As a child, we always had an Advent wreath, Advent calendar, wreath on the door, colored lights on the house, a real tree, Christmas stockings, a fancy nativity we weren't allowed to touch, and lots of food-related traditions. We attended Mass either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (nobody could stay awake late enough to go to the midnight service) and we were dragged from pillar to post visiting all the elderly relatives and friends on Christmas Eve day.

My own Christmas is a bit more streamlined, we have outside greenery and lights, a huge Christmas tree, and stockings for the kids and The Boyfriend (who gets one because his family lives in another country and he doesn't travel home until the summertime). We're not religious, so we definitely lean toward the more secular aspects of the holiday. I still make my mom's Christmas cookies and three kinds of pie, and we host a Christmas Eve dessert party every year. For the past 20 years, one of our neighbors has gone house to house in full Santa garb to visit the kids and lead a sing-along. It's wonderful!

Growing up in Atlanta, decades ago, we always had a real live fir tree, which we decorated with colored balls from the 1940's. It was placed in front of a roaring fire, and on the mantel, my mother arranged fruit, such as oranges, along with fresh greenery. Always we had a live wreath on the front door.

Xmas eve was quiet, with my parents hosting a handful of relatives and a couple of close friends. Dinner was always the same: sweet potato pudding, preceeded by my father's infamous eggnog. (Even a German visitor commented upon its strength!).

We were a close-knit neighborhood, knew all our neighbors well, and we walked from door to door to visit all the "open houses", and enjoy the decorations. Carolers from church often came to our door. They expected us to open our doors and give hot chocolate. Weather was usually mild; in the 60's or 70's, so I never connected snow to Xmas in my childhood.

Later on, my late husband and I always had a live tree decorated with ornaments I'd bought in my European travels. We built a fire, cooked stuffed Cornish Hens, and listened to Xmas music, while sipping champagne or wine.We always made time to walk through Colonial Williamsbury (nearby) to savor the unique door decorations in that village.

I culled out all the ugly ornaments which I had accumulated through the years and asked all my friends to look for their own uglies that they wanted to get rid of.
Once I had a large amount of ornaments.....all only a mother could love.....I bought a big fake greenery wreath and attached all the ornaments onto it, covering every space and then some.

It is hilarious......amazing......and truly a work of art !

Another comment from me... :) We often don't put up our big tree. When my DH and his sisters were kids, they were made to help decorate the tree according to their mom's excessively OCD instructions. Only one ornament per branch, no two of the same color near each other, etc., right down to the "icicles" having to be hung one at a time with the ends even! So for many years he was not interested in decorating our tree. He would set it up and put lights on it, then he was done.

We have a 3 ft tall pre-decorated tree we pull out and set up in front of the fireplace. Once in a while we do the big tree. :)

Donna

In the early 1950's, my family began opening gifts on Christmas Eve because our grandparents could not get from their farm to our house in town early enough to see us kiddos marvel at the gifts Santa had left during the night. Our gifts began arriving early because, naturally, we were one of Santa's first stops. (We were not good map readers.) No matter how hard we tried to see him, we always were away from home (at church, looking at lights, delivering cookies to a neighbor, etc.) when he arrived. We often heard his departure though - sleigh bells and reindeer hoofs on our roof. To this day, nearly 30 years after the passing of our grandparents, with no one living on a farm, my family continues the Christmas Eve tradition.

"Are your rooms festooned with greenery, is an endless supply of food
and drink laid out over the holiday, do all your relations descend on
you . . . or you on them?

Are you glad when things get back to normal?"

Yes; yes; yes; yes; sort of.

I must say it's a bit different being the oldest person at any of our Christmas get-togethers these days. Thirty people present and I'm looking around thinking "Where is everyone?" In DH and my "blended" family, he has eight great-grandchildren. This year should be exciting as three of them are two years old.

