Holiday Prep and celebrations

[el henry]

Happy St Andrew's Day to all Scots and those with Scots on their family tree!

My church (Episcopalian, Anglican everywhere else) encourages parishioners to wear tartans this weekend. I have no idea what the Campbell (paternal grandmother) tartan is and would't wear it even if I knew. Not a big plaid person.

We also have bagpipes. Sorry, not a fan. Is now the time to say that although I am of 90% Celtic descent (Irish, Scottish, Cornish) I cannot stand Celtic music. Jason skating to Riverdance is about the only time I can tolerate it. I am a traitor to my heritage

 

[Diana Delafield]

My church (Episcopalian, Anglican everywhere else) encourages parishioners to wear tartans this weekend. I have no idea what the Campbell (paternal grandmother) tartan is and would't wear it even if I knew. Not a big plaid person.

We also have bagpipes. Sorry, not a fan. Is now the time to say that although I am of 90% Celtic descent (Irish, Scottish, Cornish) I cannot stand Celtic music. Jason skating to Riverdance is about the only time I can tolerate it. I am a traitor to my heritage

Oops. Hit post before typing. I'll try again.

 

[Diana Delafield]

My church (Episcopalian, Anglican everywhere else) encourages parishioners to wear tartans this weekend. I have no idea what the Campbell (paternal grandmother) tartan is and would't wear it even if I knew. Not a big plaid person.

We also have bagpipes. Sorry, not a fan. Is now the time to say that although I am of 90% Celtic descent (Irish, Scottish, Cornish) I cannot stand Celtic music. Jason skating to Riverdance is about the only time I can tolerate it. I am a traitor to my heritage

Interesting to hear that about Anglicans, since the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian! However, nice to hear others getting into the spirit. We enthusiastic Scots get a tad cranky about the whole world celebrating St Patrick's Day and ignoring us. Not to mention St Piran's Day, March 5, in Cornwall, where one of my great-grandmothers was born. Or the Welsh St David's Day, March 1.

I could have worn any of many tartans for Highland dance, since my own surname ancestors were urban folk who didn't belong to any clan (fewer than half of all Scots in the past belonged to clans, something which has to be explained patiently to many visitors to clan tents at Highland games). But my father was totally Scottish and my mother had just a pinch of Cornish, Welsh and Irish for flavour, so there were many names on the family tree that I could have borrowed. I wore the red McIntosh tartan (the pattern is "tartan", a "plaid" is a garment, the long shawl slung over one shoulder). Two of my great-grandparents were named McIntosh and the name was on both sides of the tree.

My husband, half Scottish and half Irish, also couldn't stand the pipes. He'd have had to bite his tongue and be nice if he were still alive, since one of our granddaughters married a professional piper this past summer. My father, a native of Aberdeen, turned green at the thought of eating haggis, as would I. None of it is compulsory

 

[elbkup]

I went to the NH Highland Games with a friend once..
She (Fraser) Me (McGill)..
Strolling through she leaned toward me and whispered “We’re really not a very attractive people are we?”
I whispered back, “Speak for yourself!“ We had a lot of fun..

 

[CellarDweller]

So, Hallmark is running their usual schedule of Christmas movies.

Hanukkah starts the night of Christmas, and Hallmark is running four Hanukkah movies.

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, or just enjoy schmaltzy holiday movies, here are the names, dates and times of the Hanukkah movies. The second movie on the list is new for this year.


Hanukkah on the Rocks - Friday 13th 8:00pm, Saturday 14th 4:00pm,
A recently unemployed lawyer Tory embarks on a journey to find Hanukkah candles, leading her to a Chicago bar where she transforms the holiday spirit, and finds the courage to pursue a new path in life.

Leah's Perfect Gift - Sunday 8th 8:00pm, Monday 9th 6:00pm, Friday 13th 10:00pm
A Christmas lover, Leah has admired the holiday from afar because she's Jewish. Though her family celebrates Hanukkah, Leah has longed to experience a traditional Christmas. When her boyfriend Graham invites her to spend the holidays with his classic Connecticut family, she eagerly accepts. Excited to dive into the quintessential Christmas she's always dreamed of, Leah quickly discovers that fitting in with Graham's uptight family and his not-so-welcoming mom is easier said than done. As holiday traditions clash and awkward moments pile up, it is not quite the cozy Christmas that she expected.

Double Holiday - Wednesday 18th 6:00am
Career-minded Rebecca's plans for Hanukkah don't go as expected when a promotion opportunity comes up at work. When the company CEO asks Rebecca and her insufferable office mate, Chris -- also her main competitor for the promotion -- to plan the company's Christmas party, she realizes they must overcome their opposing styles in order to succeed. Forced to work together on the party, Chris learns more about Rebecca and embraces her family's Hanukkah traditions, while she also begins to see him in a new light. Although feelings slowly develop between the two, the ongoing competition over the promotion threatens to undermine it all.

Round & Round - Friday 27th 10:00am
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?

