What are you doing for Christmas?

[Cindy]

What will you be doing?
If there are some of us going to be lonely can we have an internet/chat whatever catch up?

If there are people in same countries states cities maybe we can get together even if it is on the web.

I'll be bringing my wife home from a nursing home for a few hours and will have her family, including 91yr old Mum with us. I'll cook the turkey and the others will bring salads. A special this year is that I will do some hot food as well; I'm in Australia, Christmas day is usually warm.  But my wife's family are from the USA, so I'll surprise them. They have some disgusting items including sweet potatoes with marsh mellows,  pumpkin pie ( ), jelly ( I have never worked out what this is, I don't think I won't to )

They then sleep while I clear the place up.

I actually love it.

Cindy

[Lee]

I'm glad that it sounds like you're in for a good Christmas.

I'll be joining my parents and brother and then going to my grandmother's place for Christmas day.  I'm not out to any of them, so it's going to be a month of trying to hide the fact that I'm wearing a binder and packer or trying to do without and dealing with a lot of relatives who complain about my short hair.  Honestly, I don't know how things are going to work and really wish I could get chat to work so I could talk to all of you instead.  Anyways, I hope that you all have a warm and safe holiday season.

[xAndrewx]

I think everyone chatting will be nice if it happens. I'll probably be spending some of my time on here, a little with family, and some time with my friend. My mother is gonna be working more than half the day and since there is no snow it really doesn't even feel like Christmas here. Sounds like a great holiday Cindy



Lee: good luck with your family man. Just to point out celebrity females like Emma Watson and Alyssa Milano have way shorter haircuts than your avatar pic. So if it doesn't make you uncomfortable pointing that out to them it might get them to shut up. I wish I was going to have a cold holiday season.

[Cindy]

We never have snow.

I and others get really upset by the Australia in the snow pics, I t doesn't happen. It will be 25-30C, which is cool for Adelaide. Where are you  Michael? I thought you where in the USA? With no snow!!!l

Cindy

[xAndrewx]

Haha yeah in the USA but stuck in Florida of all the places I could be. Spent more than half my life in Ohio with the beautiful snow and gorgeous Christmas's, now it's a hot Christmas for me Could be worse though. 

[Flan]

Could be worse though.

I'll be happy to dump you a foot of the white stuff...

[kelly_aus]

I'm having the usual Christmas lunch with the family this year..

Actually, not quite the usual.. Firstly, I'm chasing my mum and aunt out of the kitchen this year - no cooking for them! And secondly, it's Kelly's first Christmas! 

[Amazon D]

I am hoping to be moved into my new rebuilt house by Christmas. I want to invite a veteran or two from a local VA hospital to my place and cook them a nice turkey dinner on my old wood cook stove. As for snow its been just flurries here so far but it may be more very very soon brrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Colleen Ireland]

This will be the first Christmas since coming out to my wife and kids.  And myself.  I ended decades of denial last May or June, and since then I've been working steadily at finding out what all this means for me at this time.  And what I'm discovering (no big surprise) is a woman inside screaming to get out.

But... Christmas this year will be hard.  The "kids" are 19, 24 and 27, and all still live at home, all have significant others, and are poised to launch themselves into life.  And then there's me.  And my wife is not attracted to women, and is not supportive of me.  She is still in the Anger phase of mourning.  Our marriage is probably toast, but we haven't talked about it in real terms yet.

So... Christmas this year will be hard at my house.  I feel like crying a lot of the time.  Music has become a mine field for us - it has had such meaning in our lives, I am a musician and songwriter, and music in all forms has been extremely important in the emotional life of our family.  But now all the meanings are twisted or skewed. 

Sorry to be such a downer... 

[erocse]

Colleen ,

  I don't wish to come off sounding inconsiderate. What I think might make you feel better (and I know this will be hard) is to, let Colleen take the lead this year. Have the most fun possible , show your wife and family just how happy Colleen is. Show them how much fun she can be. Let them see the Colleen that we know, Happy and unstoppable.  The worst that can happen is that you end up having a very merry Christmas. Let everyone ride on your coat-tails of happiness.

   Hugs Roxy

Warning !!! happiness is contagious !!!

[Mrs Erocse]

I agree with Roxy! Have fun Colleen. The first step to better times is to imagine them. 
A fun family game is Catch Phrase. Available at WalMart. We always play that game with large groups. Everyone has a laugh. Very distracting from other things. (just a suggestion)

Well have a great time. Have your outfit ready.

~Hugs~
Patty

[rejennyrated]

Being genuine pagans we do not celebrate Christmas as such. Ours is the feast of Yule, which happens to (more or less) coincide.