After my granddaughter got home today from kindergarten, she, her mother, and I spent the afternoon decorating the Christmas tree and the rest of the house to "surprise Daddy" when he gets home. We let Abby do most of the hanging of the ornaments except on the upper branches. Donna, I laughed about your MiL's over-management of the ornament and icicle hanging. We just let Abby have at it; the result being some branches have one decoration and others have half a dozen. Whatever. . . as long as Abby likes it. The treetop ornament will wait until her daddy lifts her up to put it on. Her choice: a pink angel. Standing beside the tree is a huge inflated penguin (or "penniker", as Abby calls it) wearing a watch cap and muffler. Since when have penguins become Christmas figures? That's new to me, although I've liked penguins since I was a child myself.

Many U.S. folk put up the Christmas decorations starting the day after Thanksgiving and are usually completed by December 1. For some now-forgotten reason my family always waited until the 15th. I think it might have been because the tree wouldn't be completely dried out by Christmas Day and would be less of a fire hazard. When I told that to my daughter-in-law, she thought it was a good idea so she's continuing the tradition even though their tree is artificial.

yoyo, I love the wreath! Perhaps with the seasonal addition of a few daffodils or small squash/pumpkins it could be brought out for a variety of holidays.

Our tree has yet to be purchased. Despite living an an area bristling with fir trees and the woodman's 'promise' "These were only cut down yesterday", once purchased and put into a bucket of water for several days 35% of the needles fall off as soon as it is 'put up'. As the tradition in the UK is for decorations to be left in place until the Epiphany (6th Jan) the tree is little more than a bare twig and we go on finding needles in the carpet, under the furniture until May.

Kathy, was the sound of hooves on the roof and sleigh bells caused by your childish over-activated imaginations or did your Dad have to climb up there and provide the sound effects?

As children we were very short of relatives, no uncles, aunts or cousins and our maternal grandparents lived in the US, nor did English people (and I am generalising here) go in for visiting friends/neighbours at the Festive Season; it was all very quiet with just immediate family.

This was not such a happy time as it should have been as my Father hated Christmas but still expected turkey, Xmas pud etc and my Mother loathed cooking and all the present buying/wrapping/card writing etc fell on her shoulders. We children were not neglected but there was usually an undercurrent of tension by the time dinner was on the table waiting for the comments about "Gravy is too thick" "How long have these spouts been cooking?"

Christmas afternoon was spent with children playing with toys, parents dozing and, once TV's became available . . .far too many dreadful forced gaiety programmes.

Christmas night was the only night of the year my Father stayed at home. He came from a family very much involved in the hotel/inn/pub trade and for him sitting or serving in a friendly bar surrounded by a group of old friends was just 'normal', spending time at home with a wife and children was not!

I am sorry to say that I don't decorate my place indoors now. It isn't worth the bother as I don't get visitors. I shall put a wreath on the front and back entry doors and stick cards onto the top of the dining hatch and that will be that!

I have lovely memories of the decorated "front room" at my grandparent's house where we lived during WW2. The garlands and paper chains, folding out lanterns etc were pre-war and carefully preserved from one year to the next. Some baubles had lost their hanging wires so my grandmother used hairpins.

My D wanted one of those trees seen in the movies that are so tall they reach the ceiling and I was lucky to score one for her a couple of years ago. I was in the Xmas decoration department of a store after the January sales and the sales staff had just been sent a tree that hadn't been collected from the "lay-by". As all decorations were discounted by 90%, I got the 8ft tree for $30!

I gave her a lot of my baubles etc , also souvenirs of my travels including Harrod's Year ones, as it soaked up the ones she had!

Frieda, my DH and his mom had a difficult relationship, especially in his teens. He had an aversion to quite a few things that she made him do for a long time, but he seems to have gotten over all that some years ago. :) He also worked in retail for over 30 years, so that contributed to his general lack of interest in Christmas stuff at home.

Vee, my mom would grumble about cooking the big dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but if anyone tried to help she would shoo us out. Then she would grumble some more about having to do all the work herself while we all just sat around.

Carolyn, my FIL is the last of his generation, but I think all of us in my generation still feel like the "kids". :)

Donna

Like Carolyn, I am the oldest at most of the family gatherings. I am awed at the prolific family that sprang from just the two of us!

