December 26th is my favorite day of the year…does that make me a grinch? I love being with family, I like the meals, going to mass…I can’t stand the wrapping, shopping, lines, no parking, rushing here & rushing there. It’s very expensive…mortage is due in seven short days after the 25th. Thanksgiving is much more enjoyable to me.
It’s not grinchy unless you go around telling other people not to buy gifts. Nothing at all? I mean, we’ve had some lean Christmases but why not cut out birthdays and other holidays too?
I’d like to see Halloween fall on the last Friday or Saturday of October every year. Those nights lend themselves to people being a lot more festive because the next day is not a work or school day. As huge football fan, the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a day of rest for the entire nation.
I’m with Vegas. While I agree with some of the points made, I am NOT giving up my lighted tree. I also really like watching my kid open presents, even if some (okay, many) of them are unnecessary.
I try to keep my impact low all year. Can’t I have a little fun during the month when it’s only light out for 1/3 of the day?
I think so. Santa brings toys on Christmas so how could she put that one on the list. I already bought a calendar for my daughter. (She puts it up in her room and she loves The Office so what could be srong with an Office calendar?) We also always pick up a new ornament each year from a place visited. It’s part of our family tradition. You can look at our tree and see where we’ve traveled and what we’ve done over the years. We also have some that the kids made when they were little, too.
We’ve got a bunch of sea themed ornaments too. The kids usually get an ornament each year, too. Once they’re on their own, they’ll have a nice little collection to take with them.
In addition to seeing our vacation destinations through our ornament collection, I can also see my friends and family since I’ve gotten them from some of my favorite people for as long as I can remember. I can see one a friend made for me when we were teenagers. Then there’s the one from a good friend and her husband the Christmas just before they divorced. I also have one my Nana gave me for my tree “the next year” according to the little note in the box. Nana didn’t make it to the next Christmas. I love my ornaments and I think that author should take that right off her list of things we don’t need.
My sons have ornaments, too, but they’ve never claimed them — probably because they know I’m attached to them and love to decorate the tree and tell the story of each one, ad nauseum. This may explain why I get to decorate the tree by myself every year we have a tree.
My kids keep their ornaments in a separate box and put them on the tree each year. If they take them some day (I think they will), I’ll really miss them…especially the ones with tiny pictures of them on them from years past.
Do you place some least-favorite ornaments in the back of the tree every year? There are some that I always put back there as counter-weights. They aren’t my favorites, but they serve a purpose. Once we didn’t put enough in the back and the tree toppled over during the night.
I’ve never been accused of that, given my repertoire of dirty jokes. It’s just that ever ornament has a story and I love me my stories.
So once you’re done with your next book, maybe you could write a Christmas tree ornament story book.
I’m not sure the stories would be of universal interest, but thanks for the suggestion.
Oh, right. Although it would be a cool way to title chapters. Chapter 4: Hot Summer on Cape Cod (picture of the Cape Cod ornament)
I suppose you’d need to have something interesting to say about that summer on Cape Cod. I better stick with nursing.
Let’s see: Something interesting to say about that summer on Cape Cod…nope. I got nothing. That’s why I think my family avoids helping me decorate the tree. Even they aren’t interested in the stories, and they’re in them!
What do you hang on your tree that would cause it to topple? Bowling balls?
I grew up with two younger brothers…so having a Pulitzer-Prize winning big sister would be cool. Do I get to bring you to Show & Tell, and borrow your car for my prom?
Yes, but then we have to explain that I and about 25 others won the Pulitzer that year from my newspaper, and we gave the money to the survivors of the story that won us the prize in the first place. Sadly, really crappy things have to happen to get the Pulitzer committee’s attention and I don’t think any of us felt special that year. But sure. You can have my car for the prom if you put gas in it.
I will return the Golf with a full tank, and even put one of those pine tree smelly things in as a thank you. You’ve only been my big sis for about half hour and I am already loving it!
Sorry, Todd, but you asked about steak at C/A Fish House a while back. C/A also has Steak House restaurants as well, so their steaks are very good. I had fish the night before, so I got the NY Strip. Yum!
My two-week break starts this Friday…I will try to make over to Carmen-Anthony’s to try one of their steaks. I too like NY Strips, but I’ll take a ribeye over any cut every single time. Does C/A have a ribeye on the menu.
Christmas is my least favorite holiday, right behind Valentine’s day, or should I say, Hallmark’s day?
Growing up in beautiful, neat & trimmed suburban Long Island, we never had a real tree. Instead, we had a silver fake tree with a three-color wheel in front of a flood lamp that changed the tree into a free-standing blue/green/red no-touch zone. We were not allowed to help decorate the “Tree” or even look at it, as it was in the “Living room, ” which was off-limits to kids. The first year I moved out, My girl friend and I went out, chopped our tree, decorated it with her stuff, plus some things that we bought together. Sadly, for the past three years, we now have a fake-Walmart tree. I don’t mind too much, although I miss finding pine needles in little nooks and crannies throughout the year.
