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<blockquote data-quote="SuZir" data-source="post: 614723" data-attributes="member: 14557"><p>I truly enjoy Christmas. Almost all of it. Well, not the cleaning the house before part. And not the last minute panicky gift shopping part. But rest of it. </p><p></p><p>As much as I don't like the cleaning, I do enjoy it when I have gotten a room cleaned and can put up the Christmas curtains, Christmas table clothes, change my Christmas/winter rugs on the floor and all that. I think even cleaning part would be okay, if I didn't have too many rooms to clean.</p><p></p><p>I like to entertain myself looking (and marking the places to my phone) for Christmas tree whole fall when walking my dogs in in-laws (or certain neighbours who's forests we more or less have a permission to cut a tree) forests. Then adding that to what other people have found and going with whole family (including father in law and often some of husband's siblings and their family) to actually pick the trees and argue who gets which.</p><p></p><p>Around here Christmas Eve is the centre of Christmas celebrations. Eve of the eve is already hectic. I often host our family Christmas (at least father in law and mother in law and few siblings of husband and their families are in attendance. Usually 15 to 25 people) so even though others bring some dishes I also do lots of cooking. And some dishes are cooked together at evening of 23nd. The night before Eve is spend baking Christmas ham and playing board games and drinking with husband's siblings after kids are put to bed. It tends to be 25 pound ham, or two of them if we expect most of the family to be in attendance, so it takes some time.</p><p></p><p>At Christmas Eve my favourite, and in some ways very sensitive, tradition is visiting cemetery to light the candles to graves of the loved ones. Snowy, silent cemetery full of candles in winter night can be breathtakingly beautiful. And gives you certain unique sense of grounding. </p><p></p><p>Big Dinner is also at Christmas Eve and gifts are given and opend after that. Santa Claus visits our homes in person and gives out the gifts. Children sing or give other musical performances to honour him before gifts are given. Also Santa Claus's traffic reports (was were enough snow for his sling or did he need a helicopter (our reindeer don't fly)) are important tradition. We are lucky to have young kids in our extended family and it is so much fun when you still have kids around who do believe in Santa.</p><p></p><p>Night is spent playing with new board games gifted that year. </p><p></p><p>Christmas Day is spent with our own family and is a very calm day usually. Starts early, 6 a.m. is a Church service and we have to leave right after five to be in time. After that it is back to jammies, breakfast and everyone gathering the gift books etc. and just reading and doing nothing for whole day. If the weather is nice, maybe some outdoors activity later on day. At evening we usually have some guests for coffee or visit someone else. Boxing Day is spent either visiting or inviting family and friends for brunch, lunch, afternoon coffee, dinner, evening coffee or a drink for good night. That excessive visiting (and often with same people, at worst you may visit someone for lunch and then you drive to your place for afternoon coffee) goes on till Epiphany. You just absolutely have to see everyone's Christmas tree and taste their versions of ham and other Christmas dishes. It doesn't have much sense to gram that much visits on so short period of time, and then not to visit or invite almost anyone in next four months, then have almost as crazy socialisation time from May to August, then go hermit till Christmas again, but it is how it goes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SuZir, post: 614723, member: 14557"] I truly enjoy Christmas. Almost all of it. Well, not the cleaning the house before part. And not the last minute panicky gift shopping part. But rest of it. As much as I don't like the cleaning, I do enjoy it when I have gotten a room cleaned and can put up the Christmas curtains, Christmas table clothes, change my Christmas/winter rugs on the floor and all that. I think even cleaning part would be okay, if I didn't have too many rooms to clean. I like to entertain myself looking (and marking the places to my phone) for Christmas tree whole fall when walking my dogs in in-laws (or certain neighbours who's forests we more or less have a permission to cut a tree) forests. Then adding that to what other people have found and going with whole family (including father in law and often some of husband's siblings and their family) to actually pick the trees and argue who gets which. Around here Christmas Eve is the centre of Christmas celebrations. Eve of the eve is already hectic. I often host our family Christmas (at least father in law and mother in law and few siblings of husband and their families are in attendance. Usually 15 to 25 people) so even though others bring some dishes I also do lots of cooking. And some dishes are cooked together at evening of 23nd. The night before Eve is spend baking Christmas ham and playing board games and drinking with husband's siblings after kids are put to bed. It tends to be 25 pound ham, or two of them if we expect most of the family to be in attendance, so it takes some time. At Christmas Eve my favourite, and in some ways very sensitive, tradition is visiting cemetery to light the candles to graves of the loved ones. Snowy, silent cemetery full of candles in winter night can be breathtakingly beautiful. And gives you certain unique sense of grounding. Big Dinner is also at Christmas Eve and gifts are given and opend after that. Santa Claus visits our homes in person and gives out the gifts. Children sing or give other musical performances to honour him before gifts are given. Also Santa Claus's traffic reports (was were enough snow for his sling or did he need a helicopter (our reindeer don't fly)) are important tradition. We are lucky to have young kids in our extended family and it is so much fun when you still have kids around who do believe in Santa. Night is spent playing with new board games gifted that year. Christmas Day is spent with our own family and is a very calm day usually. Starts early, 6 a.m. is a Church service and we have to leave right after five to be in time. After that it is back to jammies, breakfast and everyone gathering the gift books etc. and just reading and doing nothing for whole day. If the weather is nice, maybe some outdoors activity later on day. At evening we usually have some guests for coffee or visit someone else. Boxing Day is spent either visiting or inviting family and friends for brunch, lunch, afternoon coffee, dinner, evening coffee or a drink for good night. That excessive visiting (and often with same people, at worst you may visit someone for lunch and then you drive to your place for afternoon coffee) goes on till Epiphany. You just absolutely have to see everyone's Christmas tree and taste their versions of ham and other Christmas dishes. It doesn't have much sense to gram that much visits on so short period of time, and then not to visit or invite almost anyone in next four months, then have almost as crazy socialisation time from May to August, then go hermit till Christmas again, but it is how it goes. [/QUOTE]
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