Merry Christmas!
Chocolate and cheese Advent Calendars, both empty...
Merry Christmas everybody!!
...
Today's a mega-cooking day but, since they're Christmassy, I thought I'd belatedly do the Friday Five.
1. Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas - which one do you use?
"Merry Christmas."
Though I have been known to make cards that say 'Season's Greetings'. Just for a change.
When I lived in Nottingham, there was an interesting left wing bookshop which, at Christmas, had a basement filled with Christmas paraphernalia -- cards, wrapping paper, decorations -- but not a single thing said the word 'Christmas'. I honestly found that hypocritical.
2. Do you own an ugly Christmas sweater?
No, I own a very nice Christmas sweater.
I've only worn it once, on a trip to Cromford Mill for my birthday, because it's very warm and, if the temperature isn't several degrees below zero, I'm too hot in it.
3. Do you celebrate the Winter Solstice?
No.
I love the way Christmas combines the Christian and the... 'pagan', for want of a better word, though I understand that our more 'pagan' Christmas traditions bear little or no relationship to genuine pre-Christian beliefs, and were either invented or cherry-picked from elsewhere by the Victorians. Excess, though, and celebrating the twelve days of Christmas, is traditional, and I'm all for a bit of excess!
As far as the days getting longer goes, I much prefer to walk about in the dark, when everything is lit by street lights and the light from shop windows. So the thought that nights are now getting lighter again doesn't cheer me.
4. Now that you are ‘in the know,’ what would you leave out for St. Nick on the 24th?
If there were children in the house, we would leave out chocolate for me Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.
Looking back to my own toddlerhood, I thought that there were lots of Father Christmases, and that they each delivered presents in their own area. That was because my paternal Grandma -- who was so like me, right down to the annoying blonde eyebrows -- loved Christmas, and used to take me to see every Father Christmas she could find. We would go into Manchester and tour the big department stores -- Lewis's, Pauldens and Kendals -- visiting Santa's Grotto in each one, and I would come home with a massive haul of presents. I particularly remember getting an abacus. I didn't know what it was, or how to use it, but I must have played for hours sliding the shiny wooden beads back and forth.
I once asked my Mum whether it would be the Father Christmas from Lewis's or the tall, thin one from Pauldens that would deliver my presents. I can't remember what she said!
5. Tired of the snow and icky weather yet?
We haven't had any snow, nor any particularly icky weather yet.
Merry Christmas everybody!!
...
Today's a mega-cooking day but, since they're Christmassy, I thought I'd belatedly do the Friday Five.
1. Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas - which one do you use?
"Merry Christmas."
Though I have been known to make cards that say 'Season's Greetings'. Just for a change.
When I lived in Nottingham, there was an interesting left wing bookshop which, at Christmas, had a basement filled with Christmas paraphernalia -- cards, wrapping paper, decorations -- but not a single thing said the word 'Christmas'. I honestly found that hypocritical.
2. Do you own an ugly Christmas sweater?
No, I own a very nice Christmas sweater.
I've only worn it once, on a trip to Cromford Mill for my birthday, because it's very warm and, if the temperature isn't several degrees below zero, I'm too hot in it.
3. Do you celebrate the Winter Solstice?
No.
I love the way Christmas combines the Christian and the... 'pagan', for want of a better word, though I understand that our more 'pagan' Christmas traditions bear little or no relationship to genuine pre-Christian beliefs, and were either invented or cherry-picked from elsewhere by the Victorians. Excess, though, and celebrating the twelve days of Christmas, is traditional, and I'm all for a bit of excess!
As far as the days getting longer goes, I much prefer to walk about in the dark, when everything is lit by street lights and the light from shop windows. So the thought that nights are now getting lighter again doesn't cheer me.
4. Now that you are ‘in the know,’ what would you leave out for St. Nick on the 24th?
If there were children in the house, we would leave out chocolate for me Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.
Looking back to my own toddlerhood, I thought that there were lots of Father Christmases, and that they each delivered presents in their own area. That was because my paternal Grandma -- who was so like me, right down to the annoying blonde eyebrows -- loved Christmas, and used to take me to see every Father Christmas she could find. We would go into Manchester and tour the big department stores -- Lewis's, Pauldens and Kendals -- visiting Santa's Grotto in each one, and I would come home with a massive haul of presents. I particularly remember getting an abacus. I didn't know what it was, or how to use it, but I must have played for hours sliding the shiny wooden beads back and forth.
I once asked my Mum whether it would be the Father Christmas from Lewis's or the tall, thin one from Pauldens that would deliver my presents. I can't remember what she said!
5. Tired of the snow and icky weather yet?
We haven't had any snow, nor any particularly icky weather yet.