Merry Christmas & a Happy new year

[auscyclefan94]

To all Posters (except the dutch mafia),

Merry Christmas & a Happy new year!

Please tell us what people are getting or possibly wanting for christmas?
What foods do you generally eat? What do you do? Any specific traditions?

Discuss away!

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Likewise, Merry Christmas to you and all.
p.s. - I would've liked to meet Cuddles

 

[pedaling squares]

Yes, Merry Christmas to all of you.

I will be working () nights on Dec 24/25 but at least will be able to take the family skiing on Boxing Day. As for what I want, well my gift to my wife will be a two day retreat to some fancy new resort near here. So I want a volunteer to babysit two kids for two days while we dine, ski, and do whatever it is you do at a spa. Any takers? You'll have 4 bikes at your disposal, a big screen TV w/ a PS3, and only one kid is in diapers.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

I would also like to wish one and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.

Our son has about 10 days off from school, my husband may take a day or two off, and I probably will keep plugging away at the news writing. So no real break or vacation this year.

We will celebrate on Christmas Eve, as is traditional in Germany The tree is up and the presents under it, in the American tradtion, but they will be opened late Friday afternoon.

Susan

 

[auscyclefan94]

I would also like to wish one and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.

Our son has about 10 days off from school, my husband may take a day or two off, and I probably will keep plugging away at the news writing. So no real break or vacation this year.

We will celebrate on Christmas Eve, as is traditional in Germany The tree is up and the presents under it, in the American tradtion, but they will be opened late Friday afternoon.
Susan

So what happens on christmas day?

 

[Offtheback]

To all Posters (except the dutch mafia),

Merry Christmas & a Happy new year!

Please tell us what people are getting or possibly wanting for christmas?
What foods do you generally eat? What do you do? Any specific traditions?

Discuss away!

Yes Susan, I liked the German tradition of present opening on Christmas eve, rather than 6am in the morning when parents would rather have a sleep in! Lots of fun and the kids get to stay up late.

In answer to on3m@n@rmy, you EAT. (Turkey, Goose.. you name it LOL). And the kids get to ride the bikes they got the night before.

 

[L'arriviste]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

So what happens on christmas day?

Nothing, actually.

We are going to do only snacks and appetizers Christmas Eve for dinner, then the full-scale big dinner on Christmas Day, as a nod to the American half of the family (which basically means I don't want to have to Christmas Eve in the kitchen when I could be sitting with my husband and son around the tree sipping champagne).

No turkey this year, but a lovely piece of beef filet (hopefully without clenbuterol).

Susan

 

[auscyclefan94]

Nothing, actually.

We are going to do only snacks and appetizers Christmas Eve for dinner, then the full-scale big dinner on Christmas Day, as a nod to the American half of the family (which basically means I don't want to have to Christmas Eve in the kitchen when I could be sitting with my husband and son around the tree sipping champagne).

No turkey this year, but a lovely piece of beef filet (hopefully without clenbuterol).

Susan

Kinda odd that you celebrate christmas before christmas. Interesting!

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Kinda odd that you celebrate christmas before christmas. Interesting!

Seems odd to me too, but I have adapted myself to the tradition here.

Susan

 

[Roland Rat]

Kinda odd that you celebrate christmas before christmas. Interesting!

So what's the traditional Aussie Christmas? I can't imagine having Christmas in summer.

 

[dafnnic]

I'm in Western Australia where the forecast is for 41 degrees celcius, so therefore we are having a traditional english lunch of roast turkey, ham and all the trimmings. The day will start at 6am for presents followed by breakfast, then cooking lunch. All with the airconditioner on to keep the kitchen cool. After lunch is the compulsary nap and then leftovers for dinner. Boxing day will be an all day cocktail party with friends visiting with their leftovers and children, with dips in the pool to keep cool. One tradition we are not doing this year is the driving between families for lunch and dinner. This year christmas is at our house, so for a change I will get to enjoy a drink or two with lunch - makes the nap easier.

