas cartoon ever year.. [remember this?]

https://youtu.be/EAsSK2q9cso?si=qgoLlRlF5_wynPV6

My mom would put all blue lights on the Christmas tree..drink egg nog and eat one piece of marzipan on Christmas eve, we were allowed to open one present. Christmas morning, we would listen to holiday music while opening our presents.

I still put all blue lights on my tree.

Miki • Dec 10, 2023

I still watch that. Not every year so as to keep it kind of "fresh"

Now, not many deal with CC but from time to time the written rendition is screwed up... Like early in the Youtube version linked above-- The deer talk about the "reindeer games" how it grows antlers and all that adolescent "boy" type shit.. and the other reindeer says "it's a good way to show off in front of the nose."

That confused the shit out of me until later on when I pieced 2 and 2 together and realize the "kid" meant "Does"

Reminds me of a humorous Christmas card I saw once. It was old. On the outside it said "Santa might be a little late this year" and inside it shows a reindeer picket line / strike.. "Less Ho Ho Ho and more Doe Doe Doe!"

Males... Figures.

(JK)

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A few houses near me have an entirely blue light theme from the "candles" in the windows to the trim along the edge of the roof, and by the window a blue-lit Christmas tree.

Very pretty, at least to me.... and whoever lives in the houses.

Others use an all white (clear bulb) color scheme which looks nice, too. What I still prefer are the old style incandescent mini-lights. They give off a nicer, "warm" look for me anyway. LEDs are all the rage, use less electricity, etc, but they all have a "sharp" candy-store look to 'em.

But, through it all all, all that matters is the people who live in those houses like what they set up.

Varangian​(sadist male) • Dec 10, 2023

I have to admit I used to not really get into the Christmas spirit it eluded me, I have spent more Christmas’s abroad or in situations where it was just another day for the sake of my sanity ( what little I have left ). BUT yes there’s hope people keep reading, ever since I got my drivers license I have loved putting the people I love and care about in the car with hot chocolate or coffee a bag of popcorn, which I still don’t understand (Minx?) and drive around to look at all the lights for hours.
A new tradition has emerged where I have spent the last 3 Christmas eves performing weddings outside at night in front of humongous light displays for the freezing couple.

Sweet Ginger​(sub female){⚓ } • Dec 10, 2023

🤭I heard him say, "it's a good way to show of in front of the doe" although it does kinda sounded almost like an accent when he promonouced it but I definitely heard "doe" that was the original film from 1964..it's a bit choppy still sounded pretty good to me. Considering how old it is! I have a remastered addition, I bought several years ago.. still brings back fond memories and will always be one of my absolute favorite Christmas shows.

The clear lights look nice too! I've used them past Christmas..actually I've used ever color over the years but last year, came back to our family's tradition of the blue lights

Re: Holiday/Christmas Traditions

IronWorld​(sadist male) • Dec 10, 2023

I've spent far too much time in retail, so I loathe most forms of christmas music. I remember one year, in my youth I was working at an officeMax and we got exhausted of the christmas muzak and one of the employees switched the radio to a hard rock/heavy metal station. For three days we listened to some amazing music... until some Karen threatened to call corporate because we weren't in the "proper festive mood". The only christmas music I listen to anymore is my list of 10 songs from TSO and Manheim Steamroller. 12 if I feel the need to include Weird Al's two christmas songs.

These days, I celebrate with the standard array of christmas horror/action films. My top 5 are Santa's Slay, Violent Night, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard 2 and Scrooged. My only question is does Violent Night count as a slasher if all the victims are bad guys? I enjoy wrapping gifts (my father found that out last time he left the state for a vacation), but because crap came up earlier this year, no one is getting anything from me except gift cards. As much as I dont want to repeat myself, I may do a similar gag from a couple years ago where I went to the local Domino's and got a few empty medium pizza boxes, taped the gift cards to the center and then glued some plastic cockroaches inside the box as well before wrapping the pizza boxes.

Miki • Dec 10, 2023

@ ...ginger: I know, plus "nose" does not make sense. but "showing off in front of the (girls) fits in perfectly given the youthful age of those two "bucks" But I can only go by the CC and as such I noticed that one. There are other errors in other films and TV productions where who or whatever transcribed narrations into CC, but that one kind of jumped out at me.

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@Ironworld I remember a lot of those when I was a kid, and can understand how too much of anything is not a good thing. In a town called Williamsburg Massachusetts there was a place along state route 9, a restaurant actually, called "The Christmas Inn". It was a novelty and lasted a few years but it was Christmas-themed all the time, year round and after a while interest dwindled and the workers weren't too merry hearing Christmas music--- over the 4th of July Weekend for example.

As for the season itself, I do not let the commercialism and associated negativity affect me. I send a card here and there but never feel the "obligation" to participate in "reciprocal card getting" where if someone doesn't get one they get their underwear in a twist or proverbial dicks stuck in the zipper.

Gift cards are the way to go. Much better than giving someone something they do not want or cannot use (like giving me Airpods or something)

But I must say... shame shame on me but "re-gifting" stuff I can't use rocks so long as I'm sure I'm not giving it back to the one who gave it to me.

IronWorld​(sadist male) • Dec 10, 2023

I was once stuck in Frankenmuth, MI for 12 hours while waiting for my car to be fixed. The auto shop was next to a christmas themed park called Bronner's. It currently looks like an entire outlet mall dedicated to Christmas. Having not slept for the previous 18 hours and no desire to get a room at the local one-star hotel, I basically spent the time I had at this obnoxious christmas-themed 24/7/365 shopping village. I was watching all the very religious families walk by and I was like "yeah... any rebel here is obviously doing drugs behind their parents' backs."

I dont mind commercialism so much, just the absolute lack of creativity and total soullessness in the designs. The only thing that has ever peaked my creative interest regarding the holiday are the gingerbread houses.