Christmas is coming...

[SnowAngel]

"...the bells are ringing,
Hope comes alive as music fills the air.

Some say Christmas is for children and I believe it’s true
Can you hear the season calling to the child inside of you?
Awaken from your slumber, come see with younger eyes
And be taken by the wonder that took the whole world by surprise!"

From "Christmas is Coming" by Jason Gray

This year there will be just one Christmas thread, so it all happens here. The story, wishlists, gifts, traditions, music, movies, books, food, decorations, anything Christmas is welcome.

So, Tell Me What You Want For Christmas?
Do you celebrate Advent?
When do you decorate?
Favorite songs?
Favorite movies?
Favorite tradition?
Favorite foods or recipes?
Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Merry Christmas!!!

SnowAngel

Note: This is the official Christmas thread for 2015; it is mod-approved.

[fantasia]

I have to admit SnowAngel, I saw the title of the thread and all I could think of was "...and the geese are getting fat." *ahem*

We are slowly getting things decorated around our house. And while I say slowly, it's probably the fastest we've gotten a tree up ever. We went and bought a live tree last weekend from Lowes, my son was so excited. And then tonight my husband got the lights up on the outside of the house. The three has lights and tinsel, but no ornaments to speak of yet. Three out of four stockings are hung (don't ask) So yeah, we're getting there.

But I'm ready to start cooking! That's my favorite Christmas tradition. Bake tons of sweets I can't really eat, so I send them to work with my husband.

[aileth]

Christmas can't be coming: it's raining! A pleasant change for our annual Christmas parade two nights ago, where it is usually -10C and blowing a gale. Our entry was a manger-scene, carol-singing float.

We had the chance to go to Messiah last night--a favourite Christmas thing to do when we can. It involved a three hour drive there and back, but was well worth it. The only problem lay in the fact that it was not a sing-along concert; we had to keep our lips clenched shut so as not to join in.

Some day I plan to arrange a sing-along in our area. Not this year, though--maybe next year.

[Meltintalle]

We're looking at a brown Christmas here too. It's a bit disappointing. We had some nice snow but it all melted.

I've made my first batch of Christmas cookies... orange balls. They actually turned out for me this year! My grandma used to make them and they're one of my favorite Christmas sweets. Last year I was given a package of Danish Butter Cookies, another of my favorite treats, and that was a big hit.

Some friends and I were playing Christmas charades last night. That was fun, although my skills at portraying abstract concepts like 'winter' and 'wonderland' (and the much more concrete 'marshmallow -- I can't believe nobody got the s'mores over a campfire, thing you go smooosh, clue ) need a lot of work.

[King_Erlian]

Tell Me What You Want For Christmas?

Nothing in particular. Clothes are boring, I have all the tech gadgets I need and there are no films I desperately want on DVD, or books I'm eager to read. I just like to be (pleasantly) surprised at Christmas.

Do you celebrate Advent?

We have advent candles at our meetings for worship. That's about it. Technically, Quakers don't celebrate Christmas (we don't have a meeting for worship on Christmas Day unless it falls on a Sunday), though many people who attend the meeting I go to will go to other churches on Christmas Day.

When do you decorate?

I don't. My landlord does. He decorated on Saturday. When I was a child it was a rule in our house that no Christmas decorations could go up until December 18th, the day after my birthday.

Favorite songs?

Favourite carol: Hark, The Herald Angels Sing. Favourite Christmas single (Christian): Little Town by Cliff Richard. Favourite Christmas single (secular): a toss-up between Step Into Christmas by Elton John and Wombling Merry Christmas by The Wombles - takes me back to my childhood when Christmas Eve was magical and exciting. Favourite obscure Christmas song that no-one else knows: Son Of Man, Son Of God by... ahem... me.

Favorite movies?

Just about any version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol aka Scrooge, traditional or modern.

Favorite tradition?

Carol singing around the village the week before.

Favorite foods or recipes?

Ginger cake. And egg nog.

Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Christmas Day - as soon as I wake up.

[stargazer]

It's going to be a green Christmas here in Seattle...probably with a side of rain. (Normally I'm in a place where white Christmases are fairly normal).

