Christmas Greetings thread

[Zogem]

@ Major... the christmas spirit is so strong, and she is a part of that Christmas spirit! IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY!

The beauty is it's never gone. It's reborn with each generation. I live vicariously through the eyes of my nieces son (my moms great grandson) , who is at that golden age, where santa is very real, and the time between Thanksgiving is "Fow-ever (sic)".

Nothing is ever gone, it's merely recycled.

-Z

 

[Major]

Well said again Z my friend!

C'mon guys! I know CHristmas is still a week off but let your hair down a tad! Even if it's just a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever suits your fancy!

Thanks in advance GG folks and visitors!

 

[5vz]

Bumping for Major and the rest of us that love to see a little Happy Holidays. Be it Kwanza, Hanukkah, Festivus, what have you, a little word or two is always good.

 

[fright88]

Growing up Christmas was always a really big deal.

For my Sister and I it began the first weekend in December when we dug out the Tree and decorations. No big ceremony but because my mom let us decorate the tree it was always fun and something we looked forward to.

We also got a Advent Calendar every year so between that and the countdown to Christmas break it was always a great time of year.

Christmas Eve my sister, my mom and I piled into the car and went to Grandma's house for Christmas Eve dinner. Apparently I was always paranoid because as far back as I can remember every trip I thought we were going to get lost but we always made it . (For some reason I thought if we got lost we'd be doomed to wonder for eternity trying to find our way home lol). But we always had a great meal and the spotlight of the dinner was always my grandmother's home made dinner rolls and Apple or Pumpkin pie. We usualy finished off the evening by opening presents from my grandparents.

That evening when we got home we opened presents from my mom while we sat around the tree and drank egg nog and for ready for an early night. I imagine getting to bed on Christmas Eve is the same for all kids but needless to say even though we were usually sent to bed around 9 we were lucky if we slept more then 3-4 hours.

Christmas morning was always painfull as my mom is almost impossible to wake up and my sister and I always got up at about 4 am ready to check under the tree. But somehow we always managed to live through the pain and once mom was awake the fun began. My mom usually made breakfast muffins and we sat around eating Christmas goodies and opening presents from Santa.

At around noon we set out for the 2-3 Christmas dinners we had every year. First was my mom's family. We went to my great aunt's and had a huge Christmas dinner. They always had a nice big ham and turkey and more of my grandma's great baked goods. There was usually singing and us kids always ran around and had a blast. Later we would go to whatever other Christmas dinners we were invited to usually small deals but as always they were a lot of fun. We always finished off the evening by going to my dad's family's Christmas dinner. This was always fun because we got to see our dad and again us kids always ran around having a blast.

Once home we usually watched a Christmas movie and settled down for bed.

For me Christmas has always been a magical time of year. Not for the gifts giving or recieving but for the whole feel of it. Getting to see my family and have fun. All the running around to visit people and the excitement.

Thanks again everyone who makes this forum great. And Merry Christmas to all the great posters and readers here. I have made a good many friends on this forum and am thankfull for them all. I hope you and all of your familys get to feel the Christmas magic whether you are doing some big family Christmas tradition, or winging it, or starting a new tradition.

 

[5vz]

Well said again Z my friend!

C'mon guys! I know CHristmas is still a week off but let your hair down a tad! Even if it's just a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever suits your fancy!

Thanks in advance GG folks and visitors!

Bump again since most may not have seen this over the weekend.

 

[Major]

Okay guys, Christmas is almost here. Don't be a Scrooge! Just a Merry Christmas will do!

 

[Vaporologist]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year of Odysseus to everyone!

 

[Major]

Have I told you guys how much I love you all?
































Good cuz I was totally wasted and might have said anything! I couldn't remember if I logged on after the Christmas party last night or not!

JUST KIDDING! I do really think you guys are the best!

 

[stv888]

To Imeo & the rest of the GG gang
Marry Christmas & a happy new year.
Wish you & your families all the best for the holiday season.
Also happy Hanoocha to everyone.

& please celebrate safely-DO NOT DRINK & DRIVE!!!!

 

[imeothanasis]

thanks a lot stv. I wish you the same and more buddy

 

[Moshmarr]

My family likes to bake. We are baking fools. My mom can't even eat sweets and she is constantly baking them. My mom and I are really competitive, we are always trying to beat the others recipes. We are nerds
Her hashbrown casserole will always be in my dreams though...
My sister and I as well as my nieces decorate sugar cookies together and then we see whose taste the best. Usually its my older niece because she puts so much icing on them.

My family also like to get together and relive a multitude of embarrassing stories that usually involve me because I am the king of humiliating myself. Sometimes we will pull out a board game, but it has to be one like trivial pursuit or scene it, as we are a loud bunch. My mom never wants to play initially but will always end up chiming in, she kicks .....

Of course someone always puts on A Christmas Story ('you'll shoot your eye out!") and National Lampoon's Christmas vacation!

