The Day After

[indigo_rose99]

At 7:30am this morning, it was 70F and the gym was near empty.

This Christmas season I spent time with both of my siblings across two states. My husband and I baked a turkey and hosted a traditional Christmas meal. And yet I am trying to decide what makes it Christmas to me. What event or action MAKES it Christmas? When does it feel like Christmas has happened?

Previous Christmases have led me to know a few hints for me:
* Christmas never happens if I do not put up a Christmas tree. Which is really disappointing, considering how much work putting up the tree is.
* Christmas does not happen until I have it with E. Something about celebrating with her for ~23 years.

This year T shared with me that it is not Christmas for him unless he puts up outside Christmas lights. I am totally neutral on the outside Christmas light thing, so that was cool.

Hrm.

What about you? What event(s)/action(s) MAKES it Christmas for you?

Comments

[ovrclokd.livejournal.com]

the things that make it christmas for me are traditions old and new(er):

christmas bells. these are decorations from my childhood home on lake norman: an electrical cord joining three 5-watt bulb sockets, with plastic holly and mistletoe at the center. red plastic bells are held on by the blinker bulbs screwed into the sockets, and the whole thing is hung in a window. i have six of them; they're hung in the garage, foyer, living room, and my office windows, facing the street. the blinker bulbs work based on a bi-metallic strip; when it heats up, one side contracts and breaks the circuit, so the bulb goes off, so the metal cools down, and contact is made again. as the metal expands and contracts, each bulb makes a very tiny ting sound...

the tree skirt and christmas stockings that my mom made when we were kids. this year we put up our own christmas tree, so they're at our house; in past years, when we haven't put up our own tree, we've brought them to charlottesville with us.

gingerbread men and women from chandler's, which we nibble upon while opening presents. (thebroomecloset eats the head first; i eat the feet first; we both prefer the gingerbread men, because they have more limbs to chew off.)

christmas brunch with thebroomecloset and his family at the boar's head inn.

it feels like christmas has happened when we're all back from brunch, in the living room, reading (usually our new christmas gifts - we're a big book-exchanging crowd) or playing with new toys or napping, with a fire in the fireplace and and the dog intermittently poking her nose in looking for pettings.

[tiger-stripes.livejournal.com]

Several things:
- Having Japanese New Year food
- Visiting my sister-in-law who passed away 4 years ago
- Seeing my cousin-in-law who is anything but PC
- Calling my best buddy and remembering how cool she is :)

So for me, it's bittersweet.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about this and finally decided that your question has an underlying assumption that I need or want Christmas. This is not true for me, exactly, now that I am not religious or a kid. However, I do want things to look forward to that can help me get through the winter months which, even in our wonderfully mild part of the world, is still my least favorite weather of the year (too cold and too dark).

* hot chocolate
* holiday parties (especially the silly outfits, nice decorations, yummy food, and socializing)
* Christmas lights
* Christmas carols
* lots of red and green
* time off from work
* my favorite sweater
* lined pants
* silly hats
* quilt
* fuzzy slippers
* hot showers
* pumpkin pie with whipped cream

This answer has changed since I was a kid. Back then the answer was:
* presents
* decorating the Christmas tree (required: multicolor lights, shiny bulbs, icicles, star on top)
* making cookies for Santa and seeing if he had eaten them the next day
* good Christmas movies
* Christmas carols
* and did I mention presents?

[pamwheatfree.livejournal.com]

This year there were no wrapped presents at Christmas for John and me and I realized that we don't need them. Yes, we got ourselves a 42" television set to watch DVDs on earlier in the year so that was really our present. We had Christmas stockings with little surprises in them and that felt like Christmas and we stayed at a hotel and that also felt quite Christmassy to me as well. This is the first time I have seen family around Christmas in almost 10 years.

Christmas always involves baking. Usually apple pies. We made three this year.

[mr-efficient.livejournal.com]

I go to http://www.isitchristmas.com. It says YES. Ergo, it is Christmas.

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

Ok, Mr Sarcastic. Are you saying that you do not feel Christmas, or that you do not feel the need/wish to feel Christmas?

[mr-efficient.livejournal.com]

The former, I guess. I remember that when I was a kid, Christmas felt magical, but these days it mostly feel like a lot of driving followed by family chaos. I appreciate being able to sleep in more than I appreciate the occasion.

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

I am sorry that you have lost the magic. I have come to accept that there can be family chaos, but I feel that there SHOULD be magic. Somewhere in the Christmas process.