When I was a child it was a rule in our house that no Christmas decorations could go up until December 18th, the day after my birthday.

As a child we had a similar arrangement, even down to the date. My dad's birthday was December 18, and we would begin decorating after his birthday celebration.

We opened our gifts Christmas Eve after returning from church. Christmas morning was reserved for the stocking stuffers, which theoretically were from Santa but I recall we knew their true origin at a young age. This arrangement worked well, I think, because the main emphasis was on the gifts that came from family rather than Santa.

Mmm, S'mores, Mel. That's one thing I don't appreciate too much about winter...outdoor campfires are few and far between.

[narnia fan 7]

Tell Me What You Want For Christmas?

Honestly... I have no idea

Do you celebrate Advent?

No.

When do you decorate?

Maybe a week or so before christmas.

Favorite songs?

Joy to the world,The First Noël,Hark,The Herald Angels Sing,White Christmas, All I Want For Christmas Is You,Home For The Holidays

Favorite movies?

A Charlie Brown Christmas,How the Grinch Stole Christmas(1966),The Polar Express,A Christmas Carol

Favorite tradition?

Christmas Dinner

Favorite foods or recipes?

Cookies Egg nog and pretty much anything mint-flavored

Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Christmas Morning

[fantasia]

Lets see, what other Christmas-y season things have I (and my family) been up to? We went to my niece's Christmas concert on Sunday. It a very nice concert, with lots of songs that I'm not sure I'd heard before. They kind of did a season-wide selection with Hanukkah and Kwanzaa songs mixed in, so that was cool. I'm kind of sick of the typical Holiday selections.

Though, I've fired up my Pentatonix and Mannheim Steamroller favorite songs on YouTube, so I haven't outright banned Christmas music.

Oh! Evan and I were making Christmas trees and snowmen out of Play Doh the other day.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

I'll hopefully answer the questions eventually. I just wanted to pop in quickly say a few things. I played Christmas Charades not that long ago and skills are lacking - both guessing and acting. I couldn't even figure out a way to act out Christmas. Once the group got used to the acting styles of the members it got a little easier, except some people knew traditional charade signs and others (like me) did not. I think the best wrong guess I heard was a Christmas Song called "I'm hugging the UPS man because I'm so happy he brought my Present" or something like that.

We also played and failed at Christmas trivia. It seemed like most of the questions were about made for TV movies from the 1980s and 1990s.

And one last thought:
INFLATABLE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE THE TACKIEST DECORATIONS EVER AND SHOULD BE OUTLAWED.

[SnowAngel]

Tell Me What You Want For Christmas?
Well, I have more of an on-going shopping list than an actual wishlist. Although I have received one item off my list, my brother gave me Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 early for Christmas. I finally have all three Modern Warfare games for my laptop.

I would like...
An Xbox 360 headset
Camera lens filters
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
Danny Gokey's Christmas CD
Mac Powell's country CDs (2)
More hats...a girl can't have too many hats.

Do you celebrate Advent? Absolutely! We have an Advent calendar that my Mom made a long time ago, that's a favorite part of the Christmas season for the whole family.

When do you decorate? The day after Thanksgiving.

Favorite songs? I have so many favorite Christmas songs and albums. My siblings like to pick on me for not being able to narrow down my favorites, I always have super long lists. But I will try this once.

Songs: What Child Is This?, O Holy Night, Joy To The World, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Gift of Love (Ashes Remain), Manger Throne (Third Day), Born In Bethlehem (Third Day), Immanuel (Michael Card), Christmas Is Coming (Jason Gray), You're Here (Francesca Battistelli), God With Us (Jeremy Camp), and

Albums: Christmas Offerings (Third Day), The Promise (Michael Card) Christmas Stories (Jason Gray), A Christmas Story (Point of Grace), Christmas (Francesca Battistelli), Christmas: God with Us (Jeremy Camp), and Christmas with You (Clint Black).

Favorite movies? The Nativity Story, We're No Angels, Stalag 17, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's Wonderful Life.

Favorite books? One Shenandoah Winter by Davis Bunn, Pony Express Christmas by Sigmund Brouwer, and of course The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Favorite tradition? Probably be the one gift on Christmas eve. Or listening to Christmas music in October through January.

