one more Q: Holidays?

[KYLYKaHYT]

I decorate the outside of my house with colored lights.

Oh, that's right, I leave those up year 'round.

Never mind. 

[Lachlann]

My Thanksgiving was last month and it wasn't all it cracked up to be. Annoying family members invading my house was not fun.

As for Christmas? I'm hoping less annoying family members come. Christmas is held at my house because I live with my parents still. I don't have any special plans, although I do love the holiday.

[tekla]

I love holidays.  I don't care what they are, or who originated them, or what complex background of who swiped what part of the holiday from who - if its a holiday, good enough.  I'll pick what parts of it I like, do those and ignore the rest.  I'll let anybody wish me a happy whatever, because there are not enough people spending enough time wishing other people to be happy to get all butthurt about what festival they are doing it for.

And Xmas/T-giving are about the only two I don't work.  Never on Xams, and I have T-day off even if I do tend to work the night before and the day after.*  I always work NYE, Valentines Day, most Halloweens - but that's OK, I like doing that.

So bring on the Kwanzaa candles, put up that pagan fertility symbol and decorate it, fast for Ramadan, Festivus for the Rest of Us and Happy Hanukkah and give me my gelt and all the rest.  Do the fun parts, and skip what you don't like.

Easy.



*I've often heard NYE and St Paddys Day referred to as 'amateur' night holidays, where people who don't usually go out, go out and have one too many and get all iccky in public.  But the real professional night is the night before T-giving, only real club kids, bar dwellers, and the like are not home with their family, or making dinner.  It's a kick butt night.   

[Lachlann]

I love holidays.  I don't care what they are, or who originated them, or what complex background of who swiped what part of the holiday from who - if its a holiday, good enough.  I'll pick what parts of it I like, do those and ignore the rest.  I'll let anybody wish me a happy whatever, because there are not enough people spending enough time wishing other people to be happy to get all butthurt about what festival they are doing it for.

And Xmas/T-giving are about the only two I don't work.  Never on Xams, and I have T-day off even if I do tend to work the night before and the day after.*  I always work NYE, Valentines Day, most Halloweens - but that's OK, I like doing that.

So bring on the Kwanzaa candles, put up that pagan fertility symbol and decorate it, fast for Ramadan, Festivus for the Rest of Us and Happy Hanukkah and give me my gelt and all the rest.  Do the fun parts, and skip what you don't like.

Easy.



*I've often heard NYE and St Paddys Day referred to as 'amateur' night holidays, where people who don't usually go out, go out and have one too many and get all iccky in public.  But the real professional night is the night before T-giving, only real club kids, bar dwellers, and the like are not home with their family, or making dinner.  It's a kick butt night.

I agree 100%.

I love holidays, provided that others don't ruin it for me. Whether or not it's gotten too commercial or not, I love to celebrate.

[tekla]

provided that others don't ruin it for me

Just tell them to 'get the hell out of my holiday'.  Granted other people can be annoying, but there is enough good stuff about holidays that you can find your place far from them.  For a while, a solid bunch of years, I really didn't have anyone to spend them with (yeah, boo-hoo), so I got with some other people in the alt.dressing community and served Tday/Xmass dinners to poor and homeless persons.  Most of the days I did that, when I was done, I'd go out to the coast, because at about 4 on either of those two days I'd pretty much have the beach and the footpaths at Land's End all to myself.  Turned out those were some of the best holidays I've ever had.

[Lachlann]

provided that others don't ruin it for me

Just tell them to 'get the hell out of my holiday'.  Granted other people can be annoying, but there is enough good stuff about holidays that you can find your place far from them.  For a while, a solid bunch of years, I really didn't have anyone to spend them with (yeah, boo-hoo), so I got with some other people in the alt.dressing community and served Tday/Xmass dinners to poor and homeless persons.  Most of the days I did that, when I was done, I'd go out to the coast, because at about 4 on either of those two days I'd pretty much have the beach and the footpaths at Land's End all to myself.  Turned out those were some of the best holidays I've ever had.

True enough.

[AmySmiles]

Oooooh I love this season because of all the food.  Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, dinner rolls, cookies, pie ... I'm drooling already 

I'm not on the religious side of holidays, but bring on the other stuff!

[Constance]

We celebrate both.

This year, we'll be at my step-mother-in-law's place for Thanksgiving.

Being married to an ordained UCC minister means that my wife will be working late on Christmas Eve and into early morning on Christmas. Then, we'll just have Christmas at home this year.

I myself am Pagan, so I'll probably do a solitary thing on the Solstice. Although, we have done combined Advent/Yule candle rituals at home before.

[lizbeth]

I just recently came out to most of my family, so holidays might be especially awkward this year. maybe I'll take this year off! lol

well, so much for that! I did actually spend thanksgiving with some family and it went very well and wasn't awkward at all believe it or not. I'm glad I didn't take another year off. 

[tekla]

I always liked this time of year.  Sure it rains, but the hills turn green and NorCal looks so pretty.  And rain down here means snow in Tahoe and that always makes me feel better.  Plus with all the Xmas shows, the Nutcracker (I average two a year), NYE (starting at double time pay, yippie, play late guys), and all that its a good money time for me.

And I'll help just about anyone celebrate their holiday, whatever it is. 

[Alyssa M.]

Happy New Year, everone! Welcome to Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary! (Note the world actually ends Dec. 2010, not 2012, since that's when the calendar flips back to Year A; also, it only began 2 years ago. Your "memories" are a trick from Satan to make you doubt.)



I love Advent, and I love Advent music, and I even love hearing Christmas music during Advent, even if it's not really seasonal. Whether it's Bing Crosby, The Twelve Days of Christmas arranged for jazz quartet or brass ensemle, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or a twelve year old busker downtown playing Joy To The World on a violin, I love it. And if I don't, I either leave or tolerate it for the sake of whatever friends I have that are enjoying it.

But there's a limit. And that limit is at my local Kroger store, where they blare out TSO and other cloying renditions of the most obnoxious Christmas music they can find. Warbly gospel styings on rennaisance-era hymns, overproduced pop kitch instrumentals, shrill childrens voices clashing their way through Jingle Bells, and always the major second modulation for the last verse of the song -- so you know to be happy! But I have to go; I need food to eat. So I get in and out of the store as fast as I can, lest I be hit by the next awful song. Grocery shopping during Advent takes on the air of a raid.