I'm spending it with the family of one of my college friends, maybe even see my new BF if time allows it.  This will be my first Christmas away from my family, but I'm hanging in there.  Being an international student isn't easy sometimes.
--Are you doing anything special?

Morning with my kids then we all head out in a larger group for Dim Sum, Powells book store then the movies.
Lots of Fun

The 23rd or Christmas Eve, my neighbor, Heather and i are going to a buffet for lunch.  Christmas will be a non-event as it usually is.


Hugs and Love,
Janet

We aren't celebrating it this year. No tree, no decorations. My daughter is coming over from across town to have a meal and maybe watch a DVD but no presents. I pretend to act like I am not here and let her chat merrily with her mother. We rarely speak and if I start a conversation, I get readily shut down. It's all over not being able to accept me as a woman. It is the best she can do just to come here. I'm starting to get used to it.

Maggie

Well, after setting up and running several Xmas Parties, two different Nutcrackers (one with kids, yuuck), two different venues with David Archuleta doing two shows (I didn't know who is was either, once I found out, I cared even less), three shows in two venues with Brian Setzer's (Stray Cats) Swing Band Xmas show - I'm about all holidayed out.  So my GF is cooking for my brother, his daughter (25ish) and me and we're just going to hang here in Sonoma.  If its nice we'll go to the coast.  The beach on Xmas is perfect, you might just be about the only people on it. 

QuoteThe beach on Xmas is perfect, you might just be about the only people on it. 

sounds perfect, want my snow?

Sure, you deliver all that snow to Heavenly Valley, South Lake Tahoe Nevada/California.  But where I live?  Nah, I like going to the beach, on picnics, riding my bike and taking outdoor hot tubs all year long.

 

yep big party w/my family.   

Spending it with my family as usual. Not sure what antics they've got planned, though.

Tekla, I want to visit you for a while, say a lifetime maybe?


Ok, someday I will get to where it is warm, I have 16 months to go.

Dinner with the BF, maybe a movie.  New Year's eve will be a different story.

Okay... I'm having a "traditional Icelandic Yule".. this means it starts tomorrow and ends next year!

Tomorrow at 13:00 I'm going to a buffet with salt-fish and fermented stingray.
After that I'm working from 16:00-20:00.
I will also be trying to finish baking and assembling the gingerbread house.

The 24th is the big day over here.
I'll be trimming my daughter's and husband's hair. Decorating the gingerbread house. Getting everyone bathed and prettied up, myself in cluded. Getting dressed up. Getting all the presents organized into a bag or so and then...
17:00 Everyone goes to my sister's.
18:00 We all sit down to eat (Me, hubby, daughter, Mum & her hubby, Sister & her son, Brother & his fiance) and don't get up until getting up is near impossible.
Then there's desert, and flopping 'round in the livingroom, culminating in presents being passed around.
More desert after the presents and then we go back home.

25.th is dedicated to "digesting yesterday's dinner" and really going over the presents, playing with what we get and so on.
Then there's a "medium" sized family dinner and flopping 'round in front of the telly.

26th has the second Big family dinner.
I'll be helping out in the kitchen, getting everyone clean, dressed, and prettied up.
Helping out with prep.
Running the vacuum.
Then at 19:00, Dinner is on once more. Again, eating 'till you can't move, followed by passing around of presents to and from those that weren't here on the 24th, followed by more desert, TV, and eventual sleep.

Then there's a couple days off during which we slowly chip away at the leftovers, tidy up the house again, restock the fridge of what's been devoured, and re-group for newyears.

dec. 31'st.
Big family dinner! Same routine.
Cleaning house, getting dressed and clean and pretty, cooking a gigantic meal, eat until you can't possibly move, flop around the livingroom, pass around presents between ppl who weren't here on the other days, eat massive amounts of chips and candy and deserts during the evening...
And then at 23:00 the fireworks slowly start, building up to a massive display of colourful light-explosions filling the night sky for a full hour! (23:30-00:30). In fact, my town sets over more fireworks in one day, per capita, than any other town in the world.
somewhere around 2am, people will settle down, empty their drinks, and slink into bed, except those that go "out".. those'll be drinking themselves silly 'till 5am.. and I haven't the patience.

Me and my hubby will be having a kiss and snug at midnight because the first time he and I ever had physical, sexual contact, with one another, was midnight, newyears eve, two years ago. which was a mere 5 hours from the first moment we met face to face (after being "involved" online for a year and a half).
And we still got that passion... ^^

Right.
Jan 1st is another Recoup day.

then there's a few "regular" days.

And then the yuletide ends, 13 days after christmas eve, or on January 6th.
Big bonfire, small(er) amount of fireworks, nice quiet family dinner.
And that's it.

And the rest of the year try to lose everything gained in 13 days.  Nice to have a family to enjoy the holidays.


I am stuffed just reading it. 

Janet

Traditionally, Icelanders eat very modestly outside of these big holiday events.
And even during those events, even if there's a "lot" of food, it's fairly balanced. Meats and veg and fruit and so on.
Not just junk.

Quote from: tekla on December 21, 2009, 08:48:10 PMThe beach on Xmas is perfect, you might just be about the only people on it.

Well, after dinner with my family we'll be on the beach in Sunny Sydney and there will be tons of people- I haven't decided if my Santa hat goes with my bikini yet or not though But watching all the Santas surfing is priceless, I wouldn't miss it!

Unlike us in America, where all we eat is junk.  Lots of butter, cookies, cakes, Eggnog.  Fat, fat and more fat.

My sister called to say she doesn't know what she and her family is doing

Most likely I'll spend most of the time alone per usual

Sounds as if Wed/Thur will be hibernate days due to approaching semi-blizzard, or worse. Thursday is food prep day - pie bake, sweet potato boiling, etc. The shopping raids are done for this year; driving, selecting, pack-muling, wrapping, waiting for Friday morning when hours of work disappear in minutes of paper-ripping greed. Step-daughter/husband/daughter, perhaps one or two others over, but all out of the info loop. My hair is getting shoulder length but not had it styled yet, so I'm getting the "turning into a hippy" routine. I'm tired of that dance! This is the last year of it, though next year we may be considerably more alone. 2010, the year of change. Correction - improvement. For now, some semblance of the past this year.

SusanKG

Quote from: Virginia Marie on December 22, 2009, 08:05:40 PM
Most likely I'll spend most of the time alone per usual

You are welcome to spend it with me!!  I'll even let you use the one plate and spoon I have.  got a pair of glasses tho so we are good there.

that reads funny, I meant the kind of glasses that hold liquor or such.

I even have some food and alcohol to put in/on them.

trying my damned best not to blow my brains out... funny i use to love christmas and snow..its snowing outside now come to think of it..it just feels cold now
jessica