When I was younger we always had The Real Thing. But now we usually spend several days at Christmastime with our kids and grandkids in Maryland, we have a fake tree at home in Montgomery.
I hate it. Hate to touch it. It doesn’t feel like a real tree at all. It’s also quite heavy and takes up a lot of space in the shed.
A friend of mine had an entire room devoted to Christmas in his house. He never took the tree down and the grandkids loved it (yes, it was fake). He was the religion writer of my newspaper and an all-around wonderful man.
Back in the day when my relatives, friends, and I didn’t have everything we needed, it was easy enough to buy presents. Now that we have too much stuff, it’s hard to imagine what to find that (a) they (or I) will actually LIKE and (b) won’t just take up more space. I’m trying with my family to just do donations for the adults, but I don’t seem to be making much headway.
There’s still a little of “here’s my list, do you have your list?” and it seems pretty silly to go out, find EXACTLY what they’ve listed while they do the same for me. Is that grinchy?
I do love me some ornaments. I don’t have a tree, but I have some very attractive glass ornaments hanging in windows and other carefully-chosen locations all year. They’re far more art than they are holiday-ish, they’re pretty, and they’re cheering.
Those glass ornaments look great in windows with the sun shining through them. Unfortunately, we don’t have any of those, I don’t think. When my son was little, there was one ornament that he fell in love with and kept in his room for a few years. It was a little felt covered person, but he called it his baby.
All through preschool and kindergarten, he told everyone his favorite things were kitties and babies. His favorite stuffed animal was “white kitty” and he swore he’d never give it up and would take it to college some day. We’ll see about that. It’s currently stuffed in some drawer and he’ll be off to college next fall. I wonder if he’ll dig it out and bring it.
Jac, I have to ask, because I’m that kind of hateful: Does Mr. Professor go with your son, along with White Kitty? Becasue he’s going to need some tolerant (there’s that word again) roommate…
Exchanging lists is like ordering from a catalogue, I think. I’ve never been a fan of it. And I don’t have a tree this year and I’m not entirely sure why, other than my Christmas ornaments are packed away in a storage bin and I haven’t the energy to go excavating.
When I was a kid we ALWAYS had a tree that was too big for the room, but it was wonderful. I lived with my sister, mother, aunt, and grandmother. The aunt was the tree-meister. We’d go to the Burnside Avenue firehouse (mostly) and pick one out, and inevitably have to cut some off because the tree would be too tall for our old low ceilings.
Now because I’m in and out so much, and go elsewhere for Christmas day, I don’t have a tree — but I do have my tasteful (always tasteful) small outdoor display, and when I get home from the little trip I’m on I’ll put pine boughs across the mantle and put a few ornaments on that. And put holiday cards around the mantle and fireplace.
I don’t want an artificial tree, but I appreciate the offer. I may end up going to get one, but no one’s around the actual day (everybody works but me) and I think it would feel pathetic without baubles on it.
Why? Because I can’t stand my own company so I volunteer to avoid it? Kewl! I originally started volunteering because I was recently divorced and my young son was spending our first Christmas as not-a-couple with his father six hours away. I get far more out volunteering than the people I’m “helping” ever could. But I’ll take that berth in heaven, you betcha!
Dating Jesus 
Bah Humbug! What a grinchy article.
I trust it didn’t cut into your holiday cheer, though. I’m trying to appeal the grinches among us…are there any grinches among us?
December 26th is my favorite day of the year…does that make me a grinch? I love being with family, I like the meals, going to mass…I can’t stand the wrapping, shopping, lines, no parking, rushing here & rushing there. It’s very expensive…mortage is due in seven short days after the 25th. Thanksgiving is much more enjoyable to me.
It’s not grinchy unless you go around telling other people not to buy gifts. Nothing at all? I mean, we’ve had some lean Christmases but why not cut out birthdays and other holidays too?
Vegas & Jessie,
I love seeing small children open presents too…esp the children who still believe…but sometimes the holiday gets bastardized, that’s all I am saying.
My favorite holiday is Halloween. I don’t even want to think about what that says about me.
I’d like to see Halloween fall on the last Friday or Saturday of October every year. Those nights lend themselves to people being a lot more festive because the next day is not a work or school day. As huge football fan, the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a day of rest for the entire nation.
Pitch it to the U.S. government and see if they’ll make it so.
I’m with Vegas. While I agree with some of the points made, I am NOT giving up my lighted tree. I also really like watching my kid open presents, even if some (okay, many) of them are unnecessary.
