25 December 2004

[wildsweetone]

An advert on tv here at the moment is for a tyre shop. A woman insists on wrapping crescents, and tyres with Christmas paper.

This got me thinking, who on earth gives car tyres for gifts at Christmas?

A dad who wants to help out his son and also to reward him for good work during the year.

Or, a grandparent whose grandchild has everything one could possibly want.

Or perhaps, a guy who works in a tyre shop and gets discounts on purchases.



I was wondering, what are some time honoured traditional gifts that your family gives at Christmas time?

Do you celebrate the day in any particularly special way?

Is there anything whacky or unusual that you do to mark the day as your own?

Is the 25th December, just simply another day in the year for you?

 

[Svenskaflicka]

24th of December is Presents Day, Donald-Duck-On-TV Day, EatingUntil-You-Barf Day.

25th is just one long boring day when you kill time by watching TV or read your christmas books, waiting for 26th, when the shops start their annual Sale.

 

[Guest]

24th is go to Mom and Dad's day. We open presents there, eat til we are stuffed, and usually watch an old Christmas movie (the same one every single year.)

25th is us opening presents that morning as soon as we get up and then a couple of hours later going to my grandmother's. The rest of the day is kids play with new toys day.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Some conspiracy group (probably financially supported by the Christian Party) inside the TV stations rig the agenda every X-mas, showing nothing but religious crap on TV. Video stores have great business around X-mas time. Swedes aren't very religious, and we don't like being told what to watch.

The only two things I watch every christmas is the Donald Duck show and the communistic 70'ies-tale, "The Christmas of Karl Bertil Johnsson".

 

[A7inchPhildo]

I thought every one cellabrated the 26th Boxing day. That is the day you rebox all the wonderful gifts you got on the 25th and decide if you can give them as gifts to friends before the first of the year or if they are going to be returned.

(I know what Boxing day really is)


Christmas that wonderfull headache once a year you are forced to be with the family. On top of that you can spend too much time picking out gifts no one is going to use. And you are cluttered with junk you must display at least until the first time that person comes to visit your home.

Horray! Why don't we all just have to pay a store tax and make it easy? That will keep the stores happy and I can grocery shop without 100K people in line. There should be a law no gifts to any one over the age of 16 just currency. And if every one gives the same amount we won't need to even do that!

Bah, Humbug! Christmas in my opinion is for the little ones. They love it and appreciate it that is where it should stop. Getting a Knit sweater from my brothers wife is useless and a waste I would rather donate to children and families in need. Besides Duh! I live in Florida Like I have much use for winter clothes, let alone sweaters. (Mr. Rogers wears sweaters I do not)

How do you tell some one nicely your gifts really suck! Last year my own mother bought me a train-set. Hello! I am 34 I am not having time nor would I play with trains. I do not know about others at Lit but I can buy whatever I want and I don't want God awful pictures and stuff. Anything more than a photograph of the family or kind company is a waste.

So I am not giving gifts this year except to the little ones. Every thing else I normally spend I donated to toys for tots. I hope I get some dirty looks because I am dying to say what I think of the gift thing any way.

Starting my own new tradition giving to a good cause rather than wasting time and money at Christmas.

Phildo Scrooge

 

[Guest]

I was wondering, what are some time honoured traditional gifts that your family gives at Christmas time?

Satsumas and nuts. Oh yeah and socks.

Do you celebrate the day in any particularly special way?

Yep, we all get up at the crack of dawn and rush downstairs to see if Father Christmas has left sackfulls of presents. We then watch the kids' faces as they open presents for the next hour or so. It's then time to whack the massive turkey in the oven, while the adults get started on opening up pressies. I have my first drink at about 9am.

I spend the rest of the morning preparing veg, namely spuds, carrots, brocolli and sprouts (which I hate, but we have to have them, as it's 'tradition'). I also drink some more. The kids play with their new toys all morning, while the male members of my family (Hubby, Dad and two Brothers) play with their 'novelty' gifts. Such as mini electronic games, etc.

Mum helps me to dish up lunch in the kitchen, while Adam lays the table (last year he had to relay the table, as Chloe pulled on the tablecloth, sending all of the carefully laid crockery and glasses crashing to the floor, smashing the lot ). I drink some more, then we pull our crackers, of course, and don stupid paper hats. We eat until we are fit to burst, including lots of sprouts, which I hate, but which I have to eat, 'cause it's 'tradition'. We then have 'the pud' which nearly always makes us feel sick, but we stuff it in anyway.

