Holiday Cheer (No grinches, please.) (mystic, tradition, mission, church)

[Nanda]

With all the threads bemoaning the commercialism of Christmas and decrying the evils of Santa, I wanted to start a thread that would be a safe haven for those of us who love and cherish the holidays. I want to hear what you love best about this season, and why it makes you happy. Let's focus on the positive in this thread; even if you love Christmas, but hate crowded shopping malls, put the complaints aside for this thread - Afterall, there are plenty of other current threads that you can complain in. As for all you humbugs out there, I feel it only fair to warn you that all grinches posting in this thread will be wrapped in lights and garland and set atop the roof to wait for Santa.

I'll start with what prompted me to make this thread: I woke up this morning, went into my living room, and there in the corner is a 7 foot tall fraser fir, filling my house with the scent of pine and just begging to be decorated. Tonight, we'll put all our favorite Christmas albums on the stereo, make hot chocolate, and decorate the tree with the ornaments we've collected as a family over the years. Each ornament is a shared memory, and very important to us. This is a tradition passed down by my parents - on our wedding day, my parents gave us the complete set of Hallmark's "Feliz Navidad" ornaments they collected for me as a child because I was so into my dad's Puerto Rican heritage. Some are passed down, some were collected, some were gifts, and many were hand made. It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions, and I'm so happy that it's happening tonight. (Last night, after we brought the tree in, we watched home movies of my sons first and second Christmases. I think that ought to be a new tradition for us.) The only thing that could make today better would be if it snowed.

Yay for Christmas!

[Jayhawker Soule]

Happy Hanukkah

[lunamoth]

Thank you for this thread Nanda. I love Christmas and one of my favorite things is all the lights on the houses, and the Christmas tree. I really wish we could keep them up all year round. This year we have two trees, an 8-ft fir in the family room and a ssix-foot artificial one in our front window. It's a splurge, but Rog and I just both love 'em.

For some reason I rarely feel frantic during the holidays, although I often get a cold somewhere between now and New Years. I do really minimal shopping and enjoy it for the most part. I also get pretty busy with my Mom's club stuff and church because it's a time that we do a lot of service projects, which I also enjoy.

This year we will not be travelling to be with our family in NY, which is a change for us. Last year we barely got out of Denver before the big storm that shut the airport down for three days (and I mean barely, we were the first and last plane to take off for Chicago that morning). We decided that between the weather and with the girls older so that they might more enjoy being home for Christmas, we'd start our own traditions here. But I will really miss seeing my family.


Happy Hanukkah too!

[Bouncing Ball]

We dutch people are actually only allowed to start the christmas celebrations tomorrow as tonight is Sinterklaas first (the origin of your Santa )
But I don't care as I have been shopping for christmas today, so happy holidays everybody

[MysticSang'ha]

One of my favorite traditions around the holidays in our local area is called "The Way of Lights" at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate). It's literally a 5 minute drive away from our house in Belleville, IL, and it's one of the most popular things to do this time of year. Normally, the line for viewing the lights all around the outdoor shrine stretches on and on and on, and it takes a lovely and dazzling hour or so to see them all.

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I can remember visiting the shrine from the time I was a small child, and every year it's grown bigger and bigger. I don't know if it's my Catholic upbringing, or if it's local pride, but every time I visit there (now with my kids), it fills my heart with happiness, bliss, and celebration.

Thank you so much for the thread, Nanda.




Peace,
Mystic

[jacquie4000]

Happy Holidays to everyone and every faith. We are all beautiful. I love to decorate this time of year.
My son wanted his own tree in his room this year so we have two trees this year. We just put up the outside lights over the weekend.

[Mister_T]

I enjoy watching Christmas that I enjoyed as a kid.

Charlie Browns Christmas

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

And my personal favorite: Mickey's Christmas Carol

[stephenw]

I love it all, we'll post Santa letters with the kids up the chimney over the weekend, A wonderful life will be on the telly, I'll put lights up the trees outside. We'll get an inside tree. Around here every house will have a light in every window all night Christmas eve. It's magic. The best thing of all though is our annual visit to Santa who has a grotto in a cave near to us. That is really cool. Elves bring you in for a chat with Mr and Mrs Claus whose reindeer and sled are parked beside the cave entrance. Inside the cave, the grotto is between all the limestone features. It's magic.