My in-laws had three sons and there are so many relatives that I don't know them all! I was on a bus recently and saw a young man who looked so much like my son that I felt he must be someone in the family's grandson.

One advantage of being the Oldie is that I don't have to do anything about preparing the feast. As it is usually hot, we have cold food and everyone brings a dish to the chosen venue, usually one of the homes with a swimming pool!

Unlike when I lived in the UK, where there was no public transport on Xmas Day, so we tended to stay at home, people move around and call in during the day here. Most people have cars anyway or even come by boat! Homes on the canals are wonderfully decorated and businesses run trips so that people can see them.

Google Mandurah Canal Christmas lights tour for some pictures.

Annpan, it doesn't seem to matter how old we get! My sister (4-1/2 years younger than I) and I tried, somewhat successfully, to give Thanksgiving and Christmas to our respective daughters; but we still seem to provide a great deal of the food and "help out" in the kitchen.

The Christmas niece quickly decided that we should move the gathering of the entire clan from her house back to the family home county and from Christmas afternoon to the Saturday before the holiday, saying that maybe more cousins' children would attend since it wouldn't interfere with their other commitments. That was all true, except that it puts the dinner back squarely onto my sister to cook the hot food and my brother to offer his larger house for the dinner. It's okay, though. No one else will do it, and we hate to lose contact with our extended family and only meet at weddings and funerals.

Carolyn, I understand that it is really up to our generation to keep the family together. When my MiL moved from her place with a big outdoor area, ideal for summer Xmas Day family socialising, we fragmented and held separate functions.

In my case, I am in a small retirement place so cannot now host any gathering. My family rarely drop in for more than the occasional quick call so I go to their homes. The family includes professional cooks and a chef so they are very capable of arranging functions. I leave it to them!

Vee, it was our custom to always leave the tree up until after Epiphany, also. Often we had a live tree that we watered, so it did not dry out so fast.

Hmmm....maybe this is why I'm having trouble getting in the Christmas spirit! This is awfully hot for December, even in Florida!
Donna

Mary, we always have a 'live' tree (well 'live' until it was cut down) and although what, in this family, we call Woolworth spruces are more convenient and reusable they can't compare for that piney smell.

What about holly, ivy and mistletoe? I have heard it said that it is unlucky to bring ivy into the house but we have it in profusion in our garden with plenty of yellow flowers on it, mostly growing out of the many lengths of ancient stone walls and around old trees.

Mistletoe also grows from our various apple trees . . . and I have seen it on willow. People pay silly prices for it at this time of year and in the adjoining county of Worcestershire special mistletoe markets are held in early December.

Mistletoe Market

Donna, here in the UK we almost never have temps in the 80's even in the Summer but this winter it is very mild and horribly damp. The temps should be in the low 40's but are in the mid 50's and I don't think I exaggerate when I say I think it has rained part of every day or all day since the beginning of November, with much flooding in the N W of the country around Cumbria and the Scottish borders. During November the average sunshine recorded over the UK was 36.6 hours. I think here we had the .6 and we have had virtually none this month.

As usual it is the 'fault' of the jet stream which has sunk too far South and is causing warm air from W Africa via Iberia to reach our soggy shores; plus a good covering of red 'Saharan dust'.

As I write the TV from Kew Gardens London is showing daffodils, confused blossom etc in full bloom

Thank goodness we had our very leaky roof fixed in the two weeks before the Heavens opened!

My poor rhododendron that nearly drowned before my husband rerouted the downspout has been blooming small blooms for the past month, even though we had a few frosty nights. It's supposed to be colder tonight and tomorrow and then warm up again to 60 on Christmas Day.

Here in northern AZ at 7:45 pm, it is presently 33F. The projected low tonight is 23F. We had snow on Monday -- maybe 3 or 4 inches -- that mostly melted during the days since, but still lingers in the shadows. Tomorrow's high will be in the 50s, so there goes what remains of the snow. I enjoyed seeing it and found it quite invigorating and so pretty. I love winter in the high desert elevations (this part is 5100 feet above sea level). The humidity is so low that the cold is hardly noticeable if one is active.

