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*****CLOSED & WINNER ANNOUNCED*****GAME: The Great December Debate | DYD 2025

Dinnerware: The Good China or Holiday-themed Paper Plates?
I tend to use the "good china"... it's plain white and goes with everything. It's becoming more the daily china too as we run our of that... hehehe.
 
Christmas Tree 2: Flocking or Naked-the way God intended?
Naked I guess as the most it gets besides the ornaments are a few strands of tinsel.
 
Hanukkah Gifts: Eight Small Gifts or One Big Gift?
Not doing Hanukkah... but for presents for each other it's actually one small gift each from each other... so everyone gets at least three. Sometime Mother Christmas goes overboard and there might be a few more presents under the tree... hehehehe.
 
For Hanukkah, what do you consider a "big" gift? ;)

As a kid, I had my whole extended family go in on experiences twice: Discovery Cove when I was 12 and swimming with the belugas at Sea World at 19. Everyone else had mountains of presents and I had a folder with my itinerary.

These days, a big gift for my son might be a video game. It's a lot less expensive than those experiences but it's also just my husband and I buying it.

My mom has done eight nights of special coins for the tzedakah bin* like her grandparents did with her (half dollars, dollar coins, and golden dollar coins) but then my son doesn't want to donate them. Kid will spend ages counting out nickles but will not let anyone touch his big coins :giggle

She's also done eight nights of small gifts (biggest thing was a pair of pajamas on a really good sale) for him. But our family gets together for a big Hanukkah party so most people just do whatever gifts they have then.


* Tzedakah translates directly to "justice." Basically, it's money used to help repair the world (tikkun olam). We have a cute little metal box from PJ Library that we use to accumulate change. Then, when it starts to get full or we're planning a visit to the sea turtle rescue, we count out money for him to donate. Watching my child take $10 of his own money and decide it's for the sea turtles is proof that he takes after me.
 
Christmas Music: Classic Hymns or Pop Albums? (Bonus entry for sharing your favorite song!)
I love the classic hymns... O Little Town of Bethlehem, Once in Royal David City, Hark the Herald Angels Sing
But I also love some (definitely not all) the "pop" versions... BoneyM Little Drummer Boy gets a lot of airtime in our malls here.
 
Christmas music: no, please no, make it stop now.

As someone who is not Christian, it's a really uncomfortable experience to be bombarded with someone else's faith over the radio everywhere I go for almost 2 months.

I can get into a lot of the fun traditions for my husband (like watching Santa go for a ride on the antique firetruck at Yesteryear Village or decorating a tree) but I don't think I'll ever get into Christmas music.
 
Brendazzle said:
Christmas music: no, please no, make it stop now.

As someone who is not Christian, it's a really uncomfortable experience to be bombarded with someone else's faith over the radio everywhere I go for almost 2 months.

I can get into a lot of the fun traditions for my husband (like watching Santa go for a ride on the antique firetruck at Yesteryear Village or decorating a tree) but I don't think I'll ever get into Christmas music.
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As someone who is a Christian and usually has my local contemporary Christian music station on in the car, I also, wish the Christmas music would stop...at least in November. Why does the station change to all Christmas music...and some of it not even oriented towards the Christian meaning, just the popular stuff. Ugh. I'm not a Grinch, but you know...everything in its place and time.
 
scrapchyck said:
As someone who is a Christian and usually has my local contemporary Christian music station on in the car, I also, wish the Christmas music would stop...at least in November. Why does the station change to all Christmas music...and some of it not even oriented towards the Christian meaning, just the popular stuff. Ugh. I'm not a Grinch, but you know...everything in its place and time.
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I used to have Grinch pajamas when I was a teenager. I jokingly would bring them out any time I got grumpy about too much Christmas stuff everywhere.

That being said, my mom raised me to embrace a somewhat Jewish version of Christmas spirit. My favorite "gift" growing up was always doing the Angel Tree in the mall. I would pick a kid and get to buy them presents. She told me that we were being Santa and making sure that someone else got to have as happy a holiday season as we do. One year, I begged my mom to let me go over budget because the little girl really wanted roller skates! My son loves to shop for the Toys for Tots bin and we've made a game out of getting the most fun for our budget. When we found $5 classic board games at Walmart last year (ironically while redeeming a gift card from a charity for something for my son), we bought one of each to donate.
 
