View Full Version : How are you spending the holidays?
I'm off on another trip for about a month to ski and visit family in Lake Tahoe (sis is coming for part of it too). What about you? Going anywhere or doing anything special? Spending it with family? Friends? Alone in the snow covered, moon and star-lit woods? That last one sounds good to me!! Any traditions you celebrate? Weird little things only you and yours do? Special foods? I'm forgoing the Lutefisk this year - thank God!!
I'm traveling with my husband to visit with his family, which doesn't actually care for me that much, but there you have it.
I will be delighted when 12/26 rolls around and I am on my way back home to home, hearth, and dogs.
Gardenarian
12-13-12, 5:23pm
Staying at home and at our cabin (which is only 45 min. away.) Hope to do lots of hiking and beachcombing and exploring. Mostly looking forward to the peace and quiet of vacation, and spending time with dd, dh, and dogs. And a pile of good books.
We will be having a bonfire to celebrate the Solstice, but no wild nude dancing or anything (at least, I haven't planned any.)
treehugger
12-13-12, 5:33pm
Definitely *not* going to Tahoe. :) My parents live there and I always avoid going up there for holidays (winter or summer) because of the traffic. But we do go up at the end of January for my mom's birthday. And if we are lucky, there is still snow then.
My DH's parents are local, which makes things nice and easy. So, we will he his dad's side on Christmas Eve and his mom's side Christmas day. I vastly prefer to only go one place per day, so this suits me.
We usually travel to SoCal (Orange County, specifically) for New Year's, to stay for a few days with my dad and step-mom and visit with my siblings, and we have that planned for this year.
Special foods: DH's mom's family always has ravioli (spinach and cheese, with a red sauce) as part of Christmas dinner. Yum! His dad's side always has Linguiça for Christmas breakfast. Dunno why; they aren't Portuguese. I can't even stand the smell of it cooking, so I avoid that tradition.
In my own family, we have a few food traditions, too. Dad "makes" (us kids pretty much do all the work now, but Dad still gets credit) waffles on Christmas morning. That side of the family's Christmas has moved to New Year's, so that's waffles for New Year's Day breakfast. Then on Christmas/New Year's night, there is usually a giant, labor-intensive, expensive prime rib dinner. I made it all by myself 2 years ago because my step-mom was visiting my sister in Oregon and last year we did it one more time, and now I am done. My step-mom has back problems and can't be on her feet for long, and my dad is pretty much the only one who will miss it (and he doesn't contribute any labor), so I have decided (and I got OKs from step-mom and siblings) that we will do a casual, family-style taco or burger bar instead. Woohoo! Hooray for change! :D Dad will grumble, but he will survive.
Kara
DH and I are headed to the Gulf Coast for three days - just the two of us. Hopefully, escaping will become our new tradition.
Simpler at Fifty
12-13-12, 6:47pm
We are planning on spending it together. Christmas Eve will be our annual dinner out at the German Restaurant. We usually go to our friends on Christmas Day but they have been stand offish the last few months so I doubt we will be doing that this year. It is ok, I can use a day off with no plans.
Christmas's in our house are quiet ones, reserved for family/friends. We always stay close to home.
Love the sounds of your holiday plans, Spartana!
Blackdog Lin
12-13-12, 9:01pm
This next week I shall visit/call/email the various siblings, depending on how close they are (2 in town, the rest out); I will present or mail a gesture gift (this year it's our picallily - green tomato relish, our first try, but it turned out really good) and then next weekend through Christmas Day we will relax and cook and enjoy. We will plan either a special snackie or special meal for ourselves for each day (or night). I will try to get DH involved in the cooking, so that we're doing something together, and I will suggest rides around the neighborhood in the golf cart, to check out the Christmas lights. We will take the baby (the dog) on our rides - she will love it (I will make sure she has another bath before then, so she'll be clean and pretty).
Christmas morning we will have our traditional "Christmas Breakfast Pizza" and open our 2 little gifts each. After a nap I hope to cook up some sort of mind-blowing Christmas dinner (but don't know quite what yet). And for the first year in many we will have a quiet and stress-free Christmas.....just on our own.....