I checked Honolulu's temperatures to see what I'm missing there. Currently it is 81F; the low tonight will be around 73F. Nothing new there! But I'm not really missing it; I actually like a bit of cold weather and it has certainly put me in the Christmas mood.

However, my DiL opened their gas bill today and nearly reeled across the room. They've been keeping the house warmer than they normally would, I suspect for my benefit -- their thinking is I am a hothouse flower with bad knees. I offered to help out by paying the gas bill, but they rejected my offer. I told them to set the thermostat to what they usually keep it. I can always put on more clothes if I get too cool.

I am thankful that I am not in South Australia at the present. Poor Kath must be melting in the successive hot days!

All this talk of decorations has shamed me into doing something! I wasn't feeling like it was worth the bother as I am not expecting callers. However I dug out the little white metal "tree" I painstakingly hung with crystals some years ago and a seasonal red runner to make a bit of a display on a pine chest. Then added a Santa musical globe ....and a lit up angel globe. You know what it is like when you start to decorate!

Yoyobon – I
love your ugly wreath! I have been considering doing the same with all the
dinged and broken ornaments I can’t bring myself to throw out because of the
memories attached to them.

Kathy, in
Iceland and, I think, the other Nordic countries as well, it’s traditional to
open the gifts on Christmas Eve. Christmas begins for us at six p.m. on that
day and the gifts are opened after dinner.

Netla,

I used fine floral wire to attach each one to the wreath.

It really is fun to make because you don't care how it looks !!

Post a photo if you make yours :0)

Yes, Ann, it's rather hot here - currently 40°C which is 104°F, and it was the same yesterday. It means it was rather quiet at work, but Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be in the low 30s, so hopefully we will have plenty of customers then. Christmas profit is what keeps our book shop open.

We are having Christmas get together with DH's side of the family tomorrow but thankfully the forecast is for a much cooler temperature. We will have Christmas lunch with my sister, BIL and mother on the day. My sister and her husband are both in wheelchairs, so she finds it easier to have people to her place where everything is set up for them. Mum helps (at 90 she is still very spry) and I largely just have to turn up, which is wonderful.

RE the weather in Arizona. Many years ago I was living in Ottawa, said to be the second coldest capital city in the world. Some people moved in across the street who had come from Tucson AZ and they were asked how they dealt with the extremes in temps. They said in Tucson it was only too hot only for three months of the year while in Ottawa it was too cold for nine months out of the twelve.

Annpan, you mention being the oldest/most senior at family gatherings. This year, on Christmas Day, a cousin of my late Father (and the nearest person I have to an Uncle) will be 100 years old.

People living well into their 90's and 100's is far more common these days. We recently visited a very sprightly lady who had reached that great age and admired among her many cards the ONE from HM Queen . . . who has to send many more these days . . . A small great grandchild asked, after admiring the similar grey-permed look, if they both went to the same hairdresser. ;-)

Vee, that was so funny! It reminds me of a family story about my grandmother's brother who was taken to see Queen Victoria in a coach in a procession. He was most disappointed as she wore widow's weeds and a plain bonnet. He cried out "She is just a little old lady!" He was obviously expecting state robes and a crown...

Yoyobon, I'm waiting for my mother to unpack the ornaments. Most of the old ones are in storage at my parent's place. It would, however, be quite a small wreath. I might make a garland instead.

I saw a unique tree at the library today when I went to pick up my books. Against a rectangular pillar, the workers had stacked books in pretty jackets, spine outward, pyramid style in a half circle, quite large at the bottom and ending with a single book on top so that it resembled a tree and was probably seven feet tall. Then they had wound multi-colored Christmas lights around it.

It was wonderful. If I ever become so decrepit that I can't put up a tree, I think I will try that on a smaller scale.

Seems like a good inexpensive display Carolyn. Our tree, purchased at Great Expense is still sitting in a bucket of water outside in the rain waiting for DH to pump-up his muscles and bring it into the house.