Before she passed, every year without fail, my grandma would come over to my parents' house and rearrange all their furniture. She also informed us about what actions would bring us bad luck for the year. One year, she wouldn't allow us to go into the house through the front door. She also bought everyone a lot of little "good luck charm" statues I still have quite a few and they have a spot of honor in the living room, especially this time of year. Merry Christmas to you and yours, everyone!

 

[Major]

Awesome sharing there Mosh! I know Christmas has become such a commercial venture that many get turned off by it but when one can look beyond the commercialization, most all of us have some truly heart warming stories to share.

I often quote my wife on here but it's not a bad thing. She made a "funny" as I was reading the stories aloud to her from this thread. I commented that the old tough guy cop had given way over the last few years to a more sentimental old teddy bear.

Without cracking even a slight smile she looked over the top of her reading glasses and told me I shouldn't worry about it. She allowed as how even at 57 years old, being 6'5" 275 and packing an automatic would probably discourage anyone from making too much fun of me. Silly old woman... I sure got lucky when I landed her 39 years ago.

 

[critterbug]

It *is* such a magical season. The gifts are exciting, but a big part of that, as a kid, was the mystery - the magic - in the air. Some mischievous energy is afoot!

I miss my mum, too, Major. She moved on 7 years ago. Definitely not the same without her, but we have carried on the traditions I associate with her, like making decorations for the tree. I'm not very good at drawing or sculpting, but, as she said it would be, looking back over the years of decorations made by and in honor of people, dogs, and horses who are no longer with us... it's very special. Looking at a decoration I made when I was 9, well, meh - at least it makes me laugh. Every year, we pulled out the decorations and, if we had accumulated another family member - a new dog or horse, we would draw them or make them out of clay. We had an ongoing battle over whose horse would be on the top of the tree. We snuck around switching them for weeks before Christmas. Somehow my stepfather's horse, Emmett, was always at the top on Christmas morning. ahem. This is my favorite decoration of all time, made by my mum. And, um, according to her, the prominence of the middle finger was... UNintentional.

OK, as someone who has never read a creation myth she didn't love in some way, or learn about a seasonal celebration of this time of year that wasn't worthy...
Happy Holy Days!

I don't post much, but I follow the GG forum often (I've been fantasizing about Ody for months now!) and I so appreciate you all. This is a unique place.

 

[Major]

Awesome post Critter! I agree that while you never get over such a loss, you can learn to cope with it and turn things they loved themselves, such as Christmas, into a celebration of their life.

Oh and I love that inadvertent finger! Classic!

 

[dspin]

Merry Christmas to all who read this thread, hope everything is better for you in 2012 Major

 

[Painfreak]

To all GG family and Imeo, Merry christmas!! May all of you be bless with Good health and fortune! and a better year ahead!

 

[Ariel_MX]

Merry christmas to all!!!


Before christmas it is common here in Mexico to make "posadas", it should be a resemble of when Jose and Maria asked for a place on Belen, some people stays inside the house while others are outside asking for a place (asking posada). The asking is a song that the outsiders sing and the insiders ask them with another singing. After some time the insiders open the door and give to the outsiders posada and the celebration begins, tamales, atole, piñatas.

Now the posadas is just a celebration with friends, everybody brings something to eat and drink and we breake some piñatas. Every one has to bring two gifts one serious gift and another joke gift, all the gifts on the table and we play a game with a die, so someones can take a gift from the table (you never know what kind of gift are you taken), once there aren't more gifts to take, there are two more rounds when you can take someone else gifts and the opening. Last time I got a Playbos magazine and a little bag with chihuahua poo (I thought it were candies).

When I was a kid we usually celebrate at grand ma's place, a big familly, all started some hours before dinner, kids playing at the yard, people coming, etc. For dinner we had every kind of possible food, like turkey, pork leg and loin (do not know how to say in english), salads, and some typical food, like the "romeritos" (shrimps with mole and "romeros"), cakes, candies, dried fruits, wine, beer, a traditional low alcohol drink made with apples, we call it "sidra".

Every member of the familly had to put one or more gifts under the tree for someone else, after dinner the gifts opening started. No santa illution for me I always knew there was not santa and that was sad.

When we were back to home I went to sleep and in the morning I always went to see under the tree, but it was kind of frustrating because I have never found a gift

Last christmas I was by myself, I couldn't travel to my parent's place, got a pizza and a wine bottle.

This crhistmas I couldn't travel (again) so I will go to a friend's place, he told me we are having "Pozole" as dinner (another typical mexican food), it will be new for me to have that as dinner hehe.

I have to bring the desert, I do not know what should I bring yet.

 

[circuitsucka]

Merry Xmas gg family!


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Major]

Merry Christmas to all who read this thread, hope everything is better for you in 2012 Major

Thank you my good friend! I am doing much, much better and am preparing to enjoy the thrill of grand children buzzing around the house any moment now. Had to sneak on to check the forum for a quick sec though!

Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!

 

[wigglr]

M e r r y c h r i s t m a s!!!!!!!