Holiday Prep and celebrations

[icewhite]

this year : i will be a grinch no time to decorate. I work until the 22nd and then will be traveling and won't be home for XMAS. So yeah. moving on to next year.

Every year we travel to my parents as soon as my son's school is finished... and usually only come back when he needs to get back to school in January. So I'm never "home" for Christmas. And it's honestly starting to bother me. I am almost 40, but I have never had my own christmas tree since it's not worth it. (In our family we have always used real trees and we only set them up shortly before Christmas so they would still be very fresh during the holidays. ) Almost every year we don't get to light our fourth candle on our Advent wreath (also very important in Germany) because I can't take it all with us. We already take the Advent calendars with us, so we can open the last doors...

I have always loved Christmas and it's still very nice - I do not just get to see my parents, there are also my siblings (and their partners), my aunt and uncle, my cousins, my grandparents (now only my grandmothers left). My son gets to see his father and his other grandparents who live rather close to my parents...

But I really finally want a Christmas tree of my own, decorate the whole apartment and make it christmassy, and not leave it cold and empty on the 22nd... *sigh*
Maybe next year.

 

[iluvtodd]

Getting ready for lighting the candles for the first night of Chanukah (next Thursday evening). Decorations in the house are up - relatively simple.

 

[CellarDweller]

Has anyone heard Lisa Loeb's song about Hanukkah?

Last year, Hallmark ran a movie called "Hanukkah on Rye". The story centers around two families. One that owns a deli in NY, the second owns a deli on the west coast.

I won't give away any of the movie, in case some here want to find it and watch it. One scene involves the NY Deli family running a contest for a new Hanukkah song. Most of the entries are awful. Then a woman with a guitar (played by LIsa Loeb) gets on stage and sings her song, "Light".

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[iluvtodd]

^ Thanks! I should check this out!

 

[CellarDweller]

^ Thanks! I should check this out!

@iluvtodd - not sure what your location is, but if you have the Hallmark channel, and DVR, you should be able to catch these Hallmark films. Just remember, it's Hallmark, so expect syrupy sweetness. LOL!

They have so many movies, that if I want to see the ones I like, while checking out the new ones, I have to use the DVR. They run their holiday stuff 24/7 starting in November, I believe. Maybe earlier.

Monday - Dec 11 - 6am Eastern - Hanukkah On Rye - A matchmaker connects Molly and Jacob, but their new romance is put to the test when they realize that they are competing deli owners. Will a Hanukkah miracle keep them together?

Monda - Dec 11 - 8am Eastern - Holiday Date - Joel poses as Brooke's former boyfriend when she goes home for the holidays. Joel is Jewish, so Brooke's family celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah in this very merry ruse.

Tuesday - Dec 12 - 6am Eastern - Double Holiday - Rebecca must throw the company holiday party with office rival, Chris. It coincides with Hanukkah, so she must juggle her work, family traditions, and nemesis to make the party a success.

Wednesday - Dec 13 - 10PM Eastern - Round And Round - Rachel's stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents' Hanukkah party. Can Zach, the 'nice boy' Grandma's trying to set her up with, help her make it to tomorrow?

Friday - Dec 15 - 6am Eastern - Love, Lights, Hanukkah - As Christina prepares her restaurant for Christmas, a DNA test reveals that she's Jewish! The discovery leads her to a new family and a new, unlikely romance over eight crazy nights.

 

[iluvtodd]

Wow! I'll have a lot of catching up to do, after the Grand Prix Final! For the record, we live in Philadelphia, PA.

 

[CellarDweller]

To all who celebrate!

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[icewhite]

Merry Christmas everybody! (I'm not religious, but I'm celebrating anyway.)

Being German our main holy evening has already happened, but it's two more holidays before a short break before New Year's Eve... unfortunately all the rinks are too crowded to have fun there, but well, so it's eating and chatting and doing puzzles and walks in the rain (it's raining and raining).

Yesterday someone said the average German gains 3-5 kilo during the christmas days.

 

[iluvtodd]

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates the holiday! May it be a peaceful, joyous one for you & your families!

