HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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pgh kenny
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Post by pgh kenny » Dec 19th 2002, 4:17 pm

I just wanted to start a holiday thread for all of us off-topic faithful. What are your holiday traditions? And happy holidays and new year!

My wife and I don't really surprise each other with gifts in December. We just buy things for each other all year. We do put up lights and a tree but there are usually no gifts under it since any time we've tried to wrap stuff up, we end up giving it to each other the same day because we are so proud of the gift.

As far as the religious aspect of the holiday (which seems trivialized by the commericial walmartization of december), we tend to stay away from churches because they don't really agree with us at any time of the year.

We do like holiday parties. But who could resist free food and alcohol?

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Natasha (candygirl)
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Re: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Dec 19th 2002, 4:24 pm

pgh kenny wrote:we end up giving it to each other the same day because we are so proud of the gift.
I know what you mean - I have NO self control whatsoever, and whenever I find something that shouts "BUY ME! PERFECT GIFT!" I want to give it right away too. Instant gratification, if you will.

:D
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Christmas

Post by lance » Dec 19th 2002, 5:44 pm

Hey all,

As I think I indicated in previos threads my wife and I have family spread to the far corners of the United States: South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Texas (several cities), Ohio, Nevada and Washington State.

On a "normal' year my wife and shuttle back and forth between local parental units. We have 3 out of the primary four here in Cincy. Generally we spend Christmas Eve with my wife's mom, Christmas Morning with my wife's dad and Christmas afternoon with my mom. Basically makes for a heck of a lot of driving. Each stop is special though because each parent is so different.

The best part for me is the hugging. My family is a very "huggy" group. Sure we will argue over something as obscure as laundery lint into the next week, but when all is said and done we love each other. My wife's family is not. This has been great fun for me :D At every opportunity I hug my sister-in-law. For the first year or two this drove her nuts! A little bit of schadenfreude but well intentioned nonetheless. Overtime I have worn her down though, with much thanks from her dad and boyfriend may I add.

This year I will be spending Christmas with my dad for the first time since 1987. The gifts will be cool and welcomed, but I look forward to the hugs and the time spend with the family.

Merry Christmas MSCL'ers!

Lance Man

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Re: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Post by lance » Dec 19th 2002, 5:47 pm

candygirl wrote:
pgh kenny wrote:we end up giving it to each other the same day because we are so proud of the gift.
I know what you mean - I have NO self control whatsoever, and whenever I find something that shouts "BUY ME! PERFECT GIFT!" I want to give it right away too. Instant gratification, if you will.

:D
My friends and I refer to this instant gratification as:

"shiny!"

Shiny- defined as anything you might buy that gives you instant self gratification. For the Lance Man many DVDs lie in this category. Amazingly enough there is a website out there called "Shiny shelf" dedicated to DVDs :D

Self control? What's that?

Lance Man

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Post by starbug » Dec 20th 2002, 6:13 am

I always go back to my parents' house, as Christmas just isn't the same otherwise...
In the past we have opened our pressies on Christmas Eve late at night, as my parents spend most of christmas morning preparing the absolutely supreme christmas dinner. My dad is a wonder in the kitchen and it's always a dinner of traditional bases with a modern twist.

We usually start with a champagne breakfast at about 9am (I have this photo of me after last year's breakfast. I was drunk by about 11.30 and looking like a troll :) ). Then my brother and I sit around looking at/playing with/enthusing over our presents and watch the TV/Read etc until dinner is ready. Dinner can take anything up to 4 hours and is usually interrupted in a pleasant way by calls from relatives in the US.

Then everybody slumps into the living room to sleep and do nothing for a bit until we can move again, when if the weather is clear, we will go for a walk.

There are variations but it's mostly the same as that every year. I really love the fact that you know what's going to happen and also that I get to spend quality time with my family doing fun things.

And I know exactly what you guys mean about buying someone a great gift that you know they'll love; I have to really fight with myself to stop blurting out what I got them because I'm dying to see them being pleased with it. :D

Well, merry christmas and happy holidays to everyone on this board! Wishing you all the best for 2003...

S.

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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Dec 20th 2002, 3:32 pm

I was going to avoid embarrassing myself with all these holiday tales, but then I remembered all the other stuff I have already admitted to here (liking "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey?!), so I figured what the heck. I will begin this with the caveat that I do love my family, but like all families, sometimes they drive me crazy!

Over the years, my family's Christmas traditions have evolved to include a hodgepodge of unrelated stuff. Now that we are all grown, we don't roll out of bed until 10am. Whoever wakes up first gets the privilege of annoying the hell out of everyone else and whining until everyone else gets out of bed.

(Funny related story: one year my sisters thought it would be funny to have the dog wake me up, but I heard them coming. I gave back in kind, except when I put the dog on my sister's bed, he peed all over her comforter - the dark, stinky, "I've been holding this all night" kinda pee. Needless to say, that woke her up.)

