Holiday season

[Rommie]

Eh, why not have a thread.

The department holiday party is tomorrow, which struck me as a super random day until I was told it's the last day of classes. F and I are dusting off the Christmas suits today, which I guess most of you have seen a pic of but remind me if you haven't and I'll post one, but I guess we'll become better known around here for sure.

Then Thursday, we are going to a Boston Pops Christmas concert! I'm pretty excited about this because gee, how many Christmas mixes do you hear that include stuff from the Boston Pops? I guess if we aren't in the holiday mood before that, we will be after!

[SciFiFisher]

We put up our Christmas tree on Saturday. I was thinking of hanging a few lights outside but it was raining this weekend.

[geonuc]

The local forums and pages around here are full of people asking the best places to get a christmas tree. As in, chain up the SUV, grab the snowshoes and an axe and cut down a tree in the national forest.

[Rommie]

My dad and brother definitely did that a few years when we went skiing out West over Christmas. Mainly because those small ski towns often don't have an actual place to buy them because everyone else is doing the same! Got a bit weird a few years because we were at the mercy of whatever the rental condo had, and the answer there is usually "not much for tree chopping."

We were discussing getting our tree this weekend because honestly if we don't probably no tree this year. I think our ornaments have now exceeded tabletop tree size, so that's exciting!

[SciFiFisher]

I hate to admit it but we switched to artificial trees a few years ago. I am not sure which one is ecologically better. I must admit I do like that my tree came with lights already attached that have 116 different settings. I am not sure if you are all familiar with a pair of brothers who do a show called "Property Brothers" on HGTV but they have their own brand of products they sell. Brite saw them marketing their Christmas trees on HSN and decided to get it. If you like shows about people who do "fixer uppers" theirs is pretty cool. They find couples who want to stay in the home they have but it really needs fixing up to make it their "forever home".

[geonuc]

I hate to admit it but we switched to artificial trees a few years ago. I am not sure which one is ecologically better. I must admit I do like that my tree came with lights already attached that have 116 different settings. I am not sure if you are all familiar with a pair of brothers who do a show called "Property Brothers" on HGTV but they have their own brand of products they sell. Brite saw them marketing their Christmas trees on HSN and decided to get it. If you like shows about people who do "fixer uppers" theirs is pretty cool. They find couples who want to stay in the home they have but it really needs fixing up to make it their "forever home".

Sounds like a show I'd watch. Sort of like This Old House, except not with rich folk upgrading their villa in the Hamptons?

As for artificial trees, I think they're OK from an environmental standpoint. Provided you can use them for many years. With cutting down trees, I imagine the forest service has similar regulations everywhere but here they have a list of 'do's and don'ts', such as not cutting a tree that's more than X feet from other trees and X feet from water. Along with the standard stuff you'd expect regarding size. You need a permit but it only costs $5.

[Rommie]

We have a pact to always have a real tree in our house. I guess we are too young and transient to think of a fake one, and it's hard to believe in New England that real is all that bad for the environment as it's not like we are trucking them in from far away.

Apparently my sister in law in the Netherlands gets all new ornaments for a different "theme" every year for her tree. That I found a bit crazy!

[SciFiFisher]

We have a pact to always have a real tree in our house. I guess we are too young and transient to think of a fake one, and it's hard to believe in New England that real is all that bad for the environment as it's not like we are trucking them in from far away.

Apparently my sister in law in the Netherlands gets all new ornaments for a different "theme" every year for her tree. That I found a bit crazy!

Ah...ornaments. Now those are whole nother thing. We have a tradition of using ornaments that have been around for lots of years. Some the kids made. Some are odd kitschy things we have picked up. Some are traditional such as the the snowman dressed in an Army BDU uniform. What? Doesn't everyone have a Sargeant Santa ornament? We have a set of 4 ornaments that look like very round penguins. And of course, the usual assortment of regular ornaments that get stored away each year.

