the Distant Lands preparation for the new year!!

[19101989]

Hi all of you
21,22,23.24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31
the countdown for the Christmas presents exchange .
the countdown for the beginning of the new year!
i thought it will be good to make this thread for chatting about the Christmas preparations in your countries and in your houses. and how you will meet the new year. we can express our joy and expectation for the new year, what we wish and what we seek . and exchange the funny experiments we faced in the past Christmas.
you know a Christmas thread ! ;D
P.S as this is my first year to celebrate Christmas and new year at all, it will be good to know how do you celebrate each in his/her country too.

and this is a slid show i made expressing the gradual turning into Christmas and new year. i made it according to my knowledge. have fun!
www.go2album.com/album/r/e/l/e/n/relenaheero/4b1f65e82c9/gift.swf?fs_path=http://www.go2album.com/album/r/e/l/e/n/relenaheero/4b1f65e82c9
i hope it will work.

[Sinbad]

That´s a nice idea for a thread.

However, unfortunately the link doesn´t show for me.

Hm, let me see. How do we celebrate Christmas over here....

Well, it´s definitely a family holiday. I will be going home for Christmas to celebrate with them. We always have two Christmas trees, one outside which has been there for the last three weeks or so, and another one for the living room that won´t be in there before the 23rd or 24th and which will be decorated on the 24th. And then there is also the nativity scene, my dad´s favourite pet. With the years it became sort of a real landscape with many sheep and a little bridge and a well and stuff.

Well, so I will be going home on the morning of the 24th and the actual celebrations start then already. Unlike in the States, gift giving is on the evening of the 24th and unlike in some other parts of Germany and large other parts of the world, it´s not Santa Clause who brings presents here. Here it´s an angel like figure called the Christkind (Christ child, but that´s not the same as Jesus)
So, the evening of the 24th is for the family and that means it´s a tradition in my family that it´s just the four of us, me, my parents and my sister. So we give presents to each other and then we have a nice dinner together, usually something that doesn´t make too much work, such as a Raclette. So the 24th is usually a really nice, relaxed, calm evening after a usually still rather busy day.

On the 25th and 26th we visit relatives and they visit us. My grandparents and two of my uncles live next door so that´s not far to go. We usually have dinner at my granny´s on the 25th and we go to church on the 25th and 26th mornings.

So basically Christmas is very much a family celebration for me.

[Doubar]

alex: Awww, nice slide show. Unfortunately I couldn't hear the music but the pics worked.
Now, about christmas: well, since it's quite late already I hope you don't mind me delaying my answer.

[Scratch]

The slideshow worked for me. Good job, Bryn

As for Christmas celebrations, we don't really celebrate Christmas at my family household, we just like the gift giving and receiving aspect of it (does that make me and my family selfish present mongers? Sort of, but I can be fine in without getting the presents if that's to be an option XD) And a friend of mine has birthday is on Christmas, so that's worth noting too

[Doubar]

Okay, just like I promised, here's what my christmas will be like:
Just like the last three years, I'll spend christmas eve (24th) - which, like Sinbad already explained, is the most important day over here - together with my boyfriend and our sweeties(Jack and the dwarf) who are part of our little family. Since it will only be the four of us (and two of them will be sleeping till late in the evening ) the 24th usually is a nice and calm day for us. We'll have a nice lunch, will go and light a candle on Tia's grave and then, by late afternoon, we'll exchange our presents. The rest of the evening will simply be some nice being together. Oh, and if the weather is merciful we'll have a nice christmas-walk in a hopefully white countryside.

Now, onwards to the following days. Just like Sinbad we're going to visit our families then. We'll head of to my family on 25th and meet my parents, granny, aunt and uncle, as well as my cousin and her husband there. After sleeping over at my parent's we then go to visit my boyfriend's relatives on the 26th/27th.
So, all in all: a family celebration for me as well.
Oh, and over here the presents are being brought by the Santa Clause.

*just notices* Uh, you asked about NewYears eve as well. Well, this one my boyfriend and I will spend with a couple of friends. We'll gather to spend the last evening of the year together - chat a little, play games and simply have some fun. Then, a few minutes before the old year (2009) ends, we'll turn on the TV to see the official countdown. Tradition has it that the last 10 seconds are being counted by everyone and when finally the old year ends and the new year begins, everyone cheers and hugs and wishes each other luck for the upcoming one. It really is cool if you ask me. And then we all go outside and watch the fireworks or even light some ourselves. I really like that part (the watching them-part ;P). ;D
Now, for me the last few hours of the year often are some to think about what has happened. I recall important events or mistakes I made, but hardly make NewYear's resolutions.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2tQgJCip88&feature=related
Now, this is the Time Square, so at my town those celebration does so not have such dimensions, but you can easily see (or rather hear) the excitement there and this in deed is something that in general holds for everyone - Time Square or not.
(uh, better watch from 0:40 for the first 40 seconds are just waiting for the countdown to start )