What Holiday Will You Be Celebrating?

We are celebrating Christmas on January the 7th since im orthodox. Mom makes a loaf of bread and puts a small 200+ year old coin which every old family has. Then brakes the bread in equal piesces. whoever has the coin in his piece of bread, he will be followed by luck for the entire year. Also dad gathers ashes, coal, two candels and scents and with them passes every room in the apartment thus chasing away evil spirits and cleansing the space. Also we eat leat (i think thats how its called in english) food for christmas. Whats Eid anyway :S

Eid is an Islamic holiday. Actually, it can refer to two different Islamic holidays. One is Eid ul-Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan (celebrated this year in early November I think), and the other is Eid ul-Adha, which will happen in late January. I don't know much about Eid ul-Adha, but Eid ul-Fitr is very similiar to Christmas in that it's a joyous holiday and one often spent with friends and family. A few of my friends who are either muslim themselves or one of their parents are, celebrate it just like Christmas with gift-giving and a tree. But, traditionally, people go to mass and spend time with family.

If I'm wrong, please correct me!

Christmas.

We spend the time we get out of school until Christmas Eve with my mom, then we go home mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve to get ready to go to the candlight service at church. When we get home, we change clothes and put on our annual Sister Christmas Program, a cheesy yet fabulous tradition in which my sisters and I put on a show for parents and grandparents. They're filmed every year, but forbidden material, a.k.a. I would die if anyone saw them... LOL...

After that, my grandparents go home and then we open sister presents: Each sister gets each other one present and we put them under a small tree we keep upstairs and call the Sister Tree. It's actually a pretty sweet deal, because you get three presents on Christmas Eve.

Then everyone gets into their pajamas, we lay out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots and goldfish (the cracker, not real fish) for the reindeer. We all sleep in Diana's room (two on the floor, two on the bed) and Dad reads us Twas the Night Before Christmas. It's a pop-up book, so Haley always wants to pull the little dealies... well, when we were younger we used to take turns, but now Haley's the only one who really cares.

Then we say our prayers, and (hopefully) fall asleep fast. In the morning, we try to wait as long as possible because we can't go downstairs until Dad comes to get us. We usually put on a movie to keep ourselves entertained while we wait (one year was Barbie Rapunzel because Haley begged us... LOL... I freakin' love that movie now...). Dad brings up breakfast (usually muffins, bacon, and eggs or something like that) and a few minutes after that, he usually calls us from downstairs.

Next, (can't tell we love our traditions, eh?) we line up in order of age along the bannister, Dad takes a bazillion pictures, and then we rush downstairs, youngest first. Then we open presents, which is hilarious because you never know when someone's going to start squealing/screaming/shouting/being really excited.

After that, we eat a big ol' meal and then lay around for a while. It's kind of an unspoken rule that you're not allowed to change out of your PJ's on Christmas Day. Since my parents are divorced, we spend a few hours of Christmas Day with the madre and then it's back home to do more lying around and being wonderfully lazy.

Usually, on the 26th we hit the after Christmas sales. Last year I got this uber awesome sundress for 10 bucks when it was an original 60. It had to sit in the closet until May, but it was fun. Plus, if you forgot to get anyone a Christmas present, you can buy it then for way cheaper and give it to them in January. Who doesn't love presents in January?

So, now that I've rambled, that's what we do for Christmas. The presents are a plus, but the best part is getting to be with my sisters. I really like the Christmas Eve service because it puts things into perspective and helps me slow down.

I really love Christmas.

This probably sounds stupid but what the heck is Yule?

Anyway--Christmas for us. We're Christians and we celebrate Christmas but we're not like...mainstream. We haven't had a tree in years but this year we put up lights and I was like...wow.

haha... Manchester England... thats kinda creepy Matt... I live close to um, Manchester NH New England... in USA... -is creeped out- anyways, Christmas is fun, usually we gather together, eat, get fat, share presents, then I hide up stairs with my new PC games or DVDs.... or music

hen on boxing day we go to Manchester overnight to visit family.

Come visit me!

manchester has to be good - apparently has the second biggest china town in europe!!!

anyway, i'll be celebrating xmas. my friend has already celebrated eid. but what is kwanzaa?! never heard of it...

Christmas! My favorite holiday! We go to Christmas eve service (I'm in choir, mom is signing to 'O Holy Night'), come home for shrimp cocktail! Fortunately, our church isn't having a service on Christmas morning (since its Sunday )

Our family is huge, but all in MT (I'm in CA), so we can't join them. It's this big celebration, with a huge gift exchange, and I miss it so much : (

You've never heard of Kwanzaa? "Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name." ^_^


So, yeah, bye.

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!

Yule/solictice... Besshes!

Emma wrote:

Crysi wrote:I usually get pajamas the night before

Hehe! Same here, my mum buys us Pjs before christmas and we get to wear our christmas Pjs the night before christmas! Heh, yeah, we celebrate Christmas. It's fun.

Haha! make that three of us, it's a tradition in our family, too.

Does anyone else name their turkey? Or is that just my family...In the past we've called our turkey Rudolph, Harvey and Jasper. This year it's Joseph.

Emma wrote:

Crysi wrote:I usually get pajamas the night before

Hehe! Same here, my mum buys us Pjs before christmas and we get to wear our christmas Pjs the night before christmas! Heh, yeah, we celebrate Christmas. It's fun.

Same here!!! every year zelithon and i get to open a present christmas eve and its always pjs!!!!! I love Christmas cuz that means only 6 more days untill my birthday! Presents just keep on comin'!!!!

Tara wrote:

Emma wrote:

Crysi wrote:I usually get pajamas the night before

Hehe! Same here, my mum buys us Pjs before christmas and we get to wear our christmas Pjs the night before christmas! Heh, yeah, we celebrate Christmas. It's fun.

Haha! make that three of us, it's a tradition in our family, too.

Now thats four!!!!!

KayJuran wrote:manchester has to be good - apparently has the second biggest china town in europe!!!

anyway, i'll be celebrating xmas. my friend has already celebrated eid. but what is kwanzaa?! never heard of it...

You don't know what Kwanzaa is?! You must not get out (of the country) much. Kwanzaa I think it is like Hannaka (i don't know how to spell that) where they get a candle thing and stuff and lasts for a number of days. It's in African culture too, or Jamaican, I'm not positive.

I heard there is no set right way to spell hanika as long as you can tell what it is.