Growing up fundamentalist Christian — so technically not allowed to celebrate any holiday but the Lord’s Day once a week — Christmas was a furtive thing. The tree went up around Dec. 15 and it came back down again Christmas afternoon.
OK. You’ve had your fun. Time to sweep up the wrapping paper.
I’ve extended the season. During these pandemic years, we cut our tree the day after Thanksgiving and have the lights up by that evening. I am not in stores often enough to get angry when they put out reindeer and tinsel in October, but this longer holiday season works for me because on the other end is cold, dark winter So yes. Light it up, as long as we possibly can.
You? When do you start the decorating, the baking, the general wassailing? Did I beat you to the holly?
Well, as a former child-member of a Pentecostal church-going, “juice” running family married to a former conservative Jewish dude from the Bronx, we send out secular gift-giving newsletter every year (well, almost every one) and go on vacation. But every year, I sneak in a few decorations and he goes to The Outlet and sneaks into the house last years Hanukkah candles, crumbly little things, mostly little pieces of wax held together by string that’s seen the last of their days. As evidence of the “real” holidays creep into stores and friends’ homes, our little place looks like a fairyland spun with tiny blue and white lights and blue foil Stars of David interspersed with snowy white branches flecked with gold and silver tchatchkies and red bows (and a few candy canes here and there). In our window is one of those old school Hanukah Lamps with little flames you light up by twisting them into their places. In some windows shine a single electric candle (we ARE in CT, for true!).
As weeks go by, little by little, we take down our fairyland and by NYE return to our winter moods, good and bad and a mix of both!
Thanks, Susan, for reminding us to look within to face the outside troubles we endure together through ritual.
This makes me think of something I may have shared before. A few years ago a group of carolers came through the neighborhood, picking houses at random to stop and serenade the folks that lived there. They stopped at our over the backyard fence neighbors, gathered together on their steps and started singing. The couple who lived there came outside to listen and sometimes sing along. When the group finished and began to move on, the Rabbi and his wife applauded the singers from their porch, thanked them and wished them Merry Christmas.
Pulled out decorations yesterday but they're going up slowly. Mostly because it's a new house and nothing has a place where it "belongs" yet. Tried to do the outside lights first but none of the strands survived the trip.
My tuppence: Wassail/caroling is best done in the evening between Winter Solstice and New Years Day and in fresh fallen snow.
When I was a kid we had the annual trek to the Christmas tree farm which I loved and then decorating the tree. After I got married I developed a terrible rash from the trees and had to go artificial. I miss the smell of a real tree but can’t deal with the rash it gives me.
I always hope to start decorating right after I put my Thanksgiving decor away. But waiting for my husband to get the bins out of the attic delays things. I love the lights and magic of the holiday and keep mine up until Epiphany at least.
The time between the holidays seems so long when you’re young and gets shorter as you age and try to find time and energy to do everything. I wish Christmas wasn’t the end of January as it would make the bleak winter feel shorter.
I put up my tree and decorated with my Frostlight Fairies (I love fairies). My adult sons and my husband haven't had the spirit lately. I love decorating, undecorating not so much. No one seems to be in the spirit this year in my home. I miss my boys being little and me letting them decorate the tree with whatever they wanted (toys, kitchen utensils, hand made ornaments). Now it seems to be another day
I wonder if people go through stages like that. I used to put on Nat King Cole and lay out a nice spread to get the boys to help me decorate, but they usually only lasted through one mouthful of crackers and cheese. Now? One's a veritable Christmas elf with his kids. I cannot explain it.
My Advent candles were placed in the windows on Thanksgiving Eve night. Haven't done a tree in years. Live trees aren't allowed in my building, and I gave away all my tree decorations. I'll hang my stocking eventually. It's the one my aunt made for me from a kit where the felt pieces are already cut and you sew them on with sequins.
You beat me to it. But here in Florida it was 85 degrees yesterday and we were at Cocoa Beach (sorry for rubbing that in ... or maybe not :-)) so it's hard to get in the Christmassy mood. Maybe next weekend. I'll try. We do have a fake tree. Am jealous you get to cut yours down and bring it inside. Smells good.