 

[The Hitch]

Yes Susan, I liked the German tradition of present opening on Christmas eve, rather than 6am in the morning when parents would rather have a sleep in!

German!!!!

Opening christmas presents on christmas eve is as Polish as Vodka, suicidal poets and Frederyk Chopin.

Edit: Oh and Marie Curie and Adam Mickiewicz. Oh and Danzig

Thieves.

Kinda odd that you celebrate christmas before christmas. Interesting!

No its not.

 

[Spare Tyre]

German!!!!

Opening christmas presents on new years eve is as Polish as Vodka, suicidal poets and Frederyk Chopin.

Edit: Oh and Marie Curie and Adam Mickiewicz.

Thieves.

No its not.

Hitch, did you mean to say Christmas Eve here?

My impression is that it is common in Europe to have the main focus/event on Christmas Eve, ie, not just Germany and (possibly) Poland.

 

[pedaling squares]

Hitch, did you mean to say Christmas Eve here?

My impression is that it is common in Europe to have the main focus/event on Christmas Eve, ie, not just Germany and (possibly) Poland.

It's popular over here to attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve (ok it's technically Christmas Day at that point) and some people give gifts on that evening too. In my youth, we stayed home and played games on the 24th and celebrated on Christmas Day. It's all the same really, so long as you're together.

 

[The Hitch]

Hitch, did you mean to say Christmas Eve here?

My impression is that it is common in Europe to have the main focus/event on Christmas Eve, ie, not just Germany and (possibly) Poland.

Yes i did mean Christmas eve. fail

But the subtle joke of the post which a few of those into history literature and culture will hopefully get, is that none of those things are fully polish.

Vodka is obviously Russian, we just drink it.
Suicidal Poets are russian Ukranian and Polish.
Chopin, as anyone who likes classical knows, was French from the side that mattered - his father and lived in France.
The great Mickiewic was half Lithuanian.
Maria Sklodowska married a Frenchman.


Likewise the Christmas eve tradition is far from fully Polish, though since i was the only european in my school, i always thought it was.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

WE have spent several Christmases with my mom in the US, and my poor son suffered at having to wait until Christmas morning to open his presents. We usually ended up allowing him to open one on Christmas Eve.

And this is not a little kid -- he was 15 last time we were in NC at Christmas!

Susan

 

[Spare Tyre]

Yes i did mean Christmas eve. fail

But the subtle joke of the post which a few of those into history literature and culture will hopefully get, is that none of those things are fully polish.

Vodka is obviously Russian, we just drink it.
Suicidal Poets are russian Ukranian and Polish.
Chopin, as anyone who likes classical knows, was French from the side that mattered - his father and lived in France.
The great Mickiewic was half Lithuanian.
Maria Sklodowska married a Frenchman.


Likewise the Christmas eve tradition is far from fully Polish, though since i was the only european in my school, i always thought it was.

It's a bit late for me to be getting such references (1.30 am) but now you have pointed it out I'm finding pleasure in your humour. I certainly get the Danzig reference, my mother's husband was born there. And I have had many Polish friends over the years so I have a little knowledge of Polish history and culture. Czesc.

@Pedaling Squares - A lot of Australians (mainly Catholics) go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve too. I don't think many exchange gifts then, though, unless they are of (very recent) European heritage.

In Melbourne there is a strong tradition of Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve (held at an outdoor venue). Thousands go and it's also broadcast on national TV.

For about 15 years my family gathered on Christmas Eve. It worked well because it freed us all up for Christmas Day with the family of our partner/spouse/whomever. And some partners were born in Europe so happy to maintain that sense of connection with the traditions they grew up with.

As for me, I'm unwell these days and quite happy to forego Christmas. Both my partner and I have challenging families and I can do without the stresses. I'm going to make sure I have plenty of yummy food on hand and will spend the day doing whatever is most appealing at the time.

 

[Cobblestones]

German!!!!

Opening christmas presents on christmas eve is as Polish as Vodka, suicidal poets and Frederyk Chopin.

Edit: Oh and Marie Curie and Adam Mickiewicz. Oh and Danzig

Thieves.