In previous years we have acted as hub for our family as we have a big place where a group celebration can be hosted allowing everyone room to attend. We have had about 30 people on occasion, but for the past few years we have been scaling back.

Sadly this year may well be our last in our current abode, after a stay of nearly 15 years, so we are being very selective and on the day itself we shall be just the three immediate family members (Alison, I and Shaun). At 26 Shaun is now at an age where he is no longer particularly taken with the Christmas razzmatazz either. So ours will be a quiet but hopefully restful and relaxing day. Lots of good nosh, a couple of films, and a good walk up one of the local Tors.

I would like to wish those of you who are celebrating a fabulous time too.

Oh and Colleen I agree with the Erocse's. Have a real good time and let you hair down a bit girl. Plenty of time for worry the rest of the year. This is one day to take a break.

[tekla]

jelly

They probably don't ship internationally, but this stuff is the Rolls-Royce of jellies.  It's a placed just the next town over that has been doing organic farming since the 1940s.  This stuff they make out of the estate Pinot Noir grapes.  It's sweet like jelly should be, but it has a wonderful bite to it.  Yummo!  I serve people this and the next thing I know we're driving out there to buy a case so they can take it home with them.

http://www.kozlowskifarms.com/product/Estate_Grown_Pinot_Noir_Grape_Jelly/Jelly_and_Marmalade

All their stuff is good (the apple pie they make it worth running people over to get a hold of) is pretty tasty, but the other outstanding deal for me is the Chocolate Strawberry Fudge Sauce.  Though I know people who also swear by their butters.

But that what I do.  Cook and eat.  The week after is pretty busy for me leading up to NYE so I just like to chill.  We try to use as much of the local stuff as we can, from the place above, near there they make a sparkling apple cider that rocks.  And some local wine too.

If it's real nice, we go to the coast, the beaches are pretty empty on Xmas day.

[dyslexi]

I do not have family available and my friends have their own family xmas so i will be alone. I don't like xmas very much. I can't even go out for coffee to be around people. everything is closed. sigh. I will try to remember to buy myself something for xmas. shrug

[Mrs Erocse]

Having been raised Jehovah's Witnesses we have never celebrated Christmas. I vaguely remember one when I was little about 4. None other than that vague memory. Erocse and I have never developed a tradition ourselves, even though we have not been JW's for 19yrs. The day is not remembered or recounted in our family history. (Last year Erocse made cinnamon rolls and we gave them to our nieghbors and introduced ourselves to the new ones we did not know.)

This week we are traveling to So CA to see two of our daughters and thier spouses, my mom, my brother, (Who will see Erocse for the first time and are happy we are a couple )and other various good friends that time allows. Erocse has made pounds of fudge, chocolate w/ nuts & w/ out. Maple, and white chocolate with cashews. We will box them  with ribbons and give them to our family and friends. I have made candles and will share them with the homemade fudge. This will probably be the most we have ever done around this time of the year.

Christmas Day, we will probably be traveling home. Life is good and we are happy. To place too much import on a specific day is a set up for dissapointment. Everyday should be a good day and all we can do is one day at a time. I agree with Dyslexi the fact that nothing is open is a drag Christmas day.
~Hugs & Best wishes to all

Patty~

[Nathan.]

I'll be having lunch with my mum, aunt and cousin. I'm kinda sad about it, we used to be such a close family but things have happend which made it all fall apart so no more big family christmases.

[tekla]

the fact that nothing is open is a drag Christmas day

It seems weird though when it's not like that.  I just kind of expect everything to have that ghost town vibe - except for movie theaters.  But when I lived in North Beach it was right next to Chinatown, and you could walk into Chinatown and it's just a normal business day.  There is no Christmas in Chinatown, but there is a ton of red as they are getting ready for their big deal, which is New Year (and its not the same date as our NY).  I think that's why so many city types do that Kung-Pao and movie deal that the Jewish kids started a couple of decades ago on Xmas. 

[Alexmakenoise]

I actually might spend some time in Chinatown this Christmas.  My plan for the holiday is to take a long walk around the city and then go to a party in the evening.

[tekla]

Oh yeah, it's well worth it just for the trip of walking over from Union Square and it's all dead, then you round a corner and POW.   Get yourself some Dim Sum, or have lunch.  Then when you walk out the other side it goes away instantly.  The whole trail system out at Land's End is nice and very empty.  I used to always ride out to the Bridge as it only had a few people on it instead of the usual crowds.

[Mrs Erocse]

I didn't know that about China Town. (Tekla, is there China Town in NY or are you talking LA? It is a good point. I wonder if in other midwest towns Chinese restaurants are open? Not everyone is lucky to have access to the big city. There are more stores open Christmas Day than there used to be. The poor economy will insure that I think.