Another good one...

..from the RevGalBlogPals:

As posted by Jan at RevGalBlogPals:

"Christmas traditions vary from family to family and from regions afar. I've been pleased that my oldest son's wife AA loves to be with our family for Christmas, though I don't think we do anything out of the ordinary. It helps that DC has one brother and two sisters to liven up our home. Since I finally decorated the Christmas tree and have started baking Christmas cookies, I am thinking of Christmas only being one week away." So for this Friday Five, tell us five things about the traditions in your family.

Think of traditions you always do -- My sister's birthday is on Christmas, and so to prevent the blurring of the two events, we have always held a separate birthday party for her on Christmas Eve. (The date occasionally gets changed when we go out of town for Christmas.) Another Christmas tradition we have begun in the past decade is we, at least every other year, forgo Christmas gifts and go out of town together instead. Thus far we have have chalked up trips to Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Indianapolis (for a mega-family celebration), and this year Mendocino. We can boast that snow has been a tradition on the majority of those excursions. During travel years, we only do stockings; during non-travel years, we have begun giving family experiences instead of things. Before we open gifts or stockings, my dad always reads the Christmas story, but having been a pastor in an earlier stage of his life, he is never content to read just the Luke account or just the Matthew account -- we have to read the whole thing. My sister and I used to roll our eyes at it, but it would be wrong somehow, so wrong, to skip it.

traditions you always cook or eat -- For my sister's b-day party, we always have the same traditional stew and cheese/potato soup. For Christmas morning, my dad started bringing real live sugarplums to the occasion (thank heavens for the Vermont Country Store!). There is just something about the taste of those things! My own personal traditional food is a stollen purchased either from Trader Joe's or Cost Plus. No one else in my family or household likes it, so I indulge myself.

traditions you would like to start -- I would like to start writing Christmas cards earlier so I can write a real and personalized message of some length to each person to whom I send a card. It's a good thing I'm orthodox and can claim the twelve days of Christmas! (Though we have been known to send Happy New Year cards and Happy Spring newsletters instead.) I'd also like to do more crafts and art with the family, perhaps as gifts to send out the following year. Just a thought.

traditions you would like to discard -- Spending too much money.

anything about your family Christmases -- Sleep in, no rush anymore. (We're all grownups and value our sleep.) Coffee. Puzzles. Food. A Christmas Story on dvd (formerly on vhs). A phone call to the giant family gatherings in Hoosierville. When we're in town, church. (When we're out of town, sometimes church -- though I will never let my parents choose that one again!)

I'm heading out...

...to Mendocino for Christmas! Yay! Looking forward to cooler temps, possible inclement weather, an excuse to use the woodstove and hot tub (and jetted bathtub), fabulous photo treks, time scheduled for doing puzzles and playing board games, time to read and write, eating too many homemade snacks, and a pressure-free Christmas. I wish at least some of those things to each of you, too! Pix when I return.

Someone on the net is talking about doing a Project 52 -- posting on your blog at least once a week. I think maybe I can handle that commitment. (A 365 just seems out of the question right now.) I actually miss writing and reading blogs. It's good that I miss it.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Advent's here...

...and I'm in the mood for the relaxation of vacation. It's not here yet, mind you, but that doesn't prevent me from utter lack of motivation in every other arena of life. Having been sick for nearly four weeks doesn't help, either, but I'm hoping to find my mojo for other stuff, like, oh, grading, church, yoga, writing...anything besides lying around and reading, eating, and sitting slack-jawed staring at tv.

Songbird made me think about Christmas this week with the Friday Five (originally from the RevGalBlogPals): "List five things you won't be doing to prepare for Christmas."

1. I won't be shopping for gifts. This is a travel year. Our family will be staying in a rented house up the Cali coast. Bliss!
2. I won't be inhaling smog or having an eighty-degree Christmas this year.
3. I won't be obsessing over an annual newsletter. I think just a few well-placed Christmas cards will do.
4. I won't be doing a lot of decorating. We'll pull out some items -- candles, tchotchkes, throws, perhaps even lights -- but probably not the tree this year. Since we'll be away for Christmas, and since we've both been sick, it seems too much this year.
5. I won't be abstaining from reading.
[6. Bonus: Having just seen an ad for it, I will not be see Alvin and the Chipmunks. Bleah.]

I will be relaxing, doing things with the family like making Christmas ornaments, playing games and doing puzzles, cooking and baking, and taking walks, and, I hope, sitting a hot tub a lot. Looking forward to it!