What are your holiday plans?

[Zebi]

Just thought I'd ask everyone how they plan to spend the holidays. I have quite a busy "schedule" this year!

First up is Saturday. The Wiccan Church of Canada's Oshawa Temple (of which I am a member) is holding a public ritual to celebrate Yule (the Winter Solstice). The regulars at the temple have basically become extended family to me, so I am really looking forward to seeing them. The ritual will be followed by a potluck, and we've all been asked to bring a small wrapped & unlabeled gift for a "grab bag." I'm planning to bring a bottle of rose wine and a desert as my contribution to the potluck.

Next up is Christmas Eve, which also happens to be my birthday. :D Dad and his girlfriend have their Christmas dinner and gift giving on Christmas Eve. Besides myself, my sister, niece, as well as Natalie's family will be over.

Christmas will be spent with my mother. We're probably going to have a small celebration this year. On Boxing Day, a friend of mine will be coming over so that we can exchange gifts. My sister and I are also expecting our big brother, who lives quite a ways from us, to being spending part of the holidays with us.

New Year's Eve will be quiet for me. My sister has already asked me to babysit her daughter. I'm not really a big party person, so that will be just fine as we can watch movies and play computer games.

Okay, now it's your turn - how do you plan to spend your holildays?

[Fantasie117]

Tomorrow, I have school, but they're giving us a half hour in the morning to exchange gifts. That is definitely not enough time. Since I won't be able to have lunch with my friends, I want more time to spend with them. :mad: After the half hour is up, we get to go into the auditorium and watch students "reflect" on their experiences at a school we associate with. Then, it's the annual "Song Contest." All the levels get a Christmas carol to sing, and the teachers pick the best. The seniors always win! :mad: We juniors should win at least once!

Saturday night, I get to go to a cocktail party for people I don't know and will be bored out of my skull for four hours.

Christmas Eve, I get to have dinner at my grandmother's house where I will be bored out of my skull for four hours.

We usually spend Christmas with family friends so we'll probably hang out there for a few hours, but I don't think I'll be bored out of my skull.

Can I add that Christmas is my least favorite time of the year? Oh, well...at least I get a week off.

[Colin]

I plan on spending Christmas Day cooped up in my room watching my new Cowboy Bebop DVDs... and occaisionally jumping to my brothers room to play Final Fantasy X (he got it yesterday) if he lets it up...

...the main plan, avoid extended family AS MUCH as possible... (family gatherings always give me this bad feeling in my stomach...)

[Bird Boy]

Friday-finishing up school tomorrow....
Saturday-Cleaning House/Picking up my brother from the airport
Sunday-Christmas Party
Monday-Another christmas party

And playing video games w/ my brothers all the while.. :)

-BB

[Elven Moon]

Let's see now:

Friday - Work :(
Saturday - uh... nothing that I'm aware of.
Sunday - Going to see the Rockettes at the Fox in Detroit with my family and my sister's best friend.
Monday - Heading to my friend's house to bake cookies, watch Christmas specials, and see Lord of the Rings.
Tuesday - Wake up, open presents, go to my grandma's house for our family Christmas party.

[Jowy Blight]

Let's see, I don't have school for the next 3 weeks. :p

I'll probobly be playing video games with my brother and my friends for most of it. On Christmas, I'll be going to my grandma's house and opening more presents and watch T.V. Then we'll be eating some wonderful food for dinner like always.

Aah, I love Christmas time.

[Frozen]

Well aside from driving all over the north of England on Christmas day itself to see my family, I'm spending all the my holiday break relaxing with my lovely wife, watching films, playing eith toys, reading comics.. and eating!

[Naraht]

Today - Work
Sat. - Work
Sun. - Work
Mon - Work
Tue - Work...but I get an extra 1/2 hour @ work..and no one else'll be here to piss me off!
Wed. - Work.
Thur. - Work....

Then I get a whole two days off...

Oh, I worked Yesterday too..

Bleh.

[Frozen]

Jeez Naraht, that's one heck of a Christmas you've got to look forward to there! Why are you working so much?

[Naraht]

Originally posted by Frozen Turkey
Jeez Naraht, that's one heck of a Christmas you've got to look forward to there! Why are you working so much?

1) Cause I'm Jewish & didn't ask for time off...
2) Other people DID ask for time off
3) ..It looks worse than it is

Ok, here's what happened..
Normally I work Saturday through Wednesday, with Thu & Fri off.
This week, because one of my coworkers needed the time off, I got Tue & Wed off, and had to work yesterday & today to make it up, and cover for him.
Next week..my days off are one day removed, also due to someone else wanting time off.
The good thing is I get three of those days alone, which means I can listen to CDs, watch cartoons, and relax moreso than I do when there are people, & newscasts to worry about.

