December HolidaysI « Back to Group Discussions

[IntuitiveJamie]

I don't want to assume what everyone celebrates, but I did want to talk about what your plans are, particularly with how you are feeling, or how you may be feeling.

We celebrate Xmas. I usually make everyone's gifts and do food baskets for extraneous local friends. I quilted some advent calendars in Nov., and boy I'm glad I was on top of it b/c I am super unmotivated since getting pregnant. I'm not sick, or even extremely tired, but I just have zero motivation. I had my plans for the food baskets and they get kind of detailed with a theme and and all.

I could care less right now.

Also, the family we get together with are all in very diff. places right now that aren't conducive to anyone having time energy for much of anything holiday.

So my new plan is: Make homemade choc. Panetone bread and not whole baskets of goodies.

Make the cookies I planned on making for hubby's work.

No more xmas crafting aside from little things with my kids for their sake, not mine.

And the big one I just made a decision about tonight; is to order xmas dinner from a restaurant. This will be the first time for me to do this and I'm actually very excited to just relax. No stress, no huge food shopping, no energy out-put, just eating and enjoying.  The rest of the fam. was totally down with this!

As far as anything else, we've decorated inside the house and will take the kids to various activities. But I don't even care if we get our outside lights up this year. I'm in total chill and reserve energy mode. I kind of like it.

Besides who knows how I'll be feeling in a couple of weeks, or even a week. I'm five weeks tomorrow and things could take a turn at any minute...especially that 6 week mark.

So what'cha thinkin about?

[Knitting Mama]

I, personally, do not celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah. However, my family does celebrate Hanukkah, and my husband's family celebrates Christmas. I am just not really a "have a big to-do" kind of person, and I am not a fan of the capitalization of what is sacred to other people. I do love spending time with friends and family, though, and I know how much the holidays mean to both of our families, so I'm totally not Scrooging over them or anything. For the future, my plans are that my children celebrate Hanukkah with my family, Christmas with my in-laws, and we do charity as our immediate family's nod to the season.

This year, we'll do the same as usual, except that the charity portion will not be as involved. We'll probably end up doing more Toys for Tots than anything else.

[IntuitiveJamie]

But what about cooking or anything. Do you have to contribute to either families festivities in anyway?

So you don't decorate your house then?

That sounds very relaxing on all counts. I guess you don't have to worry too much about how you feel, or how you'll feel then. That's pretty nice.

I do really enjoy gifting homemade and home baked/cooked goodies. It's one of my fav. parts.

We also do a donation and this year my dear friend's 11 dd has cancer. They found out just three months ago and she has been having treatments and surgeries.  We will be making a large donation to them somehow, I'm just not sure in what form yet. I know of a few things that would help them out.

[Ninetales]

We celebrate kind of a mix of religious and secular Christmas. We go to worship services but also do the tree and Santa and whatnot. It's always been a very important thing for me.

I don't see extended family anymore so my sisters and I get together with our dad sometime before for dinner, my family spends Christmas Eve with my inlaws, and then we have our family celebration on Christmas morning before getting together with my mom and sisters. It always works out very nicely.

No one has a big to-do. Christmas Eve dinner is usually tacos. Christmas Day is appetizers and snacks for everyone to graze on. This year my mom and sisters are coming here, which I'm excited about. This time of year is the only time I really enjoy cooking or baking.

I toned it down as far as decorating this year both because of lack of motivation and also I don't want to skyrocket my electric bill this year. Money is tight enough. I'll have the tree, my village, one strand around the front window, and my outdoor wire tree and candy canes. Some effort but not too much.

[IntuitiveJamie]

I love tacos! What kind of appetizers do you do?

We do a Xmas morning brunch of cinnamon rolls and quiche. Both made ahead and very easy. I think I'll feel fine no matter what to make those. I'll be missing my mimosas this year, but maybe I'll make virgin bloody mary's. Yum.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by IntuitiveJamie 

But what about cooking or anything. Do you have to contribute to either families festivities in anyway?

