Christmas 2023. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

[mike24forever]

35 days until Christmas, 34 days until my favourite day of the year Christmas Eve.

I'm sitting here in front of one of our Christmas trees, while my kids play and actively try to destroy the physical environment around them, and trying to figure out where the year went. As a kid, it felt like Christmas was never going to come...as an adult and a parent, Christmas comes at you fast and in a blink of an eye. Decorating on November 1st was a way for me to help speed up the season. Now it is necessary to just fit in everything before Christmas. I love it don't get me wrong, but how many Christmas activities can we possibly fit in from 1 second after Halloween through to New Years? Well, with my wife's planning...as much as humanly possible. The only problem I have with this, is when it unexpectedly interferes with a Notre Dame game and NFL Sundays (especially the Bills and Steelers). If I know in advance I can plan around the games I want to watch and at worst record them and watch them when the kids are in bed. I swear I am afraid to blink because I may just miss the Christmas and NFL season.

So, as with every year, this thread is for us all to share our Christmases with each other. From our favourite traditions, how we decorate, our favourite Christmas movies and music, and pictures from our Christmas travels to what our homes look like during the holidays.

As you may have noticed, I started the thread a little later this year. I was waiting for today. The Monday of my American friends Thanksgiving Week. I know a lot of people Christmas can't start until the turkey and Fall decorations are put away and anything associated with Christmas before Thanksgiving is too early. So, I decided to try and find a middle of the road for everyone, because for some of us, Thanksgiving was in October and we've been in full Christmas Spirit since November 1st at 12:01am. Just like the memes all over the internet. I am obviously in the later group and on November 1, I am ready to go. I'VE BEEN WAITING. I have always associated American Thanksgiving with the Christmas season. I absolutely love the idea of enjoying Thanksgiving dinner while listening to Christmas music playing and with the decorations up and the lights on.

So, welcome everyone. With the way the World is going, we can all use a little Christmas. I hope you are all doing well and know that I've been looking forward to starting this thread and sharing Christmas with you all.

Last night we were coming home from my sisters, where my entire family got together for an awesome beef stew dinner. My sisters house is decorated like a Hallmark Christmas Special. I want to decorate just like her and her husband do, but my wife hates the clutter. Trina loves to decorate, but she is not a fan of knicknacks (sp?), like I am. I'm currently working on getting a Christmas tree up in every room of the house. I am up to 4. 3 big trees and one little one. I want to get to one in the sitting room/dinning room and one in every bedroom. This will be something that will take a few years, however I will have my way! LOL! I am sharing this with you because I want to tell you of a tradition that has started with my wife and kids. We start counting how many houses in our neighbourhood have up their outdoor decorations and who have the lights up and on. My kids get so excited, and as you all ready know so do the wife and I. This leads up to one of my new favourite traditions...when I take Trina and the kids out for a drive at night when we have our first significant snow fall. We go and get a hot chocolate and drive around and look at the Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music on the radio. The kids look forward to doing this and I love that it is forming memories for them. It actually expanded last year and we now do it 2 or 3 times during the holidays.

Well, here we are...back into the Christmas swing of things, with the goal of trying to slow it down a bit so we can enjoy it as much possible. I am also aware that this season can be difficult for some. We all have our reasons for what may make this season a little dark. This year my crew of friends, lost one of our brothers at the age of 46. It weighs on my heart, especially because his wife and I always talk about decorating and everything Christmas. My heart breaks for her and her two kids. I'm sharing this with you to let you know that this is a safe place to share whatever is going on in your life. Christmas is also a time of memories and it can lead to missing those we have lost. As we get older it will be something we will all have to deal with, if we are not already dealing with it. I just try to remind myself to celebrate even more, because that is what they would want us to do. It is what I would want my loved one to do.

So, let me be the first to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I have already watched about 20 Hallmark Christmas movies, so you all have a lot to catch up on. Here's to rehashed story lines, where attractive business women move back to their little home towns and fall for a handsome dude wearing flannel shirts and has an adorable puppy or is raising his sisters children!!! LOL. I absolutely love these trashy Christmas movies.

Last year Trina and I watched a new Christmas movie that has become one of our MUST WATCH Christmas movies. The movie is Spirited with Ryan Reynolds. It's a musical, which I don't normally enjoy, however I absolutely loved it. It's hilarious and the songs fit perfectly with the story. I highly recommend it if you have not already watched it.

