Christmas Eve, my way.
Dec. 23rd, 2007 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrissaChristmas Eve is my holiday. Other holidays are very fine, and I'm fond of celebrating, but I have a certain relaxed attitude towards them, an air of "it doesn't matter which day exactly" and "we don't have to follow these traditions; we can do what we like to celebrate." But Christmas Eve is what I like. It goes like this:
--There is breakfast, and there is lunch, and they are both as relaxed as possible.
--My dad and I go shopping. No, we are not lunatics. My dad has an immensely good in with the parking fairies, and so we tend to waltz into the mall from a space no more than three from the door. We have already done any shopping that is truly necessary, so this is along the lines of, "Look! Good socks! We know and love people who have feet!" or, "Hey, don't you think Mom could use those earrings? I think she could!" And, "Hahaha, look at how ugly this thing is! It's ugly and useless! Ha! We will leave it to be ugly and useless here in the store." And also, "Look at those poor stressed-out saps. Smile, stressed-out saps! It's Christmas!" There is also some solving of the world's problems along the way. Also technical discussions of the world of speculative fiction and the world of water chemistry in the last year.
--My dad and I have frozen yogurt with fruit on the top. Failing that, smoothies. But the right thing is frozen yogurt with fruit on the top. Vanilla frozen yogurt. If possible some of the fruit should be chopped kiwi. If they don't have kiwi, we will make the same skeptical face at each other about this newfangled kind of frozen yogurt place that lacks kiwi.
--My dad and I come back and wrap whatever socks/earrings/fruit bats/orangutans/breakfast cereals we have managed to find along the way. We use my dad's secret to wrapping presents: use lots of tape. (Dad's secret to building houses: use lots of nails. Dad's secret to sewing buttons: use lots of thread. Dad's secret to writing novels: use lots of words.)
--There is smorgasbord. Clam chowder and pickled herring and meats and cheeses and usually shrimps (which I do not eat) and veggies and lo these many other fine things. Many of which are Ethnic. In the background of this, there are very cheesy Christmas carols on the hifi, which has been replaced by my mom's sleek under-cabinet kitchen CD player, but still, the theory is the same. These carols are too cheesy to have been played a million times over in stores for the month of December, so no one is sick of them. Two words: Eddie Arnold.
--There are presents opened. The presents are passed out by the two youngest parties present who are old enough to read gift labels. The presents are opened one at a time, going around a circle with the youngest opening one, and then the next-youngest, and so on up to the oldest, then starting again with the youngest.
--There are cookies, and there is raspberry sherbet. These days the sherbet is sorbet, because I buy the sherbet. But the theory of it is sherbet.
--There is the trying on of various gift clothing items, and occasionally the modeling for family members.
--There is church. I am mildly flexible on the subject of the timing of Christmas Eve church. It can be any time after sundown, as long as there are candles and carols. Last year I settled for morning church, since Christmas Eve was a Sunday and my parents' church was not having an evening service. It was a very nice morning service, but it was not the thing. This year: midnight, darkness, candles, carols. Difficulty staying awake is the order of the day here.
--There is the stocking-stuffing, which is topped off with cocoa with Bailey's in. It is quiet and sleepy. The cocoa with Bailey's is one of our best adult innovations to Christmas Eve. Innovations to Christmas Eve are few and far between because it is Christmas Eve -- it's already so hard to improve. Better cheese on the smorgasbord one year than another is about the extent of improvement here.
Clearly this is about me and what I want; I wouldn't dream of telling you what you ought to do for Christmas Eve, or that you ought to do anything at all, and anyway my dad's busy that day and can't go shopping with you. Also, things can be added more easily than subtracted. For example, this year my household will open the presents that don't fit in with other Christmas celebrations together in the morning. In some years past it's been the right time to have coffee or brunch with a friend who's in town for limited time. That sort of thing. But by mid-afternoon, Dad and I will be buying random chocolates and laughing at our own incomprehensible jokes, and that is the way of the world. Not everybody's world. Just my world.
It's a good world, on Christmas Eve. And then Christmas morning there are cinnamon rolls and stockings, and by 10 a.m. on Christmas morning, I am back to my amiable, cheerful, whatever-you-like, we-can-be-flexible attitude about holidays.
Is there a holiday about which you have Firm Opinions? What are your Firm Opinions?
--There is breakfast, and there is lunch, and they are both as relaxed as possible.
