What are your Christmas traditions?

[Bodhisattva]

My family checked the box on a couple of things yesterday. When we lived in Northern Virginia, we would take part in putting Christmas wreaths on the grave stones at Arlington National Cemetery. Now that we've moved to Florida, we did the same thing at the Jacksonville National Cemetery yesterday morning. It's a very somber process taking one wreath at a time to a headstone and reading the name of the veteran or family member before placing the wreath. Few things make me tear up, but this is one of them. The first headstone I approached had the name of a little girl who was born and died the same day. Tough way for me get started. After that I couldn't get through any of the names without choking up. Likewise, my wife has tears flowing, especially when reading the name of a Vietnam veteran. After she reads the name she also says, "Thank you for trying to save my country and people." It's a minor act on our part, but I hope it helps.

A more festive tradition we started some years back is to go to a Christmas play/musical/ballet. Last night we went to the Florida Theater in downtown Jax and saw The Nutcracker. It was my daughter's first experience seeing a live ballet performance, and she loved it. The theater is pushing 100 years old and only seats maybe 2000, which made the setting that much more enjoyable. Just a very pleasant place to take in a live performance.

What do you guys/gals try to do every year during the Christmas season?

 

[Bazza]

Bodhi - thank you for this post/thread and sharing the tradition of cemetery wreaths. That is one I will remember and would like to do as well.

I don't really have any traditions. Just take care of my Mom and my furballs is enough. I put up some lights and a small tree as well and send out cards and an annual update letter but that's about it.

I dated a girl once who loved musicals we went to a few and I really enjoyed it. She was a great girl and I wish things had turned out differently.

Merry Christmas buddy - to you and your family and especially your kind-hearted mom!

 

[Tidewater]

We have adopted "the airing of grievances" from Festivus.

 

[CoachJeff]

We do Christmas light scavenger hunts in the car with the kids.

We go see a Christmas movie at the Alabama theater.

We put wreaths on the graves at the military cemetery in Montevallo.

Then of course the regular stuff lots of people do during Christmas.

 

[81usaf92]

Watch Die Hard

 

[dayhiker]

My family checked the box on a couple of things yesterday. When we lived in Northern Virginia, we would take part in putting Christmas wreaths on the grave stones at Arlington National Cemetery. Now that we've moved to Florida, we did the same thing at the Jacksonville National Cemetery yesterday morning. It's a very somber process taking one wreath at a time to a headstone and reading the name of the veteran or family member before placing the wreath. Few things make me tear up, but this is one of them. The first headstone I approached had the name of a little girl who was born and died the same day. Tough way for me get started. After that I couldn't get through any of the names without choking up. Likewise, my wife has tears flowing, especially when reading the name of a Vietnam veteran. After she reads the name she also says, "Thank you for trying to save my country and people." It's a minor act on our part, but I hope it helps.

A more festive tradition we started some years back is to go to a Christmas play/musical/ballet. Last night we went to the Florida Theater in downtown Jax and saw The Nutcracker. It was my daughter's first experience seeing a live ballet performance, and she loved it. The theater is pushing 100 years old and only seats maybe 2000, which made the setting that much more enjoyable. Just a very pleasant place to take in a live performance.

What do you guys/gals try to do every year during the Christmas season?

THis isn't a Christmas response, but your post made me think of this. Last weekend I went on a camping trip to the Sipsey Wilderness. On the way there and back I listened to a three part podcast with Col Dick Thompson on the Jocko podcast. Thompson was a SOG operator during Vietnam. He turned down the opportunity to be one of the creators of what became Delta, though he didn't realize that's what he was being invited to do. Anyway, during the last podcast he mentioned Col. Bob Howard a few times. Howard was nominated for the CMH 3x in 11 months and got it the last time. He was a SOG operator too, and is from Alabama. I was almost home when they started talking about him. When I got into town, I swung by and took a photo of the Col. Robert Howard State Veterans Home here in Pell City, AL. I thought it was pretty neat that the listening experience tied together like that.

 

[OSUTideFan]

My Christmas traditions include decorations, dining, gift giving,
..
gift opening,
..

And

Airing of Grievances directed at me.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

 

[Tidewater]

I bring out and listen to my James Brown Christmas album.a couple of my favorites. Go Power

Santa Clause Go Straight to the Ghetto.

”Hit it!”

 

[SavanaBama]

We do Christmas concerts / shows -- almost annually we'll catch either (or both) Mannheim Steamroller and TransSiberian Orchestra. Those two never seem to get old to us . . .

 

[Bodhisattva]

TSO came through Jacksonville a couple of weeks ago. I looked into getting tickets, but my wife was working that night and the show was during a week night. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to see them live next year.