The whole house smells like a forest and then I start baking and I never want to leave the downstairs. Enjoy Cocoa Beach. Have a breakfast burrito for me.
Traditionally my mother would put it up the Saturday after thanksgiving. She worked in a shoe factory (when we used to make them here) and that Saturday was her only opportunity because she worked 50 weeks a year ...oh they got two weeks off around 4th of July for "shut down". In retrospect I wish I had appreciated her work ethic more, but I digress. This year we put up our tree the day BEFORE thanksgiving! I promised my wife after we moved we could be more "Christmassy"!
My mother worked in a shirt factory. I don’t remember vacations, though I know she had them. Fifty hours a week. Lord. And good on you and your wife. More Christmassy. I like that.
In our home growing up it was always a fun celebration. Being a Christmas baby I got to enjoy double "booty." My brother and sister with their long faces seemed to forget they had days when I got no presents, ya know their b-days?!? Anyway, on a cold Christmas morning in 1968, me, my siblings along with our uncle drove up to Congress Street in Hartford to deliver a Christmas dinner to our great aunt who was not feeling well enough to come to our home for dinner....she was sitting in her favorite chair by the window anxiously awaiting our visit. The first thing she asked for was a glass of beer (the Irish have their priorities you know) which we promptly delivered, she took one sip, spit it up, her head went back and she died right before our very eyes. That changed Christmas for me for a long time....Fast forward to 1981 when our first son was born on 12/21 and new life breathed new spirit into our family and respective households. While we all face trails and tribulations my story is about survival and keeping it real, trying to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. With the Advent season upon us let us all reflect on peace, which we so badly need in our troubled world. Let your lights shine brightly, your voices sing loudly and try and keep it simple.
We'll get our tree this week. Early for us but the past couple of years our favorite tree farm has been selling out. Our decorations are pretty simple, We switch out the white bulbs on our hanging patio lights with colored ones and replace the regular bulbs in the sconces on either side of our garage door with green one and a red one (landing lights for Santa). To contribute to brightening up the street for the holiday season, string lights on the small ornamental tree on the front lawn. Those lights stay on into January to light the new year.
Well, as a former child-member of a Pentecostal church-going, “juice” running family married to a former conservative Jewish dude from the Bronx, we send out secular gift-giving newsletter every year (well, almost every one) and go on vacation. But every year, I sneak in a few decorations and he goes to The Outlet and sneaks into the house last years Hanukkah candles, crumbly little things, mostly little pieces of wax held together by string that’s seen the last of their days. As evidence of the “real” holidays creep into stores and friends’ homes, our little place looks like a fairyland spun with tiny blue and white lights and blue foil Stars of David interspersed with snowy white branches flecked with gold and silver tchatchkies and red bows (and a few candy canes here and there). In our window is one of those old school Hanukah Lamps with little flames you light up by twisting them into their places. In some windows shine a single electric candle (we ARE in CT, for true!).
As weeks go by, little by little, we take down our fairyland and by NYE return to our winter moods, good and bad and a mix of both!
Thanks, Susan, for reminding us to look within to face the outside troubles we endure together through ritual.
Hi ho ⚔️
I love this approach. I really do.
This makes me think of something I may have shared before. A few years ago a group of carolers came through the neighborhood, picking houses at random to stop and serenade the folks that lived there. They stopped at our over the backyard fence neighbors, gathered together on their steps and started singing. The couple who lived there came outside to listen and sometimes sing along. When the group finished and began to move on, the Rabbi and his wife applauded the singers from their porch, thanked them and wished them Merry Christmas.
Pulled out decorations yesterday but they're going up slowly. Mostly because it's a new house and nothing has a place where it "belongs" yet. Tried to do the outside lights first but none of the strands survived the trip.
My tuppence: Wassail/caroling is best done in the evening between Winter Solstice and New Years Day and in fresh fallen snow.
Oh, the image of that makes me smile.
