Post
by Pumpkin_Man » Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:50 pm
Jack, I 'm not as passionate about Christmas as I use to be, but it was my favorite when I was a kid. Now a days, Halloween is number 1, and the 4th of July is a very close number 2, but I still love to follow all the old Christmas traditions. I get a real tree every year. I was never fond of those artificial ones myself. It usualy goes up on the 2nd Saturday of December, and I have a Tree Trimming Party for all the little ones in my family. We trim the tree, I cook up a special meal, and we watch a lot of the old Juels / Bass Christmas specials and listen to Christmas music.
I also observe Advent with an Advent Wreath. That's a Catholic custom where we have a wreath with 3 purple candles and one pink. On the first Sunday of Advent you light one purple candle. On the 2nd Sunday of Advent you light two purple candles. On the 3rd Sunday you light two purple candles and the pink candle. and finaly on the fourth Sunday of Advent you light all 4 candles. Every Sunday of Advent, of course, is followed by it's corresponding week. I eat dinner with the Advent Wreath lit every night I'm home for dinner.
On Christmas Eve, I exclusively celebrate Christ's Birthday by praying the Rosary, playing religious Christmas music, and lighting candles. I also prepare a special meal. After I get home from Mass, I light the Advent Wreath for the very last day of the Advent season, and allow the candles to burn down to stubs. That's when I screen the movie "The Nativity." When the candles start to burn really low, I have to remove the actual wreath so it won't cause a fire, but I bring the furning advent candles up to my room for when I go to bed, and go to sleep as the light of the Advent Candles slowly burn out and Christmas Day arrives.
On Christmas Day, I have dinner with my brother at his house. It's a rather small affair, just a few of my other siblings and one or two of my nieces and nephews. Christmas Eve is the really "big" family Christmas gathering, but I don't go to it becasuse of my family's lack of religious reverence to Christmas. I went into that in greater detail in the "CHristmas" message board in the "Othe Holidays" section.
My Christmas decorations often go up on the day after Thanksgiving, and the tree goes up in December, but because of my hectic work schedule, I take everything down on New Years Day. New Years Eve is my last night for the Christmas Decorations.
Mike
It's not my fav holiday, but I only care is presents, gifts, desserts and cash! 
I misread the whole thing.
