Where are you spending Christmas?

[Rebecca]

Where do you plan to spend this Christmas holiday?

[lynnmosher]

I answered Away, with family, but wasn't quite sure whether you meant away as in out of town or just not at my own house. We spend Christmas Eve with my husband's family and usually Christmas da with my side, except this year. We will be in our own home. Yikes! I answered wrong! LOL!

Well, Rebecca, you take polls and ask what we will be doing, but no one asks you. So, what about you? Where will you spend Christmas Even and Christmas day? Whoops! Now I see your vote!

[Rebecca]

Well, Rebecca, you take polls and ask what we will be doing, but no one asks you. So, what about you? Where will you spend Christmas Even and Christmas day? Whoops! Now I see your vote!

I'll be home for both. :) I'm really looking forward to watching the kids open their gifts. At some point on Christmas Day I'll meet up with my parents, my brother, and his family--either at my place or at my parents' house. We'll see.

I'm really looking forward to it! !thumbsup!

Rebecca

[lynnmosher]

Don't you get more enjoyment out of watching the kids than opening anything for yourself? How old are your kids?

[righter1]

Not really sure on the timing of everything yet, but we'll be spending some time with my husband's family (we're thinking the weekend before Christmas.) Depending on when we do Christmas with my hubby's family, we'll probably spend time with my family as well, though they pretty much all live within a 30 minute drive from me. :)

[melw]

I am staying basically at home, but i will be seeing friends on Christmas day. As my family it over east and we rarely see my hubby's side. We have been invited to join in a fellow church member's place to Christmas.

Lucy has invited us to come. She is my unofficialy adopted 'mum' We are almost considered part of the family.

MEL

[jacks girl]

I've always been blessed to be at home for Christmas, even when traveling over the road. New years now was different we spent it once in Vegas, once in Florida.

[karen lynn]

I will be home for Christmas (here, not in Ohio); can't afford to travel. no car, no money. No income coming in, rather. Still, no money. I'd love to get away from Texas, but I can't. It'd be a long walk to Oho on crutches!

[psychoceramic]

We will be at my parents, they live just across town. My wife and mom wanted to adopt an airmen for the day so they are calling around to find out how to do that and then my wife has a friend who's husband was transfered to a town about thirty minutes from here so we are inviting them to dinner with us also.

so all in all it might be 15 people.


Merry Christmas every one, He is the reason for the season.

[Keith Wallis]

We're at home for until two days after Christmas then we are fleeing for sanctuary for 4 days to friends 100 miles away.
Sanctuary will be necessary - our tiny little terraced (our living room and dining room are both only 12ft square) house will be bursting at the seams. Christmas day will be a crush of the two of us, our two sons (one with girlfriend), our three grandsons, a penniless friend and her daughter. AND THAT'S ONLY THE COUNT SO FAR - there's still time for more to be added !! I think the cat is packing its bags.

[snowboardbunny]

I am spending Christmas at home with my husband and kids. However, this year, I am making some of the main meals the day before Christmas because I become to harried! I am trying to take the craziness out of Christmas as much as possible.

[aviator4]

Metropolitan Kenyans are marooned indoors for a presidential/parliamentary election due 27/12/07. I'll be home (city) where I am registered for voting.

Christians traditionally visit their rural folk over christmas and new year. Migrant workers make this once in a year pilgrimage with a 'potlatch' spirit. Politicians know this, and, unfortunately, plan elections to be held a day 'after' christmas to deny those who are registered in the city the chance to travel back to voter regisration centres. Anti-establishment mood has most of us staying put in the city to vent our score in kind.

What do I mean by potlatch?

African Christians have to be original to get diaspora family into a pilgrimage setting. Ours has what we call a CNN (cousins, nieces and nephews) meeting upcountry.

Denied the extended christmas break, we swiched it to coincide with Kenya's independence day celebrations 12th December.

The CNN agenda is informal. The prime movers proposed it as a forum where our children got to interact and know each other while we - PARENT COUSINS - host a christian fellowship, prayer session and lots of eating. AOB is restricted to reporting on such things as post-funeral or pre-wedding appraissals. It ends with photo sessions. Nieces and nephews are then called in to introduce themselves to the whole CNN audience.

Before the closing prayer, a ritual is performed.

All COUSIN names - excluding spouces who are married into the family - are put down in small lot papers. They are rolled up and put in basket. A niece is invited to take it round where each cousin (wife/or husband) picks one, opens it discreetly, memorises the name and destroys the paper. If some pick their family name, the few papers are rolled back to the basket and picked again.

A vow is taken that you and your family commit to go home and pray for that particular person's family.

Another vow is that at the next meeting, you are to plan/bring gifts specifically to that particular family relative to their needs. Nobody goes home knowing who will be praying for his/her family; likewise whom to expect gifts from.

We were planning to have this year's CNN on christmas day. Thanks to the politician, we've been spiked.


Keep an eye open for the Kenya election results. If the incumbent is sent packing, drop me mail to congratulate my wife and I.

[writegirl1949]

I'll be home for Christmas.

While we were in Germany, I would not listen to that wonderful Christmas song because I missed family so very much.

Since my Mom's death, my house has been the gathering place -- sometimes for Christmas dinner and gifts and sometimes for desserts and gifts. This year part of the family will be here for dinner and then all that are here in Arizona will be here for desserts and gifts.

But, the morning will be a special time when just my husband and I can share some time together. Actually, I'm hoping to have a relaxed Christmas Eve as well.

Last year we had a full reunion of my sisters and brother ... first time we'd been all together since Mom went Home -- but it was just glorious.

Blessings, Francine

[smokey the dog]

No place special. I'm working the weekend, but I have Monday and Tuesday off. Then back to work. The wife and I are going over to her parents on Christmas day, but they are only in the next town over. Not far at all.

[church_punk]

i stayed home for christmas.but for lunch we went to a friends house.