The holidays

[Moemg]

Do you enjoy the Holidays or wish for Jan.2nd

 

[Meadbh]

I don't enjoy the holidays and usually offer to work.

 

[Khan]

I'm so glad I'm retired and don't have to pretend to be 'in the spirit of the season'.

Bah #$%^ humbug.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I enjoy holidays to the extent I can spend them with family and friends.

I'm working xmas eve day and xmas (again).

But, you don't whine or feel sorry for yourself cause you have to work, when the people on whose behalf you are working are dealing with end-of-life issues and all that goes along with that. The patients are very appreciative those days, as are my junior colleagues who can be home with their little ones.

So, I don't like it but there's definitely some "feel-good" payback.

 

[Moemg]

I enjoy parts of the holidays .We have a large dinner on Christmas Eve which is always nice and I like having the tree up .I don't enjoy the pressure to be jolly just because it's the holidays or the constant pressure to spend .

 

[TromboneAl]

I was looking forward to Thanksgiving: a really good meal, some wine or beer, relaxing in front of a nice fire, falling asleep, surfing the web or reading a book, going for a hike.

But then I realized: that's what I do every day.

So we'll probably go to a friend's house instead. Also, we eat a roast chicken (or onioned chicken from the ER Forum cookbook) every week, but we've stopped that for now to make the turkey dinner more special.

 

[happy2bretired]

I'll probably sound like a grinch, but I'm glad when it's all over. Thanksgivings we (daughter-in-laws) take turns hosting the dinner. Traditionally we have evening meals and I don't like getting out in the cold night driving out of town and back late. I don't like sitting around after dinner talking or just sitting there. On the years that I have to cook the dinner, I hate it even more since I don't like the stress of the whole thing. Christmas Eves we get together at my mother-in-laws. This year we aren't going to exchange gifts...so...after dinner again, we probaly will just sit there and stare of each other or play games. The games wouldn't be too bad, but, it just doesn't seem as much fun without the gift exchange.

 

[citrine]

I don't really care for the holidays much. I use the days off to lounge around, eat pizza, watch movies, paint, and nap. I absolutely hate all the silly christmas music that is on everywhere.....but I love the sales and ususally pick up a couple of pieces for my work wardrobe.

 

[Gumby]

Thanksgiving is okay, but I really hate the relentless, mindless consumerism associated with Christmas.

 

[Moemg]

Thanksgiving is okay, but I really hate the relentless, mindless consumerism associated with Christmas.

If they could back off on the consumerism it would be a lot more enjoyable .

 

[Khan]

A day or two after a holiday is a good time to hit the grocery store for clearance sales of ham, turkey, prime rib...

 

[TexasGal]

I will be SO glad when it's Jan 2nd.

It costs too much, is too stressful, and it just seems to go on and on and on! I have 4 grandkids who live close so I try not to appear to be a grinch.

 

[Nords]

After Thanksgiving we don't go to malls or even most stores until January. Groceries & essentials only. Our kid (about eight years old at the time) thought we were Grinches personified until we took her to Toys 'R' Us on Black Friday.

This is our first Thanksgiving in six years without my parents-in-law, so our kid is going to have to learn how to cook her own candied yams. (She handles the mashed potatoes & gravy too, I usually do the rest.) We're looking forward to a mellow stress-free day.

Early December is looking busy for our kid's two school projects and the usual semester exams. We have some friends visiting for a couple weeks in early December so she's gonna have to improve her time-management skills. My nephew the Army Ranger and his fiancée will be staying with us after Christmas for a week... probably to learn more about the dual-military lifestyle before he goes back for the officer version of Ranger school and she gets ready to deploy.

It's fun to go surfing on Christmas Day and see all the new boards that Santa brought everybody!

 

[travelover]

One of my best Thanksgivings was when I sneaked off to Guatemala for the week. Tikal was magnificent and not a turkey in sight.

 

[Sue J]

I like Thanksgiving because it's a non-religious holiday. We have it here at lunchtime because my Dad doesn't drive after dark anymore. Hubby cooks for Thanksgiving and we keep it fairly simple, your basic T-day dishes.

Thanksgiving is okay, but I really hate the relentless, mindless consumerism associated with Christmas.

Yep, I just grit my teeth and hang on until New Years. And like Nords, I don't go into stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas, except for groceries. I think I was the first Internet-only shopper out of both of our families.

The worst is that my "soft-rock" radio station goes to all Christmas music after Thanksgiving. So I email them to say that I know a lot of people love that you do this but I'll be listening elsewhere until January.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i was looking forward to spending the holidays in thailand until i read the xmas in thailand thread. if jingles are outlawed in china maybe i will retire to there instead.

 

[Maurice]

Its a convenient time to go on vacation.

We don't celebrate at all. I'm an atheist, my wife is a recovering Jew. We buy holiday-appropriate gifts for family members but don't celebrate ourselves. We usually fly somewhere interesting thelast week of December.

This year its Mexico, investigating potential spots for a 2nd home.

 

[Moemg]

Its a convenient time to go on vacation.

We are going on vacation Thanksgiving week .This will be the first time I haven't cooked the T day special in many years . I really like the smell of turkey cooking while Macy's parade is on . Plus the best part is the leftovers.

 

[deserat]

I like Thanksgiving as the only pressure is to cook a good meal and then snooze. I try to avoid going to stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas - frankly can't stand all the people - in fact can't stand shopping on the weekends anytime due to all the people and I'm not even retired yet!

Best thing about Christmas and New Years is my husband and I like watching the bowl games - oh and we have a tradition of skiing on Christmas Eve - not a lot of people skiing then and we eat a nice lunch and then go home to sleep in.

I try to avoid flying anywhere during the Thanksgiving/Xmas time frame -too many other people doing that.

Maybe I am a grinch - hmmmmm

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I always liked Thanksgiving until the year my MIL asked me to stuff the turkey and sew it up for the oven.

I didn't know you weren't supposed to use water- and air-tight suture technique.

Did you know that turkeys can explode?

 

[Nords]

I didn't know you weren't supposed to use water- and air-tight suture technique.
Did you know that turkeys can explode?

Yeah, but the suture line remained intact, right?

 

[Moemg]

I always liked Thanksgiving until the year my MIL asked me to stuff the turkey and sew it up for the oven.

I didn't know you weren't supposed to use water- and air-tight suture technique.

Did you know that turkeys can explode?

Yes , I exploded the first turkey I ever cooked !

 

[Maurice]

We are going on vacation Thanksgiving week .This will be the first time I haven't cooked the T day special in many years . I really like the smell of turkey cooking while Macy's parade is on . Plus the best part is the leftovers.

Literally the exact opposite here. DW and I will cook a turkey for the very first time this Thanksgiving, and my parents and siblings (all of whom live out of state) are coming here.

It will be the first time in 12 years I've spent Turkey day in the US.

 

[cantlogin]

Groundhog Day is the only true holiday. All of the others are just commercialized inconveniences.

 

[bruce1]

I always liked Thanksgiving until the year my MIL asked me to stuff the turkey and sew it up for the oven.

I didn't know you weren't supposed to use water- and air-tight suture technique.

Did you know that turkeys can explode?

D@rn It is going to be really hard to get my morning cranberry juice off the keyboard desk ect, but it was a great morning laugh