Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

[mike24forever]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Where are we on Christmas music, guys? Just listening to the classics? Modern versions of the classics? Any new stuff or hidden gems out there worth sharing?

I listen to all of it. All types. From the classics and modern versions of those classics to new Christmas music. I love finding songs that are new and know that they will become popular. Serena Ryder's 'Calling to Say' is a great example. It's older now, but when I came across it, I had my student leaders use it in the Christmas Assembly that i ran and I had students and parents asking me who sang it after the assembly so they could buy it.

My favourite Christmas Song is 'Wonderful Christmas Time' by Paul McCartney. I absolutely love that song. My favourite Christmas album is Boney M's 'Christmas with Boney M. That album is always on when we decorate my parents tree. That album and their beautiful sound screams Christmas to me and reminds me of great times over the years with my family.

[studbucket]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Where are we on Christmas music, guys? Just listening to the classics? Modern versions of the classics? Any new stuff or hidden gems out there worth sharing?

I find myself in a weird spot here.

I LOVE Christmas. I cherish this time every year and look forward to our Christmas Eve Eve (church), Christmas Eve (family slumber party), and Christmas (presents + food) traditions every year.

I really don't like any traditional Christmas music, whether it's pop music or Christian. So I'm a weirdo in that regard: love the season and holiday, not the music. However, there have been some new songs released that are Christmas songs that I've really started to enjoy like "Light Has Come" by Future of Forestry:

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[EUBlink]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

I find myself in a weird spot here.

I LOVE Christmas. I cherish this time every year and look forward to our Christmas Eve Eve (church), Christmas Eve (family slumber party), and Christmas (presents + food) traditions every year.

I really don't like any traditional Christmas music, whether it's pop music or Christian. So I'm a weirdo in that regard: love the season and holiday, not the music. However, there have been some new songs released that are Christmas songs that I've really started to enjoy like "Light Has Come" by Future of Forestry:

Thank you for sharing that. I hadn't heard that before. It's a really good song.

[Ghost Of The Year]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

My favorite Christmas song is Merry Christmas From The Family. It's about thirty years old now, but it doesn't get enough love as a Christmas song in my opinion, and I rarely hear it on the radio. I guess a song with mention of tampons in it will kill a song lol. I'd like to see it turned into a movie, somehow someway.

[Majingir]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Been meaning to watch it for the past few years but always forgot to.

Netflix documentary on the making of Home Alone.

Lots of interesting info from that one. For all the times I've seen the movie, it's cool still learning new things about it.

Never noticed the house was decked out in red and green. Not just Christmas decorations which was obvious to notice,but things like furniture, walls, the phone, were all red or green.

WB was supposed to make the movie but rejected it when the movie went over budget and shut it down, but while that was happening, the producers struck a deal with Fox to pick it up so they really didn't stop production at all once it was "shut down".

Daniel Stern was their top choice for Marv, but he wasn't the one they hired. They chose him, but told him he'd be working more than they originally agreed to, he asked for more money, they said no, he walked. They hired another person, but it was only because Joe Pesci didn't like their chemistry that they were forced to go a different route and circled back to Stern. The part I never knew, Pesci and Stern worked on a movie together in the past (it's funny seeing them together when they were younger, makes it feel like the bandits have a backstory pre Home Alone).

John Candy and Macaulay also worked together on Uncle Buck, but despite that, they had 0 scenes together on Home Alone (missed opportunity to have a scene with them where Kevin looks up to "the polka king of the midwest" as more of an uncle than his actual uncle).

The bandits breaking into the house at 9pm was almost a joke on Pesci since he had a strict rule about not working early since he goes golfing every morning and could show up to shoot at 9am.

The pizza delivery guy made more money on the movie than John Candy who did it as a favour.

Almost the entire movie (the house parts of it) were filmed in an abandoned school (the same school they filmed things like Ferris Bueller) that they built the house within.

[SmashMan]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Been meaning to watch it for the past few years but always forgot to.

Netflix documentary on the making of Home Alone.

What’s it called? I’m gonna have to watch it sometime.

[Majingir]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

What’s it called? I’m gonna have to watch it sometime.

The movies that made us.

Christmas ones like Home Alone, Nightmare Before Christmas and Elf, and then other movies like Diehard, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park and others.

[pietasterp]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

I truly believe for many people, that most of the warm memories we have of Christmas and the holidays started with our Mom's. They seem to be the foundation and starting point for many of our Christmas memories and traditions. Stuff like the smell of cookies baking or the decorations they would put up before we came home from school (for example) that we hold on to and share or hope to one day pass on to our kids.

Excerpted this section of your post because it hits the nail so squarely on the head. It's about that, really - even as you get older and perhaps the 'magic' in life fades (although I hope not for you guys!) - there are little things just lodged into your memory that never go away. To this day, there is a certain combination of spices (cinnamon + something else? I don't think I ever knew even as a kid...) that every time it hits my nose, I immediately think about my childhood home and how it smelled around the holidays and how pumped up I was for the year-end period. Those fond memories are really Christmas for me at this point in my life.

Where are we on Christmas music, guys? Just listening to the classics? Modern versions of the classics? Any new stuff or hidden gems out there worth sharing?

