Random observations

[kitanzi]

Return of the King was immensely long, but good enough to carry it. I like this "Let's go see a movie on Christmas Day" tradition we seem to have evolved.

On the other hand, it's funny - I don't miss my family particularly until I run into someone else's family being family in ways I don't recall my family particularly ever being, and then I get melancholy and ridiculous. ACat's theory is I miss THEIR family instead - he could be right. *G*

Next year we are going to actually get off our butts and take the trouble and time we never got around to this year, and do something to mark the season as something more than "The Cold Time When We Get Days Off Work". Not that days off work aren't nice, but... I think the unexpected family-missing thing triggered that too.

Anyhow, all in all, it was a very good Christmas, spent with friends and my sweetheart, and we're making our own traditions and our own family. May everyone else be as happy with their holidays.

Comments

[folkmew.livejournal.com]

Well you're on your way to making new traditions in your new family (that's you and ACat for now:-) If there *are* any things you enjoyed from holidays with family take them and make them your own but if there aren't just steal freely from others. Seeing a movie is a fun one! I'm very fond of our Christmas tree (even though we aren't Christians) and it just wouldn't be christmas for me without one - last year in our little RV we had a little one in a pot then planted it in our friend's yard. We were in Florida last year.

If you lived closer we'd be delighted to let you come get a share of "family" time with us - I like it even better when "family" includes special friends and that way you could enjoy the kids in limited doses then go home to a quiet time. Hee. Rowan does occasionally mention "Larissa and that big guy". :-)

Hope you had a quiet and joyful time. Cheers!

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

It really was a great day - a touch of melancholy, but only enough to make me realize I'd better concentrate on the good stuff, and there was a lot! I wish we could have seen you for the holiday, since I like to consider the lot of you to be part of my extended family. *hug*

[sdelmonte]

Don't know if you know this, but going to a movie on X-Mas (followed by dinner at a Chinese restaurant) is a long-standing tradition of many New York Jews. Not much else to do even in NYC(aside, of course, from visiting my place of employment, The Jewish Museum).

Is it possible that your exposure to so many Jewish filkers has caused absorption of cultural activities by osmosis? :)

Happy holidays!

[braider.livejournal.com]

I've found I often miss things I never had. They look like such fun in other people's families, and I realize all the things my family never did (ignoring, of course, some of the things they DID do...)

[mrpsyklops.livejournal.com]

Pre-kids, Beth and I developed some "family" traditions for the two of us as a couple.

We put up a tree together - the first couple of years, we just used juniper seedlings that had rooted in the front yard.

We bought ornaments for each other every year - that's slacked off as we've run out of tree space. We're considering buying a seven foot tree for next Christmas, so we can display what we have and resume the collection.

We went out for breakfast - We found hotels that had open restaurants, though nothing else was usually open, and had eggs benedict or some other "special" breakfast that we wouldn't usually take the trouble to fix at home.

We have also used the day for getting in touch with friends and family and exchanging presents between the two of us. We have also read aloud stories that held meaning for us. In my case, it is the birth stories in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, but it could be any stories or writings that carry meaning.

Glad you both had a good Christmas. Love to you both.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

ACat's theory is I miss THEIR family instead - he could be right. *G*

Heh. I know what you mean. *smile*

*big warm hug*

[maedbh7.livejournal.com]

More 'make your own traditions' ideas: One of our Christmas traditions, whatever day you happen to do it on, once the tree is finally up (assuming you put up/decorate domething that acts like a tree) is to sit around the (lit) tree in the dark, drink something like cocoa/cider/eggnog, and sing Christmas carols. We do this until we run out of carols that we can remember most of the words to. The first year, I told Jim it was family tradition (it wasn't); we've done it for 7 years and now it is a tradition around here :)

Also, an ex of mine and I had the tradition of coming home after all the family stuff, and putting a jigsaw puzzle together. All the physical closeness, and all the peace and quiet, but still with something to do with your hands. (Ok, there's other things you can do that way to, but there's no need to shower after putting a jigsaw puzzle together.)

Another tradition that I insist on, that conveniently Jim's family already does, is attending midnight mass on the 24th. Even if one is not especially religious, the late mass often includes more singing and more candles than a typical mass. I recommend the Lutheran one over the Catholic one, though others might be even more fun, I wouldn't know.

Another friend (rms_butterfly) hosts a Christmas day food and gathering at her house for all of her friends, as she doesn't have a family locally that does stuff, and neither do many of her friends. You could consider hosting something similar.

Or even hosting a GA movie-and-Chinese-food gathering, that any are welcome to join you on. DO it for enough years in a row, and that will be a holiday tradition, too.

Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be something unique to the both of you :) *happy holiday hugs* -H...

[bardling.livejournal.com]

I hear you on the missing other families - done my share of that too, and can get melancholy over it on occasion. I like the idea discussed here & elsewhere of making one's own traditions, though, wish I'd thought of that more conciously sooner. Thinking about it, that goes for more than just the Winter Solstice/Xmas/New Year time of holidays, and my life sadly lacks ritual(s) and tradition(s). We'll see what I do about it & when. :)

*hugs*