Venting Post for those who love Christmas, commercialism and all!

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Very cool ideas.

Naturally we have our slew of Christmas movies and music already in rotation. That starts Black Friday.

We got lucky with weather two years in a row—got the lights up on Black Friday too (we don’t shop on that day).

Only now, part of a string is dead and the local giant home improvement store is out of lights! :eek:

We have winters, just not as tough apparently as northern IL. There are folks around here who are putting up their lights this week.

Inside, we have a wreath, a tiny manger scene (I’m holding out until I can afford a NICE big one), and a few other figurines that go on top of the entertainment center. I collect and display Santa Claus figures, and we have four cute porcelain Santa lamps (that you light with those fake candles). I forget the maker’s name but they’re all matte ivory with semi-relief carvings all round.

We got out of the habit of a Christmas tree when we had kitties. It might be time to get a new one. I love the scent of a real tree, just not the mess. 😛
 
Christmas has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid I preferred it to my own birthday. There is just something nice about family getting together, the general goodwill, etc. It’s a warm fuzzy 🙂

I am not much of a house decorator though. Inside, yes, but outside (well, let’s just say me and ladders tend to get into disagreements–lol). I do put a wreath on the door.

I put out my creche last week and my daughter was upset that there were no wisemen. I told her that I might be getting them for Christmas (my mom buys me the pieces… they are kind of pricey so I just few a few each year).
 
I also want to thank you, Cat, for such a cheerful post. I like to read Christmas books all during the Christmas season, too, but I’m not a re-reader, so I’m always on the lookout for something new this time of year. I like to spend time each night reading by the lights of our Christmas tree…very cozy. 🙂
 
mellowcalico said:
Christmas has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid I preferred it to my own birthday. There is just something nice about family getting together, the general goodwill, etc. It’s a warm fuzzy 🙂
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Me too! I loved Christmastime more than any other time of the year. My own birthday included.

It was also the one time of the year when we sang the same songs in church that I was hearing on the radio! 😃

I remember when I was little I was very insistent on reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” as my Christmas Eve bedtime story (being about the night before Christmas) and the Nativity story book as my Christmas bedtime story (being about Jesus birthday, which is Christmas)…though I remember my parents trying very very hard to have it be the other way around so that priorities would be in order. But that’s 3-year-old logic for you. 😛
 
I love Christmas too!! I feel it is an oasis in an otherwise crass world and only wish it lasted longer. I do most of my shopping online now but when I used to go to malls, it was a relief to hear songs about lovely things, both sacred and secular, rather than obscenity laced “music” in the stores.

I probably won’t get around to sending cards this year and our Christmas tree is only half way up. The Christmas shopping is nowhere near done due to money concerns. And I don’t know if we’ll have time to get pictures of my daughter’s first Christmas. But even so, I love seeing other people’s decorations. The lights glowing in the cold darkness–like hope! I adore Midnight Mass (if I could only get to it this year!). I even love the pine needles falling all over the carpet—they make my vacuum smell wonderful for months.
 
I live in the very deep South, and the store decorations go up right after Halloween down here, too!

Most people put up their trees shortly after Thanksgiving and are pretty much done with their decorating by mid-December. Sadly, there are plenty of trees out on the curb the day after Christmas, though.

On my one and only trip to South Bend Indiana, I was surprised to see many homes with Christmas lights still up (though not on) at the end of February. I was told that it was simply too darn cold to get outside to take them down! I guess we do have it pretty easy down here - little or no ice and snow, though we’ve had some very Christmas-y cold weather this week.
 
I love Christmas, too, Cat!!! AND, I work in retail and STILL manage to love it!! That’s really saying something, LOL!

I love my house decorated, I love real Christmas trees, that when I walk in my home, I can smell the tree!

I love Christmas music, too – everything from O Holy Night to All I Want for Christmas is You! 🙂

I love midnight, candlelight Mass, and a big choir, with the piano and trumpet! I cry at Mass every.single.year!

When I was little, my parents and their friends took us kids around the neighborhood, Christmas Caroling! I remember being about 10, and I was taking guitar lessons, so my dad had me bring it along, and I plucked out a few songs I knew! What a great memory!

I love seeing family we don’t usually see, and sitting around a beautiful table, with candles lit, drinking wine and eating a delicious meal!

I love new pajamas on my kids on Christmas Eve, putting out the cookies for Santa, and then having the evening with my husband, watching A Christmas Story and laughing our butts off.

I love seeing my children look into the creche to see if Santa came and put the baby Jesus in the crib. I love sitting on the couch and drinking a cup of coffee and watching them open their gifts, and ESPECIALLY love to see how excited they are to GIVE the gifts they have made or bought for me and my husband.