 

[Bodhisattva]

I don't know if this counts as a tradition, as we only do this when the opportunity presents itself, not every year. We are in an apartment for another few months until our house is delivered. We don't know our neighbors that well, but my wife was speaking with our elderly next door neighbor the other day. Amanda's husband passed away about a year ago, and her children aren't visiting her this Christmas. So, my wife invited Amanda to join us for Christmas dinner, music, and movies. We have made such invitations several times in previous years, usually to someone from our church that would be spending the holidays alone. People aren't meant to be alone, especially this time of year.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Our extended family gathering is Thanksgiving, hosted first by my deceased brother and now by his son. My kids gathered from California, Europe and other places from my birthday last week. So, Christmas is always low key. This year, it's just Liz and I, plus my son and nephew, both single. I do a prime rib. Both the other guys can really put it away...

Edit: just thought of a couple of single friends. I might ask them...

 

[Bazza]

The Shepherd relates the story of a De Havilland Vampire pilot, going home on Christmas Eve 1957, whose aircraft suffers a complete electrical failure en route from RAF Celle (note: in fact, Celle had ceased to be an RAF station less than a month previously; see link) in northern Germany to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. Lost in fog and low on fuel, he is met and led (or shepherded) to a disused RAF dispersal field by the pilot of a De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber of World War II vintage, who has apparently been sent up to guide him in.
His attempts to find a rational explanation for his eventual rescue prove as troublesome as his experience. However, some time after he lands at the airfield—the fictional RAF Minton—he learns that his saviour was Johnny Kavanagh, a wartime RAF pilot who had been stationed at Minton and who had guided crippled bombers home. The Vampire pilot also learns that Kavanagh disappeared over the North Sea in his Mosquito on his last mission, on Christmas Eve 1943, exactly fourteen years before.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shepherd

 

[Bodhisattva]

After a couple of years dealing with Covid-related restrictions, we got back to our traditional Christmas season routine. On Saturday, we (wife, daughter, and MIL) went to the Jacksonville National Cemetery to lay wreaths at the graves of veterans - taking one wreath at a time, placing it at the headstone, and saying the veteran's name. Having immigrated earlier this year, it was my MIL's first experience with this tradition. During the war two of her brothers (both young teenagers) were killed. One was executed by communist forces. The other was pressed into service by the communists and never seen again. Her husband was an officer in the ARVN and suffered terribly in the "re-education" camps for more than a decade under the communist regime after the war ended.

My MIL teared up when placing a wreath at a WWII or Korean War veteran's headstone, but she broke down when at the grave of a Vietnam War veteran. She was so grateful and kept crying, "Thank you! I'm sorry you were taken from your family. I know you tried to help my country. Thank you! Please be at peace." After I got the translation from my wife, we decided we had to take a break for a little while. My MIL was obviously overcome with emotion. We didn't think she would be hit that hard. Lily and I continued laying the wreaths for a while until my MIL, with my wife's assistance, rejoined the activity.

On Sunday, we attended The Nutcracker by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra at the Jacksonville Center for Performing Arts. As I am watching the performance, I'm half-way keeping an eye on my MIL to see if she's happy. She thoroughly enjoyed the show - the venue, the live music, and, of course, the costumed dancers.

We have family and friends coming to visit for a week starting this weekend, so we are modifying our extra rooms to accommodate the capacity. It should be a lot of crowded, noisy fun from Christmas to New Year's day. Very much looking forward to it.

How is everyone doing as we approach the Christmas holiday?

 

[DzynKingRTR]

starting about 10 years ago, we started having surf and turf for Christmas day dinner. It was started due to an offhand comment about being "turkeyed out". I suggested this instead and we havebeen doing it ever since. This year will suck due to the extreme cold, but still going to do it.

 

[Bazza]

starting about 10 years ago, we started having surf and turf for Christmas day dinner. It was started due to an offhand comment about being "turkeyed out". I suggested this instead and we havebeen doing it ever since. This year will suck due to the extreme cold, but still going to do it.

I suggested take out Chinese to Mom today and she said OK. Then later we decided Haddock.

Nothing wrong with switching things up a bit....

 

[92tide]

my new job closes the office beginning tomorrow and doesn't re-open until tuesday jan 3. so i am going to get some much needed downtime after a very chaotic year.

we aren't doing too much aside from my daughter's kids pageant at church on christmas eve.

 

[Bazza]

 

[Bodhisattva]

my new job closes the office beginning tomorrow and doesn't re-open until tuesday jan 3. so i am going to get some much needed downtime after a very chaotic year.

we aren't doing too much aside from my daughter's kids pageant at church on christmas eve.

That's a nice stretch of time off. I'm doing something similar but have to put in three days leave to get a total of 11 off. (No complaints though!) With Christmas and New Years falling on Sundays, the feds are recognizing Mondays as holidays. But, my office works a 4x10 schedule (Mondays off), so we get the previous Fridays off. Tomorrow is my last day of work until I show back up on 3 January.

How old is your daughter now?

 

[crimsonaudio]

Just time with family, though that's all I really want anymore.