A Christmas meme from Discreet

[fbhjr]

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Neither if they have milk in them. So occasionally hot chocolate with water. But, often neither.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Often their are still in the bag/shipping box…

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
When we do a tree, it is colored lights.

Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Somewhere around first grade. But, my younger brother kept it up until 6th grade, so I benefited from that.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Often yes.

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Lights & Ornaments. But, the last few years we have not done one.

Snow! Love it or Dread it?
When it doesn’t make my drive to/from work horrible I like it.

Can you ice skate?
I did when young. But, I haven’t in many years. Decades really. So, I’m not at all sure I could now.

What tops your tree?
A Hippopotamus. But, it has angel wings.

Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Don’t really like them much.

Do you attend an annual Christmas Party?
My work has one. I go to that. That’s about it.

Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs?
The last few years we’ve been traveling on Christmas day. So, I had to dress to be let on the plane. This year we’re driving, so maybe there is more choices.

Do you own a Santa hat?
I used to. I’ve got a lot of hats. I think I last saw it in the 80’s… It’s probably around here somewhere…

Comments

[endlessblush.livejournal.com]

I think you could get on a plane in your PJ's .. i've seen people get off planes with onesies on - there isn't much difference really :D

[tatjna.livejournal.com]

Y'know, this isn't aimed at you or anything, but it really annoys me when Christmas-related things act like Christmas always means winter.

Like at lunchtime, walking through the mall, it's 26 degrees, the pohutukawas are flowering, and they're playing 'Let It Snow' - a song that doesn't even mention Christmas.

It's like half the world doesn't even exist at Christmas time.
/semirant

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

Far more than half the world.
Friday I'm driving off to where it is 30C even though well north of the equator.
But, they'll be playing those same songs.

I'm afraid most holidays are made in factories now and are one size fits all.
If you don't have real snow, I'm sure someone will sell you some plastic substitute.

You'd know this:
What season are lambs born?
According to the bible, that's when Jesus was born.
Deep winter?
Don't think so.

But, I digress....

[tatjna.livejournal.com]

Actually, in the part of the world where Jesus is from, it's entirely possible that lambs could be born in deep winter. Bethlehem is at 31 latitude, which would give it fairly mild winters. Where I used to farm is at 40 latitude, which would normally indicate harsher winters, yet I was able to have lambs being born a week or so after the winter solstice.

Sheep normally start to cycle shortly after the summer solstice, but the first heat is always 'blind' and the gestation period is 5 months (they cycle every 17 days or so). So it's conceivable that there could be lambs by December 25 in Bethlehem.

Normally though*, they are born in late winter/early spring - at least on a commercial level. So it's more likely that if the bible is true and there were lambs in the manger, it was February/March.

* Normal for the commonly farmed Western breeds of sheep, that is. I know very little about sheep of the Middle East and whether they follow the same patterns.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I don't know about the middle east sheep either. But, here at 42 north my friends who have them tell me it is much more of March.

But, the point is, the whole December 25th is fictional anyhow. As is the snow, the reindeer and the rest.
It is just sad how it pervades.

[tatjna.livejournal.com]

Well, in reality Christmas is a mish-mash of locally-celebrated pagan rituals with Christian themes, and that time was apparently chosen because it's close enough to an established ritual (solstice) that folks could be convinced to tack it on back in Ye Olden Tymes.

And because all that stuff happened in the Western European countries of the Northern Hemisphere, theirs is the iconography that became traditional. Thus, the snow, the pinetrees, the reindeer, the chestnuts roasting on an open fire, etc.

Top Tip: I don't think we even have chestnut trees here. Our Santas swelter in their snow suits, and it's more common to have a barbeque at the beach than to roast anything. Yet our cards are full of reindeer (don't have those here either) and our carols are full of snow. It's all a bit bizarre when you think about it.

I'm hoping it'll hit 30 on Christmas day. That'd be awesome.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I understand how it came about.
But, understanding is not the same as appreciation.

Best wishes on warm weather!

[postingwhore.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, a photo of the hippo, please?

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

We didn't put up the tree this year. I've looked in the box of ornaments, and I'm not seeing the hippo.
So, this may take a while.
At least as long as it takes me to remember where I put that hippo...

[postingwhore.livejournal.com]

No problem! Thanks for searching for me!

[manue7a.livejournal.com]

A hippopotamus with angel wings. Classy :)