Favorite foods or recipes? I haven't done much Christmas baking yet, only dark chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles so far. Mom and a couple of siblings did make fudge on November 27th after we decorated the house. Next week I am going to make sugar cookies, I have been waiting to use my Christmas cookie cutters for months! Oh, and I need to make spritz cookies and marshmallows...so much sugar and so little time.

Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? One gift on Christmas eve, everything else on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas!!!

SnowAngel

[johobbit]

Fun! Thanks SnowAngel.

So, Tell Me What You Want For Christmas?
*highest 'want': time with family—hikes, lots of games, a few movies (it's a tradition for us to have an LotR EE marathon over the holidays, so we shall see if we can accomplish that again this year!
*piano sheet music for Michael W. Smith's first two Christmas albums
*officially meeting Bill the Pony/Dandy via his owners
*DVDs: The Miracle Worker, The Sixth Sense, The Peanuts Movie (when it comes out on DVD)
*Loads of books, but here are three: Little Lord Fauntleroy, All But My Life, Wounded Tiger (but I don't think it's beyond e-book yet, and I much prefer hard copies)

Do you celebrate Advent?
At church we do. In fact, my hubby and I are presenting the 3rd Advent reading this Sunday in the service.

When do you decorate?
Usually the end of November/beginning of December, but this year there has been too much going on to do so, so the full Rubbermaid boxes are still sitting in the living room just waiting for me. As for our tree, we like to cut down a real one, and that will be this weekend, since we enjoy having it up until the first weekend past New Years ... possibly even longer, depending on how healthy it is then.

Favorite songs?
I could spend hours on this one. I prefer the less common ones, although I still love a rousing rendition of "Joy to the World" or "O Come, All Ye Faithful".
To name only a few ...
*Carol of the Bells
*Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
*Coventry Carol
*Ding Dong Merrily on High
*Huron Carol
*I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
*In the Bleak Midwinter
*Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
*I Wonder as I Wander
*Mary, Did You Know? (especially the versions by Pentatonix, Kutless, and more recently, Peter Hollens)
*O Come, O Come Emmanuel
*While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
*Welcome to Our World (Chris Rice, Michael W. Smith)
*This is Christmas (Kutless)
*All is Well Tonight (CeCe Winans)
*Hallelujah Light has Come (Barlowgirl)
*Anthem for Christmas (Smitty)
*a number of Smitty's instrumental pieces
Well, that's ^ a beginning ...

Favorite movies?
I'm not big into Christmas movies, but I do enjoy A Christmas Carol (Alastair Sim's version), A Charlie Brown Christmas, and a very small selection of others.

Favorite tradition?
*Christmas Eve service
*playing games with the family
*singing and playing carols

Favorite foods or recipes?
I used to make a beautiful Christmas log, but haven't in a few years now. Also, meringues are a favourite here around Christmas, so I'll be making them this year again, maybe adding some mocha to one batch, yum. When the kids were young, I did a lot more baking—gingerbread, shortbread, sugar cookies—but I'm not so into this now. For our Christmas dinner (a beautiful and delectable turkey spread), my dad makes the best, smooooth mashed potatoes ever, adding far too much Becel and cream, but, wow, are they good!

Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
I grew up opening one gift on Christmas Eve, but we haven't continued that tradition. Everything's on Christmas morning now. Stockings first, then breakfast together, after which we read the Christmas story, then presents. Between the 5 of us, we exchange names, which is really nice. We began this a few years ago and it sure works well for our family. And I always get something for our dear parents and my crazy and wonderful sister, who always join us Christmas Day.

[daughter of the King]

So, Tell Me What You Want For Christmas?
The third Princess Academy book. I just had a birthday and that was the only book I wanted that I didn't get.

Do you celebrate Advent?
Not as much as I used to. We used to do a reading and activity every Sunday night when we lit the next candle in the Advent wreath when I was a kid. Didn't even bother to pull out the wreath this year as there isn't enough space on the dining room table.

