BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?

Subject: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 11:42 AM

The thread about all the FOOD made me wonder, how do you guys do presents, whether for $mas or any other midwinter holiday? We have a plan: everybody gets up on $mas morning whenever they do, and children may delve immediately into their STOCKINGS but are not to touch anything under the tree till everyone is up. That usually keeps them till 8 or 9, and everybody is usually up by 10 or so. Once everyone has their plate of food and cup of coffee if appropriate, we (grownups) all sit around the big room and the children, usually with Santa hats on, divvy up the spoils (practicing reading, if young enough), so that everyone has a stack of their presents near them. Kids usually stack near their parent's stack. Then, all the children get to open theirs, but in theory one at a time and they have to get the attention of the giver and say thanks, no freeforall. Well, little freeforall. THEN the kids LEAVE and go play with their new stuff and the adults get serious, we really take turns, and we COUNT presents and make fun of whoever has the fewest and whoever has the most (yes, we really do). The turn-taking gets erratic towards the end so that nobody is done way before anybody else (I'll skip! I still have lots!), and if a present is from a child we'll call them back to watch us open it. This can take up to three hours, during which time we'll have probably eaten a full meal's worth and drunk at least 2 full pots of coffee. THEN we get all the wrapping and boxes and stuff up off the floor and start thinking about a real meal, like lunch. It's a blast. And since the one sister who can be a real emotional pain is in Tasmania, there isn't usually any huffiness, even between the ones getting the most/least since they do tend to change every year, what with overcompensation and all. I still tend to get lots because I'm the youngest, and the hostess gets lots because she's the hostess, and Mom gets lots because otherwise she pouts... and then it's off to the running Mah Jongg game, we always have a table going and there are usually 4 people playing, although which 4 tends to vary rather randomly. We keep score for the seats, not the people, so you may come back to a winning seat when whoever took your hand is still losing... or viceversa. A great time is had by all.

So what are your rituals? Just curious!

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: Gypsy
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 11:12 AM

We open gifts on Christmas Eve night. I like having the candles lit, and no dinner, just hors de oerves. Ours is small household, so there isn't much, but we have fun. And of course, the dogs wear bows that night from the wrap, and since we use brown paper, that goes into the fire. It is like a law that the weather is clear at that time, so will go outside, and contemplate the universe. We sleep in on the next day, the man will play, and i will write thank you notes to all. Will spend a grand total of 2 hours making dinner, and when night falls, it is dinner and fireworks. A good time, indeed.

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 02:09 PM

Definitely low-key! I wish I could say the same...

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 02:36 PM

Yep quiet time for the two of us in Lairg in Scotland. Our tradition is to not open any presents till Christmas morning. We both wrap our presents for each other in private, and only produce them on Christmas day morning. We then dig them out from thier hiding places add them to any that we've been lucky enough to receive through the post. We then sit up in bed with a bottle of champagne and a jug of OJ, and open our goodies while we drink Bucks Fizz, and the dogs get to come upstairs and help too.
Merry Christmas.....Jock

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: gnu
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 03:11 PM

For years, I kept all my presents for others in a hiding place and wrapped them in secret in a locked room on Xmas Eve around 7PM. I took my time because it gave me the chance to finish the bottle I had kept with the presents. Sufficiently well-oiled, I would return to the group and place the presents under the tree, oblivious to my wife's side-long glances when it was confirmed that I had gotten "wrapped" again that Xmas.

Now that I have an ex-wife, I wrap ahead of time so I can enjoy my bottle with the company. I get up early the next morning so that I have time for two aspirin and a pot of strong tea ("pot" in Kent County means about six large cups) prior to the unwrapping of the gifts.

The remainder of the day is spent visiting, eating, playing and singing tunes... I even play Hran... after a few so that the drum doesn't resonate in my head toooo much. Xmas day evening is an all out session until dawn with leftover munchies and copious quantities of drink of all descriptions.

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: kendall
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 03:41 PM

We have cut way back on the commercialism. My grown daughters and I agreed to knock off the gift giving and just have a get together for a big dinner. I give my grand children a gift certificate until they turn 18. The only one I buy a gift for is my 5 year old grand son. It takes a lot of the stress out of Christmas.

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: gnu
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 04:01 PM

Yeah, I buy presents for the kids. Mostly sports equipment or educational toys... NEVER any computer games or the like. The yound adults get stuff to help round out their household, the older adults get my company, wisdom and humour.... and, if they are lucky, I don't sing or play the Hran at their house. Funny how doing this is "breaking the tradition" of commercialism.

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: Nancy King
Date: 14 Dec 01 - 06:35 PM

When I was a kid, Christmas day went like this: my brother and I might wake up super-early, but were not allowed to go downstairs until Dad came upstairs to escort us. The deal was that we were not supposed to see the stuff under the tree until after breakfast, so Dad blindfolded us and took us through the livingroom and to the breakfast table. When breakfast was over, the filled stockings were brought in and we all had a great time with all the little surprises -- usually there was a heavy emphasis on the silly, so we had some good laughs. There was always a tangerine in the toe of the stocking. When we finished with stockings we proceeded to the tree and the mound of presents. At that time we had no taking-turns rule, so it tended to degenerate into a bit of a free-for-all, though always a fine time. My ex introduced a system of taking turns, and it really is much better. You get to see everyone else's stuff!

After presents and clean-up, my Mom would start preparing the various components of dinner, and we all took a second look at our stuff. In late afternoon guests would start arriving, and we had a great dinner party, with many of the same people year after year, but usually a few new ones, too. My Mom had a tablecloth she always used for Christmas dinner (and other big occasions) -- everyone was invited to sign the tablecloth with pencils provided, and later she embroidered the signatures in red. It was a wonderful thing, that cloth, full of memories of good times and old friends, many of them now gone. When I got married one of those old friends gave me a large white tablecloth, and I now have a collection of signatures of my own.

Part of the Christmas pre-dinner ritual was the aquavit-and-drinking-song routine I described in the "Will there be music at your house?" thread.

In recent years our family has shrunk somewhat, and we no longer have a big dinner party. There are no little kids, so we start the festivities later in the day and have just family. I miss the warm good times and good people that made those big parties so great, but I don't miss all the work involved. Though come to think of it, I do almost (not quite) as much just for the family....

Cheers and good holidays to all, Nancy

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: Gypsy
Date: 15 Dec 01 - 01:52 PM

Oh yeah, we'll have tons of music. WE have two celebrations....onc with dear friends, early, when they are in town, and one on the DAY, with all the strays who are here. All are good. Commercialism? Not a problem. We also do a ton of church work, and feed loads of people that way. Of course, that is something we do ALL year, it just gets noticed more this time of year.

Subject: RE: BS: $mas rituals, what are yours? Or ...?
From: Mudlark
Date: 15 Dec 01 - 08:54 PM

Aside from a tree, which I've been collecting ornaments for, for years, my favorite part of Christmas was the long drive through the back roads on Xmas day....not another soul on the road, we were able to drive slow, take a good look at everything, stop often, picnic before turning back. And on New Year's Eve day, if the minus tide is low enough, we used to go tidepooling....