My parents always buy three of everything for our stockings, so my sisters and I find the packages that are the same and then race to see who can open it first and ruin the surprise for everyone else. My mom puts a log in the fireplace so that we can't hang the stockings up.

After we annihilate everything under the tree, we start eating all the chocolate that came in our stockings. My mom still insists on taking pictures Christmas morning, so we have come to an understanding that our uncombed hair and sleep bleary faces are not shown to outsiders. My mom also usually buys us some article of clothing for all three of us. We have gotten past the point where we roll our eyes and tell her it's lame. We just put one whatever it is and then let her take more pictures.

For breakfast, we make latkes. Yes, those are Jewish. No, we are not Jewish. But they're damn good.

After breakfast, it's time to put all the gifts to use. If anyone has received beauty goods, we slather up - usually a mud mask. Last year we got my dad a paper shredder so we spent half an hour shredding all the wrapping paper.

Although we are old enough to occupy ourselves, my mom got into the habit of buying at least one gift that would give us something to do. Now my sisters and I take turns bringing home something to do on Christmas day. One year we made about a million hemp necklaces. Another year we made candles. Last year we did a puzzle with about five gazillion pieces.

My mom makes a rib roast for dinner, so while we wait for that to cook, we watch "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."

After dinner, we whine about how nothing good is on tv.
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Dec 20th 2002, 3:41 pm

Another Christmas tradition that my family has - every year we each get a new ornament (usually similarly themed or from a set) and then my mom gets out the gold marker and puts our names and the year on each. At first I thought it was lame, but now it's cool to look back and see all the cheesy ornaments we picked out as kids.

Of course, this admission indicates that we do not have one of those themed trees that should be in a showroom. Our tree is a hodge-podged mess, but it's very personal.

A related Christmas tradition - the tree. We usually wait until everyone is home for Christmas before we venture out for a tree. It's not as nice as it sounds. Tree shopping is a painful ordeal and we don't think it's fair if anyone gets to skip out on the process. The only family goes to some tree lot and we fan out. We each pick out a tree then yell for everyone else to "come look at MY tree!" We are very equal opportunity. We all take turns looking at each other's selections and then telling each other why their trees suck and ours are better. "Yours is too short - it looks like a bush!" "Yours is too skinny!" "Yours doesn't have enough needles!" "Yours is crooked!" Well, all the girls do this - my mom, my sisters, and I. My dad just laughs at us.

Once we get the tree home, my mom suddenly decides to vacuum. Yes, because we must have a clean floor for the needles to fall upon. While we are in the driveway untying the tree from the car, my mom starts vacuuming. No, she can NOT do this beforehand.

We spend this precious time together in the driveway debating where the tree should go. The family room because it's all cozy, or the living room with the big ol' vaulted ceiling. Depending on where the tree ends up, we either haul it around to the backyard and then through the patio door or squashing it through the front door. Either way, my mom tells us not to get any needles on her freshly vacuumed carpet. Then she vacuums up behind us.

Once the tree is situated somewhere, we haul out all the decorations. We never put the tree in the middle of the room, which means there is always part of the tree near a wall, which means Area Where the Bad Ornaments Are Banished. That translates to Less Prime Real Estate for the Good Ornaments. My sisters and I each try to hang our favorite ornaments (meaning the ones we made or picked out) right in the middle under the star. Then we spend the next hour or so rearranging everyone else's ornaments so that we can get ours right back to that spot.

I like that our tree is personal and messy looking. One of my friends told me that his family has two trees every year. His dad and sister decorate one, while he and his mom decorate another one. And they have themed trees - like all silver, or just angels. Yup. I thought my OCD was bad.
Natasha aka candygirl :: MSCL.com

Look, if this is weird for you, being tutored? I don't mind helping you a little longer.
You could have sex with me if you really want to help...I guess that's a "no"?

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Post by GaryEA » Dec 20th 2002, 6:30 pm

I'm pretty mundane with the holidays. My family puts up our simple plastic tree and lights up the front yard. We exchange gifts on Christmas morning, and then get ready for dinner, or if we're really in the holiday mood, go back to sleep.

My girlfriend and I then race between her family and mine - dinner at one, desert at the other. Presents are exchanged, lots of egg nog is consumed, everyone asks what we'll be doing on New Year's Eve.

When I think about it, it's about family. I'm not much of a Christmas fan, but you need holidays to make sure your family tree is still rooted and growing.

