Holiday Season 2018

[Karo]

The time is upon us my friends! The stream of never ending December holidays is upon us and I am curious what are you going to do this year? Any cool plans? Going to visit your families somewhere?

Do you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanza?

It looks like for me this year we will be having a few different Christmas visits with my second oldest brother's family and the family close to us I"m looking forward to it! Its going to be a lot of fun I bet.

One of these days I still want to celebrate Hannukah, but I know that might be a bit rude of me not being Jewish, but I've been intrigued since Rugrats ever introduced me to the concept all those years ago. 

Oh if you have any favorite memories around this time to share feel free to share them down below!

[queenzelda]

Usually I spend Christmas Eve with my side of the family & Christmas day with my husband's side. I'd love to have a year where we stay home for Christmas, but it's probably never going to happen anytime soon. xp We always have our own time together later on Christmas Day after we get home. I've been wanting to just have a separate day for us, but getting that through Jing's head is altogether different. Still, I'll try explaining my idea again this year & see if I get anywhere.

[Karo]

You know Queen reading that made me think of this. If you guys lived in England you would have boxing day! Which could be that day if you can communicate with your hubby well enough, but I think that would be super cool to have sometime alone after two days of family fun. (Assuming their no family squabbles god forbid) 

I wish you luck in convincing him!

[queenzelda]

Na, usually there are no family squabbles. It's just everyone wants to 'be with us' over Christmas & Thanksgiving. None of the holiday's cause we get those all to ourselves, but Gobble Gobble Day & X-mas then you better buckle up cause we got people wanting to see us. xp

But yea, I think I should be able to this year if I talk to him early enough about it. I keep trying like the week before Christmas & it seems to go in one ear & out the other. Still, gotta keep trying.

Oh yea, for a memory.. When I was about 12, my parents didn't have much cash & were struggling to get us a decent Christmas. The day before Christmas Day my grandmother sent us a huge box full of gifts for Christmas. I'll never for get it, cause we've never had a Christmas with so much stuff since that day. (Or maybe it just seems that way to me; lol.)

[Karo]

You know though it can be draining having lots of family around it must be nice knowing both sides of the family want to see you two. As I got older I'm starting to appreciate the small gestures more as I didn't really think about it, but it nice when a family member invites you over to celebrates the holidays.

I actually have that problem a lot too, I don't plan in advance or ask to do something far too late when you have to plan it out a bit!

I think one of my more recent Christmas memories I can remember is really wanting a PS3 and my mom wanted to do something big for me for Christmas so her and my aunt went in on the PS3 together and it was the perfect Christmas gift I was so excited and I actually went snooping around and saw it before I was suppose too. I forget how old I was, but after that I actually started playing online with Moony on the PS3 occasionally and that was really fun. (I still need to get a PSN plus sub but...moneyyyy)

[Mr EliteL]

Christmas Day usually consisted of me and my immediate family spending the day together, when I was much younger we'd all go to church then open presents after that. Then Boxing Day to my Dad's parents and sister for their Christmas meal and more presents. When my parents split, and me and my sister stopped going to church, it would be my mum and brother going to church in the morning, all opening presents after that like normal with my Dad, who'd go to his parents/sister, then he'd take us over there on Boxing Day. Although I might be remembering that wrong with what my mum and dad did back then. A fond memory is of the incredible cooking my Nan did on Boxing Day, and how much decorations they had up, with a huge tree too.

After my grandparents did pass on, we'd still try and do the usual Boxing Day thing with my Dad. My Aunt cooked OK, almost similar to my Nan's but not as good, but the quality and amount went down recently as did her health. We'd usually get a Christmas meal out on the 15th to celebrate my sister's birthday. This year's going to be quite different though, and next year differently I'd bet for that too.

I got my GameCube on Christmas I think, that was an awesome present to receive. Possibly my GBA the year before that too, equally as great to receive. Can't think of what other presents I've had from my family that stood out as much as they did.

Another thing me and my siblings had when we were kids (to about when I was 14 or 15 maybe?), we'd have a stocking each hanging outside our doors on Xmas Eve. The excitement we had opening the tiny gifts in my brother's the early morning after is a good memory. I remember also trying to get a game of Melee or something in before that happened too.

[Moonface]

Christmas Eve this year will be at Shira's aunts place for whatever the heck will be happening there. Christmas Day I have no clue if we're meant to be going somewhere or not. Boxing Day won't apply because America doesn't recognise it (even though it's just basically British Black Friday if you ask me).

Hanukkah I don't celebrate because I'm not Jewish, but I have experienced some of it with Shira's grandmother and got to try potato pancakes, which are pretty good actually. I have had some customers at my work give me a death glare for not knowing everything about Hanukkah because I apparently live in a Jewish community, despite none of said customers knowing where I actually live in relation to the store.

[Mr EliteL]

Merry Christmas, everyone!

How was yesterday, Moony?