--My dad and I go shopping. No, we are not lunatics. My dad has an immensely good in with the parking fairies, and so we tend to waltz into the mall from a space no more than three from the door. We have already done any shopping that is truly necessary, so this is along the lines of, "Look! Good socks! We know and love people who have feet!" or, "Hey, don't you think Mom could use those earrings? I think she could!" And, "Hahaha, look at how ugly this thing is! It's ugly and useless! Ha! We will leave it to be ugly and useless here in the store." And also, "Look at those poor stressed-out saps. Smile, stressed-out saps! It's Christmas!" There is also some solving of the world's problems along the way. Also technical discussions of the world of speculative fiction and the world of water chemistry in the last year.
--My dad and I have frozen yogurt with fruit on the top. Failing that, smoothies. But the right thing is frozen yogurt with fruit on the top. Vanilla frozen yogurt. If possible some of the fruit should be chopped kiwi. If they don't have kiwi, we will make the same skeptical face at each other about this newfangled kind of frozen yogurt place that lacks kiwi.
--My dad and I come back and wrap whatever socks/earrings/fruit bats/orangutans/breakfast cereals we have managed to find along the way. We use my dad's secret to wrapping presents: use lots of tape. (Dad's secret to building houses: use lots of nails. Dad's secret to sewing buttons: use lots of thread. Dad's secret to writing novels: use lots of words.)
--There is smorgasbord. Clam chowder and pickled herring and meats and cheeses and usually shrimps (which I do not eat) and veggies and lo these many other fine things. Many of which are Ethnic. In the background of this, there are very cheesy Christmas carols on the hifi, which has been replaced by my mom's sleek under-cabinet kitchen CD player, but still, the theory is the same. These carols are too cheesy to have been played a million times over in stores for the month of December, so no one is sick of them. Two words: Eddie Arnold.
--There are presents opened. The presents are passed out by the two youngest parties present who are old enough to read gift labels. The presents are opened one at a time, going around a circle with the youngest opening one, and then the next-youngest, and so on up to the oldest, then starting again with the youngest.
--There are cookies, and there is raspberry sherbet. These days the sherbet is sorbet, because I buy the sherbet. But the theory of it is sherbet.
--There is the trying on of various gift clothing items, and occasionally the modeling for family members.
--There is church. I am mildly flexible on the subject of the timing of Christmas Eve church. It can be any time after sundown, as long as there are candles and carols. Last year I settled for morning church, since Christmas Eve was a Sunday and my parents' church was not having an evening service. It was a very nice morning service, but it was not the thing. This year: midnight, darkness, candles, carols. Difficulty staying awake is the order of the day here.
--There is the stocking-stuffing, which is topped off with cocoa with Bailey's in. It is quiet and sleepy. The cocoa with Bailey's is one of our best adult innovations to Christmas Eve. Innovations to Christmas Eve are few and far between because it is Christmas Eve -- it's already so hard to improve. Better cheese on the smorgasbord one year than another is about the extent of improvement here.
Clearly this is about me and what I want; I wouldn't dream of telling you what you ought to do for Christmas Eve, or that you ought to do anything at all, and anyway my dad's busy that day and can't go shopping with you. Also, things can be added more easily than subtracted. For example, this year my household will open the presents that don't fit in with other Christmas celebrations together in the morning. In some years past it's been the right time to have coffee or brunch with a friend who's in town for limited time. That sort of thing. But by mid-afternoon, Dad and I will be buying random chocolates and laughing at our own incomprehensible jokes, and that is the way of the world. Not everybody's world. Just my world.
It's a good world, on Christmas Eve. And then Christmas morning there are cinnamon rolls and stockings, and by 10 a.m. on Christmas morning, I am back to my amiable, cheerful, whatever-you-like, we-can-be-flexible attitude about holidays.
Is there a holiday about which you have Firm Opinions? What are your Firm Opinions?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 02:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 02:47 am (UTC)Easter, for example, is celebrated by attending Minicon (http://mnstf.org/minicon/). Haven't missed an observance since, oh, 1973 I think it was.
Thanksgiving and Christmas both require roast turkey with stuffing. I've taken over making the turkey and stuffing, so it's reliably satisfactory to me. (Pepperidge Farm herb breadcrumbs, heavily augmented, including summer savory.) Also there must be mince pie. Haven't missed an observance ever. The meal can be anytime between 3 and 6, and we've been moving away from the older earlier tradition in recent years. Presents used to be opened after breakfast, back when I lived with my parents, but these days it fits wherever there's a slot in the day, often before dinner. It does not, however, take place *before the day*, because that would be wrong.