No its not.

Don't forget Kopernikus!

ETA Doh Hitch, you're not supposed to explain jokes, now it's not funny anymore.

Yes, merry christmas to all of you. I had much fun on this board this year (although it got again very heated and IMHO stupider around the TdF time so much so that I actually stopped reading for a while. This board is best around the spring classics up to and including the Giro and I'm looking forward to 2011.)

My children will get a microscope this year. It comes with an optical and digital eyepiece and I got a set of prepared slides to start them out with. They are just at the age (9 & 7) where this kind of stuff gets interesting. The typical kiddie toys are too boring and they're still far from being teenagers and 'too cool' for everything but themselves.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Merry Christmas to all of you too

We'll celebrate Christmas Eve with mom, me, my brother and sister and my mom's parents. The day after we have a big family Christmas party with presents

We celebrate New Year's Eve with my dad's family It's always jolly good fun

 

[Birdsauce]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! When I was a kid there were never any presents under the tree until Christmas morning...nothing but pine needles. Santa Claus is the one who brought the presents, not mom or dad. Obviously, a big deal to my dad to see the wonderment in our eyes to see that Santa had actually brought what we wanted.

Since I got married we open a few presents on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day. I also am starting a Christmas tradition this year with sleeping in the living room with the kids around the Christmas tree and having some type of hot apple cider, etc. My 4 yr old and 2 yr old will absolutely LOVE IT! My 7 month old will just be glad to be sleeping in the same room. One of the kids Christmas presents will be sleeping bags that they will open and then get to sleep in! May try to find an early Christmas Eve service due to bedtime schedules for the kids. Probably open all the presents before breakfast. The day after Christmas we will then load in the car and drive to my mom's house 5 hours away.

On New Year Day we usually try to go over to a friends house and watch a few football games then come home. In the American south east, the tradition is to eat collard greens and black eyed peas on New Years Day so that you will have plenty of money in the up coming year. The collard greens represent dollars and the black eyed peas represent coins. You can't make this stuff up. I never really have gotten into that one.

 

[RedheadDane]

Well. We open presents the 24th as well.

And we pretty much eath a lot! XD

But anyway...

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

[auscyclefan94]

So what's the traditional Aussie Christmas? I can't imagine having Christmas in summer.

turkey, ham, pork, roast veggies, pudding, etc. I would like to have Christmas in the snow. I have only ever seen snow once in my life, so I think it would be cool. Any snow fights on christmas day like all those xmas movies suggest?

 

[krebs303]

I will be away from family for the first time this year. But usually We would have cheese enchiladas (New Mexico style, flat with a fried egg on top). My Dad would make pancakes and eggs Christmas morning, And dinner would be roasted chicken and spaghetti and meatballs. My father owned a butcher shop and always brought home the beef that had turned brown and would not sell. Chicken was a big deal as we did not get it nearly as often as beef. The first time I went into to a market and saw red meat I was appalled that people would buy it.
Merry Christmas & a Happy new year

 

[Anonymous]

Well as an atheist I obviously dont beleive in any christian festivals, let alone christmas. I go along with it under severe sufference, We are having family over which to be honest, is my way of ensuring that the day isnt nearly so chaotic and gluttenous as it would be if we were to go to them.

Watching people go horrendously in debt buying presents that nobody wants (I mean come on, when was the last time anyone wore Brut aftershave). Kids demanding ever the more techno and expensive presents. People eating enough food to feed a small african nation for weeks (and throwing away enough food to feed a small african nation for months), sending christmas cards to people who are on your list but you dont even know, and watching my tv licence money go to pay noel edmonds to sit in a studio in june wearing a ****ing reindeer jumper and talking ****.

And besides, if Jesus did exist (which is likely), then he was almost certainly born in late september

Bah humbug.

As for new year. An excuse to drink even more and spend even more money. Go through £40 in phone credit texting people happy new year because you feel obliged to. Convincing yourself that next year is going to be less **** than this year was, and making a bunch of resolutions that you stick to for approximately 7 hours.

Bah Humbug