When do you decorate?
Depends entirely on the year. Anytime between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Favorite songs?
Carol of the Bells
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Behold the Lamb of God album by Andrew Peterson
Christmas Canon by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns
Every Christmas song by Pentatonix

Favorite movies?
A Muppet Christmas Carol
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Bachelor Mother and the musical remake Bundle of Joy (a really fun story about a woman who finds a baby on the front steps of an orphanage and everyone thinks the baby is hers)
The original Miracle on 34th Street

Favorite books?
The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeline L'Engle
The Father Christmas Letters by J.R.R.Tolkien

Favorite tradition?
. . . I don't know. Celebrating Christmas has changed a bunch since I was a kid. When I was growing up we had to get up early to deliver the morning edition of the newspaper no matter how bad the weather was. Last year I was recovering from reconstructive chest surgery, and I just barely made it through a showing of Into the Woods at the movie theater. I do like the Wednesday night Advent services, but I didn't attend regularly in college (because homework).

Favorite foods or recipes?
Eggnog is good. Homemade cookies.

Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Usually Christmas day, but depending on work schedules we might end up opening them the day after.

[johobbit]

Ahhh, Pentatonix Christmas, oh yeah!

I meant to comment on aileth's post ^.

We had the chance to go to Messiah last night--a favourite Christmas thing to do when we can. It involved a three hour drive there and back, but was well worth it. The only problem lay in the fact that it was not a sing-along concert; we had to keep our lips clenched shut so as not to join in.

I grew up going to the "Messiah" every year with my family, which explains my deep love for it now. And in university, I wrote an extensive paper on Handel's "Messiah", which only increased my appreciation of his magnificent work. I have been a few times in the last decade and we were supposed to go this year, but for a variety of reasons, that didn't work out. Aiming for next year! I would love to go to a sing-a-long, as when I spent a year in Bible college (before university), I was involved in a chorale that went around southern Ontario and presented highlights from the "Messiah" (go-o-o altos! ). But honestly, the music is so thrilling that at times I could hardly sing—my emotions would overcome me. Had to buck up a bit and try and be subjective, but it was so hard. What an experience!

I also meant to comment on nativity sets. What is yours like? I have a very unique one, as it was purchased (bartered for, by me) in Jos, Nigeria, when I was there for a couple of months in between university years. It is such a treasure and very beautiful, made of thornwood. Let me see if I can get a photo up here ... aha, too large. Okay, will link:

*photo 1

*photo 2 (close-up)

[stargazer]

Pentatonix is a recently-found group for me, but I love their Christmas music. (I really like a cappella music, especially when it's done well, so they fit right in). I'm listening to their "Silent Night" as I type.

The Nativity set I grew up with is one my parents got shortly after they were married 65 years ago. It's a very simple ceramic style but it has a lot of nostalgia for me. (The set I actually own is also a nice one, a gift from my brother some years ago).

It has rained virtually constantly since I arrived here in Seattle last Friday, and this 'green Christmas' thing is a new experience for me.

[fantasia]

Pentatonix just released their video for The First Noel and I love it. My favorite new song of theirs this Christmas season.

Other seasonal things we've been up to.... lots of baking. We made a tray of Snickers fudge, my Eggnog Snickerdoodles, and some Gingersnaps for a party at my husband's work and my son's school.
Evan had his Christmas program yesterday morning and it was super cute to go watch. The party was immediately afterwards in which he ate nothing but chocolate and downed that with some chocolate milk. My husband leaned over next to me and whispered 'good luck this afternoon.'
And last night we went and looked at Christmas lights around the city. We saw some really neat lights and both kids fell asleep on the way home. A double win!

[SnowAngel]

I baked sugar cookies with my siblings on Thursday. It took all afternoon to make the cookies and clean up the mess, but it was worth it. We had a blast decorating the cookies and eating way too much sugar. I used a different recipe this year, I found one on Pinterest earlier this year and have made it several times now. I think it might be better than the other recipe, the new recipe doesn't have to be chilled. We topped the cookies with red, green, and white cream cheese frosting and tons of sprinkles. We did use a lot of sprinkles, more than half the container.

My family has quite a few Nativities. We have several for the kids including VeggieTales, Playmobil, and a cloth one that goes under our tree. There's a wooden one on the mantle in the living room that we have had forever, a creamy colored one on the buffet in the kitchen, and a little one in my brother's room. We have few more that I can't think of at the moment.

SnowAngel