To Christmas Or Not To Christmas

[Snaggletiger]

Some of us Very Important People were texting last night about when is it acceptable to start the Christmas decorating.  Yesterday, I set up one tree and got down some other decorations to get the party started.  Snagette would tell you, if left up to me, I'd be bringing stuff down the minute the last Tick-or-Treater left the yard. Would have this year, but we took a little vacation week before last.

I've always loved the Christmas season, and have no problem with anybody starting early.  We usually put up a lot on the interior of the home, and I want to enjoy them longer than just a few weeks. The wifey is a really talented decorator, so she does it up right.  I'm just the hired help doing the heavy lifting.

What's your schedule?  When does that tree go up?

[Kaos]

No earlier than 3pm Thanksgiving Day. 

Superstition.

[Snaggletiger]

Christmas has become far more enjoyable to me, the older I get.  More from the standpoint that we’ve changed how we go about things. One kid lives on the other side of the country, and the other is a grown ass man, so we don’t have to go out and get 17 different gifts for him to open.

It used to be that we would make a list of all the people we have to buy for, and that thing would be a page and a half long. Not that way anymore.  My side of the family does Dirty Santa, so we pick up a couple of gag gifts to contribute.  I get my dad steaks and pork chops from a local butcher shop, and he’s happy as a clam. The only people we buy for on her side are her parents. 

The wife and I usually just pick out a mutual gift, like replacing a piece of furniture.  One year, I asked for weekly blow jobs.  I got coal in my stocking.

[Kaos]

Christmas has become far more enjoyable to me, the older I get.  More from the standpoint that we’ve changed how we go about things. One kid lives on the other side of the country, and the other is a grown ass man, so we don’t have to go out and get 17 different gifts for him to open.

It used to be that we would make a list of all the people we have to buy for, and that thing would be a page and a half long. Not that way anymore.  My side of the family does Dirty Santa, so we pick up a couple of gag gifts to contribute.  I get my dad steaks and pork chops from a local butcher shop, and he’s happy as a clam. The only people we buy for on her side are her parents. 

The wife and I usually just pick out a mutual gift, like replacing a piece of furniture.  One year, I asked for weekly blow jobs.  I got coal in my stocking.

My kids are wholly grown and I still do the gift explosion.  I start looking in July usually.

Santa still comes to my house.  So there are “out”‘presents and wrapped gifts. Each of them has at least one “traditional” present that they get every year. Like a nutcracker for the youngest.  Every year since she was 2. Got a seriously valuable collection at this point.  Several Steinbachs that are selling for multiple thousands. 

My kids and their others still spend the night here in their old rooms. Morning starts early when the dogs wake everybody up.  It begins with a perusal of what Santa hath brought.  That’s followed by breakfast casserole (I make a really good one) and cocoa or tea while watching a movie.  When that rests a little, it’s followed with oatmeal and sugar cookies and sometimes candy from the stockings. 

Then we open wrapped presents. Not all but some. That’s followed by a trip to my parent’s house for the traditional dinner and more gift exchange.  That’s awkward because whatever we get dad ends up in a garage or drawer.  I try but rarely nail it with him and mom.   

We come home about six or so for a third exchange with some others who mean a lot to me.  And another dinner that’s not completly traditional.  We’ve done stuff like tacos and homemade pizza before. I’ve done waffles. We’ve also done semi-traditional.

By 10 or 11 pm it’s over and depression sets in.  I start thinking about the task of taking all this stuff down … by myself… and packing and storing it all.  I usually get help putting it up but taking it down is always done alone.  Sucks. 

[Snaggletiger]

My kids are wholly grown and I still do the gift explosion.  I start looking in July usually.

Santa still comes to my house.  So there are “out”‘presents and wrapped gifts. Each of them has at least one “traditional” present that they get every year. Like a nutcracker for the youngest.  Every year since she was 2. Got a seriously valuable collection at this point.  Several Steinbachs that are selling for multiple thousands. 

My kids and their others still spend the night here in their old rooms. Morning starts early when the dogs wake everybody up.  It begins with a perusal of what Santa hath brought.  That’s followed by breakfast casserole (I make a really good one) and cocoa or tea while watching a movie.  When that rests a little, it’s followed with oatmeal and sugar cookies and sometimes candy from the stockings. 

Then we open wrapped presents. Not all but some. That’s followed by a trip to my parent’s house for the traditional dinner and more gift exchange.  That’s awkward because whatever we get dad ends up in a garage or drawer.  I try but rarely nail it with him and mom.   