Mañana is his watch-word. ;-(

Carolyn, the library in my mom's town had a "fireplace" built out of books with little decorations on the mantle.

Cute song, Yoyobon! It's new to me.

Donna

A friend on Facebook just posted a photo of a small Xmas tree she had constructed of her collection of sea glass. It was quite lovely and unique.

Martin would be pleased with me: in our neighborhood "little free library" I recently picked up a 1942 copy of Paul Gallico's "The Snow Goose." What a treasure, and free!

I remember the song, Yoyobon.

I have read about a quarter of The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. Love her books.

I remember that song too, sung by Peggy Lee. (I looked that up! I recall a woman singing it but could not think who she was.)

Here it is :

"Manana"

The faucet it is dripping and the fence is falling down
My pocket needs some money so I can't go in to town
My brother he ain't working and my sister doesn't care
The car it needs a motor so I can't go anywhere

Manana
Manana is soon enough for me

Once I had some money but I gave it to a friend
He said he'd pay me double he was only for a lend
But he said a little later that the horse it was so slow
Why he gave the horse my money is something I don't know

Manana
Manana is good enough for me

My brother took his suitcase and he went away to school
My father said he only learned to be a silly fool
My father said that I should learn to make a chili pot
But then I burned the house down the chili was too hot

Manana
Manana is soon enough for me

The window it is busted and the rain is coming in
If someone doesn't fix it I'll be soaking to my skin
But if we wait a day or two the rain may go away
And we don't need a window on such a lovely day
Manana manana is soon enough for me
Manana manana is soon enough for me

Yes, the tree is finally up lit (or should that be lighted?) and decorated.

Next thing will be cooking. Most people in England have a stuffed turkey for Christmas dinner, served with roast potatoes, parsnips, brussel sprouts, bread sauce (do you have that in the US?) etc. Followed by Christmas pudding and/or mince pies and if there is any room left a piece of stilton cheese. This is usually washed down with various amounts of liquid refreshment, mostly alcoholic. The left-overs usually keep families going for about a week.

Apparently in this area it was/is the custom to keep both 'open house' and 'open side-board'. A friend who used to be a District Nurse here, so was often attending patient's homes during Christmas said people would spend the whole 12 days just grazing. Boxes of chocs, cakes, biscuits, sweets, sandwiches, booze, pop, crisps/chips were left out and munched between/instead of meals, often while staring at a TV screen.

This was new to me coming from a family were 'snacking' was never allowed.

So, what will be on your menu this holiday season?

yoyo and annpan, I just checked out the Peggy Lee song which I had never heard before. Thanks for the 'words' yoyo as the recording below isn't very clear.

Peggy Lee sings

Vee, as it will be quite hot in Perth, I expect that Christmas dinners will mainly be cold. Ham, chicken and all kinds of seafood. The local wet fish shops, like Kailis Bros. do a 24 hour service to cope with the demand at present.

There will be many kinds of salads and maybe a few items cooked by the menfolk on the home BBQ. Cooks are getting very inventive with these! Desserts will be Pavlova, trifles and ice cream cakes rather than hot puddings. There could be fruit cake at afternoon tea. The Lion's Club do a good trade selling these. As the supermarkets sell puddings, mince pies of all kinds and other fancy items, some people must be having them though.

One advantage of a summer Christmas is that the meals can usually be held informally outdoors, preferably if there is a pool at the home. So lovely to sit around a pool with a buffet of fine food to hand!

I have added a bunch of ten pink roses to my home decorations. The local supermarket were selling them at 20% of the usual price this morning! I could have bought a load but I had to get them, my groceries and a large basket on the bus!

Vee, I'd never heard of bread sauce and had to look it up, but it sounds delicious!

We'll be having a honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, and probably stuffing (more a Thanksgiving thing at my house than a Christmas thing, but everybody loves it), followed by pie and Christmas cookies for dessert.

