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Which December holidays do you celebrate?


Which December holidays do you celebrate?  

  1. 1. Which December holidays do you celebrate?

    • Hanukkah
      14
    • St. Nicholas Day
      46
    • Winter Solstice
      32
    • Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
      182
    • Boxing Day
      14
    • Kwannza
      3
    • New Year's Eve
      141
    • Other option
      18


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We celebrate Yule, beginning with Mother-night at sunset before the Solstice, and culimnating with dawn New Year's morning. We have special things we do on Mother-Night, the Solstice, New Year's, and on all 12 days the tomtens (house-spirits) leave candy in DD's shoes.

 

Santa comes on the 25th, and we spread other gift-giving across the 12 days.

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We have always celebrated:

 

 

  • Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) -- going to a candlelight service at church
  • Christmas Day (Dec. 25) -- reading Scripture, opening presents, visiting family, eating dinner
  • New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) -- perhaps staying up late (when we were younger, now we just kiss each other, say "Happy New Year," and go to bed!) :lol:
  • New Year's Day (Jan. 1) -- no big deal, but perhaps we make tacos?

 

We have added and/or hope to add in celebrating:

 

 

  • The Advent Season -- we are learning about how to celebrate this entire season liturgically, since we do not come from liturgical traditions
  • The Jesse Tree -- we plan to add this in next year, when our girls will be almost 5, 5, and 7
  • Saint Nicholas Day -- we would like to add this in either next year or the following year (we did not grow up with this tradition, but I like the idea of little "gold coins" in their shoes and Saint Nicholas cookies and stories)
  • Our Twins' Birthday -- this comes right after New Year's Day, so it's a busy season for us

 

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For us, it is the Summer Holidays, so we have a different slant on it all. We have about 2 months of holidays, and Christmas is in there. It is called Christmas Holidays here but it is also our summer holidays- the beach and swimming pool, friends, no school, long hot days.

For the kids and I...it is 2 months of holidays- but in there (and for the working populace) are Christmas, New Year and Australia Day which is a public holiday at the end of January where we have a massive firework display new the city.

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Our main celebration is Solstice (it's Litha - summer solstice - here in the southern hemisphere). We also celebrate Christmas to some extent. This year we recognized St Nicholas' Day for the first time - not a huge celebration but we had a story telling session and put chocolates in the kids' shoes - we did this as a learning thing, not sure whether it will become an annual family tradition or not. New Year we don't really do (although we sometimes went out before kids), because we see Samhain as the end of the year. I'd love to do something for Hanukkah too as an educational experience one year, but I need to research it a bit first (it's not well known here as our Jewish population is extremely small). Kwanza I have no idea what that is, except that it's mainly for African Americans, is that right?

Edited by Hotdrink
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We celebrate St. Nick and christmas, but in a totally secular way. St. Nick was today and was simply my kids getting gifts in their stockings. christmas is all about Santa for us. We only call it christmas because if we called it something else my in laws and my parents wouldn't know what we were talking about.

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None, actually, this year!

I celebrate two Eids during the year, and that date changes on the Gregorian calendar b/c it follows the lunar one. So now holidays for me this year except that we're taking one month off of h/s'ing so we're travelling by car for a week :)

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This week's question is "Which December holidays do you celebrate?"

 

We'll be getting up at 4am to catch the broadcast of the Army Navy Game, since that's when it will be on here in Japan.

 

I'm already thinking about how I can get tickets to next year's game.

 

GOOOOOOOOO NAVY!

 

BEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAT ARMY!

 

:gnorsi:

PS. I finally figured out what this smilie is for. Has to be Army running away from the next Navy drive downfield.

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Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, New Years' Eve, and the season of Advent. I would love to say we do St. Nicholas' Day, but it wasn't my childhood tradition and I never remember to do it.

 

:iagree:

 

Next year, I hope to add in St. Nicholas Day but I forget about it. I wasn't Catholic as a kid so it is a new concept to me.

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We celebrate Yule, beginning with Mother-night at sunset before the Solstice, and culimnating with dawn New Year's morning. We have special things we do on Mother-Night, the Solstice, New Year's, and on all 12 days the tomtens (house-spirits) leave candy in DD's shoes.

 

Santa comes on the 25th, and we spread other gift-giving across the 12 days.

 

same here!

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