We come home about six or so for a third exchange with some others who mean a lot to me.  And another dinner that’s not completly traditional.  We’ve done stuff like tacos and homemade pizza before. I’ve done waffles. We’ve also done semi-traditional.

By 10 or 11 pm it’s over and depression sets in.  I start thinking about the task of taking all this stuff down … by myself… and packing and storing it all.  I usually get help putting it up but taking it down is always done alone.  Sucks.

We’ve been having our best friends…after you guys, of course….over on Christmas Eve for years.  We do the candlelight service at 5:00 at church, then go back to our house for my world famous, meaning at 103 Whispering Oaks Dr., pot of grits, bell pepper, sausage, mozzarella/parmesan cheese.

I’m kind of like you in that as soon as Christmas is over, those decorations I wanted up so bad, need to come down immediately, because all they remind me of now, is the work that’s ahead.

[Kaos]

We’ve been having our best friends…after you guys, of course….over on Christmas Eve for years.  We do the candlelight service at 5:00 at church, then go back to our house for my world famous, meaning at 103 Whispering Oaks Dr., pot of grits, bell pepper, sausage, mozzarella/parmesan cheese.

I’m kind of like you in that as soon as Christmas is over, those decorations I wanted up so bad, need to come down immediately, because all they remind me of now, is the work that’s ahead.

Mine have been known to persist until March.  I just don’t have the energy for or interest in all that work.  My tree was up for over a year once.  There are six huge storage bins of just ornaments for it.  I don’t have the stylishly matching tree.  Mine is a mish mash of glass blown ornaments, Hallmark ones from our favorite movies, handmade stuff the kids did in elementary school, travel mementos, and heritage antique stuff from my parents tree when I was a kid. Yes.  There is a Cam Newton ornament. Nothing matches and it’s glorious. 

Whole house is that way.  It’s a conglomeration of styles.  Old world antique over here, Grinch over there, Christmas Vacation in that spot, leg lamp in this window, elf up on that shelf, nutcrackers standing guard by that door …. I’m sure it’s eclectic and overwhelmingly junky to others.

Every piece, every ornament, all of it is tied to some memory or event. It all has meaning. That’s more important to me than “style” 

[CCTAU]

Mine have been known to persist until March.  I just don’t have the energy for or interest in all that work.  My tree was up for over a year once.  There are six huge storage bins of just ornaments for it.  I don’t have the stylishly matching tree.  Mine is a mish mash of glass blown ornaments, Hallmark ones from our favorite movies, handmade stuff the kids did in elementary school, travel mementos, and heritage antique stuff from my parents tree when I was a kid. Yes.  There is a Cam Newton ornament. Nothing matches and it’s glorious. 

Whole house is that way.  It’s a conglomeration of styles.  Old world antique over here, Grinch over there, Christmas Vacation in that spot, leg lamp in this window, elf up on that shelf, nutcrackers standing guard by that door …. I’m sure it’s eclectic and overwhelmingly junky to others.

Every piece, every ornament, all of it is tied to some memory or event. It all has meaning. That’s more important to me than “style”

Reminds me of my childhood Christmas tree. It was glorious. And it was all ours. On year we had so much stuff on it, that it just started drooping one night while we were all watching our 1 TV, and then slowly fell over. We all just burst out laughing. We stood it back up and "re-balanced" it.

My wife has a bit of a problem with the tree not being "organized". I finally got her to let the kids decorate it without her interfering. Then at midnight I caught her organizing it. The kids did not notice. So it was all good.

[Kaos]

Reminds me of my childhood Christmas tree. It was glorious. And it was all ours. On year we had so much stuff on it, that it just started drooping one night while we were all watching our 1 TV, and then slowly fell over. We all just burst out laughing. We stood it back up and "re-balanced" it.

My wife has a bit of a problem with the tree not being "organized". I finally got her to let the kids decorate it without her interfering. Then at midnight I caught her organizing it. The kids did not notice. So it was all good.

Haphazard is a form of organization.

[The Six]

Holidays were never easy for me and as an adult, it's been worse. Now Christmas is a holiday I associate with loss. I mostly keep my head down and wait for January.

[Kaos]

Holidays were never easy for me and as an adult, it's been worse. Now Christmas is a holiday I associate with loss. I mostly keep my head down and wait for January.

No I don't know the context.  But....