tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post116423452360033425..comments2023-10-28T05:33:15.060-05:00Comments on The Writing Playground: Christmas RulesMarilyn Puetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16073134550080890157noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164423885622548652006-11-24T21:04:00.000-06:002006-11-24T21:04:00.000-06:00My family is Danish so we celebrate on Dec 24. Eve...My family is Danish so we celebrate on Dec 24. Everyone usually arrives sometime in the afternoon, coffee is served, dinner is at 5:00. After dinner the dishes are done and presents are opened around 7:00. At 7:05 the unwrapping is done...ok maybe that's a slight exaggeration...but by 7:30 anyway. While toys are being examined and/or played with the adults have coffee and liquer. Years ago the one tradition we never failed to follow was watching Scrooge 1952 version with Alistair Sim..now with VHS or DVD we can choose the time to watch itJeanette Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10405473912935941111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164408797055427622006-11-24T16:53:00.000-06:002006-11-24T16:53:00.000-06:00I braved the shops this morning and had fun! Hey, ...I braved the shops this morning and had fun! Hey, I don't care how crowded it is if it means I can shop sans kids and save almost $75 and finish almost everything on my Christmas list.<BR/><BR/>Funny, we have a lot of the same type of traditions, SP. We don't have the same food, but we always get together the day before Christmas Eve and make a bunch of finger foods/desserts for Christmas Eve when my husband's extended family gets together.<BR/><BR/>AngelAngelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17010424240956906870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164407369822999222006-11-24T16:29:00.000-06:002006-11-24T16:29:00.000-06:00I get the post-holiday blues. For me it is more th...I get the post-holiday blues. For me it is more that after taking the tree and decorations down, the merriment over, everything feels a little dreary. After Christmas, I'm always ready for Spring to get here. I guess I need to work on keeping the spirit of the season alive on the inside, even when the ribbons and bows are history. Now as for that Johnny Depp in Jello thing, I would think that would live up to expectations lol! That is, unless someone asphyxiated on the jello. I always hate when that happens. :)bamabellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15986745648983981412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164405662638541342006-11-24T16:01:00.000-06:002006-11-24T16:01:00.000-06:00Alas, I could never get my Mom since I got older, ...Alas, I could never get my Mom since I got older, high school on, to follow the one on Christmas Eve rule. It's all on Christmas Eve morning. <BR/><BR/>And it's a lovely repeat of Thanksgiving meal for Christmas. . .<BR/><BR/>And you forgot the Pinky and the Brain Christmas special. ;)<BR/><BR/>And we have a live tree. . . when I was younger we didn't, but not sure if it's because my asthma was bad or not. But once we dumped the fake tree, we went for live. We get the smaller one. Not exactly the ratty Charlie Brown one, but we go for the 9.99 rack. LOL :)<BR/><BR/>LoisLoishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11105054210049682018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164402042963190552006-11-24T15:00:00.000-06:002006-11-24T15:00:00.000-06:00Some of my relatives in Canada don't speak any Fin...Some of my relatives in Canada don't speak any Finnish either, but I think I managed to get one of my younger cousins interested in learning Finnish when I visited there few years ago. Oh, and if you are interested, check these out: <BR/>Finnish Christmas traditions and foods:<BR/>http://virtual.finland.fi/xmas/<BR/>All kinds of Finnish stuff:<BR/>http://virtual.finland.fi/People/way_of_life.aspMinnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04150644876765079753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164396801626412862006-11-24T13:33:00.000-06:002006-11-24T13:33:00.000-06:00My big Christmas Eve tradition is pizza. I have to...My big Christmas Eve tradition is pizza. I have to have a pizza while we sit and watch old movies, usually A Christmas Story; National Lampoon's Xmas Vacation and Santa Claus the movie. Then we open one gift. Usually its whatever my grandma sends me if it arrives in time.<BR/>Christmas morning we open the boxes of chocolates while we open presents to Elvis playing on the record player :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164396748100124502006-11-24T13:32:00.000-06:002006-11-24T13:32:00.000-06:00I don't have a lot of rules but I like some of the...I don't have a lot of rules but I like some of the ones I've read here. I may just have to institute a few.<BR/><BR/>We had a leisurely post-Thanksgiving breakfast this morning and made Christmas lists for everyone so that will help with my shopping. I'm not sure what the Christmas schedule is yet -- who will be at who's house and when -- but I'm sure it will all work out.<BR/><BR/>My sister's husband's family is Finnish -- my brother-in-law is only second generation American -- and they have a sauna in their vacation home in Minnesota. My sister also makes a few Finnish foods. But my BIL doesn't speak a word of Finnish that I know of.<BR/><BR/>PMPlayground Monitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07444337591281145863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164393548473163172006-11-24T12:39:00.000-06:002006-11-24T12:39:00.000-06:00Congrats, readingissomuchfun!!I have two tradition...Congrats, readingissomuchfun!!<BR/><BR/>I have two traditions - a dinner party combined with tree trimming (with lots of homemade ornaments)and reading "The Littlest Angel" and sobbing through it lol. I always get a real tree - hated it when my parents switched to the fake kind. and I keep it up for as long as possible - most of January. My two girls used to get a gift on christmas Eve - well sometimes pajamas too but new crayons and coloring book for quite a while. Oh, and the stocking is the last thing they open. I stuff it 'til it bulges with all kinds of things (I also collect freebies through the year and I get so much now that I have a box that they take turns with.)