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Where is everyone this Christmas? The 2017 edition.
Christmas this year falls neatly as a four day long weekend. I still have at least one or two gifts to buy but I’m having logistics issues getting it back home. My parents delayed putting up the tree until this past week and I doubt they will be stringing up Christmas lights. I found out that a lot of their neighbours are using professional Christmas lighting…people. Who hires people to do that? Do people also hire vendors to decorate their tree?
I’ve found this year that the stigma to saying Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas is diminishing. The happy holidays rubbish has disappeared from buses and other forms of public transit. I don’t understand why it’s an issue as even Muslim families I know subscribe to the gift giving and festive cheer. They certainly all participate in the Boxing Day sales – capitalism is that universal faith that unites all of us.
Besides visiting a surrogate daughter of mine on Christmas Eve, I will be attending the usual Christmas dinner. This year all my geographically immediate cousins will be there. Often one or two couples disappear on vacations. Last year, my second cousin left on a flight to Asia leaving his wife behind because he couldn’t find a good deal to fly out on Christmas day. Who does that – cue all ethnic stereotypes. In a past Christmas he gifted tickets to a theatre show to someone. The seats weren’t side by side. On closer inspection, the show times weren’t the same. They were the matinee and main show on the same day. He reckoned the recipients would have a great time shopping downtown and they could take turns watching the show.
That said I’m still making my usual Best Buy gift certificate gift and a bottle of something something to this cousin. My mother describes it as hopeless charity – repeated acts of kindness with no expectation of anything in return. I expect to receive an Ikea holder for toilet paper, or perhaps a waffle batter for a waffle maker which I don’t own.
I’ve said many times on the forum I wanted to pursue purchasing this 1967 vintage Taylor Fladgate. There are only three bottles left in the province as of last weekend. Why blow away $300 of port on the unsophisticated connoisseur. Truth be told, I don’t know how many years I have left with my folks. As one of the youngest in the extended family, and childless, Christmas gatherings may be much shorter in the years to come. Why not go all out – whilst you have the time to do it. You only live once as my father always says.
As I’m in charge of alcohol at Christmas dinner, I decided to do veuve NV this year for champagne, a cheap German Riesling for white, Lagavulin distillery edition for whisky, and this Spanish red I read was comparable to those from Burgundy. That one cousin in law who drinks beer - well, I'm quite sorry. Be a man and drink properly.
Boxing Day will be reserved for going to the local pub to catch a Premiership game. I doubt they will show West Ham, but one can be hopeful.
Christmas this year falls neatly as a four day long weekend. I still have at least one or two gifts to buy but I’m having logistics issues getting it back home. My parents delayed putting up the tree until this past week and I doubt they will be stringing up Christmas lights. I found out that a lot of their neighbours are using professional Christmas lighting…people. Who hires people to do that? Do people also hire vendors to decorate their tree?
I’ve found this year that the stigma to saying Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas is diminishing. The happy holidays rubbish has disappeared from buses and other forms of public transit. I don’t understand why it’s an issue as even Muslim families I know subscribe to the gift giving and festive cheer. They certainly all participate in the Boxing Day sales – capitalism is that universal faith that unites all of us.
Besides visiting a surrogate daughter of mine on Christmas Eve, I will be attending the usual Christmas dinner. This year all my geographically immediate cousins will be there. Often one or two couples disappear on vacations. Last year, my second cousin left on a flight to Asia leaving his wife behind because he couldn’t find a good deal to fly out on Christmas day. Who does that – cue all ethnic stereotypes. In a past Christmas he gifted tickets to a theatre show to someone. The seats weren’t side by side. On closer inspection, the show times weren’t the same. They were the matinee and main show on the same day. He reckoned the recipients would have a great time shopping downtown and they could take turns watching the show.
That said I’m still making my usual Best Buy gift certificate gift and a bottle of something something to this cousin. My mother describes it as hopeless charity – repeated acts of kindness with no expectation of anything in return. I expect to receive an Ikea holder for toilet paper, or perhaps a waffle batter for a waffle maker which I don’t own.
I’ve said many times on the forum I wanted to pursue purchasing this 1967 vintage Taylor Fladgate. There are only three bottles left in the province as of last weekend. Why blow away $300 of port on the unsophisticated connoisseur. Truth be told, I don’t know how many years I have left with my folks. As one of the youngest in the extended family, and childless, Christmas gatherings may be much shorter in the years to come. Why not go all out – whilst you have the time to do it. You only live once as my father always says.
As I’m in charge of alcohol at Christmas dinner, I decided to do veuve NV this year for champagne, a cheap German Riesling for white, Lagavulin distillery edition for whisky, and this Spanish red I read was comparable to those from Burgundy. That one cousin in law who drinks beer - well, I'm quite sorry. Be a man and drink properly.
Boxing Day will be reserved for going to the local pub to catch a Premiership game. I doubt they will show West Ham, but one can be hopeful.
