<p>I put up my two Christmas trees on Friday and Saturday. They are my favorite part of the holidays and it takes hours to decorate each even though I don’t have to do lights since they are pre-lit/pre-wrapped. They are my favorite part of the holiday season and my least favorite part is taking them down, so I like to enjoy them for a good length of time. I won’t put up the remaining decorations until Thanksgiving week - outdoor wreaths a few days before, indoor things the day after when I put away Thanksgiving decorations.
S and his wife won’t be here this year since they came last year and it’s her family’s turn this year. That will be a bit sad, but I will have D for extended visits for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I’m still looking forward to it all, just not in the exciting way you do when you have little “believers.”<br>
I will go visit D on December 14th for her church’s beautiful candle lighting service, something I’ve done the last two years. A real highlight of the season for me. I like my church’s Christmas Eve service, but the service in Nashville is spiritually moving. The depth of talent in that church choir is incredible.</p>
<p>Love Thanksgiving. The food, the family, the football (most of my side of the family are Lions fans who always play on turkey day). Love NOT going shopping on Black Friday!</p>
<p>Christmas. Eh. Too much hype. Love having family around, love giving gifts. Love the SPIRIT, but sometimes have to search to find it. Decorate but not over the top. And not before the first weekend of December. </p>
<p>DISLIKE Christmas music. Most of it Just makes me sad. If not sad, it’s too corny. Save a few religious Christmas songs. </p>
<p>Like holiday baking, but feel lots of pressure to make it all happen. HATE the mess and disruption of Christmas.</p>
<p>Truth be told, I always MUCH prefer everyday life and my house decorated WITHOUT holiday stuff - as LNG as I have regular family times (which we are fortunate to have) I could do without the holidays!!!</p>
<p>Love Christmas music on the radio in the car, annual baking day with family, seeing the lights twinkle in the chilly evenings, and Christmas morning with the kids and my mom. As she ages, I am acutely aware that these days are precious and limited . </p>
<p>My favorite Christmas music is the soundtrack from a sadly now defunct local production of the Black Nativity. We used to go see it every year and one year they put out a CD. I could listen to it over and over all day long. But I like the “traditional” music as well. I’m fond of live performances rather than studio stuff.</p>
<p>We’ve already started decorating. </p>
<p>My mom and I love the holiday season. Everyone in my house and car knows that Christmas songs come on my radio on November 1st. My parents just moved in with us so they’ll be with us through the holidays (long story). We’re a very small, very tight family and love pretty much everything about the season. For us, it’s very low stress because we don’t plan anything big and shopping/gifts are minimal. </p>
<p>My PhD apps are due on Dec 1. We’ve agreed to go get our tree on Dec 2 as a reward 
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<p>Thanksgiving is going to be lowkey and at our house. My sister is coming over and my partner is going to spend it with his family in Ohio. I suspect this will stay the same after we marry- obviously, it’ll likely be different when children enter the picture. </p>
<p>Growing up Jewish, our family always participated in enjoying the Christmas Holiday with our friends and neighbors…ie; helping to decorate their trees with real popcorn, etc., being invited to midnight mass once or twice, caroling around our neighborhood, making Christmas & Chanukah cookies…I did all of these things even in keeping with my own Jewish beliefs because it was fun to share in others happy Holidays…that’s when the festivities actually began in December AFTER Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>These days I find it exhausting to go to a Mall in September and see the beginnings of Christmas decorations (no joke). To hear Christmas music and see Christmas commercials so early in November is also tiring to me. To go ANY where to ANY store and buy myself something and be asked if I want it gift wrapped WAY before December. It’s just not as enjoyable anymore. I don’t mind it when people wish me a nice Christmas, and many do…I just say thank you…on occasion I’ve gotten a bit exasperated and finally said, “Thanks, but I don’t celebrate Christmas”, and they look shocked, like they’ve never met anyone before that didn’t celebrate Christmas! And I live in New England where there are plenty of people who don’t celebrate Christmas!</p>
<p>I guess what bothers me the most is that it all starts earlier & earlier each year. I love looking forward to October, the Fall season…without hearing about Christmas. It doesn’t happen anymore! 
I love looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving without hearing about Christmas. It’s ONE day!!! It’s gotten out of hand so that the entire 4th quarter is geared to shopping, shopping, shopping…that’s the part that really irritate me. I’m already tired of ChristmasTV commercials and tomorrow is only Veteran’s Day! :(</p>
<p>I still like Christmas although it can be stressful. I love the gift giving , I love that all of us are together ( at least for now ) It is one of two holidays that my husband is not working out of the entire year. We have made our own family traditions since we live far away from our extended families. The only thing I dread now is the expectation for us to have a party for our employees the day after…that is something I would like to stop since I don’t get to see my grown daughters and their significant others enough. That pressure comes from so many directions that I lose that battle …I don’t want to let them all down</p>
<p>I host Thanksgiving and it’s a newer tradition we all love. I rent tables and go the whole 9 yards and since everyone has to travel here we literally have a houseful of people here. There is ping pong and pool, they ride the mini bike and of course the drinking and the hot tub. Christmas is just us. Before my dad died my parents would come spend Christmas Eve and morning with us so it’s a little strange now that it’s just us. My hubby loves decorations and actually bought this monstrous tree for our foyer. I love our hodgepodge tree in the living room more. I also have a thing where I don’t want to mix Santa and the nativity. Everyone now accepts my “rule”. And no wise men in or close to the nativity - they didn’t make it until Jesus was two so I keep them across the room. </p>
<p>Funny, eyemamom. I am the exact opposite with my nativity and it’s all my mother’s fault. She got me the Precious Moments mini set back when I was still in college and added to it every year. Then they came out with penguin wise men so I have those too, just opposite the “real” wisemen. And then they started “Sugar Town” so I have little animals, a fire hydrant, a decorated tree, some “ancient” looking buildings, a palm tree, and more. Oh, and two zebras from the Noah’s Ark set. She died years ago but I can’t put it up without stopping a moment to think of her. Most of the pieces don’t even belong in a nativity set (a rhino?? an elephant??) but it’s whimsical, just like my mom was, and I’m pretty sure no one minds. </p>
<p>For quite a few years now, I’ve made my Christmas cards, after getting into card making several years ago. The earliest I ever made them and had them completed was late August. I actually spent quite a bit of time online today, trying to create my design for this year (read, steal someone else’s design and adapt it to my taste!). Came up with something I can be satisfied with, and went shopping for supplies. So tomorrow I am ready to start the assembly line. I will spend a few hours every week to get them done in time for Christmas. I don’t do much gift-giving outside of our immediate family any more, so sending homemade cards is my way of giving something personal to others. </p>
<p>I actually thought about skipping it this year, but when I mentioned it to D1, she said, “You can’t. People expect homemade cards from you now; oh, and can you send one to me this year?” So I caved!</p>
<p>“People who don’t have a holiday around December get tired of being immersed in other people’s beliefs. Why do you assume wishing a happy holiday is appropriate??? The whole world, and many in the US are NOT into the Jewish, Christian or Muslim mythology. You are forcing them to acknowledge your beliefs after they have been bombarded with them via the stores, TV et al, even if it is a secular means”
You do realize that to the people that are attacking me, the only acceptable thing out of my mouth was supposed to be Merry Christmas? I would LOVE to live in a place where even a few people don’t celebrate a December holiday. I tend to say Happy Holidays because it also includes the New Year. </p>