So you don't decorate your house then?

That sounds very relaxing on all counts. I guess you don't have to worry too much about how you feel, or how you'll feel then. That's pretty nice.

I do really enjoy gifting homemade and home baked/cooked goodies. It's one of my fav. parts.

We also do a donation and this year my dear friend's 11 dd has cancer. They found out just three months ago and she has been having treatments and surgeries.  We will be making a large donation to them somehow, I'm just not sure in what form yet. I know of a few things that would help them out.

I generally contribute dishes to both celebrations (at my parents' and at my husband's parents' houses), and I think I'll have no problem doing so this year. We don't decorate, no. It's not my thing. Later on when my kids are older, if they want to, we will. I'm not against it if it's fun for the whole family. It's just not fun for me alone.

We also do a cookie exchange in my mom's group, and I will be fine doing those too. The only thing I'm not ahead of the game on as I want to be is my homemade gifts. I am having a hard time finding enough knitting time. Generally I knit when my daughter's sleeping, but sometimes these days I am too tired to do it.

[IntuitiveJamie]

Oooo....do tell, what kind of things are you knitting? I'm moving super slow on my crochet these days. I need to crochet dh a beany and I'm sewing up some felted sweater mittens for the boys stockings. I love fiber art.

[Love Wins]

Christmas is a very, very busy time for our family.  We have 5-8 family Christmas celebrations normally. This year, I'm putting my foot down even more and we're only doing our own personal Christmas and 3 others. 

I bring food for all, and we draw names for 2 out of the three families.  I guess I have the most fun with my family on Christmas Eve though. 

We get together in the late morning/early afternoon and cook our favorite appetizers, play games, my sisters and I will sing and play piano, ride snowmobiles, and eat baked goodies.  Then we eat appetizers as our main meal - they are the best!  SO good!  I make jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) every year and my Dad eats about half of them!  :)  After that, we sit around one of the fireplaces and read the Christmas story from the Bible, and then we open gifts and play more games.  It's always such a fun time! 

DH's dad's side is always fun and real homey feeling too.  His mom's side is always more rushed.  We don't even have a celebration with the immediate family on his mom's side since his mom decided she can't afford gifts (she can, she'd just rather buy herself stuff).  I'm pretty sad about that because to me it's like saying that it's not worth celebrating together unless we get something in return, kwim?

I have hardly done any shopping this year, so hopefully the nausea will lessen for a few hours and I can be productive!

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by IntuitiveJamie 

Oooo....do tell, what kind of things are you knitting? I'm moving super slow on my crochet these days. I need to crochet dh a beany and I'm sewing up some felted sweater mittens for the boys stockings. I love fiber art.

Right now, mostly scarves because I can work on them without a total ton of concentration! 

[Ninetales]

My appys are all easy things, since I don't care to cook in general.  Little bacon and cheese pinwheels, tartlets with cheese and egg, bacon wrapped sausages, dips, etc.

[IntuitiveJamie]

I'm definitely feeling worse, not better. Just hit 6 week mark today. So glad I made decision to order dinner and stopped all crazy crafting. I have taken it so easy this December and it's the first time in years. Feels good to just relax.

Anyone else having to change up their plans due to how they feel b/c of pregnancy right now? Especially those of you with mega busy plans?

[Willovia]

Love Wins, can I come celebrate Christmas with your family? Sounds like so much fun!

One of the things I'm looking forward to with this baby is to start some traditions of our own. My husband and I, while we love spending the holiday with our families, don't really feel totally connected with the celebration aspect. It's very much about presents and "getting someone something for the sake of getting them a gift." Which is really not what we're about. So, it'll be nice to start creating our own traditions and memories and making the holiday how we want it to be.

That being said, this xmas eve my extended family is renting out a room at a local Chinese restaurant. How I'll manage around Chinese food for 4+ hours, I'm not sure...