After lunch we watch the Queen's speech, as Adam washes up, still wearing his paper hat. My Dad falls asleep in the armchair, still wearing his paper hat. All afternoon my Mum and me play board games with the kids, still wearing our paper hats. We have more drink.

Teatime, more food! Sandwiches, sausage rolls, yule-log, Christmas cake, etc etc. I feel ill, so I have more drink!

Evening, kids are in bed, we have more drink. We play the adult games, then eat more food!

Is there anything whacky or unusual that you do to mark the day as your own?

Apart from eating copious amounts of sprouts and wearing silly paper hats for most of the day, not really.

Is the 25th December, just simply another day in the year for you?

No way, it's the best day of the year, I love it!

I'm nuts about Christmas.

Lou, getting excited!

 

[Guest]

Feliz Navidad

Christmas means being a (my family name) and Mexican. My brothers and I love this holiday and spend it together when possible. My youngest brother lives in SF so it’s usually us and our families (my two sons, his wife and daughter) and perhaps a close friend (usually from Detroit).

This year I am going to take up my mother’s and grandmothers’ traditional role of making tamales. A few days before the 25th we spend a day putting together and cooking a minimum of 12 dozen tamales; two kinds—red chile pork, and sweet (raisin, pineapple, cinnamon). They are also the traditional New Year’s Eve food.

On the 24th we go to midnight Mass (I always cry when we sing Adeste Fideles). On Christmas day we simply gather together to eat, hang-out, open presents. We only buy fun/gag or special/meaningful gifts. No one gives clothes, kitchen gadgets, anything useful; usually music and books.

Sometime during xmas week I watch the old British version of “A Christmas Carol” w/Alistair Sim. When my brothers and I were very young we watched it every year on TV while eating some hot Campbell’s soup our mom heated up for us. It’s a silly, sentimental thing, and I smoke and drink tea or wine, no more canned soup for me.

Last Christmas I spent in Venice with two friends; Christmas 2001 in Vienna with a brother who lives there. It will be nice to be home this year (and I am off work from the 22nd through Jan. 2!)

This is getting long, but I’ll finish by saying that Christmas really begins for me on Dec. 12, the feast day of La Virgen de Guadalupe. I go to a 7AM* Catholic Mass with a procession first (mariachis play and we sing “Las Mañanitas”). The service includes a reenactment of the vision; after we all gather for a Mexican breakfast—tamales, champurrado (special thick hot chocolate), pan dulce.

Best wishes to all, Perdita

*in Mexico the procession begins at dawn, but here we can’t get priests to say Mass that early.

 

[McKenna]

.

 

[Guest]

Mex-Brit Xmas?

Loulou: I copied and sent your xmas post to my sister-in-law as I knew she'd enjoy and appreciate it; she's a writer too, working on her second novel.

She wrote this back to me:
"What a coincidence that she should mention those paper hats. They come out of British "crackers," don't they? Those cylinder-shaped things where you pull the tabs on the end? I just saw some at Williams Sonoma and were thinking of getting them. So this clinches it! This description also reminded me of the scene in "Bridget Jones' Diary" where it's late on Christmas and she and her despondent Dad are sitting around watching TV wearing paper hats....and in "Billy Elliott," when the whole, dysfunctional, poverty-striken, grief-striken family is sitting around late on Christmas wearing paper hats.

Bring on the paper hats!"

So I guess we'll add something new to our "Mexican" xmas , though we don't get the Queen's speech and we certainly aren't going to listen to our prez that day .

ta, Perdita

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I was wondering, what are some time honoured traditional gifts that your family gives at Christmas time?

Do you celebrate the day in any particularly special way?

Is there anything whacky or unusual that you do to mark the day as your own?

Is the 25th December, just simply another day in the year for you?

I usually spend Christmas night with all my family -- mother and father, brother, aunt and uncle, cousins -- either at my parents' place or my aunt's. We have the traditional Christmas dinner -- codfish -- and, like perdita, go midnight Mass.

When we get home we gather in the living-room, around the fireplace, Christmas tree and Crib, and open the presents, one by one. These are always significant things, that will be special for that person. I often buy Christmas presents as early as January, if I see something that I know will be perfect for someone.