Well, here are our plans.
I work until 22 Dec (sat am class), and then the plan is to take the afternoon off and chill out and do something fun. THEN, on Sunday and Monday we are going to clean the house (23/24 Dec) getting everything sorted as we want to sort it. On Tuesday, it's our last day as a family before the ILs come. Our plan is to do our christmas decorating, which DS really wants to do. We're going to make our christmas tree (pohutukawa and pine branches made into a tree shape with sticks and twine) and also make some bouquets for our little vases and stuff as well. And, we'll wrap the IL's christmas presents.
On 26 Dec at 8 am, my ILs arrive. We'll drive them to their place (which is going to be next door to us :P), and then let them get settled. It's likely that this will mean just a few minutes. Since they'll likely have been fed on the plane, they'll be fine until our lunch time -- 11/12 depending upon our IF window that day), we're heading to one of our favorite cafes. Then, we might do a drive around town to just show them around, or just sit at our place or their place and chat or whatever.
THen, we are in and around town for the next 4 days, then we head up the coast for 4 days. We'll do pretty much all kinds of various fun things. Then we are back in town for a week (i teach that week), then we head out to Ngawi on the coast for the fun things over there. Then we drive home and they fly out in the evening (8 pm).
And so that's my holiday.
Having Christmas dinner with my goddaughter and her family in the big city. Maybe an hour's drive. Other than that, church on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning (I sing at both). I'm off Christmas Eve day. I will work New Year's Eve.
AmeliaJane
12-14-12, 12:02am
I will be in town with my sister and her family. Her girls are little, so they still do the full Christmas thing. Special activities include driving around to look at Christmas lights, Church on Christmas Eve, and this year a pedicure for Sis and me (we didn't plan for that to be in the Christmas week, but we realized we had the time off and a gift certificate to use up!) Usually sis and her husband make a nice breakfast, lunch is with her inlaws (I'm invited but don't always go) and then I make a light snack/supper in the evening. I'm pondering whether I can sneak off to see Les Miserables during the inlaw visit. Maybe, if the movie times work out...
Square Peg
12-14-12, 1:41am
We will start our festivities early, by going here (http://www.leavenworth.org/modules/pages/?pageid=266&path=26%7C266) this weekend.
Christmas Eve we have a Silly Gift Exchange and then we will watch the worst movie ever-regular and Christmas versions, and we will heckle. Christmas Day, we will have big breakfast, open presents, watch a movie, and then drive to find snow for sledding. We will probably go see Les Miserables the next day.
ApatheticNoMore
12-14-12, 1:53am
Well I only really get two Tuesdays off (don't even get off the Mondays beforehand - but I guess that's the same as most everyone I guess), that is unless I take vacation time, plus I kind of have to work part of that time I *do* get off (and I do mean work work, that job thing I do for pay although this will be logging in there from home). So I don't really know, I dont' have anything planned.
I'm working Dec 24-27. Then Dec. 28-31 I'm off, and my sister and her husband are visiting from out of state. I gave her loads of ideas to choose from. Eating, hiking, laying by the pool will be included I'm sure.
Wildflower
12-14-12, 5:58am
We're staying home. Family is coming over Christmas Day for dinner and gift exchange. Excited about seeing my grandkids open their presents! :)
We leave tomorrow for 6 days in Hawaii, then 10 days with my family in the seattle area.
not a moment too soon -- the last few weeks have been really stressful with both work and family stuff, and I really need a break. Oh, and it's snowing in Beijing so I am looking forward to sun and sand tomorrow!
lhamo
Over the river and through the woods (and across lots of corn fields) to grandmother's house we go...
shadowmoss
12-14-12, 8:44am
Quiet times down here in sunny Honduras. I will go down to Tegucigalpa for the weekend before as my birthday is the 23rd. Relax, wander around, eat. I work Monday, Christmas Eve, then I'll be home for Christmas day just hanging out. Same for the New Year's week except I'll probably stay home for the weekend.