Christmas Music: Classic Hymns or Pop Albums? (Bonus entry for sharing your favorite song!)
Away in a Manger has always been my favorite classic Christmas hymn. It is the first song I remember actively memorizing all of the words of the verses to as a kid.
Pop album favorites. Give me the oldies and goodies please! My favorite albums are my Time Life Christmas albums I bought off of a TV ad back in the 90s somewhere. They have a lot of the old classics that we listened to on LP when I was growing in a nice mix. A few of the original LPs might have moved to my house over the years too.... My favorite individual album is probably Bing Crosby's White Christmas, though Amy Grant's a Christmas Album is a really good one too. A favorite pop song when I think about the upcoming holiday season since I was a kid is Johnny Mathis "We Need a little Christmas"

lyrics: https://genius.com/Andy-williams-we-need-a-little-christmas-lyrics
listen to the song:
 
scrapchyck said:
As someone who is a Christian and usually has my local contemporary Christian music station on in the car, I also, wish the Christmas music would stop...at least in November. Why does the station change to all Christmas music...and some of it not even oriented towards the Christian meaning, just the popular stuff. Ugh. I'm not a Grinch, but you know...everything in its place and time.
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I agree. Two months of nothing but the same 100 songs over and over again in a never ending loop is not my idea of a good time. I won't listen to radio stations that start it so early. Wait until after Thanksgiving please.
 
Christmas Music- Um, not hymns, but not the new pop stuff either! I love Bing Crosby, Elvis, and Burl Ives!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Bing, Blue Christmas by Elvis, and the list goes on and on! I love all the old stuff! And I prefer to play them on vinyl!
 
scrapchyck said:
FOURTEENTH QUESTION--NOVEMBER 16

Christmas Tree 2: Flocking or Naked-the way God intended?
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I love the way flocked trees look- but one of the reasons I like artificial trees is no messy needles all over- so flocking is a no- unless they've found a way to make it not shed all over... lol

scrapchyck said:
This is the last question of the night, but I'll be back on Monday as we have one more day to play! Thank you so much for playing along!

FIFTEENTH QUESTION--NOVEMBER 16TH

Hanukkah Gifts: Eight Small Gifts or One Big Gift?
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We do not celebrate Hanukkah but I think the idea of 8 small gifts sounds more fun for sure!

scrapchyck said:
SIXTEENTH QUESTION--NOVEMBER 17TH

Christmas Music: Classic Hymns or Pop Albums? (Bonus entry for sharing your favorite song!)
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I think both. I like a good mix of the classic & the new pop Christmas music. I've had it on for months now... lol.

My favorite Classic: Christmas Canon

favorite pop: Snowman by Sia (this is the first time I've seen the youtube video & it's SO good!)
 
I am at work,but wanted to get another question out before I head home in a couple of hours!

SEVENTEENTH QUESTION--NOVEMBER 17TH

Decorations: Up for Thanksgiving or Might Get Done by the 24th?
 
Decorations: Up for Thanksgiving or Might Get Done by the 24th?
We usually wait until Thanksgiving weekend to get the decor out, as it is a long weekend the kids are around and they are my helpers in this task.
I started right after Halloween this year though. :whistle We are headed out of town for Thanksgiving and to celebrate my grandson's second birthday, and then I'm staying there to help out for an extra week after kiddo has adenoid removal surgery on Dec 1. (I know, not a fun time for anyone. poor kiddo). My main decorating helper elf moved out into her own apartment this summer and while she has helped a little when she has been over, it hasn't been that much. The other people in the house probably would not be bothered with it at all most of the time if I didn't ask.
My tree is up and the fireplace mantle is half decorated at this point. I need to get out the stockings still. As to whether anything else gets taken out I don't think it will be me doing it this year despite the many box piles everyone is currently walking around. So that means it will be minimal decorating most likely. I'm OK with that as I'm the one who will have to put away whatever is out after Christmas is over.
 
scrapchyck said:
FIRST QUESTION--NOVEMBER 14th

Christmas Tree: Real or Artificial?
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I grew up with real ones - and had to clean up the mess afterwards so now we (as in my own family of kids & grandkids) have a fake one that is mess free and easy to pack away afterwards!
 
scrapchyck said:
I am at work,but wanted to get another question out before I head home in a couple of hours!

SEVENTEENTH QUESTION--NOVEMBER 17TH

Decorations: Up for Thanksgiving or Might Get Done by the 24th?
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We don't do Thanksgiving here in Australia but Christmas decorations & tree go up over the first weekend of December.
 
scrapchyck said:
I'm lovin' everyone's stories and experiences and hoping no trees catch on fire this year! If you're just joining us, you can go back and answer the earlier questions. If you've already answered our first two questions don't go back and add to your previous post, because I'm tracking your entries as we go.

THIRD QUESTION--NOVEMBER 14th

Twinkle Lights: Pure White or All the Colors of the Rainbow?
(Unless you're high tech like @Brendazzle and your fancy tree does both!)
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Multi coloured ones on the tree but white ones on the balcony rail - only because that was all that was left in the store when we all decided we would decorate our balconies in our unit block - so we all have the same lights.
 
umyesh said:
Elf on the Shelf: Visits every day or Why would I do that to myself?
1) Share your answer.
Why would I do that to myself? Too much else to do in December.
2) Express your reason(s) why this is your tradition.
I have hated the effort the elf requires. It is never coming back. December is summer here and school holiday time - so it is beach time for us. Too busy for the Elf.
3) Tell us how you would document your selection.
The great disappearing act lol actually elf photos are some of my favorites to scrap! No elfs here so definitely no photos to scrap.
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