The following day, the 25th, we get up late (the unwrapping of the presents usually keeps us up till 4AM) and have Christmas lunch -- codfish again, different prep. All through the season, starting sometime next week and until the Day of Kings -- Twelfth day -- we keep the dinner table fully loaded at all times, with dry fruits, a kind of bread fritter named 'rabanada', with sweet vermicelli and other traditional goodies.




edited to say that this applies to 25 December 2003, as well, as 2004

edited again to say that the interjection in my signature is meant in the best possible way

 

[LorriLove]

hiya

hiya perdy lover how's you?

just like lou says, she's summed up the typical english christmas day a treat, but for one major difference in our household, hubby does the cooking at christmas around here, he always has, he insists.

he gets up at about 5am and puts the turkey in the oven on low heat, he insists on cooking it slowly, then if he hasn't woken the kids he comes back to bed for an hour or so.

we all get up at about 7am and the present opening begins and goes on until the floor is covered with ripped up wrapping paper and quickly inspected minor presents.

then he prepares the veg, usually, brussels, spuds, carrots, parsnips, and a few green beans for little one who hates sprouts. then bless him he checks the bird and puts the spuds and parsnips in for roasting, then the greens and that on to boil when it's time.

he finishes his stint by carving the turkey at the table, everything else he then leaves to the rest of us. after dinner he crashes out in his chair (with obligatory paper hat on) and we have to clear up the crafty sod. but it does give me one day a year off of the cooking duties, giggle.

we all love christmas in this crazy household, a very wild time of year as well as a holiday.

 

[Guest]

Lorri, thank you! So it's Brussel sprouts that are traditional? I heard about the sprouts for xmas and thought of bean sprouts (those things that look like giant sperm), and could not figure out how they made up any part of an English xmas or how they were cooked!

I love B.sprouts.

ta, Perdita

p.s. thanks for always asking, I'm very well, luv.

 

[Wills]

This year, for the first year since I can't remember when, I am going to enjoy Christmas Day.

Until the middle of this year I owned and ran a patisserie in UK. Christmas for me had grown into a nightmare of preparation decorating cakes, dealing with last minute orders, difficult customers and lack of sleep. Most bakery workers will not be able to sleep for the two days before Christmas Eve so busy will they be preparing goodies for the rest of us to enjoy, so spare a thought for them when you go to collect your cakes.

This year we will be spending Christmas in Portugal at my wifes, cousins house. She has one of the best cooks in Portugal.

We will be eating all of the things Lauren listed above, though she forgot Arroz Doce (sweet rice decorated with cinnamon) and Bolinhas de Jerimu (little pumpkin donuts dipped in cinnamon syrup). The cook, Catarina, and I have a small competition to see who can make the best Bolo Rei (Epiphany or Kings Cake) a ring of sweet dough full of fruits and nuts and decorated with crystalised fruits. It really belongs to Twelth Night, but traditions change. In the cake is 'hidden' a lucky charm and a dried broad bean, who ever gets the broad bean has to buy the cake next year.

I can say that my Bolo Rei are the best I have tasted since the village bakery closed near to where my wifes family lived in Portugal. We used to supply loads to Portuguese people living in London.

I made my Christmas Puddings back in the summer, we give them out as small gifts to friends and neighbours, it has become a kind of tradition. I will be making my very own recipe Figgy Puddings a concoction of Chocolate, Figs and Almonds, with enough brandy to make them worthwhile decorated with white chocolate and marzipan holly. If anyone wants the recipe PM me.

They were great times, nothing quite like getting feedback from customers, you make them a cake and they come back full of smiles for more. Bit like Lit.

Have a good one, I know I shall.

PS. If any one wants to know what Christmas is like in a bakery read Catbabes Christmas story. She catches the atmosphere perfectly.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Fuck. I forgot the Bolo Rei. I never have any, but it's always there on the table too. We don't have Arroz Doce here in the north, just Aletria, but it's almost the same and decorated with cinnamon too.

Another thing I never have but is always there is Pinhões (pine-seed thingies)

 

[Guest]

Re: Mex-Brit Xmas?

Loulou: I copied and sent your xmas post to my sister-in-law as I knew she'd enjoy and appreciate it; she's a writer too, working on her second novel.

She wrote this back to me:
"What a coincidence that she should mention those paper hats. They come out of British "crackers," don't they? Those cylinder-shaped things where you pull the tabs on the end? I just saw some at Williams Sonoma and were thinking of getting them. So this clinches it! This description also reminded me of the scene in "Bridget Jones' Diary" where it's late on Christmas and she and her despondent Dad are sitting around watching TV wearing paper hats....and in "Billy Elliott," when the whole, dysfunctional, poverty-striken, grief-striken family is sitting around late on Christmas wearing paper hats.