Even after 18 years, my partner and I go our separate ways for the holidays and celebrate with our respective families. So I'll be flying to MN on the 22nd and I'll see my grandmother and aunt on my mother's side that evening for dinner, then my father's side of the family on the 23rd. I'll celebrate with my mom and brothers on the 24th and then fly back to MA on the 25th. Meanwhile, my partner will be celebrating with his family in NYC on the 24th and will be back on the 25th. We'll go to NYC for New Year's eve to participate in a midnight run with our running group there and that will be about it.
No real food traditions other than eating lefse with my father's side of the family. Oh and just eating a lot in general. Mostly I just try to keep things as low key as possible during the holidays and work each year to make them more low key. I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with that!
We'll probably go to Vermont sometime in early January, assuming we get a big snowstorm, and do some snowboarding. I have to go to Texas in January for work so I'll be maxed out on travel after all of that.
Even after 18 years, my partner and I go our separate ways for the holidays and celebrate with our respective families.
My brother and his partner of 15 years decided to stay home, together, for Christmas for the first time ever. They both spent Thanksgiving with us so we don't feel bad about not seeing them this month. I'm really happy for them.
We're staying home. Told the rest of the family they are welcome to come to us. My mom, who is our last parent, will be here. Would love to see any or all of the rest, but as mentioned above, we were all together on Thanksgiving so the pressure is off for Christmas. DW's family is all here so everyone on her side will be together for Christmas dinner.
We are taking an entire week off for Christmas. We haven't had this much time off together in the eleven years we've owned the restaurant. Monday through Friday will be spent north-west of Chicago in the town we used to live in. Dh has two single brothers that still live there.
We're staying in a hotel where we will spend our evenings swimming and relaxing in the hot tub. Our days will be spent visiting friends and family, eating ourselves silly in all the places we miss going to and shopping for several things on our wish lists.
I didn't buy a single present this year. Ds is old enough that he looks forward to picking out a few things he really wants (art supplies, leather coat, etc) and dh and I both want/need a few new clothes.
We are very careful with our money all year long. And we don't get any other time off together except for Thanksgiving day so our Christmas tradition has become making the most of our time off together (usually 2-3 days) and not worrying about how much we spend while doing so. Somewhere in the mix there is always a hotel with a pool and hot tub and someone else to do the cooking.
Mighty Frugal
12-14-12, 11:33am
I am taking almost 2 weeks off-to match my boy's school holiday. In Canada we also have Boxing Day as a holiday (Dec. 26th) so more time off for the masses
Ours is pretty traditional. Christmas Eve at home-just the immediate family. We let the boys open up their gifts from each other and one gift from us-which this year is a Hudson's Bay fleece blanket which I know they will love!
I crack open a bottle of red wine and have some of that with munchies (no meat we don't eat meat on Xmas Eve)
Christmas morning the kids open their gifts and stockings and play with all their toys, while dh and I try to wake up and drink coffee. Then we head to my parents which is about a 45 minute drive north for the day. I have a big family-5 kids, 10 grandkids and now the grandkids are getting engaged so more people! Plus there are always a few people who don't have anywhere else to go and there is always room at my mom's table for one more!
We have a big lunch-lots of food-we're Italian-and then open gifts. Then home again and I love to watch a Xmas movie on TV Xmas night. I'm hoping we can find our copy of Dr. Zhivago-I think that would be cool to watch Xmas night!
Oh and I began a new tradition. Each Saturday night in December we watch a Xmas movie-Christmas story, Deck the halls (lame-o) Elf, etc. and I bring out the big snacks-cheese, crackers, sliced salami, Lindt chocolate, chips, blackberries, clementines-all yummy stuff! And we stuff our gobs while watching the shows-such fun!
For NYE we always have an 'Ultimate Chip Party' It's held in our basement-just the family. We have a variety of chips (chips aren't something we get too often so they are special-same with pop) pop, chocolate, and all sorts of snacky foods.
We have glow sticks. And I give each boy a premade loot bag from Party city-there is always something interactive int here-like a dig for a treasure inside a glob of sand, or colouring book, etc.
