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December Holidays | Pad Patter 11.3

bestcee

bestcee

In love with places I've never been to
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Dec 18, 2013
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I bought a new Christmas record (yes, record as in LP) at the store this week. Pentatonix for anyone interested. I know, it's still November. But, I'm totally ready for Christmas music around here! I haven't played it yet. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving to start playing Christmas music, but with the shortages, and shipping issues, I'm been trying to prepare early.

So, I wondered: When do you start with the decorations and music celebrating your December holidays? Or November, since I know Hanukkah starts at the end of November this year.
 
I just listened to a track from Pentatonix's new album the other night - The Prayer! But how did I miss you have a record player?

In case anyone is interested - their voices are so amazing:


I'll start listening to Christmas music by the end of this week, if not today. It helps me design! That's my excuse anyway! :giggle Usually Christmas movies and such will start at the end of November/beginning of December. I'm in the mood for it this year again, so we might start early.

Last year, we put our decorations up mid-November and because I had those infections following by radiation, I wasn't feel good at all. I did manage to finally put all the decorations up by the 20th of January! That's the longest we've ever had Christmas decorations up.
 
For us, it's the day after Thanksgiving. We take out all our old DVDs of Christmas movies and all our Christmas music comes out. We watch "The Polar Express" and make chocolate chip cookies and drink hot chocolate at night while we watch it. We take down all the decorations from storage and get the tree out and set it up. We take the next week and get the inside of the house done. Michael and I do the lights outside on that Friday so that we have the lights from Thanksgiving on until Epiphany, which is usually around Jan 5 or 6th.
 
gonewiththewind said:
But how did I miss you have a record player?
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We bought one when Sharon moved in. She bought like 100 records with her, that she's had for years! Lots of 70's stuff. But she didn't own a record player, and hadn't for at least 2 decades. In the interest of making Munchkin more cultured - we got one. It's really cool! Plays CDs, records, tapes (!), and bluetooth.

I'm excited to listen to Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas. She has the record, we have the CD.

I also bought some records for Christmas presents. Beatles #1 for Sharon, Yesterday Soundtrack for Matthew, and Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack for me. I'm going to get one for Nick, just wanted to see what he wanted first.
 
Pachimac said:
We take out all our old DVDs of Christmas movies and all our Christmas music comes out. We watch "The Polar Express" and make chocolate chip cookies and drink hot chocolate at night while we watch it.
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This sounds magical! I love that you have cookies and cocoa while watching it!
 
bestcee said:
It's really cool! Plays CDs, records, tapes (!), and bluetooth.
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Sounds a lot like the one I got. Over the years I've burned a lot of my CD's to digital and have that music on a USB stick. I can just insert it and let it play.

As for Christmas, I have to be in the mood since it isn't a fun holiday for me. I actually don't do a lot of decorating, a few small table top trees, one wall hanging and a small "Christmas in Heaven" scene. If I feel like it, I will put out my Precious Moments Nativity. So far not feeling it this year.
 
bestcee said:
We bought one when Sharon moved in. She bought like 100 records with her, that she's had for years! Lots of 70's stuff. But she didn't own a record player, and hadn't for at least 2 decades. In the interest of making Munchkin more cultured - we got one. It's really cool! Plays CDs, records, tapes (!), and bluetooth.

I'm excited to listen to Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas. She has the record, we have the CD.

I also bought some records for Christmas presents. Beatles #1 for Sharon, Yesterday Soundtrack for Matthew, and Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack for me. I'm going to get one for Nick, just wanted to see what he wanted first.
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That's awesome! I've loved having my record player that Jay updated with a modern record player as well as Bluetooth speakers so I can play my lists from Spotify. :) On Christmas morning, I love hearing the record player but I'm usually busy, so it's nice to pick a list from Spotify and it just plays without having to change the record. LOL I had a stereo that would hold 5-10 records and drop them one at a time. Sad I got rid of that one!
 
I probably won't get in to the spirit til next month if at all....I'm not even sure what Christmas looks like for our family at this stage....might be in the family home with everyone, might just be mum and I, might just be me on my own, might be some of the family together.....totally depends on COVID restrictions I think. Typically I don't get into any sort of Christmas spirit until late November....I used to do it that I wouldn't get sucked into any Christmas festivities if I could help it until after my final exams were done in November and that I've wished my best friend Happy Birthday/spent time with her (her birthday is December 5th)
 
We wait until Thanksgiving to start anything Christmas, but I am *ready*. I feel increasingly anxious about getting to the holidays this year. I think it's because in general, life is more positive. People are nicer, with a "giving" attitude more often. I love Christmas season.

