winter traditions

For the past 5 years or so, the beginning of winter would always start with us moving into our ski house. This year is the first year we aren't doing the house - My friends decided no longer to run it. So, this year, winters approach has been signified by my getting my snowmobiles ready and my ordering snow tires for my Prius

 

normally re-caulk the bath tub on xmas eve just to take the festive edge off things, what an over blown bunch of BS propagated by big bussiness to pad their balance sheet. It's already starting at the malls so that's the end of wandering around them for a month and a half. ba humbug.

 

hehehe...Merry Christmas is a business' way of saying

i realize that i have once again charged too much for my products this year and i hope you will forgive me by taking this stuff off my hands at a more reasonable price. however, in exchange for that low price you will have to deal with 6 months volume of customers in only 30 days. the discount on the merchandise you purchase will not even cover half of your time you spend in line at the store

 

I turn on the fireplace, sip a cup of cocoa w/whipped cream, and burn a cinnamon-apple scented candle to make the house smell nice. I also head up to the local mountains for a day of snowboarding. The day I see snow on the local mountains after a rainstorm here along the coast, that signals 'winter's here!!!' to me. My husband and I love wintertime, we got married in December. He loves Christmas more than I do, and gets excited (like a little kid) when I start decorating for the holidays.

 

I jack up my credit cards. Way up. Christmas is coming and everybody is getting something. God, I miss Fargo (North Dakota). Back there we'd be having some snow by now.

 

There, there, Frank, you come right over here by me and enjoy the fire. You obviously were abused as a child by a Simpson-Sears. There, there. :at pat pat:: Here, want some of this hot toddy?

You're not going to caulk the bathtub this Christmas Eve, Frank. You're going to get IN the tub, and we're (that's right, Frank ALL of us, including galaxee over there) will throw some of these nice-smelling bath salts in with you.

Then we're all going down to Victoria to sing Christmas carols downtown. C'mon, Frank, we heard you have a nice voice. You don't even have to know all the words; I've got these sheets with all the words.

C'mon, Frank. It's not ALL about money. You've got US!

 

I agree with some of this. Christmas music befoe Halloween now! It's BUY, BUY, BUY.

But Frank, blaming the REASON for Christmas on the businesses is WRONG!. They just co-opted it, with the permission of the masses.

I don't participate in the madness, so I respect Christmas for what it is. A celebration of the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ. Now, if you don't BELIEVE that, then it is just a crazy, opportunistic season and go ahead and treat the days like every other. But don't blame it on busines, blame it on yourself.

Now, for my traditions....Mother's house is the gathering place for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hot chocolate with peppermint schnaps. Fireplace. Tree up the week before Christmas and down on Jan. 1. Nothing but Christmas music from 6pm Christmas eve to midnight Christmas day. On thanksgiving day, we usually take a walk in the woods after dinner.

Don't really have any "winter" traditions except the hot chocolate, fireplace, and oh, snow is REQUIRED on Christmas day.

 

:blink: So how is my Prius going to do in snow? Has anyone done any winter driving? I dumped my Kia Amanti for a Prius due to rotten gas mileage and terrible traction in bad weather. I KNOW I've got the gas mileage covered... any thoughts on snow?

 

Non-sequiter! :lol:

 

You're forgetting the most joyous event for this season:

Putting the lawnmower in storage in the basement for the winter.

[Insert Hallelujah Chorus here]

 

My major one is visiting my parents, now down in Florida, and this
year it's gonna be a nice long ROAD TRIP! I have a totally
cockamamie idea for this, that I'll make a separate post out of
over in "road trips" or something.
.
_H*

 

Winter season I work all the time 7 days a week so that come warmer times I get lots of time off to make up for it. Christmas season I head to warm weather for the better part of a month. Usually Hawaii, but this year it will be Mexico. Both of these places downplay Christmas and all the associated insanity. Bah Humbug also!!! In these northern climes it gets colder most everywhere (relitavely, sure) but on the left coast when it is not acutally raining it gets to be beautifully warm and sunny. Nothing like it was on the right coast where I once lived where it would get grey and cold for months on end and I would get so depressed I can still remember it years later!

 

The beauty of the holidays for me are all the colors, the smells, the family, a warm house in the misty redwoods ( I live in a gorgeous redwood forest) and maintaining silly old traditions my grown sons still enjoy- I love baking and cooking for our big gatherings- I enjoy seeing people I love especially because we are spread all over and incrediably busy folks- but we take time once a year to gather- I have a girlfriend day and night with several long time girlfirends and we get a bit crazy- This year two of us own a Prius too! I am going to have my son drive my Prius- he is a SUV owner ( Yes I have been calling him daily and reporting my gas mielage )
Anyway I try to shop online as much as possible- I hate shopping- but love giving- an interesting tension- And I agree! What is up with Christmas decorations before Halloween!
Aside note I am not a fan of the tree- but am overruled by my family each year
Thanks,

Debbie

 

Ya, but around here it also means getting the snow blower OUT of storage. :angry:

My wife talks about moving back to the Philippines, I talk about joining her, but can't (stupid job), but then only 9 more years to retirement.

 

Frank:

HERE HERE! A person after my own heart!

I even like to "volunteer" for coverage over the "holidays" just to have the office to myself. It's about the only time - with the exception of "casual fridays" - that I can wear jeans and a tee to work.

I don't even have to shave, just show up looking all scruffy covered in bristle. If THAT doesn't say HO HO HO Merry Christmas then NOTHING does

jay

 

Another sign (to me at least) that winter is upon us is hearing the instrumental version of the Charlie Brown Christmas song ("Christ-mas tiiiime....is here....) during the Local on the 8's on the Weather Channel. I'm sure I'll hear it any day now....

 

I hate Winter. :angry:
Dark, cold, depressing days.
Darker, colder, longer lasting depressing nights.

Partially hibernate.
Feel mildly S.A.D. . . . . except when I am up at Tahoe skiing or snow boarding . . . then Winter is tolerable at best.

I live in California for a reason.
I think I would be suicidal in Minnesota or the likes.

My Winter tradition has traditionally been to put on long pants for the first time come the first day of November. Kind of hard not to revert back when the high temperature on November 14th was 77. Sunny and equally warm tomorrow too.
Yep, I hate Winter.

 

Up here we learn to take it in stride, after all, when you have the Vikings to depress you, you don't worry about a little snow. :lol:

 

Put the plow on the F-350 and back into the extra bay of the garage
Tune up the snow blower
Wax the skiis and snow board
Clip my seasons pass to the spyder ski coat
and prey for 10 feet of snow