 

[iluvtodd]

Chanukah comes very late this year because we are coming off a Jewish "leap year." The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, as lunar months are 29-30 days. Therefore @ the end of one secular year (the secular year being from a January-December calendar), the lunar calendar would be 354 days in length. After 2 years, the lunar calendar that Judaism uses would be behind the secular calendar by 22 days, and 33 days after 3 years. To make sure our holidays come in the appropriate season (Passover in the spring, Rosh HaShanah in the fall, Chanukah in early winter), a whole lunar "leap month" is added to the Jewish calendar to sync it with the secular calendar This occurs about 7 times within a 19 year cycle (or about once every three years). If we Jews didn't do that, our holidays would eventually occur in the wrong season (Passover in the summer, Rosh HaShanah in the winter, Chanukah in the spring, etc.). The Hebrew date of Chanukah is the 25th of Kislev (on the Jewish lunar calendar that we use). The earliest I can remember Chanukah coming is a number of years ago when we lit the first candle on the Sunday evening of Thanksgiving Weekend! This year my birthday actually occurs on the 6th day of Chanukah (12/30/24) & that's very unusual!

 

[CellarDweller]

I went farther into the Hallmark schedule.

Love, Lights, Hanukkah - Monday 30th 8:00am

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.

Hanukkah On Rye - Tuesday 31st 2:00am

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?

 

[Diana Delafield]

Chanukah comes very late this year because we are coming off a Jewish "leap year." The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, as lunar months are 29-30 days. Therefore @ the end of one secular year (the secular year being from a January-December calendar), the lunar calendar would be 354 days in length. After 2 years, the lunar calendar that Judaism uses would be behind the secular calendar by 22 days, and 33 days after 3 years. To make sure our holidays come in the appropriate season (Passover in the spring, Rosh HaShanah in the fall, Chanukah in early winter), a whole lunar "leap month" is added to the Jewish calendar to sync it with the secular calendar This occurs about 7 times within a 19 year cycle (or about once every three years). If we Jews didn't do that, our holidays would eventually occur in the wrong season (Passover in the summer, Rosh HaShanah in the winter, Chanukah in the spring, etc.). The Hebrew date of Chanukah is the 25th of Kislev (on the Jewish lunar calendar that we use). The earliest I can remember Chanukah coming is a number of years ago when we lit the first candle on the Sunday evening of Thanksgiving Weekend! This year my birthday actually occurs on the 6th day of Chanukah (12/30/24) & that's very unusual!

An interesting add to my education, thank you! I knew that, unlike Christmas, Chanukah was a moveable feast like the Christian Easter, but never investigated why. I knew it had something to do with using a different calendar, but never realized it was so ingeniously worked-out.

 

[reader3]

Buon Natale to those who celebrate.

 

[Diana Delafield]

My oldest brother collected teddybears and said a collection of stuffies was called a hug. So here is a Christmas Hug for everyone, from a corner of my home to yours:

 

[TallyT]

A seasonal thought...

 

[iluvtodd]

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate the holiday!

 

[CellarDweller]

Hello Golden Skaters!

 

[TallyT]

Someone posted this on a list I follow and as I adore Thomas Tallis's music (and so much early and Renaissance, I am not religious but beauty is beauty) I thought I would share. This is the first part of the Christmas Mass, a vocal piece sung by the amazing Tallis Scholars.

If you click on 'Youtube' in the embed, it will take you to the full playlist for the work. Have a lovely Christmas, all the folk who do...

 

[elbkup]

Leading up to the Holiday some skaters took part in a Challenge gift wrapping skates for Christmas gifts… hilarious!!
Kevin A is a hoot and Piper finished first while you know Paul leaves gift wrapping to someone else… and Amber

- YouTube

Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.

youtu.be

 

[4everchan]

for me the holidays are all about cooking really.. (and drinking and hanging out with loved ones)

so far... i have made
xmas eve
lasagna (huge one... cost me about 100 dollars in cheese and meats LOL and it was heavier than a turkey)
xmas
pork shanks and meatballs stew (traditional quebec food)
what we call in my family mokas but are really sort of Maritime's version of Australianlamingtons (génoise cake cut in big cubes, iced in chocolate espresso butter cream and coated in coconut)

hangout between both big parties
pavlova with meyer lemon curd and pomegranates
arrancinis (on pea purée)

and for the réveillon (new years eve (in our case, we are celebrating it on the 30th because too many people have to be somewhere else on the 31st)
pain d'épices for the foie gras appetizer which will have caramelized onions are as well as pistachios
cranberry and maple sauce that will go with the veal tenderloin roast, gratin dauphinois and french grean beans with chanterelles
and well... i don't have to make the dessert for that meal as some student gave me a very very fancy ice cream bûche de Noël so we are eating that

january 1st : i always start the year with a smoked salmon soufflé omelette brunch... this is an ongoing tradition i have created and it's be running for about 15 years... so i got my bc wild smoked salmon

and then it's back to the grind of very healthy living : clean food and lots of gym

until january 17th when celebrations will resume as I will be non-stop for 3 days at the rink watching Canadian Nationals... isn't that fun ?

 

[CellarDweller]

Ball just dropped in NYC.

I hope that 2025 finds you all happy, healthy, and at peace!

 

[iluvtodd]

Happy New Year to everyone!

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[4everchan]

^^ I'm returning to work on Monday. However, I made a last Xmas purchase for myself, a very delicious wine (completely unreasonably priced). I'm sipping it slowly taking in all these awesome moments of holiday feasting and resting. In twelve days, I'll be at nationals... Woo hoo. So holidays really end at the end of the month for me BUT I'm starting to work and be active. No more hibernation