Wednesday, December 24, 2008

My Christmas Eve

It's going to be a couple of very busy days for me today and tomorrow. Even so, I'll have something here for each day. This post for today, of course. And one that's maybe a little bit special tomorrow.

First, I'd like to update everyone on my recent stuck inside with no new adventures situation. That's done! I've been outside looking around, and I have some cool stuff for you right after Christmas. That means no more stir crazy posts, just crazy posts. I like crazy sometimes. It gives life an extra kick.

Anyway, today I'd like to tell you what I do this time of year. Since I grew up in the United States, I was raised in basically a Christian environment. I'll tell you now though that my family is not necessarily very religious. That's our option in a free country. We're not blind to religion, and we also respect others religions, but we keep our beliefs mostly to ourselves.

I don't usually like to talk about this, because I have many different friends, with many different religions. They're all wonderful people, and I respect them all very much. My internet friends are among those great people that I have a great deal of respect for. That means you!

But as I said before, we're basically Christian, so we celebrate Christmas, of course. Mainly, my extended family gets together on Christmas Eve, and we leave Christmas day for each section of the family. It's my Christmas Eve that I want to talk about today. I want to give you a glimpse of what it's like.

We all get together at the home of the most senior member of the family. There, we have a quiet celebration. It's mostly so our family can be together and show our appreciation for one another. We've been doing this ever since I can remember.

Now it's not a polite religious gathering or anything like that. It's just a fun little night where we share presents with each other, eat snacks, and catch up on what each of us has been doing. I guess I said it in the wrong order. We actually open the presents last, but everything happens as it happens.

We've had a few amusing things happen over the years too. Like the time my nephew snuck a few sips of an alcoholic beverage, and ended up drunk. He was only eight years old. His dad was a little upset, and looked at him and said. "Look at him, he's half drunk!"

The boy looked back, and slurred, "I'm not half drunk, old man. I'm all the way drunk!" Of course, the rest of us laughed out loud at this. His dad was not amused one bit. I think they watch him a little more carefully now.

Then there was the time that another nephew walked into the room eating the dog treats that I gave to my dog five minutes before. I'll confess now, somebody who writes on this blog gave him those dog treats. That person thinks it's highly amusing for the kids to eat dog treats. I wonder who that could be?

Hey, it doesn't hurt them. And besides, it leaves their teeth clean, and gives them a shiny coat of fur. I have one cousin who's now in his late twenties, and still loves dog biscuits. His own mother watches him eat them, simply because he's kind of unstoppable.

Things aren't all as strange as that, but I like those things the best. I guess I'm the evil one in the family when it comes to things like that. I just love seeing the look on the parents' faces when their kid does something that's totally messed up. It wouldn't be fun without a little laughter anyway.

What we mostly do though is share our cookie recipes, and sit around talking. Then when everyone has gotten a little something to eat, and we've made the kids wait for a sufficient time, we all begin to open gifts from each other. That's what we plan on anyway. It usually works out somewhere in that general frame.

Well, that's it! I didn't intend for this one to be as long as it was. This was just a small look into what I do for the holidays. If any of you would like to share your own experiences, no matter what they are, please leave me a nice long comment, or even a short one. I'd love to read about how you do things. All religions or lack of them are welcome here.


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9 comments:

  1. Such a great tradition! I love Christmas, especially Christmas Eve.

    Mother Goose

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  2. Thanks for sharing...

    Merry Christmas to you & yours from the Cube household.

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  3. I love the tradition and adorable photos. Happy Holidays to you :)

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  4. i must confess, as a child I once got into the dog treats and tested a few lmao, one of my dad's good friends who is in his 50's still teases the dog by eating its treats. We do our family gatherings different each year depending on everyones work schedules and such, (my bother in law is a police officer) this year we will do everything Christmas day so it will be hectic. Have a Merry Christmas and stay safe.

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  5. Hi Ratty,

    I hope you have a fantastic Christmas.

    John

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  6. Anonymous - Thanks, I love them too.
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    Cube - Merry Christmas to you too.
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    Joanne - Thanks. Happy holidays to you too.:)
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    Sparky - Thank you for sharing yours. I love reading about what others do for the holidays. It's also good to know that I'm not the only one who finds the dog treats amusing. Merry Christmas.
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    John - I hope your Christmas is fantastic too.
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    Merry Christmas and/or Happy holidays to everyone who reads this blog. I appreciate every one of you!

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  7. Malaysian celebrates every holy day and holiday because we are in a multi-racial society with different religions and beliefs.

    Now we greet you Merry Christmas, later Happy New Year, at the end of January, we shall celebrate Chinese New Year....

    It is a year long holiday...

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  8. i like the Christmas tradition of family gathering, sharing laughters, sharing moments. But now that I live in a different country (from Philippines to US), i celebrate Christmas silently with my hubby. I miss family togetherness though. Have a Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  9. Rainfield61 - Thanks for the insight into the Malaysian way. It's very similar here. Christmas and New Year are mainly recognized, and somewhat official, but in a smaller way, we are told about Chinese New Year on TV.
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    Betchai - My Christmas Eve is spent with family, but Christmas Day is spent quietly. Both are pretty good ways.
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    Merry Christmas to you both!

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