When I was a kid we had the annual trek to the Christmas tree farm which I loved and then decorating the tree. After I got married I developed a terrible rash from the trees and had to go artificial. I miss the smell of a real tree but can’t deal with the rash it gives me.
I always hope to start decorating right after I put my Thanksgiving decor away. But waiting for my husband to get the bins out of the attic delays things. I love the lights and magic of the holiday and keep mine up until Epiphany at least.
The time between the holidays seems so long when you’re young and gets shorter as you age and try to find time and energy to do everything. I wish Christmas wasn’t the end of January as it would make the bleak winter feel shorter.
I put up my tree and decorated with my Frostlight Fairies (I love fairies). My adult sons and my husband haven't had the spirit lately. I love decorating, undecorating not so much. No one seems to be in the spirit this year in my home. I miss my boys being little and me letting them decorate the tree with whatever they wanted (toys, kitchen utensils, hand made ornaments). Now it seems to be another day
I wonder if people go through stages like that. I used to put on Nat King Cole and lay out a nice spread to get the boys to help me decorate, but they usually only lasted through one mouthful of crackers and cheese. Now? One's a veritable Christmas elf with his kids. I cannot explain it.
My Advent candles were placed in the windows on Thanksgiving Eve night. Haven't done a tree in years. Live trees aren't allowed in my building, and I gave away all my tree decorations. I'll hang my stocking eventually. It's the one my aunt made for me from a kit where the felt pieces are already cut and you sew them on with sequins.
Oooh, sequins! That sounds wonderful, actually.
You beat me to it. But here in Florida it was 85 degrees yesterday and we were at Cocoa Beach (sorry for rubbing that in ... or maybe not :-)) so it's hard to get in the Christmassy mood. Maybe next weekend. I'll try. We do have a fake tree. Am jealous you get to cut yours down and bring it inside. Smells good.
The whole house smells like a forest and then I start baking and I never want to leave the downstairs. Enjoy Cocoa Beach. Have a breakfast burrito for me.
Traditionally my mother would put it up the Saturday after thanksgiving. She worked in a shoe factory (when we used to make them here) and that Saturday was her only opportunity because she worked 50 weeks a year ...oh they got two weeks off around 4th of July for "shut down". In retrospect I wish I had appreciated her work ethic more, but I digress. This year we put up our tree the day BEFORE thanksgiving! I promised my wife after we moved we could be more "Christmassy"!
My mother worked in a shirt factory. I don’t remember vacations, though I know she had them. Fifty hours a week. Lord. And good on you and your wife. More Christmassy. I like that.
In our home growing up it was always a fun celebration. Being a Christmas baby I got to enjoy double "booty." My brother and sister with their long faces seemed to forget they had days when I got no presents, ya know their b-days?!? Anyway, on a cold Christmas morning in 1968, me, my siblings along with our uncle drove up to Congress Street in Hartford to deliver a Christmas dinner to our great aunt who was not feeling well enough to come to our home for dinner....she was sitting in her favorite chair by the window anxiously awaiting our visit. The first thing she asked for was a glass of beer (the Irish have their priorities you know) which we promptly delivered, she took one sip, spit it up, her head went back and she died right before our very eyes. That changed Christmas for me for a long time....Fast forward to 1981 when our first son was born on 12/21 and new life breathed new spirit into our family and respective households. While we all face trails and tribulations my story is about survival and keeping it real, trying to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. With the Advent season upon us let us all reflect on peace, which we so badly need in our troubled world. Let your lights shine brightly, your voices sing loudly and try and keep it simple.
Thank you so much for this.
We'll get our tree this week. Early for us but the past couple of years our favorite tree farm has been selling out. Our decorations are pretty simple, We switch out the white bulbs on our hanging patio lights with colored ones and replace the regular bulbs in the sconces on either side of our garage door with green one and a red one (landing lights for Santa). To contribute to brightening up the street for the holiday season, string lights on the small ornamental tree on the front lawn. Those lights stay on into January to light the new year.
That sounds about perfect.
We have this discussion about saying thank you. I agree with you.