<p>I wish we were doing the movie/Chinese food thing. We have to go to a “family” (and I use the term loosely) dinner for three hours of silence, broken only by an occasional nasty comment.</p>
<p>I am looking foward to the sales tomorrow.</p>
<p>We will be seeing Sherlock Holmes in the afternoon followed by Chinese food. We have been doing this for years. So great to have both son and daughter home to join us this year.</p>
<p>Last year we went to Chinatown and a movie. One year, I remember we saw The Lord of the Rings. So, we typically fit your pattern.</p>
<p>This year, well, my 16 yo daughter didn’t want to go out (the plan was Sichuan and Invictus) for unknown reasons. So she offered to do an “out-in” night. She created a restaurant table in our family room, replete with checked tablecloth, candle in a wine bottle, and menus. She made bruschetta, fettucine Alfredo, and a spinach, pomagranate seed, and orange salad with a very tangy vinaigrette. She was the waitress and sommelier. It was great. The only thing wrong was that the water bottles had a listed price of 20 euros. She had arranged our couches to better face the TV, put blankets on them, and made popcorn in paper bags she had drawn retro patters on, lemon-lime seltzer, and had meringues and dark chocolate stars that were left over from a party. We had to wait in line to get tickets that entitled us to these refreshments, and then we watched Duplicity from Video on Demand. She was a gem and it was great fun. We’re now deciding on doing it again (with take-out Chinese) or going out.</p>
<p>Yep… Christians here, and we always do a movie on Christmas Day after all the feasting.</p>
<p>Funny this thread should be brought up - last night, D2 asked, “So what do the Jews do when Christmas falls on a Monday?” At least around here, Monday is the day all the Chinese restaurants are basically closed. We speculated that maybe they do Thai or Indian in those years.</p>
<p>Just got back from seeing Sherlock Holmes. I could not believe how busy the movies were! I remember when it used to be just us Jews at the movies on Christmas. I live in an area where I pretty much know all the Jewish families and believe me we were the small minority at the theater today! My H thinks it is just further proof of the secularization of the Christmas holiday.</p>
<p>Movie theater jammed–lots of Asians and diverse people. Saw the Meryl Streep flick–quite cute.</p>
<p>Us too! I was surprised that I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes (since I had read that the critics gave it like 1 1/2 stars). I guess when you have low expectations you are bound to not be disappointed. I had wanted to see It’s Complicated but it really didn’t appeal to DH at all. The movie theatre was packed BTW. Last minute movie goers had to sit in the dreaded front rows.</p>
<p>We always do Chinese on Christmas Eve – only thing open in my parents’ town!</p>
<p>Where we live there is the Ho Ho Chinese restaurant that for some reason seems to be particularly popular on Christmas Eve and Day.</p>
<p>Not Jewish, but H just left to drive down to portland to see our daughters ( staying home with the dog)
I was trying to find volunteer events- but was reminded that they don’t want someone who just shows up for one night. ( I have other volunteer groups- who aren’t doing anything on Christmas)</p>
<p>Since my H is driving my Jeep, and I don’t trust his car, I am going to have to look up bus schedules, but was thinking of going to see " Up in the Air", cause I know H wanted to see the Sherlock Holmes movie.</p>
<p>It’s supposed to be very good ( Up in the Air not Sherlock Holmes), although there must be something about it that the trailers leave out if so.</p>
<p>However- Robert Downey jr’s 6-pack has gotten special mention in all the reviews I have read about that- so perhaps that would be more fun than I thought! ;)</p>
<p>LOL ellebud and idad!
We enjoyed “Up in the Air”, in part b/c the son of an associate of my H had filmed the vignettes that were shown at the beginning and the end about people who had been laid off. Apparently it was presented as their being filmed for a documentary- but they ended up being the intro and closing parts of the film. The movie is stirring. DH really enjoyed it, perhaps b/c he’s about to be doing a lot of air travel again???</p>
<p>Now we are off to see Sherlock Holmes. A double header, almost…</p>
<p>just got back from our local Chinese restaurant. We and another Jewish family were the only ones there.</p>
<p>My D’s boyfriend and his fellow Jewish friends watched Avatar today and will dine on take out Chinese food.</p>
<p>We are Christian but far away from family and our friends (including our Jewish friends) always seem to have plans on Christmas so we are always alone. D & S went to movie today (Sherlock Holmes, they liked it) and reported LOTS of people at the movies.</p>
<p>This Slate article talks about the 2 main Jewish customs on Christmas eve – eating Chinese and going to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
[The</a> little-known Jewish holiday of Christmas Eve. Seriously. - By Benyamin Cohen - Slate Magazine](<a href=“http://www.slate.com/id/2238708/]The”>The little-known Jewish holiday of Christmas Eve. Seriously.)</p>
<p>Days on which to avoid Chinatown because of crowds:
Break-the-fast (I knew that one)
Christmas Day (I did not).</p>
<p>H tells me there’s a Kosher Chinese restaurant in Brookline, MA.</p>
<p>H and Ss tried to see Avatar. They could not get in. Came home and ate leftover ham (definitely not Kosher!)</p>
<p>bagels and lox, walk around manhattan and rockefeller center, sherlock holmes and then chinese food. doesn’t get any better</p>
<p>When I was growing up we had Santa. (Very common amongst Reform Jews in the south. If you saw <i>Driving Miss Daisy</i> that scene wasn’t made up!) While the Santa tradition ended as we married and started our own families, we still do the whole extended family thing on Christmas day. Today my son (the oldest cousin took two of the youngest to see the Chipmunk movie. Others tried to get into Avatar and it was sold out.)</p>
<p>We eat brunch and dinner together at our homes and some may go to a movie. I just finished cleaning up from dinner for 20. </p>
<p>We never do Chinese as my husband can’t stand it (yes, he is really Jewish!).</p>
<p>Tomorrow I recover.</p>
<p>Sherlock Holmes and one of our children cooking a feast for us, a couple of friends, and a bit of extended family.</p>
<p>DS’s birthday is Dec. 26 so mostly I’ve spent Xmas baking his cake and getting ready for a family party the next day; haven’t done that lately. Some years I would also be making latkes. I was so happy that I didn’t start labor until after midnight - did not want a Christmas baby! The movies are actually crowded on the 25th so we don’t go but…</p>
<p>We always go out for dinner and a movie on the 24th; lots of restaurants are open in our area in the early evening. Last night we saw Avatar. Several years ago we went to the first Lord of the Rings and then to dinner and our waiter looked exactly like Frodo - as soon as he walked I yelled “Frodo” - he said he got that a lot.</p>
<p>We did go out for Chinese on the 23rd.</p>
<p>Today we set up our new computer - the old one was from 2002 so this is very exciting!</p>