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One more day!
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Location: Blogs PaleBlueScotMiscellany |
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| Posted by: James |
12/24/2007 3:24 PM |
Christmas Eve.
Those two words always conjured up great anticipation as a kid and it’s neat to see that same excitement in my 4-year old’s eyes again. Christmas had been getting stale for me since my mid-20’s and although I still detest the mass consumerism and marketing of the holiday, it still is a time of fun when you’re a child. Yes, it was nice getting presents but the anticipation was just as fun; from listening to holiday songs to setting up the holiday decorations to getting a few weeks off from school. As a kid, Christmas really kicks butt.
My only hope is that my 4-year old, when she does eventually realize her parents have been lying to her all these Christmases about a mythical fat guy, doesn’t spill the beans to her younger sister who will still be in that innocent stage. Ally already is questioning Santa based on her analysis that all the Santas she sees on TV and in photos and at the mall all look a bit different from the others. Some wear different clothes, some have different shoes, some wear glasses and some don’t. I have a feeling that the added help we get from Thanksgiving to Christmas with the “Santa’s watching you” promise/threat isn’t going to have the same effectiveness very soon. She still is scared of getting anywhere near the mall Santas (not a bad thing, IMHO) so she has us walk in the vicinity of Santa (no closer than 30 feet or so) and she yells out her requests.
As I see lots of unclaimed Christmas trees in the lots that sell them, I’m reminded of our own “tradition” growing up. I put “tradition” in quotes because as I got older, I realized my dad was simply being cheap (although since we were dirt poor it made sense later). We never got a Christmas tree until Christmas Eve, sometimes after dark on Christmas Eve? Why? Because that’s when the tree farmers were desperate to unload their inventory and I don’t think we ever paid more than 5 or 10 dollars for a tree each year. Even in the 70s and 80s, that was pretty darn cheap. On the flip side, I still keep the tradition of leaving the tree up for the 12 days of Christmas. January 6th is the cutoff date for that although that is rounded up or down to the nearest weekend since there’s such a large amount of Christmas decorations (AKA “crap”) that we have.
The other tradition that I actually enjoyed as a kid was the candlelight service at our local church. I only liked it for the visual effect though. The sight of 200+ candles lit up in a darkened church on a snowy Christmas Eve in Detroit was always a nice way to begin the holiday season. It was also refreshing to see a flame at night in Detroit in the 80s and not have it originate from the barrel of a gun. Since we don’t attend church anymore, I celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus by downing a 750 ml bottle of Sweetwater Festive Ale.
Happy Holidays to all!
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Re: One more day! |
By KB's on
12/24/2007 3:50 PM |
| I'm going for Delirium Tremens for the eve and a Youngs Double Chocolate Stout for Christmas afternoon!! |
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Re: One more day! |
By Muuurph on
12/24/2007 4:31 PM |
| Murphy's Amber Ale here. Not the Stout that I would prefer, but this is a gift for my recent 40th and free decent beer still beats really good beer I'd have to pay for.<br><br>My brother always rings Xmas in with Chimay Ale. |
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Re: One more day! |
By James on
12/24/2007 4:38 PM |
| Excellent choices, guys! |
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Re: One more day! |
By JD2 on
12/25/2007 3:02 PM |
| Nice entry... Although it's not really holiday brew, I picked up a Michelob Ales & Lagers Sampler box; still working on it. Sam Adams Winterfest is a good choice also.. |
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