[Nightflower]

BLAH! I got sick :( So I miss this party on Saturday. I hope I'm not sick all through Christmas :(

My friends had a Secret Santa system set-up, so today we exchanged gifts.....twas fun.

A couple of friends' parties. Family gatherings. Boyfriend quality time :) New Year's Eve spent at an overnight party in my rich friend's mansion. It's all good :)

*sniffles and coughs*

Well, almost :\

[joker]

in about an hour, im leaving for holiday camp in an hour and ill be there for the weekend. then after christmas il go spend a week with my brother at his school then on new years im having a bunch of friends over

[Kal-el]

I get drive a lot. Tomorrow morning, around 7 am, I get to drive 5 hours to Chicago to see my parents. Then, Sunday afternoon, I get to drive another 5 hours back home. Monday (Christmas Eve) I get to work from 8 am to 12 pm (not happy about that whole situation), then drive to Flint, MI (a 2 hour drive). Finally, Christmas Day, I get to drive another 2 hours back home. Wednesday it's back to work. Uuuuggghhhh...all those miles on my leased car...not good :( :( :( :(

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

I plan on just sleeping in and playing with whatever I got this Christmas. THAT'S my kind of holiday party. :p

....okay, maybe use the time constructively and get a little research on a history project of mine done. And talk to you guys, of course. :D

[Joe Tully]

I'm on vacation from college for about a month, like Jowy. On Christmas, I'll sleep a lot, wake up and open presents with family, go visit extended family and eat a lot and watch TV. And I won't even be thinking about doing schoolwork. Ahhh....

So Avran, what exactly did you do to celebrate Yule? I am kind of curious, what happens at this ritual that you mentioned?

I hope that you had a good holiday!

[Zebi]

Originally posted by Joe Tully
So Avran, what exactly did you do to celebrate Yule? I am kind of curious, what happens at this ritual that you mentioned?

Joe, you sure picked a hard question to answer! It's a little difficult for me to explain what Wiccan rituals are like. We gather in a circle, and chant/sing, offer prayers to our Lady and Lord, share bread and wine, etc.

For more specific information on Yule, I'd recommend The Witches' Voice page on Yule/Winter Solstice (http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/yule.html). It has a collection of informative articles and essays, some of which will give you a good idea of how Yule is celebrated.

I hope this helps to answer your question!

[Joe Tully]

Heh, okay, thanks for the link! :D

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Finish watching 20+ episodes of Turn A Gundam, sleeping, watching the Toronto Raptors on TV consistently embarrass themselves against lesser NBA teams, eating turkey, reading books, drawing, buying stuff on boxing day, annual contemplation of my future.

Not necessarily in that order.

[The Mad Hatter]

I'll be working all next week... yup, Christmas too. I'll only be there for four hours to do stuff like obituaries and police reports (I work at a newspaper), so it won't be that bad... not to mention that my immediate family pretty much just consists of my parents who live in the same town as me, so it's not that bad.

Still, since I'm working Christmas I'll get to take a free day off next week... I'll take New Year's Eve off, so I can have an extra-long weekend next week.

[Danielle]

It turns out that this year, a Jewish fast day falls out on Christmas. So, while you guys are eating your ham and turkey and whatever else you eat, we poor Jews are gonna be sitting there with no food and no drink. Kinda ironic in a way, but... {shrugs}. :D


All you guys better eat some turkey for me!

[Naraht]

Originally posted by Danielle
It turns out that this year, a Jewish fast day falls out on Christmas. So, while you guys are eating your ham and turkey and whatever else you eat, we poor Jews are gonna be sitting there with no food and no drink. Kinda ironic in a way, but... {shrugs}. :D


All you guys better eat some turkey for me!

ACk! There's a bloody fast? which one? I'll probably ignore it, like I tend to do to most fasts other than Yom Kippur...

Bleh..I is a bad little Jew.

[Danielle]

Oh, bad boy! {shakes her finger at naraht} Do I have to tell you the story of the rabbi and the money-loaner? :D


10th of Tevet, time when Nebuchadnezzer began his siege of Jerusalem. This eventually led to the destruction of the Holy Temple. It's the smallest fast of the year, though, so if you're gonna pick a fast to eat on, pick this one. {shrugs}