Do you celebrate Christmas?

[IndelibleDotInk]

Who celebrates Christmas, how and why?

My family does, we do it as part of our spiritual beliefs, tradition/cultural import, and fun. We try to get together with immediate family and casually exchange gifts.

My sister lives in Colorado with her hubs and son, and is fostering a baby. Her son Phil is gonna get lots of time and attention from our parents and myself, I am excited to be an uncle, and trying to make as much a relationship as can be, given that my parents and me live in Hawaii.

[Playerpiano72]

No, but I do celebrate Saturnalia and am a practicing heathen.

[CatfatherB]

Nope.

[herbalhippie]

Celebrating the solstice this year. Christmas would be too depressing I think.

[WhiteAngelica]

I'm the past, we had traditions but the virus has kept us apart. I love people more than presents, and that lack right now makes me ache. When it comes to Christmas this year, I'd rather ignore it and pretend like my memories weren't mine. See, Covid claimed my Uncle this year and I keep remembering him on the holidays and the grief is sharper than ever. I love and miss the rest of my family, but live hours away from them and it is too dangerous for any of us to meet because the pandemic. I have been sadder than usual and grieving has taken a turn for the worse so I am trying hard to avoid news but it is hard to avoid memories.

My partner wants to make me happy, and bought me some gifts...I have to figure out ways to make money and fast so that I can give her the same. I just don't have the finances. Can y'all see why I'd be really cool with taking the year off? I will try and enjoy things and devise unique and interesting ways to make some coin (my etsy? Selling kratom? Etc...?)

But on the lighter side of things, I imagined a kratom Christmas and how delightful that would be. Like, a Christmas stocking filled with surprise samplers from the Trading Post. A wrapped and rolled up 100g bag from one of many vendors. Vendor sampler packs, from vendors we've never tried, randomly stuffed in the stocking full of kratom. Then, just left to lavish and roll around in the pleasure pile of samplers and ounces and maybe some pre-blended packs.

I mean, I don't have a coat. But what about a coat of many kratoms? If anyone wants to add to the fantasy, I'm really into fantasizing about a kratom Christmas these days. Takes my mind off the heavy stuff. (Maybe a small kratom tree (or plant, rather) as a Christmas tree? Of course no ornaments! It doesn't need any because it's already beautiful beyond words!

[KalieGirl]

Who celebrates Christmas, how and why?

My family does, we do it as part of our spiritual beliefs, tradition/cultural import, and fun. We try to get together with immediate family and casually exchange gifts.

My sister lives in Colorado with her hubs and son, and is fostering a baby. Her son Phil is gonna get lots of time and attention from our parents and myself, I am excited to be an uncle, and trying to make as much a relationship as can be, given that my parents and me live in Hawaii.

Congratulations on becoming an uncle! My family has always celebrated Christmas growing up as well as my husband’s. We enjoy the family time, cooking and decorating cookies, having meals together, exchanging gifts, but most of all the celebration of the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Some of our traditions include decorating a tree and hanging stockings. We also put together Christmas themed jigsaw puzzles while listening to Christmas carols and other music. This year will be different though and we won’t be having the big family gathering but I do plan a smaller Christmas Eve meal this year for just immediate family that live locally.

[e_poison]

Usually my mom, my siblings, and I get together for a big gathering either on thanksgiving or xmas.

Not having our big gathering this year though, partially due to covid and partially due to a lot of conflicting schedules.

My brother is coming to visit for 10 days a couple days after xmas, so that will be fun. I look forward to seeing my brother every year, regardless of whether he comes for thanksgiving, christmas, or new years. So my mom, my brother, and I are celebrating our xmas on the 28th this year.

[onespeedstop]

Probably by sleeping in. But cheers to those who do celebrate it, holidays were just never my thing.

[Greyfeather]

Celebrating the solstice this year. Christmas would be too depressing I think.