For me, it starts and ends with Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift for You". Literally every track on there is a reference standard from my perspective. If that was just on continuous loop for the entire holiday season, I'd be fine with that.

[Master Live 013]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

His personal troubles aside, I have always liked Phil Spector's sound (Wall). I will check out A Christmas Gift for You.

[pietasterp]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

His personal troubles aside, I have always liked Phil Spector's sound (Wall). I will check out A Christmas Gift for You.

Yeah, he was sort of an evil genius, but his production when he was at his peak was marvelous. Darlene Love, the Ronettes, the Crystals....all with Spector's cacophony of brilliance. It just doesn't get any better.

One thing that occurred to me that (for me, anyway) has reduced the "Christmas Vibe" around this time of year is the death of the shopping mall. Going to the mall around Christmas every year used to always put me in the holiday mood as much as anything, and now that that's gone, it's one less thing to get the holidays in everyone's mind/mood. Seeing all the decked out decorations, hopping around to the different stores, figuring out gifts for everyone, seeing those families with 20 bags of shopping each...it was all so glorious.

Now it's like everyone just gets Christmas delivered to them by Amazon.

[slickdtc]

Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Took Friday off and had a day of shopping and decorating. I’ll have to do that again and make it a tradition. The wife & I had a blast. We updated and upgraded our home decorations — we try to get at least one “thing” for the holiday each year. Did the yearly gingerbread house with my brother and son yesterday.

10 days!

My boy is so in to it this year. It’s crazy that in just a couple short years he won’t be, so we’re really savoring these magical moments. Santa got him his first video game console this year — a Nintendo Switch. I still remember when our family got a Sega Genesis so yeah, this is gonna be the best Xmas yet. Until next year!

[SmashMan]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Yeah, he was sort of an evil genius, but his production when he was at his peak was marvelous. Darlene Love, the Ronettes, the Crystals....all with Spector's cacophony of brilliance. It just doesn't get any better.

One thing that occurred to me that (for me, anyway) has reduced the "Christmas Vibe" around this time of year is the death of the shopping mall. Going to the mall around Christmas every year used to always put me in the holiday mood as much as anything, and now that that's gone, it's one less thing to get the holidays in everyone's mind/mood. Seeing all the decked out decorations, hopping around to the different stores, figuring out gifts for everyone, seeing those families with 20 bags of shopping each...it was all so glorious.

Now it's like everyone just gets Christmas delivered to them by Amazon.

There's actually a mall not too far from my house and I go there once or twice during the Christmas season. I usually just buy from the Target at the end of the mall but I'll do a quick lap around the whole thing just to get that Christmas vibe first, yeah.

[mattlanta]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Currently deployed overseas right now. It's definitely a different experience being out here and away from family. But it's nice to be able to come back here and make my annual OS Christmas post.

I feel like message boards and forums nowadays are slowly dying away and we are one of the few communities that have maintained ours. I feel like this age belongs to the Discords or even Twitch communities. But I appreciate the ones who still post on here and keep it busy enough to be worth checking in once in a while.

Merry Christmas to everyone on OS and to their families! I appreciate you guys.

[mike24forever]

Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Currently deployed overseas right now. It's definitely a different experience being out here and away from family. But it's nice to be able to come back here and make my annual OS Christmas post.



I feel like message boards and forums nowadays are slowly dying away and we are one of the few communities that have maintained ours. I feel like this age belongs to the Discords or even Twitch communities. But I appreciate the ones who still post on here and keep it busy enough to be worth checking in once in a while.



Merry Christmas to everyone on OS and to their families! I appreciate you guys.

First, thanks for your service. I cannot put it into words the respect that I have for those who are in the military. My uncle who was/is one of my hero's passed away 2 years ago after Christmas. He served in Iraq and Somalia. He was a signal operator and saw some heavy action. I only found this out after he passed. I thought he was like Radar from MASH. He also had bad PTSD and thanks to my Aunt he got help when they got married years ago. When he passed he gifted me his metals and had them put in a shadow box display for me. It surprised me and took me back because he has 3 children and he gave them to me. Also, welcome back to the annual thread.





Well gentlemen, we are down to single digits!!! 9 days to go and it is happening too quickly. I plan on spending a few hours wrapping presents tonight after my two pylons go to bed.



Have a good day and try to enjoy the time we have leading up to Christmas Day, as it can be stressful this time of year.

[mike24forever]

Re: Annual OS Christmas Thread 2024

Took Friday off and had a day of shopping and decorating. I’ll have to do that again and make it a tradition. The wife & I had a blast. We updated and upgraded our home decorations — we try to get at least one “thing” for the holiday each year. Did the yearly gingerbread house with my brother and son yesterday.

10 days!

My boy is so in to it this year. It’s crazy that in just a couple short years he won’t be, so we’re really savoring these magical moments. Santa got him his first video game console this year — a Nintendo Switch. I still remember when our family got a Sega Genesis so yeah, this is gonna be the best Xmas yet. Until next year!

I love stories like this. I love hearing about our love for Christmas being passed down to our kids and nieces and nephews. It makes the season brighter. Love it.