<BR/><BR/>Everyone is older now and my daughter is coming after christmas this year for the first time which is sad. I also don't exchange gifts with as many people because others think there's too many of us now. I really hate it when all the decorations are down - the room always looks so empty.catsladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06507755929992129551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164392611022473382006-11-24T12:23:00.000-06:002006-11-24T12:23:00.000-06:00What I do to enjoy the holidays is keep things sim...What I do to enjoy the holidays is keep things simple and try to enjoy the moments as they happen. Sometimes the best part of the holiday might not be Christmas day but it might be baking with your children or shopping with your husband. You never know so just enjoy things as they happen.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16392692656456938856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164385995805882982006-11-24T10:33:00.000-06:002006-11-24T10:33:00.000-06:00Well, Problem Child, we Finns can't live without o...Well, Problem Child, we Finns can't live without our Saunas. Fortunately I live in countryside, so the sauna is heated with wood and not with electricity. By the way, sauna is a Finnish word.Minnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04150644876765079753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164383795939935282006-11-24T09:56:00.000-06:002006-11-24T09:56:00.000-06:00I was home by 6:30 :-) After braving the bloodbat...I was home by 6:30 :-) After braving the bloodbath at Wal-mart, KB Toys and Sears. Of course, I was up at 3AM... But I got everything I needed. <BR/><BR/>InstigatorKira Sinclair - AKA Instigatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14274056066229852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164382548453826922006-11-24T09:35:00.000-06:002006-11-24T09:35:00.000-06:00The Christmas sauna sounds like something worth ad...The Christmas sauna sounds like something worth adding to my tradition :-)<BR/><BR/>I have a rule carved in stone: One present at a time. AC is allowed to open all of the presents from Santa first. Then we all take turns opening one present from our pile. This allows everyone to see what everyone else got, and makes sure the giver gets to see the reciepient open the gift s/he has so carefully chosen. It also helps stop the "suprise ruining" small presents. (You know, when someone has bought you the Playstation, opening the games that go with it first ruins the suprise).<BR/><BR/>This one-at-a-time present opening drives DG crazy. But it makes the morning last so much longer. <BR/><BR/>And LJ, you and Instigator are insane. Mom took AC for a sleepover last night and I just got out of bed a few minutes ago. Ahhh...Problem Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01456049865200737618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164381686819529712006-11-24T09:21:00.000-06:002006-11-24T09:21:00.000-06:00congrats readingissomuchfun!One tradition was Mom'...congrats readingissomuchfun!<BR/>One tradition was Mom's 2 different kinds of fruitcake. Now that she has passed away I am going to try to make the one; it is a white fruitcake with cherries, coconut and blonde raisins and doesn't have to ripen.robynlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03250071917966470701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164381374975069942006-11-24T09:16:00.000-06:002006-11-24T09:16:00.000-06:00One of my "rules" is that everyone must wrap their...One of my "rules" is that everyone must wrap their own gifts for giving - no pawning it off on Mom (me) or someone else.<BR/><BR/>We used to always go to my parents home for Christmas Eve and have a program and food, etc., but then the last few years our families have gotten so big that we started going to my Sisters house. But my 2 of my 3 sisters have little kids and my teenage sons hate it anymore. So, last year we just stayed at home and watched Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation and SNL Best of Christmas Shows.ChristyJanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10437256752595712457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164374807425047082006-11-24T07:26:00.000-06:002006-11-24T07:26:00.000-06:00There are several Christmas traditions that absolu...There are several Christmas traditions that absolutely, positively must happen for it to be a good holiday. The first is that we must have a live tree. Sorry, there just isn't anything like it. Until I was in high school we'd always go to the Christmas Tree farm and cut one down ourselves. It was a major outing - not to mention a miracle - when all of us agreed on which tree was perfect. Sometime in my high school years my parents decided going to Lowe's and buying a real tree was good enough. It wasn't. I didn't forgive them for a long, long time. <BR/><BR/>Our other tradition is getting up Christmas morning, having Daddy check to make sure Santa came while Mommy pops our breakfast caserole into the oven. That way by the time we're done opening our gifts breakfast is piping hot and waiting. <BR/><BR/>InstigatorKira Sinclair - AKA Instigatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14274056066229852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164369388213363092006-11-24T05:56:00.000-06:002006-11-24T05:56:00.000-06:00Congrats, readingissomuchfun!I get the post and pr...Congrats, readingissomuchfun!<BR/>I get the post and pre holiday blues. I think I have SADD. As far as rules if I've sent packages to my Ma and Sis they have to open them with me on the phone.<BR/>And, yea, only one present opened on X-mas eve.Meljprincesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05923768085680554717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18688033.post-1164352919245531092006-11-24T01:21:00.000-06:002006-11-24T01:21:00.000-06:00I think here in Finland just about everybody opens...I think here in Finland just about everybody opens their gifts on Christmas Eve, in the evening when the Santa arrives from Lappland (yes, from Lappland. There is nothing for the reindeer to eat in the North Pole). On Christmas Eve we decorate the tree, watch Christmas programs on TV, in the evening there is Christmas sauna and after it we eat Christmas foods and open the gifts.Minnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04150644876765079753noreply@blogger.com