[pumpkinpi]

We have a pact to always have a real tree in our house. I guess we are too young and transient to think of a fake one, and it's hard to believe in New England that real is all that bad for the environment as it's not like we are trucking them in from far away.

Apparently my sister in law in the Netherlands gets all new ornaments for a different "theme" every year for her tree. That I found a bit crazy!

Ah...ornaments. Now those are whole nother thing. We have a tradition of using ornaments that have been around for lots of years. Some the kids made. Some are odd kitschy things we have picked up. Some are traditional such as the the snowman dressed in an Army BDU uniform. What? Doesn't everyone have a Sargeant Santa ornament? We have a set of 4 ornaments that look like very round penguins. And of course, the usual assortment of regular ornaments that get stored away each year.

Sounds exactly like our tree, except replace the Sargeant with a Dalek. We also have ones that MrPi and I made/had on our trees when we were kids.

Buster said to me, "Can we put fewer ornaments on our tree next year? It was hard to find places for all of them." I cried a bit inside, because they all have special meaning to me!

Does anybody have hand made felt stockings like these? MrPi and I both had ones our mothers made for us, so of course I had to do them for our kids. (Now that I think about it, why did it have to be me?) I'm glad I did it, but it's part of the reason why we don't have more than two kids--it took me probably 40 hours each, and Buster didn't have his for his first Christmas!
https://www.joann.com/applique-felt-sto ... 92333.html

[Rommie]

So, we never did stockings ever! It's a totally American thing, or at least Hungarians don't do them, but I definitely tried to get them going in our house for a year or two because it'd mean more presents. I suspect my parents just ignored it because who wants more legwork. Almost a shame because you know I'd be cross stitching some awesome stockings for us if it was a thing! (Now I'm just in ornament mode.)

The Dutch don't do stockings either, but of course they do candy in shoes. And that's tonight! I might have to sneak some into our shoes.

[pumpkinpi]

And so of course it's Krampusnacht tonight! We've told our kids in jest about it for years; Buster has a Krampus mask he made in Kindergarten that we always hang at the holidays. But we've never actually made anything happen--it's so early in the season I tend to forget.

[SciFiFisher]

We try not to go overboard with the stockings. But, we do hang them on the mantle of the (gas) fireplace. I have one that was made for me by a fellow officer from an old pair of BDU's. It was fun this year watching the 9 year old try to decide which stocking should be for the dogs. I don't recall ever having a hand made felt one. For a number of years when our other batch were younger I would buy bubble gum that was black and came in little bags. It was labeled as "coal". I would put that in their stockings.

Does anyone else have the folk lore that bad children get lumps of coal in their stocking?

[Rommie]

Dutch children don't get coal but instead are stuffed in a sack and taken back to Spain (where Sinterklaas lives). I always joke that this is why Dutch children misbehave so much, their punishment is getting to go where they go on holiday anyway!

Hungarian children get a virgacs, which is like a small switch. But true story time, when I was like seven I was a bit "bad" that year (probably more naughty and talked back a bit type thing). We would do the St Nick thing every year where you leave out your shoes for candy, and that year my brother and sister got big chocolate Santas. I, on the other hand, got a chocolate Krampus about half that size, because they're totally a thing in Hungary.

Everyone is always a little horrified when I say my parents did this, but the funny thing was it actually worked! I was definitely thinking to myself "welp, I guess I gotta shape up or ship out" and made more of an effort. Funny how this stuff goes.

[pumpkinpi]

Dutch children don't get coal but instead are stuffed in a sack and taken back to Spain (where Sinterklaas lives). I always joke that this is why Dutch children misbehave so much, their punishment is getting to go where they go on holiday anyway!

Hungarian children get a virgacs, which is like a small switch. But true story time, when I was like seven I was a bit "bad" that year (probably more naughty and talked back a bit type thing). We would do the St Nick thing every year where you leave out your shoes for candy, and that year my brother and sister got big chocolate Santas. I, on the other hand, got a chocolate Krampus about half that size, because they're totally a thing in Hungary.