I try to keep my impact low all year. Can’t I have a little fun during the month when it’s only light out for 1/3 of the day?
The author may have been a leetle heavy-handed then?
I think so. Santa brings toys on Christmas so how could she put that one on the list. I already bought a calendar for my daughter. (She puts it up in her room and she loves The Office so what could be srong with an Office calendar?) We also always pick up a new ornament each year from a place visited. It’s part of our family tradition. You can look at our tree and see where we’ve traveled and what we’ve done over the years. We also have some that the kids made when they were little, too.
I do that, too. That and refrigerator magnets. We have an awful lot of sea-themed ornaments and magnets.
We’ve got a bunch of sea themed ornaments too. The kids usually get an ornament each year, too. Once they’re on their own, they’ll have a nice little collection to take with them.
In addition to seeing our vacation destinations through our ornament collection, I can also see my friends and family since I’ve gotten them from some of my favorite people for as long as I can remember. I can see one a friend made for me when we were teenagers. Then there’s the one from a good friend and her husband the Christmas just before they divorced. I also have one my Nana gave me for my tree “the next year” according to the little note in the box. Nana didn’t make it to the next Christmas. I love my ornaments and I think that author should take that right off her list of things we don’t need.
My sons have ornaments, too, but they’ve never claimed them — probably because they know I’m attached to them and love to decorate the tree and tell the story of each one, ad nauseum. This may explain why I get to decorate the tree by myself every year we have a tree.
My kids keep their ornaments in a separate box and put them on the tree each year. If they take them some day (I think they will), I’ll really miss them…especially the ones with tiny pictures of them on them from years past.
Do you place some least-favorite ornaments in the back of the tree every year? There are some that I always put back there as counter-weights. They aren’t my favorites, but they serve a purpose. Once we didn’t put enough in the back and the tree toppled over during the night.
I honestly don’t have any least favorites. Isn’t that sad?
No least favorites? You are so P.C.!
I’ve never been accused of that, given my repertoire of dirty jokes. It’s just that ever ornament has a story and I love me my stories.
So once you’re done with your next book, maybe you could write a Christmas tree ornament story book.
I’m not sure the stories would be of universal interest, but thanks for the suggestion.
Oh, right. Although it would be a cool way to title chapters. Chapter 4: Hot Summer on Cape Cod (picture of the Cape Cod ornament)
I suppose you’d need to have something interesting to say about that summer on Cape Cod. I better stick with nursing.
Let’s see: Something interesting to say about that summer on Cape Cod…nope. I got nothing. That’s why I think my family avoids helping me decorate the tree. Even they aren’t interested in the stories, and they’re in them!
What do you hang on your tree that would cause it to topple? Bowling balls?
Why do you find it necessary to tease me with a straight line like that?
Because I want to see if you’ll swing at it? You’re the little brother I always wanted.
I grew up with two younger brothers…so having a Pulitzer-Prize winning big sister would be cool. Do I get to bring you to Show & Tell, and borrow your car for my prom?
Yes, but then we have to explain that I and about 25 others won the Pulitzer that year from my newspaper, and we gave the money to the survivors of the story that won us the prize in the first place. Sadly, really crappy things have to happen to get the Pulitzer committee’s attention and I don’t think any of us felt special that year. But sure. You can have my car for the prom if you put gas in it.
I will return the Golf with a full tank, and even put one of those pine tree smelly things in as a thank you. You’ve only been my big sis for about half hour and I am already loving it!
“Every car’s got one, you’ll see!”
Miller, from “Repo man.”
Sorry, Todd, but you asked about steak at C/A Fish House a while back. C/A also has Steak House restaurants as well, so their steaks are very good. I had fish the night before, so I got the NY Strip. Yum!
Mario,
My two-week break starts this Friday…I will try to make over to Carmen-Anthony’s to try one of their steaks. I too like NY Strips, but I’ll take a ribeye over any cut every single time. Does C/A have a ribeye on the menu.
Yes-they-do! Check out the menu on-line… And eat up!
Can you imagine how sore my arms are going to be on election years?
From slapping yourself?
There you go. In return, I get to boss you around and punch you on the arm a lot.
They forgot “Healthcare Reform.”
Christmas is my least favorite holiday, right behind Valentine’s day, or should I say, Hallmark’s day?
Growing up in beautiful, neat & trimmed suburban Long Island, we never had a real tree. Instead, we had a silver fake tree with a three-color wheel in front of a flood lamp that changed the tree into a free-standing blue/green/red no-touch zone. We were not allowed to help decorate the “Tree” or even look at it, as it was in the “Living room, ” which was off-limits to kids. The first year I moved out, My girl friend and I went out, chopped our tree, decorated it with her stuff, plus some things that we bought together. Sadly, for the past three years, we now have a fake-Walmart tree. I don’t mind too much, although I miss finding pine needles in little nooks and crannies throughout the year.