My sister, daughter and I spent yesterday baking, and I'll be making a cheese cake and appetizer platters today for our Christmas eve party tonight. My husband is in charge of the alcoholic portion of the program, mainly wine and beer, but with the possibility of chocolate martinis if anyone wants one (and I might). The weather here has been ridiculously warm (high 60s today - very unseasonable) so I'm without my usual "second fridge" -- aka the back porch. My refrigerator is stuffed to the brim.

Well, I don't cook, and DH's whole family knows it, so when there's a family gathering I am usually assigned to bring bread! LOL

They had a gathering at TG and are apparently not having one for Christmas (if they are we weren't invited), which is ok by me. I am a complete introvert and this time of year I am on major people-overload.

We will go to Lakeland (an hour away) to visit my mom & FIL, and will find someplace open to go out for lunch.

Ann, it's 85 degrees here again, after a cold snap last weekend, so anyone who is cooking madly will probably have their AC cranked down cold!

Donna

Donna, we are also tipped to have about the same 85F here except we are on Celsius. After several 100F+ days recently, this is a pleasant change.

I hope you all have a lovely day. I am going to spend it at my son's place. We had a full family and friends party last Saturday so this will be a low-key drop-in affair. Our family members usually go away for the holidays which is why we have an early gathering.

Ann, we had our family and friends (26--14 missing in action) party last Saturday, too, with enough food to "choke a horse" in local parlance. Tomorrow morning we (23--4 missing) will gather at a niece's house for a huge breakfast and gift opening followed by moaning about eating too much and then ham and/or turkey sandwiches, salads, and leftover desserts for a late lunch before dispersing.

Diet starts Monday.

Carolyn, diet? I am 78 and just buy bigger clothes!

* groan*

Holidays dining is just too much,

With cookies, candies, cakes and such,

I wish I could stop

And not eat 'til I drop

I have ten toes that I'll never touch !

Found this parody and it is priceless !!

Enjoy :0)

Twas The Month After Christmas

Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt --

I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruitcake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore --
But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

- Anonymous

-

yoyo, at least we know our toes are down there somewhere . . . .

The turkey is in the oven and the veggies await prepping, the presents are under the tree, youngest son is away to church and the rain continues to fall as it has done part/all of every day since the beginning of November, though we did have about 3 hours of blue sky on Tuesday and, as the 'weatherman' says it is unseasonably mild for the time of year in the 50's F.

A Happy and Peaceful Christmas to you all.

Yoyobon, that is very amusing! I'll have to pass it on to my Weight Watchers friends. I like your limerick very much, too. :)

All I did by way of decoration this year was hang a wreath and display cards on the fireplace mantel. I missed it a bit, but I certainly don't miss putting it all away one bit. We traveled to southern California this Christmas to our youngest daughter's house, the home of our new grandson. There were over twenty people there, and a cheery crowd it was! Unfortunately I came down with a heavy cold and pretty much kept out of the way so as not to spread it to baby, baby's mother, daughter's pregnant SIL, or 95 year old grandmother who were there. Oh well, there will be other Christmases!

Oh, but Rose, I'm sure being near the new grandbaby was much more enjoyable than putting out a lot of Christmas decorations!

My 3 foot tree will go back in its bag soon, and the wreaths on the front doors will go back in the closet. :)

Donna

Rose, I agree about not putting up too many decorations. I shouldn't climb anyway, being on my own. If I have to dust tops of bookcases etc., I make sure I have my "Call Alert" pendant and a phone with me in case I fall off the ladder and need to call for help. I am the "belt and braces" type!

I tend to buy something interesting in the Boxing Day Sales for next Christmas as well as cards, wrapping paper etc. This year I fancied a music box, a tiny Russian theatre stage, complete with onion domes and minarets, with a revolving Nutcracker King spinning to a tinkling tune from the Nutcraker Suite. Sweet!

Ann you would have had to take your life into your own hands if you had braved the Oxford St Sales on Boxing Day. People queuing all night to buy stuff most of them neither needed or wanted. It looked like a total scrum with women fighting for so-called 'bargains'!