Bring on the paper hats!"

So I guess we'll add something new to our "Mexican" xmas , though we don't get the Queen's speech and we certainly aren't going to listen to our prez that day .

ta, Perdita

Perdita, that is brilliant! I'll be picturing you in your paper hats on Christmas Day now. Pass on my thanks to your Sister-in-Law for the smiles.

Lorri, glad to see I'm not the only whacky Brit here.

Lou

P.S. Here's a sneak preview of what Adam and I look like with the obligatory fashion accessory for Brits on Christmas Day:

 

[Guest]

Lorri, thank you! So it's Brussel sprouts that are traditional? I heard about the sprouts for xmas and thought of bean sprouts (those things that look like giant sperm), and could not figure out how they made up any part of an English xmas or how they were cooked!

I love B.sprouts.

ta, Perdita

p.s. thanks for always asking, I'm very well, luv.

Yeah, it's B%&*)($% sprouts.

I hate, loath and detest the buggers, but I still eat 'em.

Lou

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Yeah, it's B%&*)($% sprouts.

I hate, loath and detest the buggers, but I still eat 'em.

Lou

I hate sprouts, potatoes and codfish. Ask Wills what that spells for a Portuguese...

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Mex-Brit Xmas?

Perdita, that is brilliant! I'll be picturing you in your paper hats on Christmas Day now.

Lou, you made me feel close to you, thanks. I'll take some pics for you.

Now all I need is a pic of Gauche in a paper hat .

Purr

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Mex-Brit Xmas?

Lou, you made me feel close to you, thanks. I'll take some pics for you.

Now all I need is a pic of Gauche in a paper hat .

Purr

Hehehe! Yeah, an actual pic of Gauche, not Gollum.

I can't wait to see your pics.

Loulou

 

[Guest]

I hate sprouts, potatoes and codfish. Ask Wills what that spells for a Portuguese...

Illness?

Sprouts are the spawn of Satan. Sorry, probably going a bit OTT there, but they are evil little bastards.

Lou

P.S. I've been on the wine.

 

[Wills]

Here's your Xmas Cracker link

http://www.absolutelycrackers.com/historynew.html

Lauren obviously is only pretending to be Portuguese, no self respecting Portuguese would turn down Bacalao. Of course it could just be the raw garlic sprinkled over the boiled cod fish that puts her off.

Will's

 

[Guest]

It's interesting to hear the different food traditions for Christmas.

We never have a traditional Christmas dinner. Usually, it's food that we can snack on, though mom does fix a ham most of the time (brown sugar, yummy.)

However, she informed us this year that we would be having smoked turkey instead of ham, dangit.

Our snack foods usually consist of sausage balls, chex mix, fudge, rice krispy treats and anything that was left over from mom's office party (which only consists of about 10 people) earlier in the day. Last year that was coctail weinies and rotel.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I never said I turn it down, I just hate the bastard in its 1001 ways of being cooked.

Actually, I enjoyed it once, two years ago, at a place a few metres from the Sé (Cathedral) in Porto. It was a very new, very small high-class restaurant, and they opened the place especially for us on the first night of Queima das Fitas, the Serenata. They served the bacalhau intermixed with prosciutto and breaded broccoli. Had never tasted anything like that before or since, but it was good!

 

[gauchecritic]

sprouts... but they are evil little bastards.

Now everyone is going to think I stole that line from you for my christmas story.

Traditions. Unusual:

Pancakes, with fried bacon and onion. Christmas and New years Eve. I make them (it's the only thing I can make, paper thin and cut in half filled with the bacon and onion, eaten like frijoles(?) but hot enough to burn your tongue)

When the kids were little the very best sight was Christmas afternoon, expensive toys scattered about the room and the eldest child (3 or 4 years) happily playing in the clothes basket instead.

Now it's guitars and amps and out into the shed where the drum kit is for a jam, if I can convince them that is.

Gauche (hoping for a noisy Christmas)

 

[Uther_Pendragon]

Church late Christmas eve. A little time with my wife
Christmnas day. We don't have kids and we don't
go all out about gifts. Maybe one from each of us to
the other. Have some younger relatives who *do* get gifts.
It's fun to shop for books for kids.
The holiday originated as a Christian celebration. Reading
the statements of others an the group, I see how
destructive the secularization has become.