When I was younger we always had The Real Thing. But now we usually spend several days at Christmastime with our kids and grandkids in Maryland, we have a fake tree at home in Montgomery.
I hate it. Hate to touch it. It doesn’t feel like a real tree at all. It’s also quite heavy and takes up a lot of space in the shed.
A friend of mine had an entire room devoted to Christmas in his house. He never took the tree down and the grandkids loved it (yes, it was fake). He was the religion writer of my newspaper and an all-around wonderful man.
We had that same tree, complete with the color wheel. I only do Real Trees now, because I love the smell — yeah, and the clean-up, too.
Back in the day when my relatives, friends, and I didn’t have everything we needed, it was easy enough to buy presents. Now that we have too much stuff, it’s hard to imagine what to find that (a) they (or I) will actually LIKE and (b) won’t just take up more space. I’m trying with my family to just do donations for the adults, but I don’t seem to be making much headway.
There’s still a little of “here’s my list, do you have your list?” and it seems pretty silly to go out, find EXACTLY what they’ve listed while they do the same for me. Is that grinchy?
I do love me some ornaments. I don’t have a tree, but I have some very attractive glass ornaments hanging in windows and other carefully-chosen locations all year. They’re far more art than they are holiday-ish, they’re pretty, and they’re cheering.
Those glass ornaments look great in windows with the sun shining through them. Unfortunately, we don’t have any of those, I don’t think. When my son was little, there was one ornament that he fell in love with and kept in his room for a few years. It was a little felt covered person, but he called it his baby.
Oh my gosh, Jac, that’s so cute.
That is so cute I can’t stand it. His baby.
All through preschool and kindergarten, he told everyone his favorite things were kitties and babies. His favorite stuffed animal was “white kitty” and he swore he’d never give it up and would take it to college some day. We’ll see about that. It’s currently stuffed in some drawer and he’ll be off to college next fall. I wonder if he’ll dig it out and bring it.
Jac, I have to ask, because I’m that kind of hateful: Does Mr. Professor go with your son, along with White Kitty? Becasue he’s going to need some tolerant (there’s that word again) roommate…
No. And thanks, DJ, for reminding me that my kids will eventually leave me, but that damn frog won’t!
To whom will you bequeath that frog? I mean, some one’s going to have to take over upon your demise, as you know Mr. Professor will outlive everyone.
If I go before Senator Lieberman, then he gets the frog. :-)
That is a beautiful legacy.
Exchanging lists is like ordering from a catalogue, I think. I’ve never been a fan of it. And I don’t have a tree this year and I’m not entirely sure why, other than my Christmas ornaments are packed away in a storage bin and I haven’t the energy to go excavating.
“And I don’t have a tree this year …”
When I was a kid we ALWAYS had a tree that was too big for the room, but it was wonderful. I lived with my sister, mother, aunt, and grandmother. The aunt was the tree-meister. We’d go to the Burnside Avenue firehouse (mostly) and pick one out, and inevitably have to cut some off because the tree would be too tall for our old low ceilings.
Now because I’m in and out so much, and go elsewhere for Christmas day, I don’t have a tree — but I do have my tasteful (always tasteful) small outdoor display, and when I get home from the little trip I’m on I’ll put pine boughs across the mantle and put a few ornaments on that. And put holiday cards around the mantle and fireplace.
This is the first year I haven’t put up a tree. It feels weird.
“This is the first year I haven’t put up a tree. It feels weird.”
Of course it does. But don’t you have a DVD of a tree that you can keep running?
I don’t have a DVD player, either. I only recently went and bought a lamp. I hate buying all new stuff but I hate more going through my storage bin.
I saw one this morning that was just a strand of lights pinned to the wall in the shape of a tree!
That’s a great idea!
Where’dja see that?
Today show or one of those morning programs.
I’ve got an artificial one and some extra lights you could borrow.
I don’t want an artificial tree, but I appreciate the offer. I may end up going to get one, but no one’s around the actual day (everybody works but me) and I think it would feel pathetic without baubles on it.
I don’t blame you. Artificial trees don’t smell “piney”.
Do you mean everyone in your family will be working on Christmas day? Not the whole day, I hope. What will you do?
I have a volunteer situation worked out for me. I am not working and am pretty happy about that.
There’s a special place reserved for you in heaven, dj, for when you go 50 years from now.
Why? Because I can’t stand my own company so I volunteer to avoid it? Kewl! I originally started volunteering because I was recently divorced and my young son was spending our first Christmas as not-a-couple with his father six hours away. I get far more out volunteering than the people I’m “helping” ever could. But I’ll take that berth in heaven, you betcha!