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Let's talk about Christmas!


Yuiina

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Hello everyone again! ^_^

It crossed my mind to do a similar thread as "Let's talk about Halloween!" and get to know your opinion about Christmas.

Are there any traditions you follow? Is Christmas turning different than it used to? What do you usually do on the 24th/25th December? 

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After working retail for many years, I've started to really hate Christmas.   Extra work, rude customers, moronic management, and terrible terrible musak piped over the intercom system, plus rather crappy weather, all adds up to a season I'd just as soon do without.   The 24th the store is closed, so I usually sleep in, watch a movie, maybe hang out with a few friends online.   The 25th, head into work at midnight so I don't get holiday pay, and clean up for all the idiots who think they need to go shopping at 6am on the 26th.

 

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My mom always hosts on the 24th so I take the day off from work to help her out with the set up and making of the food. On the 25th (my work office is closed), things change up a bit every year. Typically, I go see my dad at one point and then there is another party on my husband's side of the family. Lots of running around, drinking and eating good food haha.

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I don't have a holiday tradition (yet). I've been working in shifts many years now and a lot of times that means I have to work, just like this year.
We are allowed to get some nice food on the company's budget so that's very generous of them! I'll sometimes just forget what day it is though, especially when I'm working nightshifts so sorry @Rayd1978, I might be one of those idiot's who go to the store at opening hour just because I happen to pass by it on my way from work.

Maybe in the future, if and when I don't work shifts anymore, I might start some sort of tradition for the holidays. Who knows!

 

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As for me, Christmas is the best time of the year but I can completely understand why it is upsetting to store's workers, especially mall ones. :who-let-rip:

I tend to avoid, at all costs, visiting such places on these seasons because it's too chaotic. I'm someone who's used to quiet/peaceful places and Malls are always stressful all year...

I have a few traditions I follow since I was a little girl and that I intend to continue following till my death. ^_^

 

Christmas for me is not based on gifting/receiving presents but more of a special season where people are kinder to others and an event to celebrate with your family/loved ones.

In my family, we always try to build Christmas Tree all together and we decorate the house with our self-made decorations.

I always go get fresh green, branches and pines from the nearby forest to make these:

g7CiqA8.jpg 2GstjN5.jpg

We also build a mega construction with ceramic dolls and fresh green, that I cannot find the right translation for it in English. 
I don't have any picture of one that I've built in the past so I'll show you some examples from Google:
Resultado de imagem para presepios feitos com musgo Resultado de imagem para presepios feitos com musgo

Resultado de imagem para presepios feitos com musgo Resultado de imagem para presepios feitos com musgo 

I'll build mine on monday so it'll be extra fresh on Christmas day and so it'll last longer ^_^

 

This is the traditional main plate we eat here on the night of the 24th
Resultado de imagem para comida tradicional natal and this is the one of the 25th Resultado de imagem para peru de natal

 

As for other traditional appetizers and desserts

 Resultado de imagem para bolo rainha Resultado de imagem para bolo escangalhado

Resultado de imagem para bolo rei Resultado de imagem para rabanadas

Resultado de imagem para filhoses Resultado de imagem para filhoses

Resultado de imagem para arroz doce Resultado de imagem para ferrero rocher mon cheri raffaello

 

And that's the perfect recipe for:
Resultado de imagem para do you know what i got for christmas fat

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We're celebrating it in our little apartment again cause no one else wants to have it in their big house. Oh well, it should be nice anyway. I'll probably wear my Santa hat and bring pie like last year.

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23 hours ago, Duma said:

 so sorry @Rayd1978, I might be one of those idiot's who go to the store at opening hour just because I happen to pass by it on my way from work.

 

 

Normal customer doing normal shopping I'm generally okay with.    It's the people who think we need to have the exact brand they're looking for, in the exact size they want, on sale, in the first place they look, and how dare we not know what they mean.    People who are annoying all year round, but get tn times worse at the holidays.

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4 hours ago, Rayd1978 said:

Normal customer doing normal shopping I'm generally okay with.    It's the people who think we need to have the exact brand they're looking for, in the exact size they want, on sale, in the first place they look, and how dare we not know what they mean.    People who are annoying all year round, but get tn times worse at the holidays.

This is why I try to do most of my holiday shopping online! People and crowds this time of year tend to annoy me really bad.

I used to work at a large chain grocery store and I deliberately worked on the holidays just so I could double my income! The store was open for shorter hours on the 24th and 26th. Both days I got double time. The store was closed Christmas and had it been open I would have gotten double time and a half like other stat holidays.

Now that I have a family, Christmas is very low key. My husband never really had good Christmas Holidays. They were always lame and he got presents he couldn't use, so it was just a waste. The only good part for him was the fancy meal on Christmas Day. So because of this he's not really into Christmas, plus we don't like how it's been monopolized so much by retailers. I'm not much for Christmas either, but I do it for our kids.

The only decorating we really do is just the tree and maybe a few other things put up in the living room. Nothing too extravagant! With a large pup, and a 2-year-old who thinks everything belongs to her, large amounts of decorations is just asking for trouble. My daughter has already broken a few ornaments this year. Two were glass and other ones she broke the top plastic piece so I can't hang them back onto the tree.

My girls don't get piles and piles of toys and things they don't really need. It's usually books, movies, a couple of toys they've been wishing for and some things they need. This year they're each getting electric rechargeable toothbrushes, PJs, winter hats, coloring books, and some chocolates and treats for their stockings. Normally I place a rather large order with the Disney Movie club but I forgot about it until it was too late and they wouldn't have arrived on time.

We open our presents on the 24th after supper and take Christmas pictures in front of the tree. On the 25th we usually have a turkey dinner. Sometimes depending on the weather and my husband's work schedule we'll go out to his parents place for a couple of days or even just a day.

This year is going to be difficult for us. It's our first Christmas without Mouse, and just putting up her ornament that I got her last year was heartbreaking. This will also be Kai's first Christmas, so I'm hoping the sadness will be offset by Kai's craziness for all his toys and treats. Kai is getting spoiled this year!

My kids are counting down the days until Christmas!

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Now that i'm off work and don't have to go back until after the holidays, so I'm less grumpy:

For several years now instead of having a big gift exchange, we've done Robber Bingo at Christmas.   Kids still get gifts for them, because kids, but the adults just bring a bunch of inexpensive gifts wrapped up, put them in a pile in the middle of the table, and we play Bingo.   Get a bingo, grab a gift.   Another bingo, another gift.    Keep going until all the gifts are gone.   Clear your cards, open you gifts, and show everyone what you got.

Now the game REALLY begins.   Because now when you get a bingo, steal some one else's gift.  (Last couple years have allowed to take one gift off the table to make sure you keep it.)   Keep playing, stealing gifts back and forth.   Can get a little heated if two or more people start fighting over the same gift. Goes basically until Grandma gets tired and says it's time to do something else....   at which point most people hand back the gift they'd being fighting over because they didn't really want it, they just wanted to fight.   Which sometimes lads to gifts that were heavily fought over, but no one actually wanted...

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That sounds like a lot of fun actually!

Our day of craziness is done here. The youngest is tuckered out and fell asleep easier than she has all week. Kai, our pup got a lot of toys and some treats. He was busy playing with everything instead of taking his usual nap in the evening. I am now looking forward to the end of "When's Christmas?" being asked multiple times a day.

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