Oh, and there's always twenty-four glorious hours of "A Christmas Story"! :D

Gary

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Post by jenrose » Dec 23rd 2002, 12:21 pm

my family never made a big deal out of christmas. i mean we always had lots of presents and stuff (i was really spoiled) but we didnt' have any traditions.

anyway this year is my first christmas on my own. me and my boyfriend made the apartment quite festive (we even cut down our own christmas tree cause his grandparents have a ton on their property). we are spending christmas eve with his parents and on christmas day i'm having my family over for dinner.

i'm very excited about this holiday season, especially because right after, i have my 21st birthday to look forward to (i'm trying to think of something fun to do that doesnt' involve drunkenish since i have had my fill of alchol). anyway, merry christmas to everyone and have a happy new year too :)

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Holiday Greetings

Post by lance » Dec 23rd 2002, 8:39 pm

Hello all,

Greetings from Houston, Texas! I hope all is well with everyone and that you are gearing up for the holidays.

My wife and I had a pleasant flight down here last Saturday. Houston is much warmer than Cincinnati is right now. I am wearing shorts, pretty cool. The Mrs. and I are catching up on much valuable sleep and cavorting with the family here. We already got to eat at some great restaurants and have enjoyed ourselves thorougly.

Wish you all were here. The head elf here informs me that we will be opening up Christmas presents tommorrow night. I can't wait!

Rickie Love We have already purchased a couple jars of Salsa that they don't sell up in Cincy. We will open a couple for New Years Eve.

Candygirl I found out that several of my half-sibs are ardent Buffy fans. Pretty cool.

Fnordboy Hey Pardner, thanks for watching the ranch will I am away. I appreciate all your help.

Take care MSCL'ers, I'll be seeing you.

The Lance Man

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Re: Holiday Greetings

Post by fnordboy » Dec 24th 2002, 5:35 pm

lance wrote:Fnordboy Hey Pardner, thanks for watching the ranch will I am away. I appreciate all your help.
NP Lance, hope you have a great holiday.

And everyone else Happy Holidays.

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus. (and no I don't mean Ol' Dirty Bastard :wink: )

And if we are lucky, Santa Claus made a little stop over at the Rojek house and forcefully took our refund and double charge cash from Ross and we will all get a nice big check under the tree when we wake up. (damnit I guess I should have gotten a tree this year!)

Sincerely,
Your favorite DVD Forums moderator :lol:

(no offense Lance :wink: )

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Re: Holiday Greetings

Post by lance » Dec 24th 2002, 7:21 pm

fnordboy wrote:
lance wrote:Fnordboy Hey Pardner, thanks for watching the ranch will I am away. I appreciate all your help.
NP Lance, hope you have a great holiday.

And everyone else Happy Holidays.

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus. (and no I don't mean Ol' Dirty Bastard :wink: )

And if we are lucky, Santa Claus made a little stop over at the Rojek house and forcefully took our refund and double charge cash from Ross and we will all get a nice big check under the tree when we wake up. (damnit I guess I should have gotten a tree this year!)

Sincerely,
Your favorite DVD Forums moderator :lol:

(no offense Lance :wink: )
None taken,

Best.

Fnordboy's Favorite Moderator

Lance Man :wink:

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Post by GaryEA » Dec 24th 2002, 11:20 pm

With only two hours to go before the clock hands us over to Christmas, and all of the fun, love and lunacy it brings, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

A few holiday nods...

To the MSCL.com team and community, including Sascha and Dan, I thank you for not only inviting me into what I believe is the strongest and friendliest community the Internet could ever conjure up, but for trusting me with the role of moderator. Much obliged.

A nod to Candygirl, lance and fnordboy (my fellow Jersey maniac); You kids are truly the lunatics that run the asylum, and you do it in style my friends. Bravo! :wink:

To one Jason Rosenfeld; thank you for your hard work, your time, and for not going off the deep end. You brought the show home, and I thank you for it. I hope karma comes around to you.

For everyone that offered a kind word or support for my custom covers project (which are still coming), thanks a billion.

To everyone who is still waiting for a DVD set or refund from a certain retail outlet, my hopes that all of your problems will be resolved in quick order are yours.

Merry Christmas to all, and a very Happy New Year's to follow.

MSCL.com's most humble moderator :lol: ,

Gary

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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Dec 25th 2002, 12:54 am

Seasons greetings to everyone! Sorry that I have been so scarce at the forum the past few days but I am at my parents' house, where I am back in the land of Dial-Up. It's like watching paint dry.

:D

The MSCL forum is an incredible community, and I appreciate all that the team has done to create a fun and friendly atmosphere where we can share our obsession and meet fellow fans. Every single person who posts or lurks here is part of the family. Thanks to every one of you for sharing your passion and thoughts with us.

I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season and eating lots of good food!
Natasha aka candygirl :: MSCL.com

Look, if this is weird for you, being tutored? I don't mind helping you a little longer.
You could have sex with me if you really want to help...I guess that's a "no"?

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yippeee

Post by Guest » Dec 25th 2002, 1:43 am

merry christmas everyone!!! its now officially the 25th!

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