This year, mum has offered to do dinner for my Dad and Aunt, so they're coming over here for food and presents for a while. Not for too long though, but it's something for them at least. Could be my Aunt's last Christmas too, or well, a proper one without hosptial/care.

Still, should be an alright day anyway.

[Kyng]

I had quite a nice Christmas week, mainly because my sister came home to be with us .

I mostly got my usual kinds of things: model railway items, a couple of books (including Richard Osman's The World Cup of Everything), some sweets, and some new clothes. (Also bought Jurassic World Evolution for myself in the Steam sale, but I believe I've posted that on here already )

[Moonface]

How was yesterday, Moony?

Christmas Eve was pretty fun, and I got to experience my first white elephant which was an interesting experience. Got out of that with a $25 Target gift card and Shira got a pre-paid movie ticket and some candy to go with it. We also took some Yorkshire Puddings with us as our contribution to the buffet meal, which everyone initially questioned and then loved once they tried them. XD

As for actual Christmas Day, we opened gifts at Shira's mums house. I got some new pajamas, a LoZ watch, alarm clock, and a bunch of other stuff I can't recall at 6am in the morning so I'll have to list the rest later.

@Kyng: Do you have a model railway set or do you just collect the models?

[ShiraNoMai]

Hope you all had wonderful holidays, everyone. Seems like they were at least modestly well, from what everyone is reporting in on.

I didn't have any siblings to share in the holiday fun as you had EL (my brother had moved out by the time I was born) but I still had some decent memories. I also remember getting my Gamecube one holiday. It was my first properly owned home console (my SNES and N64 were essentially handed down) so it was very hype to unwrap all the plastic and demo discs that came with new consoles. :3

[Mr EliteL]

White Elephant? Is that the gift exchange thing?

Christmas this year, of what's left of it anyway (20 mins here), was OK. Received a bunch of stuff. Four CDs, two David Eddings books, Rise Of the Shield Hero Manga Companion Volume 2, Tokyo ESP Volume 1, Incredibles 1 & 2 DVD, a bracelet with my name on, and two model tanks. Plus Agarest Complete Saga Collection on Steam from Fanta. :3

[Moonface]

White Elephant? Is that the gift exchange thing?

Imagine a secret santa, but you don't get a person to give a gift to. Instead, you set a limit of say $25, and everyone participating will buy something worth that much which would be suitable for the majority of the group to receive. Let's say there were 20 people involved, that means 20 gifts are brought. All wrapped so you have no clue what they are, excluding what you brought obviously. You draw numbers, and then go in order. Person #1 will pick from any of the gifts in the pile, and then unwrap it. Person #2 will then go, and can either take the gift that #1 unwrapped, or pick something from the pile. If they steal a gift, the person who had their gift stolen then picks something from the pile or steals from someone else who has a gift, except for whoever just took their gift because otherwise you end up in a stupid back and forth game between two people. Once every gift has been picked and everyone then has a gift, the game is over and you leave with whatever gift you got to keep. Later numbers are better because you can basically see what every gift is and therefore take something you'd really like to have. Shira and I had very low numbers, but I was only stolen from once and it was a set of wine glasses, which is fine by me because I don't drink wine.

[ShiraNoMai]

The game becomes less exciting and interesting when people become either drunk or disinterested themselves, I find. I personally hope for next year to bring back Secret Santa with info cards on the people they get. Christmas is about giving, and I appreciate the more personal angle that comes with a Secret Santa rather than this luke-warm attempt at gift exchange.

Did you ask for Rising of the Shield Hero manga, EL? I recognized the name because it will be appearing in the Winter Season of anime (actually, starting today) this year. Otherwise, still some good takeaways for the holidays.

As for me, I mostly got what I asked for. Started off the month with getting Smash from Moony (it was a gift I couldn't very much wait for), then when the day came, received Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and NieR Automata: Long Story Short (the novel) from Moony. My mother got me some long sleeves I desperately needed. A very cute Pikachu purse I also asked for is now mine. I also got a Super Mario series-inspired holiday shirt and a "Meowy Christmas" mug from my Secret Santa at work, which was nice.

[Mr EliteL]

Ah, I see that's how it went. At least you didn't end up with wine glasses then. I suppose they can be good for display purposes, or to give to someone else. What did you two get in the end from White Elephant?

Did you ask for Rising of the Shield Hero manga, EL? I recognized the name because it will be appearing in the Winter Season of anime (actually, starting today) this year. Otherwise, still some good takeaways for the holidays.

Didn't ask vocally, but was on my Amazon wish list as some of those items I received were. Cool, although I'm already following the series through the novel and manga (both at Volume 3), dang if I go for the anime too.  Might just have a look at the first episode or something.

I also got a Super Mario series-inspired holiday shirt and a "Meowy Christmas"

I completely misread the "and a" and thought it was 'had', and thought it was going to be a Christmassy Cat Peach or something.  Your gifts sound good too!