Same. I haven't had a traditional Christmas since I was a teenager and, having grown up on a farm, it was a big deal when families got together. Now the hubs and I celebrate the Solstice since he has no family but me and I'm an agrarian inside and out (when you farm, the sun and the rain are your bread and butter). The Solstice brings me joy because it's the shortest day of the year (Dec 21 this year) and so every day after gets a little longer

We don't do a yule log or cover the house in evergreen. We fix up some simple food, cuddle together under a blanket, and tell each other stories. I try to put the past away for just a little while and we make little plans. I don't know why, but I usually feel sad. We bought a new mattress in October and it cost more than we like to spend on anything. Still, you spend a third of your life on it so, for me, it's like buying a car The company that sells it has a trial period and we decided to get a bigger bed. The company replaces the mattress if you donate it, so I have been on the phone looking for someone who'll take it. The problem right now is getting ANYONE to come in and take it away (COVID). A local organization found a young couple yesterday so now we're working out the details. This is all a long way of saying that I'm not usually in a position to give pricy gifts to anyone. Just being able to give someone something really nice is making me so happy. If I were wealthy I would be able to do this all the time and, seriously, it would be bliss.

So, however y'all observe the season (Hannukkah, Kwanzaa, or working or just sleeping in a warm bed all day ) try to get a little sunshine and if you see your own shadow please don't run away. I need Spring to come early this year!

[Greyfeather]

Probably by sleeping in. But cheers to those who do celebrate it, holidays were just never my thing.

You sound like me after the age of 18. I had a lot of relatives but no 'family' so I'd work on holidays to make extra pay and get together with co-workers for some off-work joy. Otherwise I spent the day sleeping too. It always struck me as odd that we cram all of these holidays into a few months, everyone rushing around trying to "make merry" while, possibly, going into debt and stretching their nerves so thin that you could play a sonata on them. Nothing I say will change things but I do wish that we could all slow down, take Christmas less seriously and just chill without being expected to feel guilty because we didn't measure up to Wall Street advertiser's and marketer's version of How To Christmas Better Than Everyone Else (including our own kin).

Sorry if this is 'ranty'. I have issues

[herbalhippie]

I have Thanksgiving/Christmas issues myself, especially Christmas, after years of you HAVE to do it!! I enjoyed it when the kids were little.

Maybe I'm Scrooge and don't know it yet. Or The Grinch. Yeah, probably.

[Greyfeather]

I have Thanksgiving/Christmas issues myself, especially Christmas, after years of you HAVE to do it!! I enjoyed it when the kids were little.

Maybe I'm Scrooge and don't know it yet. Or The Grinch. Yeah, probably.

I think I'm Team Grinch. I absolutely adore the animated Grinch movie. When I was a tot I would pretend to be IN the movie so that I could hang out with Max the dog. He remains the coolest animated character of all time, imo

[onespeedstop]

Probably by sleeping in. But cheers to those who do celebrate it, holidays were just never my thing.

You sound like me after the age of 18. I had a lot of relatives but no 'family'

^ That's my secret to happy/quiet holidays, step 1) don't have a family, 2) forget that it's a holiday and just have a normal day at home ha-ha.

[MetalMamaRocks]

Every year since I can remember we have had big festive family gatherings on Christmas Eve. This year we all just decided to stay home and celebrate with our immediate families. It kind of sucked. Not that being with my family sucked, It sucked that we had to break the tradition.

[herbalhippie]

I am having a Christmas Zoom meeting with all the kids in an hour. Then son and I are having a charcuterie board for lunch which is son's fancy way of saying cheese and crackers and stuff. It does not involve iberico ham, manchego cheese, quince paste and fancy, weird crackers though, so it's not real. And this will be our Christmas. Oh yeah, shoveling snow will be happening later, 2"-4".

[onespeedstop]

Turns out I was close. I did not sleep in though. Worked some music til noon and am gonna watch the 2nd episode of the new 'The Stand' show, and hope the story gets going this week. Might have some raviolis later, or soup, or chicken if it thaws out by dinner time, but I wouldn't place any bets on that ha-ha.