Now that the holidays are approaching, I'm sure the members would love to hear different holiday traditions in your family. I've read some very funny and strange ones...just let us know something you think we might find interesting. I'm still thinking about my own which I will post later.

 

We have one traditon that I am very proud of. We celebrate both Christmas and Channakuh. Right after Thanksgiving we make room in our greatroom and put up a tree and a menorah. Both stay lit (in the evenings) until after Chinese New Years which is usually the first week of February.

 

At the first full moon after the Autumnal Solstice I sacrifice a virgin (or near-virgin) on the altar of hedonism.

 

When it comes to virgins, you have to take what you can get!

 

Like Rob, we have both holidays and celebrate both too. Barbara runs the Channakuh candles and we will do the Barokkah together. For Christmas, we have pop-overs and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Before we open the gifts under the tree, I will read a selected passage from the New Testament and very briefly discuss a paticular tenet of Christianity. You have to try to give some meaning to the holiday before the looting begins. We also have a Yankee Swap (pick gifts based on drawn numbers and force others to swap with you) and the Santa Search (gifts hidden throughout the house for each person with written clues from Santo to help you find yours).

We spend a small fortune on Christmas every year. I don't think we care about how "commercial" it is. It is a chance to shower our family with gifts and we enjoy doing it.

 

I haven't observed the holidays since I was a kid. However, I do send a strongly worded letter to the Pope at Christmas every year demanding reparations for stealing the holiday of my ancestors. I haven't figured yet out what I'm going with all the money when the check finally gets here.
This will be our first Christmas together, and I strongly suspect that I'll be subjected to forming some new traditions this year. Martha has a bazillion boxes of Christmas decorations, and she's insisting on having a tree and putting up lights. Along with torturing me, I'm sure that she'll be forcing the dogs to suffer the utter humiliation of wearing reindeer horns and Santa Claus hats.

Dean

 

The metal pole is going up in the middle of the room soon

 

Ahh yes, "Festivus."

 

Only the true Seinfeld fans will understand "Festivus"...........

Christmas Eve service at church, traveling to the parents house - eating turkey, roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potato casserole, coconut cake, pecan pie, all the suthern' tradition items. Mmmm....

 

Uuummm, wasn't I supposed to get a slice of this several months back?

Holidays - this year spending it with Denise's family in. Then probably visit my parents and have Christmass '04 Part II a couple of days after Part I.