Holidays - Different corporate and personal cultures...

[editorus]

Holidays are upon us!  We have people from many different corporate and personal cultures.  Share how you celebrate the holidays!

[gee4]

Usually party in December and then have a quiet Christmas at home.  New Year is spent with friends.

G

[diamondlady]

We have our annual Holiday party in December.  This year it's on a Saturday, something different for us.  Dinner, DJ, games, etc.  

Last year we started a new tradition for our company, the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign was looking for bell ringers to raise money during the holidays.  We had such a great time with about a half dozen of us, that we decided to make it an annual event.

Christmas Eve is spent at my folks house and Christmas day is usually spent nice and quiet at my house (no kids) but a 15 year old dog that thinks she's a kid and loves to open her presents.  Can't put them out under the tree too early Christmas Eve or she'll be snooping under the tree sniffing out her presents.  

I may actually try to go to a midnite mass this year since I live closer to my home church where I grew up.  It's always extra special at Midnite.

New Years is spent quietly at home watching the NYC ball drop in Times Square, and drinking a good bottle of something or other, wether it's champaign or a good bottle of wine, and sometimes we have shrimp coctail if MIL and I are up to the challenge of eating a whole tray between the two of us.

Diamondlady
Peer Moderator

Edited by diamondlady on 21/11/05 02:38 PM.

[countrigal]

Our company will have a festival event, with Christmas carols playing a predominant role, but with food and punch and everyone can take 15 minutes from their work and go "socialize" with everyone else at the facility.  This is normally a 4 hour event, with folks meandering through it all the time and only the singers and some "key" staff (ie: Director, other leadership folks, Santa-if they have one) staying the entire time, otherwise the membership is constantly changing.  The company will also do a door decorating contest, which I will enter once again.  (So if anyone has any good slogans, themes, or whatnot, pass them along.  Last year I did "The Bells of Freedom Ring", had the door done up with bells, with a wreath of bells that tinkled anytime the door opened or shut, as the centerpiece, and then a little saying about letting the bells of freedom be heard around the world this holiday season and included a thank you to our veterans both current and past, since those are our 'customers'.)


At home, this will be my first year -- ever -- to have all of my family together for Christmas.  My 16 year old, 14 year old, (almost) 2 year old and 6 month old will all be gathered around Christmas morning to see what they're getting this year.  Add to that full group, I'll also have my father, my MIL, FIL, and Granny all celebrating with us too, so I'll have more than a housefull and definitely won't have enough room under the tree for everything that will need to go there.  But it will be great to have so much family around this year, especially getting to share an actual Christmas day with my 2 older kids.  First time since I married their dad.

New Years will either be a quiet evening at home with the kids... or my father will be willing to babysit and hubby and I will get to go to a local establishment to ring it in.  That one is up in the air.  We used to get together with old friends who live in Mississippi, as it was one of the only times we could practically guarantee getting to see each other, but they've moved up north now (Virginia) and haven't settled in completely yet, so we can't do it this year.  Hopefully next, though.  So our New Years will be a fluid plan, all depending on what happens between now and then, and who's where, wanting to do what.

My big plan this year?  Getting all my out-of-state Christmas gifts mailed off the week after Thanksgiving, instead of the week (or 2 or 3) after Christams.  That will shock a lot of people and will reduce the number of items under my tree, freeing up space for the in-laws and older kids to use.   Oh, and I still owe one member of this online community (you know who you are...) her Christmas gift from LAST year... so that shows how bad I can be.  So that will be going out with THIS years gift, early, just to make up for being a bonehead.

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

[raindance]

I usually go on a short retreat, just for a couple of days, early in Advent.  It's great to get away into the countryside and have some space.  

I have an Advent wreath, with a candle which is lit each evening for the duration of Advent, and an Advent calendar.

Then there are parties and concerts to go to, both with friends and work colleagues.  

My work place has a big staff party outside at some interesting venue, which we organise ourselves.  We also have a much smaller affair in the offices to exchange Secret Santa gifts (nothing over £5 and as inventive as possible).  This year we are having a breakfast party, and we all have to bring whatever we like to share - muffins, croissants etc.

Christmas shopping and going to see the lights  here in London is all part of the fun.

On Christmas Eve I decorate my house and go to Midnight Mass if possible.  Christmas Day - more church then a quiet, home-based day with a walk after lunch.   We always have tea with friends on Boxing Day, play games and exchange gifts.  There are more visits to be made before New Year, and on New Year's Eve another party with lovely eats, meeting up with old friends and lots of singing.  

Raindance

[reddrogue]

Usually quiet at home with family on Christmas, then on New Years I let my son stay up LATE and I cook a summertime meal before the countdown.   I guess that is my little way of bringing the sunshine in.  I'll cook something like grilled veggies or kabobs (on the George Foreman--I am not crazy after all), fried skallops or grilled citrus chicken, baked beans, and we'll drink lemonade.  Oh yeah, my mother insists on black-eyed peas for good luck.  We count down to midnight with the ball drop on TV, then sing Auld Lang Syne, and call everyone we know to wish them happy new year (if they are sleeping, too bad).  Then we will put ten dimes over the door for financial good luck.  And for some reason, it has to be dimes.  Not quarters or nickels, and certainly not pennies.  Then we choke down the black-eyed peas.


RR

[officeguru]

This year I'll have both kids waking me up this Christmas morning.  Daughter will get picked up by her dad to spend a few hours with him and his family, then she'll be back about dinner time.  Usually my boyfriend and I clean up the mess and then crawl back into bed - but since we'll have my son this year, guess we'll actually stay up and do something with him.    We'll have turkey and all the fixins' for dinner once my daughter gets home.

Not sure what we'll do for New Years Eve - my daughter is suppose to go to her Dad's for the night, but we'll see how that goes since her brother will be in town.  

No real traditions - except trying to stay awake to watch the ball drop.  Don't think I've made it in the past 4 years.  LOL

[Susan V]

reddrogue,  I also put out a dime for each family member with initials on it. My ex-husband's family is Irish and Polish and I got this tradition from them.  The story goes that you are not supposed to spend the dimes, but hide them and don't tell anyone. If you do that, you can never say you don't have a dime to your name.

Holidays this year will be different.  Kids will be with their father Christmas Eve and with me Christmas day.  Haven't decided about food yet.  New Year's Eve will probably be just me since I have no plans as of yet.  Not sure what the kids will be doing.

Edited by gatorfan on 01/12/05 09:35 PM.