Grinch Corner

Christmas day wasn't even a holiday in Scotland when my Mum was young. Her parents were married on Christmas day.
I remember those paper chains too. We used to make them every year when I was little. I think you could still get them when my girls were small too - I seem to remember them licking and sticking....

It shows how much things have changed though. The big drop in footfall in many towns and cities has meant small shops closing down, because they rely so much on the Christmas trade for their annual income. A different way of looking at how they trade is probably needed if they still want to be around in future, but it highlights the way some shops have come into being, and how easily they can be affected.

 

My understanding of the timing is that the Solstice is the shortest day. Before modern highly accurate timepieces, the 25th was the first day there was a noticeable difference in the day light. Hence it was chosen as Christmas day
It's almost certainly not the date that Jesus's was born.

 

We go to my sister-in-law on Christmas day. You can be certain that her daughter and her husband, along with the dog, will all have matching outfits. The daft dog even keeps the hat on!

 

Christmas eve extra prezzies and matching outfits - no no no.
I do know some families who have their main presents on Christmas eve.

 

I've known quite a few people over they years who do their presents on Christmas Eve, with or without matching outfits. It's personal choice when to exchange gifts and some still do want to keep Christmas Day 'special'. Personally, I couldn't care less as I'm a non-believer anyway.

 

We had 'Christmas Day' on 25th when my Dad's mother always came to us, and on Boxing Day it was my mother's birthday and also her parents' wedding anniversary, so we went to them then, and had their presents then too (Santa had always left them there for me, but I could never understand why he went to the bother of doing that. It would have been less work for him and his raindeer to leave them all at the same house !)

 

I think many Scandinavian countries celebrate/exchange gifts on Ch'mas Eve rather than Ch/mas Day itself. Spain too - although that might be mainly food based.
My grandparents always came to us on Ch'mas Day, but nothing was ever mentioned about it being their wedding anniversary. It was only when I was older that my Mum told us that's when they got married. I suppose that sort of thing wasn't really of interest to us as children, but I often wish it had been, as it would have been nice to have a double celebration. We never really saw our other g'parents as they lived 400/500 miles away.

 

I just don’t get what the fuss is all about. I’ve asked people who love Christmas what they love about it, what is it that makes them so excited? They can never tell me, just look at me like I’m the problem, maybe I am , doesn’t worry me.

 

Same here, but my mother used to say they used her birthday as an excuse to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
I think they never mentioned it because they 'had to' get married (as people used to say) and maybe felt shame - my Aunt was born the following April .

 

That's why the carol "in the bleak midwinter" really annoys me. If the earth was hard as iron, water like a stone, snow falling snow on snow the shepherds would not be out tending their flocks in the fields.

 

In Germany Christmas Eve was the main celebration.

 

We have always celebrated on Christmas Eve as T'other Half's family is of German Heritage and my sister married a German and lived there for 47 years.

 

Two things to think about, 2000 years ago there were no large barns for the sheep to be kept in or to keep hay in so they had to graze everyday, the best would be a sheep fold with all the sheep huddled inside keeping warm together; the shepherd would be huddled around a fire in a rough stone hut.
The other thing is that in the "Bleak Mid-Winter" doesn't refer to shepherds or sheep in the fields, the mention is of a shepherd is in the final verse:
"What can I give Him,
Poor as I am? —
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part, —
Yet what I can I give Him, —
Give my heart."

 

Well exactly, they would be in a fold. No point being out in the fields exposed to all the wolves etc if there was no grass to eat. As Keats put it: "The hare ran limping through the frozen grass / And silent was the flock in woolly fold".

The carol doesn't refer to the sheep but the bible has the angel appearing to shepherds in the fields at night.

While shepherds watched the box by night
All watching ITV
The Angel of the Lord came down
And switched to BBC.