 

[SmileHappy34]

I don't prep for the holidays . I just decorate . I late this year. I didn't decorate I did with the lovely Christmas cards that I receive from you. Thank you .
I am doing dinner.

 

[SmileHappy34]

Merry Christmas. Happy Kwanza.
Feliz Navidad.
Prettige Kerstdagen and the many different ways in names and cultures it is celebrated and stated.
Happy Holidays
Seasons Greetings Season best .
Cherish them all.

 

[reader3]

Buon Natale!

 

[CellarDweller]

Christmas is just barely over, and we've two more holidays here!

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[jorge2912]

Will keep the Christmas tree until January 7th and later save until next Christmas, lol now I'm on new year mode . Well Christmas day was the cruel summer gift 37°C but well is summer here and on this week less heat I hope that on the coast is nice the rather weather in new year Eve for see fireworks spectacle on the 5th district bay.

 

[Rina RUS]

This video shows greeting cards by a great artist Vladimir Zarubin who focused on greeting cards, animation and book illustrations. Wikipedia says that total print of his greeting cards (together with envelopes and telegrams) was 1 588 270 000. These are New Year greeting cards (mostly). Soviet people were not supposed to celebrate Christmas, so they started to decorate fir trees on New Year. Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz) brings presents for children. Sometimes you can also see The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka). She is a granddaughter of Grandfather Frost. If you see a little boy, this can be The New Year himself. In the end of this video you can also see some Christmas cards by Zarubin (I guess it was time when celebrating Christmas became possible again in our country).

СовеÑÑÐºÐ°Ñ Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ð³Ð¾Ð´Ð½ÑÑ Ð¾ÑкÑÑÑка. Ð¥Ñдожник ÐÐ»Ð°Ð´Ð¸Ð¼Ð¸Ñ ÐаÑÑбин.

ÐÑедÑÑавлена подбоÑка 127 Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ð³Ð¾Ð´Ð½Ð¸Ñ Ð¾ÑкÑÑÑок ÑÑдожника ÐладимиÑа ÐвановиÑа ÐаÑÑбина. ÐеÑиод 1962-2015 года.

www.youtube.com

(If you are not impressed by the style of greeting cards in the beginning of the video, check the second part of the video, because the style of later cards differs considerably)

May the new year be good
May all of us manage to become better

 

[Diana Delafield]

This video shows greeting cards by a great artist Vladimir Zarubin who focused on greeting cards, animation and book illustrations. Wikipedia says that total print of his greeting cards (together with envelopes and telegrams) was 1 588 270 000. These are New Year greeting cards (mostly). Soviet people were not supposed to celebrate Christmas, so they started to decorate fir trees on New Year. Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz) brings presents for children. Sometimes you can also see The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka). She is a granddaughter of Grandfather Frost. If you see a little boy, this can be The New Year himself. In the end of this video you can also see some Christmas cards by Zarubin (I guess it was time when celebrating Christmas became possible again in our country).

СовеÑÑÐºÐ°Ñ Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ð³Ð¾Ð´Ð½ÑÑ Ð¾ÑкÑÑÑка. Ð¥Ñдожник ÐÐ»Ð°Ð´Ð¸Ð¼Ð¸Ñ ÐаÑÑбин.

ÐÑедÑÑавлена подбоÑка 127 Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¾Ð³Ð¾Ð´Ð½Ð¸Ñ Ð¾ÑкÑÑÑок ÑÑдожника ÐладимиÑа ÐвановиÑа ÐаÑÑбина. ÐеÑиод 1962-2015 года.

www.youtube.com

(If you are not impressed by the style of greeting cards in the beginning of the video, check the second part of the video, because the style of later cards differs considerably)

May the new year be good
May all of us manage to become better

Of course, as a pairs skater, my favourite is the bear and rabbit doing a lift . But so many other cute ones with popular Russian cartoon characters! I spotted Cheburashka in one illustration -- I have a toy Cheburashka I got years ago on eBay from a Russian seller and finally found someone who translated for me all the cute things he says when you press his paw