Then we 'pop' those poppers that explode a million pieces of glitter and shiny bits of paper all over the floor. The kids wear goofy NYE's hats, and we yell out Happy New Year around 9pm:~)
good times!:)
The Storyteller
12-14-12, 11:59am
We are taking two weeks off from our day jobs to work on the farm. Putting things up for the winter, cleaning up, preparing for the next season, taking stock of profit and loss for the past year to see what worked and what (mostly) didn't. We'll go down to Texas the weekend before Christmas to visit our daughter and grand babies and deliver presents. Spend a couple of days catching up on reading.
All and all, the perfect holiday.
Definitely *not* going to Tahoe. :) My parents live there and I always avoid going up there for holidays (winter or summer) because of the traffic. But we do go up at the end of January for my mom's birthday. And if we are lucky, there is still snow then.
Kara
Looks like there will be lots of snow!! My cousin lives on the quiet North Shore Calif part, far from the crowds, so should be OK. We'll only be there a few days anyway as we are skiing in Mammoth this coming week (before the holiday crowds), then Tahoe for Christmas and then...??? Not sure after that but sis has almost 3 weeks off work so could be anywhere up north but probably Sonoma County - one of my favorite places!!
treehugger
12-14-12, 3:55pm
Looks like there will be lots of snow!! My cousin lives on the quiet North Shore Calif part, far from the crowds, so should be OK. We'll only be there a few days anyway as we are skiing in Mammoth this coming week (before the holiday crowds), then Tahoe for Christmas and then...???
North Lake. North Shore is Hawaii. :) My parents live in Kings Beach (North Lake) and yes, it's much quieter up there in general, but the traffic between the Bay Area and Tahoe is what I meant. That's what keeps us from going up more often. Definitely wasn't telling you not to go, though. It's beautiful up there, and you will have a lovely time.
Kara
North Lake. North Shore is Hawaii. :) My parents live in Kings Beach (North Lake) and yes, it's much quieter up there in general, but the traffic between the Bay Area and Tahoe is what I meant. That's what keeps us from going up more often. Definitely wasn't telling you not to go, though. It's beautiful up there, and you will have a lovely time.
Kara
North Lake! Where I lived in Big Bear Lake the north side of the lake was called North Shore so I forget. Cousin lives next door to your folks in Tahoe Vista. Nice area! Yeah I realized you where probably talking about the commute to get to Tahoe after I replied. It is terrible on a holiday and if you take I-80 during a snow storm - you could be stranded. Guess Hwy 50 is worse. Well, we'll be coming up 395 so we may not survive the drive but at least traffic will be low :-)!
treehugger
12-14-12, 4:23pm
We used to stay at the Franciscan in Tahoe Vista twice a year, every year, when I was a kid. Eat at Spindleshanks!
Just avoid driving through Tahoe City for the duration of your stay, if you can (main hub on north/west shore) and you will be fine, traffic-wise. Also, carry chains. :) We love our all-wheel-drive Subaru for drives to Tahoe since we don't need chains on it. The chain control guys just wave all Subarus through. It's awesome!
Kara
We used to stay at the Franciscan in Tahoe Vista twice a year, every year, when I was a kid. Eat at Spindleshanks!
Just avoid driving through Tahoe City for the duration of your stay, if you can (main hub on north/west shore) and you will be fine, traffic-wise. Also, carry chains. :) We love our all-wheel-drive Subaru for drives to Tahoe since we don't need chains on it. The chain control guys just wave all Subarus through. It's awesome!
Kara
I know that place!! When I was a teenager (15, 16ish) I would spend the summers there and worked as a maid at a lttle motel near by. I think it was called the Silver Slipper or something like that. Yeah I got my chains (and use to have a 4 x 4 jeep with snow tires back a few years ago so always got waved over the pass too). Now I'll have to put on chains. UGH!! But after driving the mountainous roads areound Big Bear (steep, windy, with hairpin turns and sharp drop offs) I can handle Tahoe - I think :-)! Mammoth sure is easy in comparison.
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