We shut it off by new years, and save it till after Thanksgiving, so I only get those 6ish weeks. I savor them, too. :giggle
 
Also, I loooove pentatonix. Can't wait to listen to their Christmas music again this year. Might actually buy the music to have, in case it isn't playing on the radio often enough. :giggle
 
Pentatonix is a fave of mine and can't wait to hear the new Xmas music. Mary, Did You Know is my all time fave Xmas song. I don't decorate until about December. I've gotten lazy over the years and only put up the tree and a few decorations in the LR. We put a wreath on the inside and outside of the door too. It'll be interesting to see how Remi does with the tree, it'll be her first. I can just see the dogs wrestling and jumping around and toppling the tree...ugh.

We just booked a drive through Xmas display in the Vancouver playgrounds which should be fun. Just us girls are going, me, Jen and Bailey. We'll bring a drink and takeout to eat as we drive through. I think there are 9 displays to see. That's booked for mid December. Normally, Bailey and I go to see a Xmas themed movie around mid Dec but with COVID we won't do that (she is extra sensitive to any infection b/c of the ongoing chemo she gets that makes her immune suppressed), too risky taking her to the movies, but we'll have a holiday movie marathon at home with her, having appies, popcorn and a few movies we can watch on the android box or Netflix (they always get some good holiday themed movies).

I ordered my first Xmas present yesterday and can't wait to give it to Jen. It's a comfy soft sweatshirt that says EAT, PRAY, WALK MY AUSSIEDOODLE.
 
We usually start decorating on the 1st of December. But there are already Christmas decorations popping up in stores although no Christmas music as yet.
 
HavaDrPepper said:
As for Christmas, I have to be in the mood since it isn't a fun holiday for me. I actually don't do a lot of decorating, a few small table top trees, one wall hanging and a small "Christmas in Heaven" scene. If I feel like it, I will put out my Precious Moments Nativity. So far not feeling it this year.
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I totally get that! I find with Christmas I have to put things out, and then I get in the mood. I start with the Christmas music, and cinnamon scented pinecones. I actually already bought a bag, and hung it by my desk, so I think that's also why Christmas is on my brain!
 
Eyeore said:
We usually start decorating on the 1st of December. But there are already Christmas decorations popping up in stores although no Christmas music as yet.
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Yep! Our stores ran out of Halloween decorations, and started replacing them with Christmas. So, there's been Christmas decorations for about 2 weeks already! No Christmas music at the stores yet though. And I'm grateful for that. I love Halloween, and I hate seeing Christmas infringe on it. ;)
 
bcgal00 said:
We just booked a drive through Xmas display in the Vancouver playgrounds which should be fun. Just us girls are going, me, Jen and Bailey.
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Yay! That sounds so fabulous!! I need to find some fun things like that to do. There's a cool Christmas hike, but that doesn't work for the septuagenarian in my home. And yay for Bailey being able to go! A movie marathon at home is always fun - no crowds, and all you can eat popcorn!
 
I wait until after Thanksgiving. I really love our "American holiday" and want to enjoy it to the fullest. After that, the Christmas decorating begins.
 
HavaDrPepper said:
As for Christmas, I have to be in the mood since it isn't a fun holiday for me. I actually don't do a lot of decorating, a few small table top trees, one wall hanging and a small "Christmas in Heaven" scene. If I feel like it, I will put out my Precious Moments Nativity. So far not feeling it this year.
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I understand. My Momma was killed in a car accident on Christmas day, so there is a tinge of sadness always now. I was so afraid that it would be ruined for us, but I find that celebrating it brings her closer to my heart. I do a lot of crying as I take out the decorations, but each year that goes by, there are more smiles of remembrance.
 
Pachimac said:
I understand. My Momma was killed in a car accident on Christmas day, so there is a tinge of sadness always now. I was so afraid that it would be ruined for us, but I find that celebrating it brings her closer to my heart. I do a lot of crying as I take out the decorations, but each year that goes by, there are more smiles of remembrance.
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I know your feelings well. My mother was in the hospital and died the next morning. Dad & I knew that she held on long enough that we would not think of her death on Christmas. As years went by my Mom grew to dislike the holiday as well. And, now that Dad is gone, Christmas just isn't that important. I have no siblings (so no nieces/nephews), no spouse nor any children. I do have extended family that tries to get together but I'm the youngest in the bunch and with the world the way it is now, no one wants to physically be together since all of us have our own health issues.

Christmas is really a holiday for children and families and I just don't fit into that mold any more. I have found that I cannot focus on Christmas or I get seasonal depression which just makes it worse. So just call me Scrooge...
 
My mother used to have a rule: no Christmas songs, no holiday decorations, no Sears catalog, until December 1st, or the first Sunday of Advent (whichever came first).

My mother died 22 Dec 2012, and so I definitely understand the Christmas holiday sadness. When I was a child, my mother made Christmas absolutely magical for me and my sisters; with the loss of our beloved mother, we also lost that magic (and no, we're not ever going get that sense of enchantment back again. I mean, we're just not).
 
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