Everyone is always a little horrified when I say my parents did this, but the funny thing was it actually worked! I was definitely thinking to myself "welp, I guess I gotta shape up or ship out" and made more of an effort. Funny how this stuff goes.

Hmmm....I have a very "bad" 7 year old....

[squ1d]

Bah humbug

[SciFiFisher]

Bah humbug

Be careful you might get Scrooged.

[Rommie]

Got the tree on Saturday! Local garden market, where trees are sourced from a Massachusetts tree farm, so honestly this is really not the worst thing I've ever done environmentally.

My favorite post this weekend though was from a Dutch FB friend smugly proclaiming that this year they are adopting a tree. Which apparently means a company delivers you a tree every year and then replants it after the Christmas season is done, so they aren't contributing to a tree dying every year just for their Christmas experience.

Follow up post later that day- the tree was already dead when they went to pick it up, and the garden center says that's pretty normal. Trees aren't meant to be transplanted like that. You can just hear the winds in those sails deflate!

[SciFiFisher]

Follow up post later that day- the tree was already dead when they went to pick it up, and the garden center says that's pretty normal. Trees aren't meant to be transplanted like that. You can just hear the winds in those sails deflate!

[Thumper]

We went tree hunting Sunday with extended family and close friends as usual. We go to a local farm and cut trees, Canaan Fir this year. Then have a big meal together. This was the first year The Kids couldn't go as she had two big exams Monday and one today. She made us promise not to start decorating until she comes home for the holidays tonight.

We have two sets of big stockings: One of red and white velvet that have been in my family as long as I can remember. The other is crochet made by Mrs. T's Grandmother and have been used at her parents' house as long as I've been going there.

Happy Holidays!

[Rommie]

YOU GUYS I HAVE THE BEST HOLIDAY SWEATER EVER!

I saw it online and ordered it near the beginning of the month, but it turns out a lot of other people wanted this sweater too so it was back ordered and only finally came yesterday. In short, there is a fluffy sheep on it with a Christmas hat, and says "fleece Navidad" on it. The sheep is extra soft and has a cotton ball tail and a scarf with a fringe, and snowflakes in sequins on it, and appeals to my inner six year old in every way. Why the hell they stop making clothing like this when you get over this age I've never fully understood.

Meanwhile F also ordered himself a sweater with a Christmas tree on it, which it turns out has lights in it and when they light up said lights are literally brighter than our actual tree's lights and blink and change color. He insists he had no idea the sweater was going to do this, but I don't think anyone really believes him.

[SciFiFisher]

YOU GUYS I HAVE THE BEST HOLIDAY SWEATER EVER!

I saw it online and ordered it near the beginning of the month, but it turns out a lot of other people wanted this sweater too so it was back ordered and only finally came yesterday. In short, there is a fluffy sheep on it with a Christmas hat, and says "fleece Navidad" on it. The sheep is extra soft and has a cotton ball tail and a scarf with a fringe, and snowflakes in sequins on it, and appeals to my inner six year old in every way. Why the hell they stop making clothing like this when you get over this age I've never fully understood.

Meanwhile F also ordered himself a sweater with a Christmas tree on it, which it turns out has lights in it and when they light up said lights are literally brighter than our actual tree's lights and blink and change color. He insists he had no idea the sweater was going to do this, but I don't think anyone really believes him.

You cannot convict if you cannot prove intent.

[SciFiFisher]

On the note of best shirts. Brite has a t-shirt that says "On the Naughty List". My t-shirt says: "I can get you on the naughty list".

[pumpkinpi]

Happy solstice, my friends. Enjoy the return of the light, or the descent into darkness, depending on your hemisphere of residence.

[SciFiFisher]

HAPPY SOLSTICE!!

[Rommie]

Hi guys! I've realized along the way one of my favorite things about winter break is you can never unplug quite as well as now (because everyone else is actually on holiday now too). But it's 1F outside right now so hey actually online!

Hope everyone else is chilling out too.