What are your must watch Christmas Specials and or movies?

[Majingir]

Sounds like this year could actually be the year for more family things during Christmas.

I think people realized after enough tries that if you want to set a date that most if not all people can show up for, plan it well in advance.

People might joke about planning Christmas stuff so early, but if planning it in early-mid November is what's needed to get people to show up for anything on Christmas weekend, then it needs to be done.

Now the fun part....what to get various families who you haven't had to give Christmas presents to for a few years now. The obvious go to is something like a box of chocolates/cookies (bonus are the double layers in the tins).

[mike24forever]

This is our Christmas tree in our family room. This is more on par of what my wife loves. She likes the warm white lights with the classic family stockings over the fire place. The tree in the basement is more my speed. Homemade decorations, with many Santa’s and coloured lights. I’ll post a picture of my den in the next few days.

[SmashMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Majingir

Sounds like this year could actually be the year for more family things during Christmas. I think people realized after enough tries that if you want to set a date that most if not all people can show up for, plan it well in advance. People might joke about planning Christmas stuff so early, but if planning it in early-mid November is what's needed to get people to show up for anything on Christmas weekend, then it needs to be done.

Everyone knows when Christmas is, right? You'd think it'd be easy for everyone to plan ahead.

Or you could be like my dad's side of the family, randomly getting together after New Years. I don't even go to that though. For me, once we've already passed another "holiday" you can't go back.

Quote: Originally Posted by Majingir

Now the fun part....what to get various families who you haven't had to give Christmas presents to for a few years now. The obvious go to is something like a box of chocolates/cookies (bonus are the double layers in the tins).

Christmas secret: set up family grab bags. Then you only really have to buy one gift.

On my mom's side we had it set up for a few years where the older adults and their spouses had a grab bag, the younger adults (most of us were late teens/early 20s) had one, and then everyone (or couple) bought a gift for the younger kids. Younger kids get more gifts and splitting grab bags by age range meant you were buying/receiving gifts from family you probably socialize with more and knew better.

Then my grandfather died and everyone got older so now it's just a more casual White Elephant exchange. Not that exciting, but it's still alright.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by SmashMan

Everyone knows when Christmas is, right? You'd think it'd be easy for everyone to plan ahead. Or you could be like my dad's side of the family, randomly getting together after New Years. I don't even go to that though. For me, once we've already passed another "holiday" you can't go back.

That's the thing. Everyone knows when Christmas is, so everyone plans stuff the same time. Everyone has friends, cousins, families, in laws, you name it, all trying to fit a similar thing in on the same day(s).

Funny part, that used to be plans at times in the past. The whole "kids are old enough, we don't need to celebrate before Christmas with no wrapped gifts/toys anyways do we?" So it turned into a "boxing day special" (which also turned into "regifting day"). Though when boxing day is on a Monday-Wednesday, people aren't as interested in doing anything since most had work the next day.

One suggestion someone had was "why do we need to all come together now? The spring is much better weather, let's wait until then." Luckiky that went nowhere and everyone's like "Ya...that's not how the holidays work."

[Dead2009]

Luckily me and my cousins dont normally need Christmas to get together as we do it throughout the year.

[mike24forever]

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. I hope you were able to get together with those you care about.

I'm just sitting down to watch the Polar Express. Have a great night.

[slickdtc]

Quote: Originally Posted by mike24forever

This is our Christmas tree in our family room. This is more on par of what my wife loves. She likes the warm white lights with the classic family stockings over the fire place. The tree in the basement is more my speed. Homemade decorations, with many Santa’s and coloured lights. I’ll post a picture of my den in the next few days.

I love this divvying up of the decorating. My dad and his lady alternate Xmas styles yearly. My dad is a tinsel on the tree guy. The rest of us don’t want to clean that up! Lol. My wife & I decided on a general color scheme (mostly red with accents of white, gold, silver, green). We’re usually in sync on style.

My wife had the decorations out two weeks ago. Man, it makes it feel so warm and cozy in here. We’re slowly accumulating and bringing our own style now that we’ve been homeowners for a couple years.

We got rid of the fake pre-lit tree we’ve had for a few years and will be going with a real tree this year. My wife has never had, and growing up in my family we had a fake tree early on but went natural for my preteen years on so I have pretty fond memories. I cannot wait to bring home a real one for my son to see and my wife. It’s just an extra layer of celebration. It’s gonna be a magical one this year.