I know many, many people struggle at Christmas. 😦 My own mother never really enjoyed Christmas after her own mother died. I remember wondering why Mommy was sad on Christmas Day. But I find joy on Christmas, and find it a perfect day to count my many blessings, and put aside the difficulties in my life.
 
Cat said:
I absolutely love Christmas!

It’s Jesus’ birthday, after all. I’m glad that the secular world makes such a huge fuss. Yes, I know that many people refuse to recognize that Jesus is God, but whether they acknowledge it or not, they are recognizing His birthday with their huge holiday celebration, and that’s wonderful!

My favorite part of Christmas is all the shows, plays, musicals, cantatas, concerts, etc. I especially love being a part of such productions. Since I play piano, I am “in demand” at this time of year, and have made enough money to pay for my Christmas expenses–yay! But even if I’m just sitting in the audience, I love a good Christmas play, movie, concert, etc.

I also love re-reading various Christmas stories, especially The Christmas Carol by Dickens. I keep all my Christmas books in a basket and bring them out right after Thanksgiving.

I also enjoy all the family get-togethers. As I mentioned in another thread, my husband and I don’t give gifts to extended family. Instead, we give time by purchasing three days at a local resort (a restored Victorian home) and inviting our siblings, their children, and our parents. It’s so relaxing and fun. We host a huge dinner for everyone in the family whether they are spending the night at the resort or not, and we cook it ourselves, and my daughters help–so much fun for everyone.

And I LOVE the music! Christmas carols and songs never, ever get tiresome. I’ll admit that “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” and Santa Baby" are not my favorites. But I always try to recall the first time I ever heard these songs, and recapture that moment of hilarity in my imagination.

And I LOVE the decorations, especially the lights. Around here (Northern Illinois), it gets dark early and many of the days seem dark all day when there is snow in the air. The beautiful lights make everything so cheerful. Last night we drove by a house (my parents-in-law’s neighbor) who routinely turns his home into a “Winter Wonderland.” It was amazing–the entire house was covered with lights, and he had hundreds of lighted figures set out all over the lawn, including the best manger scene that I’ve ever seen! I loved it!

And I love the shopping. We don’t buy a lot of expensive things, but we do buy for our daughters. The stores are so pretty and everyone is generally friendly. Last week we went to downtown Chicago, Michigan Ave, and bought an American Girls doll for our niece–everyone in the city was so friendly and welcoming. (It was the last pleasant winter day with mild temps and no snow–the very next day, the snow and bitter cold arrived, and we are now sitting in a deep freeze).

And of course, I love the ice skating! I don’t skate, but my whole family does, and at this time of year, many local rinks do an ice show or carnival. Our show was last weekend, and my husband played Herr Drosselmeir in the skating club’s “Theater On Ice” number. Many of the children did wonderful holiday numbers and it was so pretty. It’s too late now for most of you to look for these ice shows, but next year, keep them in mind. They’re usually really cheap to attend, and lots of fun for children (large families). My daughter’s rink in the St. Louis area does one of the prettiest and best Nutcracker On Ice Productions in the U.S., and it’s very cheap to buy tickets in advance.

But above all else, I love the Reason for the Season, Jesus!

If someone prefers to celebrate the Feast Day of Jesus’ birth quietly, prayerfully, and in solititude, that is a fine option.

All of the above things that I mentioned are totally optional. No one forces anyone to whoop it up at Christmas time. We can say “no” to most of the Christmas activities and American customs. No one has to spend a lot of money on gifts–most of us in the U.S. have all that we need, and we are happy just to receive a phone call or nice note from our family and friends. No one is forced to turn on the TV or radio, and if you dislike Christmas music in the stores, wear headphones–lots of people do. If you choose, you can keep your house in darkness and clear of all decorations except a Creche, and then put up the lights on Christmas Day for the liturgical Christmas season (although I personally wouldn’t want to put up any lights right now in this bitter weather).

And you don’t have to go near an ice rink.

Just celebrate Jesus’ birthday in your own way, and let others celebrate in their way. The main thing is that we celebrate it. Think about it–every time we say the creed, we celebrate Christmas when we bow during the phrase, “By the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.” If that’s all you choose to do, that is everything and it’s good.
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I’m Joe and I approve this message 👍 Thanks Cat! There was nothing more I could have said myself!

Joe
 
I love Christmas! I love the Christmas specials on TV. I love the lights! I love the music! I love the Christmas Trees! If there wasn’t so much to love, the commercial sector wouldn’t have hitched their wagon to Christmas. If there wasn’t so much to love, non-Christians wouldn’t bother trying to take Christ out of Christmas.
 
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