My birthday is celebrated with a good dinner. So far it's mostly been one my mother cooked, except when we lived far away.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 02:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 03:03 am (UTC)*sigh*
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 03:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 03:33 am (UTC)In my world, there is one Big Special Present sitting openly in front of the tree when I come out in the morning, and then there are the stockings, and then breakfast, and then we get to the main course.
But the depth and purity of my love for you will allow me to still consider you a friend, despite this appalling family trait.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 03:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 04:09 am (UTC)Passover is such a holiday. The Four Questions must absolutely use the melody I learned as a second-grader. The melody that got introduced when I was in third grade is awful and does not bear mentioning here, except in dismissive tones. I have never liked the "Dayenu" song terribly much, but it's part of the holiday so there you go. Dinner must begin with gefilte fish and horseradish. Preferably purple horseradish, for the look of the thing. Likewise chicken soup with matzoh balls. (whole wheat matzoh balls, preferably. They are much better. Trust me on this.) Turkey is an acceptable main course, but beef or lamb is much better. Also, after the afikomen hunt is over, all the kids get small gifts--not just the kid who found it.
It's not really Halloween without trick-or-treaters. And candy corn. I don't care that it's sugar mixed with sugar and held together with corn syrup and coated with wax. Somehow it's greater than the sum of its parts. Especially if you can nibble the tips off.
Thanksgiving dinner requires turkey and cranberry sauce. I can live without stuffing, but not without cranberry sauce. Lots and lots of homemade cranberry sauce with whole berries.
It's not really Chanukah without potato latkes at some point in the holiday. Applesauce and fat-free sour cream are necessities. Unfortunately I do not enjoy squeezing the water out of the grated potatoes in order to make them--seems like the job is never quite done--so I don't enjoy making them myself. and the batter must include grated carrot and onion. I prefer to make latkes with grated sweet potatoes or celery root instead (Much drier! Much easier to deal with!) but Mirth and LMH don't like them as much that way. So if I can finagle things so that someone else makes the latkes, then so much the better.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 04:10 am (UTC)Christmas Eve: dinner with mom's family, cousins, etc. The opening of presents from and to said cousins and family. Dinner must include turkey, country ham, dressing (not stuffing), sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, corn pudding, "little white cakes", and boiled custard (sort of like eggnog. but not.)
Christmas Day: immediate family presents, Santa presents, stockings. Big breakfast which should for authenticity include either homemade cinnamon rolls or a breakfast casserole.
In recent years we have moved the Christmas Eve gathering to the 23rd, because all my cousins are grown and married and have kids of their own now, so there are several families to be considered. But it's still held at what was my grandmother's house, now my mom's house, and everything else is the same. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 04:30 am (UTC)It was a terrible shock to adjust to my husband's family's method, which is: make a pile of gifts in front of each person, then all rip into them at once like ravenous wolves. Chaos!
(I still haven't adjusted, actually.)
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 04:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 05:16 am (UTC)I wonder whether freezing would help. Or a rolling pin.... (goes off to google for a while...)
Aha! I just found a recipe (http://afridgefulloffood.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/12/post.html) that suggests microwaving the potatoes ahead of time, then refrigerating them overnight. This is a clever idea that I had never thought of before. The water would evaporate, and the starch would change to a more stable form that doesn't oxidize. I will definitely have to try this next year.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 06:14 am (UTC)So it's fortunate for our household that my side of the family is used to being flexible...
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 06:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 06:24 am (UTC)The really big tradition is the music. I grew up being blasted awake with the brass fanfare that opens up "The Glorious Sound of Christmas" LP, by the Philadelphia Orchestra. This album was recorded around 1963 and I was overjoyed when it was released on CD. This album has become the definitive, archtypal Christmas album. Christmas hasn't started until that's been played in the morning.
After that comes my wife's Christmas album, the Messiah, and a couple others. But Christmas must start with "The Glorious Sound of Christmas."
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 06:44 am (UTC)But the Christmas routine is about as sacred for me as it is for Mris, and in that world, presents get opened on Christmas Day.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 06:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 07:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-24 07:33 am (UTC)