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Originally Posted by studbucket |
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Mike, I've been here since '07 and somehow managed to never notice these Christmas threads. Thanks for starting them.
Growing up, my family celebrated Thanksgiving far more than Christmas and I even found myself being a bit of a "scrooge" about Christmas because of how unabashedly materialistic some people were about it. In 3rd grade I had a new "step family", and while the grandmother was very loving and well meaning, I have now realized I got really turned off by 3 hours of 30 people opening presents with the whole attitude of "me me me" and "noping out" as soon as they got their presents, not caring about anyone else. It was amazing that she spent $75 on every person, and I feel bad that I didn't appreciate her more.
As an adult, I grew to appreciate Christmas so much more, for three reasons:
- My Christian faith has grown exponentially, so the religious meaning of the holiday is tremendous to me and my family.
- I get to make new family traditions with my family and it's been a very special time for myself, my wife, and our kids.
- I love how Christmas lights brighten up the neighborhood and look beautiful. We never had Christmas lights growing up (some legalistic religious nonsense reasons) and starting about 10 years ago, I fell in love with simply decorating our house with lights.
Our only Christmas tradition is one I cherish: every Christmas Eve we turned our couch (back when we had a giant sectional) or our living room or bonus room into a giant bed, bringing in blankets and mattresses. We all snuggle up and watch animated movies and have a slumber party together, then wake up together on Christmas morning, clean the house, and enjoy Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas to all of you. I love OS and am grateful for this website.
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Welcome to our little Christmas corner. It is a little slower around here than previous years. I like the idea of sharing our traditions, getting gift ideas and most importantly sharing the holiday with those we have come to know at OS over the years. A lot of us have seen many changes in our lives, from old and new relationships starting and ending, getting married, buyng new homes and having kids, etc.
For me, I have always loved Christmas. I actually belong to a Christmas website where we celebrate milestones throughout the year as we countdown to the big day. I love Christmas even more now that my wife and I have two children of our own. Giving gifts is great and all, but its the joy i get seeing their excitement build as we get closer to Christmas. You truly see the magic of Christmas in the face of a child. I love it all, from the cheesy movies on the Hallmark Channel, Christmas music on the radio, shopping and buying gifts for my family and spending time with all of my loved ones. It truly is a magical time of the year.
We have been teaching the meaning of Christmas to our daughter Mary since she is 5 years old. Our son Christian is only 2 and a half. He's a lovely moving holy terror who gives the best hugs for a little guy, however he doesn't quite understand what is happening, except for getting gifts from Santa. We use the Nativity to teach them about "baby Jesus" and what he means to many people all over the world.
I hope more of the regulars stop in like previous years and that many other guys like yourself who stumble across this thread.
Welcome again and Merry Christmas!