Eve
Different families celebrate Christmas differently. For us, Christmas Eve is the day we go out for dinner with my mother's extended family, and the party gets hauled over to our house afterwards (OUR HOUSE IS A PARTY HOUSE DONTCHA KNOW!). On Christmas day, we open gifts with immediate family + maternal grandparents and cousins. Boxing Day (or the 27th, this year) is spent with my Dad's family. They're kinda all spread out over this side of Southern Ontario, so that party is held at a different person's house each year.
So the point of this story is among various quirky Christmas traditions, one of them is that we always get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. The catch is that we don't get to choose the gift; there are designated "Christmas Eve gifts" for each of us. This means that the gift usually isn't particularly exciting; sometimes it's a garment or accessory we are expected to wear to the Christmas Eve party. Either way, the young 'uns (me, then my sister, and now my brothers) have perpetuated this little tradition. I remember getting really excited about the Christmas Eve gift when I was younger. I wonder if we'll eventually grow out of it, or keep doing it. I think we'll be doing it for a while yet, seeing as how my cousin is in his mid-to-late 20s and married, and my grandmother still buys him an Advent Calendar every year XD
So, to those of you who celebrate a winter holiday, or have one celebrated unto you by your friends and loved ones, enjoy this time of year as best you can. Santa Claus and Jesus Christ aside, it's still a great time to spend time with your loved ones (and buy shit for each other, if you're into that sort of thing). Besides, if people want to wish each other non-denominational "Happy Holidays", just say Happy New Year. Whether or not you're of any or no religion, we've all arbitrarily and secularly agreed that the year starts on January 1st, and a trip all the way around the Sun is definitely a cause for celebration. (If you celebrate Chinese New Year, don't worry, plenty of white people will help you celebrate by going to the Mandarin).
That may be enough social commentary for one post. ON THE ROAD part 2 will probably go up tonite once I get his by the itis associated with Christmas gluttony >.>
So the point of this story is among various quirky Christmas traditions, one of them is that we always get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. The catch is that we don't get to choose the gift; there are designated "Christmas Eve gifts" for each of us. This means that the gift usually isn't particularly exciting; sometimes it's a garment or accessory we are expected to wear to the Christmas Eve party. Either way, the young 'uns (me, then my sister, and now my brothers) have perpetuated this little tradition. I remember getting really excited about the Christmas Eve gift when I was younger. I wonder if we'll eventually grow out of it, or keep doing it. I think we'll be doing it for a while yet, seeing as how my cousin is in his mid-to-late 20s and married, and my grandmother still buys him an Advent Calendar every year XD
So, to those of you who celebrate a winter holiday, or have one celebrated unto you by your friends and loved ones, enjoy this time of year as best you can. Santa Claus and Jesus Christ aside, it's still a great time to spend time with your loved ones (and buy shit for each other, if you're into that sort of thing). Besides, if people want to wish each other non-denominational "Happy Holidays", just say Happy New Year. Whether or not you're of any or no religion, we've all arbitrarily and secularly agreed that the year starts on January 1st, and a trip all the way around the Sun is definitely a cause for celebration. (If you celebrate Chinese New Year, don't worry, plenty of white people will help you celebrate by going to the Mandarin).
That may be enough social commentary for one post. ON THE ROAD part 2 will probably go up tonite once I get his by the itis associated with Christmas gluttony >.>