‘Tis the season, Noodlemantras!
Welcome to our December Monday Night thread.


Tonight we will be discussing holiday celebrations, traditions and plans - whatever yours may be. What are you doing for the holidays? Do you have some Johnny items on your list to give or receive? How about any fun family or cultural traditions where you live? What say you all?

I like your list, DITHOT. My parents are 87 and 85, so my three siblings and their families and I will gather at their home and try to bring more comfort than chaos! We used to have a festive Christmas Eve dinner for just our immediate family, but now Mom and Dad don't like to eat a big meal at night, so we have a blowout gourmet meal midday on Christmas Day. We've started drawing names, so each of us gets only one really nice gift - which is a real blessing for those of us who hate to shop!

I think I may have told this last Christmas, but when we were kids, our Lutheran church had a pageant each Christmas Eve. The Sunday School kids were angels and shepherds and wise men - with Mary and Joseph being the starring roles (even though they usually had no lines!). Anyway, every year our Dad (who is the most punctual of men) would have something come up that we couldn't all go to the church together. So Mother would drive us there and we'd get up on stage and see that Daddy had finally made it. And when it was all over, we'd get home and SANTA HAD BEEN THERE! And there were the bicycles and dollhouses and whatever laid out beneath the tree. And we never figured it out for years! But I don't think we wanted to! And when I did, I still had a baby sister 14 years younger, so I got to go on pretending much longer than most kids are allowed!

Happy Holidays - whatever ones you celebrate - to everyone!

What a great memory, Bix! I miss getting to be Santa at midnight each year, putting the last bolt in the bicycle or decal on the racing car. Well, partr of me really enjoys sleeping in!

I love that list DITHOT!

My parents are going to come for a visit this year, so I'm really excited about that!

The only Johnny thing on my list this year is getting a black & white Banier pic that a zoner had Johnny sign for me... framed! I really would like to have it hanging in my office! I'm hoping Mr. DepplySmitten will come through on that one!!

First, I'd like to wish a Happy Holidays to DITHOT, Liz, the Noodlemantras and all Zoners!! (nice list DITHOT, hope you've been a good girl)

Our holiday traditions have changed over the years as the families have changed. DH and I don't have children, so we never had the Christmas morning excitement children bring to the holidays. We do, however, typically travel to one side of the family or the other and get to spend it with nieces and nephews, parents and siblings.

We always have wreaths on the door, the fireplace mantle decorated and a tree. I also like to set up my Christmas village, and set out other Christmas nic-nacs around the house. It's not the holidays without those special treats too, like homemade candy, breads, and cookies. Cut-out cookies and fudge are typical staples this time of year and, if we have time, my mother and I make these things together. I also like to make baked goods for friends. I use to do more of that than I do now though, I'm afraid. We like to have Christmas carols playing periodically and I'll keep a few Christmas cds in my car to listen to while driving. For Christmas dinner we always have ham, but in my husband's family Christmas Eve was the big meal of seafood, which I believe is a tradition amongst Italian Catholics, and after their meal they'd open their presents.

This year I'll be traveling again, down to my brother's in Atlanta. Plans are well under way there. I'll be bringing my nieces the DMC dvd as one of their gifts.

I'll be sharing some Depp gifts with my Depp friends around the country and I've already been blessed with some wonderful Depp related items from them.

Even though there are times I complain of all the commercialism this time of year, it truly is one of my favorite seasons. I enjoy trying to find the right gift for each person, the foods you typically only have this time of year and the festive music and decorations.

I hope each of you, whether you celebrate the season or not, get to spend some time with family and friends, and enjoy the season as you like.

DepplySmitten, I'm betting Mr. DepplySmitten has already thought of it! Have fun with your parents. Family is what the holiday is all about!

Kywoman, that is a very clever idea of you to give DMC to the nieces and nephews...I bet you will be a great auntie and volunteer to watch it with them too! Sounds like there will be quite a few calories floating in the air around your house. You know they don't count over the holidays, right?

Bix I am surprised at the similarities in our lives. My parents are 86 and 89 and they had 3 children.
My youngest brother was 10 years younger something like your sister. When we were young my father really got into Christmas sometimes making us gifts by hand. He also was Santa sometime in the night and we woke up to our presents.

DITHOT I would happily settle for your Christmas list.

Christmas this year is me and my mother cooking and all the family for dinner at my house. I cook but will never be the cook my mother is. We did the gift exchange for years but have all agreed to stop the past couple years as no one really needs anything and all the gift ideas have been done over many times. My Christmas gift to myself is the DMC DVD which I am waiting patiently for. I do get into the decorating because everyone always comes here.

Good food with family and friends...a great way to spend the holiday gemini!

My two brothers and I celebrate Christmas together (Sister is back east in Penn). We rotate so each does Christmas once every three years. This year is my turn.... We open presents on Christmas eve and have a big meal on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to ONBC, DITHOT and Liz--

I didn't really have Christmas or holiday traditions when I was growing up since my brother and I were raised in a home where one parent was Jewish and the other was Christian.

My dad went along with the Christmas tree because I guess my brother and I were such brats about not having one; but I also had the opportunity to experience the Channukah holiday, which has its own rich traditions.

Channukah is celebrated for 8 days but my folks told us that unfortunately, no, we didn't get presents each night for 8 days! (We could be awful kids, I tell you. )

When Mr ThirdArm and I got together, we developed our own way of celebrating the holidays, sort of a mushing together of both Christmas and Channukah (Channukmas?). But the big deal for us each year is to plan out a drive around looking at all the houses decorated in lights. Some of the houses are incredible. I feel like a kid again looking at the brilliantly lit houses and yards; sort of like a fantasy land.

I wanted DMC for Channukmas but I think we're getting it tomorrow because several stores are having promotions. One is offering a Captain Jack 12" figure at a special price when you buy the DVD, for example. Mr TA likes to collect these things and has been able to get a tidy sum on occasion on E-bay for some of his figures.

However, if he thinks he's selling Jack, I have news for him.

I love all the decorating. I love the season, even though it is commercial (just like KY said). We used to do the gift exchange thing, then kept it to just the kids. But last year we did it differently, with everyone participating (all 14 of us), and did one of those exchanges where you draw a number, then you can steal. It was very fun. Not sure if we'll do it again this year, though. I guess it's going to be my decision, since we will be celebrating at my house this year.

shadowydog, do you have to cook a big feast?

ThirdArm, I love looking at the lights. We have some real Griswolds in our neighborhood who really like to light things up! I'm thinking about getting that special Jack figure myself tomorrow to go with my WW one. Bookends!

We do it the same way with my husband and his brothers and their families, Shadowydog. There are 3 of them also.

I think you are getting the best of both worlds, there, Third Arm.

I think I'd better point out to my family that this promo is going on because DMC is on my Christmas list too. What stores?

Third Arm, I wonder if you and I drive by the same houses. I love doing that too.