Christmas Tree

sapphire · Post by **sapphire** » Sun, 27 Nov 2005 11:41 pm

Talk about killing romanticism!

Wind In My Hair · Post by **Wind In My Hair** » Mon, 28 Nov 2005 1:17 am

oh that was hilarious... thanks for a good laugh CD!

and sapphire, romanticism is not dead. i saw mummy kissing santa claus... (i love that song) so i know he's real.

ps: forgot the topic was christmas trees, so here's my christmas tree tradition - put it up first week of advent. but nowadays i leave the tree simple and have a nice manger as the centrepiece instead with all the figurines of jesus and mary and joseph and the three kings and the animals... ah, the real meaning of christmas.

pps: i avoid orchard road like crazy this period... anyone else?

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Mon, 28 Nov 2005 6:10 am

Vaucluse wrote:Why would you be putting up your Christmas tree now already?

There are a few reasons:

I adore Christmas and the smell of a live tree

We leave December 16th, so my 'window' is shorter

Because of the cost, I think it best to maximise the tree's exposure time

It's not that early V, December is on Thursday!

Mary Hatch Bailey · Post by **Mary Hatch Bailey** » Mon, 28 Nov 2005 6:15 am

Carpe Diem wrote:[quote="sapphire"In our studies, we came into the conclusion that if Santa Claus did in fact distribute the presents last Christmas - he is now dead.

CD! What an awful thing to say.

I say, take it back quickly before Santa hears you and you end up with coal in your stocking

Did some government agency somewhere actually pay for this study?

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Mon, 28 Nov 2005 8:51 am

It's a CIA plot to overthrow the reindeer-independance supporting left-wing government of Finland

micknlea · Post by **micknlea** » Mon, 28 Nov 2005 10:08 am

All this talk about christmas trees is making me a little sad, silly really.

Traditionally we would put up our tree about 10 days before Christmas and decorate the house as well. Then it all stays up until Jan 6th. This year though we are heading to Oz for Christmas and so there will be no tree here for us. First time ever I will not put up my own tree (even as a kid it was my job to trim the tree with a little help from dad). I have no doubt that when we arrive my sister will already have her tree up and well, thats her tree anyway if you know what I mean.

Last year was bad enough as we had to pack up house on 17/12 to move here, but I actually brought a small one and decorations with us in our hand luggage to make sure that our tiny Serviced Apartment looked the part!

Decorating the house and the tree are one of the major parts of Christmas for me but not this year. We can't do it because our pussy cats will have run of the house while we are away and well, two weeks without us and I can see tree and ornaments spread from one end of the flat to the other, and two electrocuted cats tangled in the lights! Not a pretty image to come home to!

Ah well, I will satisfy myself with the thought that we will be with family this year and not spread around the world.

As for avoiding Orchard Road (or any major city shopping centre) at this time of year...no way, I love it...the hustle and bustle of shopping, the crowds, the lights and decorations, searching for that elusive gift and coming home with lots of bags filled with goodies...that is all part of the fun. I love Christmas!

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Tue, 29 Nov 2005 9:31 am

I'll hang a green bauble for all of us - where I come from this is in memory of those of us that are not at 'home' (meaning mother'fatherland) for Christmas.
(Probably originated during one of the many wars)

One green bauble it is!

superedge · Post by **superedge** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 10:33 am

Vaucluse wrote:Why would you be putting up your Christmas tree now already?

Hmm, ok - new thread possibly. When do you put up your Christmas tree and why?

Traditionally we decorate our house as of the 1st Sunday of December - the first advent - and in time for St Nikolaus (Santa Clause) and then we decorate our tree on the 24th during the day, and the presents are opened ont he 24th in the evening.

Back in my hometown we put the xmas tree up adn the decoration during the first sunday (or the week after) of november. During the xmas week, people go around visiting friends and family to leave their gifts for them under the xmas trees.
We celebrate the xmas on the 25th instead of the 24th.

A must have for the dinner: wine, turkey and greek rice.

dot dot dot · Post by **dot dot dot** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 10:51 am

Here's where the family people among us get excited, isn't it? No x-mas excitement for me though, couldnot care less. As I am always expected to get backl to 'good old' Holland for this time of the year, I get these rainy days, sitting at a place that is no longer my home, 2 days in a row (which fool ever invented 'boxing' day ion Holland...), all shops, pubs and socializing places closed, so we can all sit around our christmas tree and 'celebrate' the birth of Jesus while holding eachothers' hands.... ugh.....

Wish it was 1st of Jan already...

Eric

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 10:54 am

Eric from the Netherlands wrote:Here's where the family people among us get excited, isn't it? No x-mas excitement for me though, couldnot care less. As I am always expected to get backl to 'good old' Holland for this time of the year, I get these rainy days, sitting at a place that is no longer my home, 2 days in a row (which fool ever invented 'boxing' day ion Holland...), all shops, pubs and socializing places closed, so we can all sit around our christmas tree and 'celebrate' the birth of Jesus while holding eachothers' hands.... ugh.....

Wish it was 1st of Jan already...

Eric

Bah Humbug, you miserable old man!

Or should that be ; you miserable old and COLD man . . . temperatures are yucky right now in Europe.

It changes when you have kids and it's actually quite fun to go through the whole Christmas thing.

(And Boxing Day is a fantastic day - has to be, it's my birthday!)

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 11:15 am

I actually never heard of boxing day until I came to Singapore. Don't think it's really celebrated or recognized in the US. At least not where I was raised anyway. (not many immigrants - at least not many that hadn't already been in the country for 2 generations that is).

It always sounded like what us kids would get up to around the day after Xmas (boxing each other to get their toys). Oh well.

Even though I'm a family man, I've never been one to get enthused over the holiday. Possibly because my family was born & raised here in Singapore. The one year we celebrated in the US, the Kids were still young and yes, it was great being back on the farm, fireplace roaring, Mom baking all our (my) favorites, real tree, etc., etc.. It's hard to celebrate here as it just seems so trite & artificial somehow. To me it's just another day but a damn sight more expensive.

It's never been a religious holiday to me because it has always been too commercial (even when I was a kid - not going to use that trite saying "back when I..........."). That and the fact that I've not been very religious anyway.

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 11:27 am

I don't think that it plays too much of a role, in terms of religion, for the kids. We portray it as a celebration part religious/part the cat of giving and couple them that way.

Artificial? Here? Absolutely. Artificial anywhere they start with the Christmas crap in October (the US, Australia . . . ) - absolutely.

It's not what you see outside of your home as much as it is what you do inside your home.

Baron Greenback · Post by **Baron Greenback** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 12:55 pm

Not entirely sure but I think boxing day has it's roots in European history where the boxes from the gifts were left outside for collection the day after.

For some reason I think it is the Netherlands & it was an old woman who collected the boxes - Eric? any ideas? or am I talking out of my box

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 1:30 pm

Baron Greenback wrote:Not entirely sure but I think boxing day has it's roots in European history where the boxes from the gifts were left outside for collection the day after.

For some reason I think it is the Netherlands & it was an old woman who collected the boxes - Eric? any ideas? or am I talking out of my box

Baron,

From what I've been told it is a European occasion but it was when the Church Alms boxes were opened and distributed to the poor is the way I understand it.

Vaucluse · Post by **Vaucluse** » Wed, 30 Nov 2005 1:45 pm

British tradition where the servants received presents from their 'masters' - obviously in Boxes = Boxing day = My Birthday - logical.

It's not celebrated on the continent, only in Commonwealth countries.

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