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Christmas Vacation.

Here’s the deal: I’m taking a break. I’m fried. :)

I think this has become increasingly obvious, but, if it hasn’t: I am fried.

I have a lot of work to do for real life stuff, and I think I’ve been giving too much time to this other thing here. (Which I love to do, but as it’s now honestly a hobby and nothing else, it’s become stupid to treat it like a business. Just have fun.)

I was originally going to can the videos and focus on just the blogs, but when I plopped down to write one today, it hit me: This really isn't a good time for that, and wouldn't be even if I wasn't fried.

I’ll see how I feel in a week, after I’ve knocked out some of real work. I’m sorry that so many vows have been broken lately, but at least we can agree that they were silly vows. Bunny slippers and Christmas soda are not life or death.

It’s all good. It’s all good with me, so hope it’s all good with you. No weirdness. Let’s hug it out.

I’ll put up an all-purpose holiday thread tomorrow, which will be up for a while. (lol a year)

See you soon!

Posted by Matt on 12/15/2011. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 263 comments

@ Rhino – Bah, your wife knew what she signed up for when she married a problem solver :P

@ Everyone – Does anyone have a Christmas Eve tradition? Growing up, our family would drive around the neighborhood and see everybody’s Christmas lights. Not exactly exciting, but that is because we were boring.

Chestnuts roasted by chrander @ 12/22/2011 12:04 PM

McDonald’s. So the tree doesn’t fall.

It is weird and I’ve explained it here before, but suffice to say it has been validated more than once.

Chestnuts roasted by Rhino @ 12/22/2011 12:27 PM

@Chrander: My family did that too. We don’t do it so much the last few years since we’ve all been grown. Over the last couple of years, it has been tradition that all of my cousins and everyone go to my Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve. We eat an early spaghetti dinner then we all go to the candlelight communion service at church. We’re Baptists so no midnight services. Ours is at sundown. Then we go back to her house and do a Dirty Santa/Chinese Auction/whatever you call it gift game. Once we go back to my parents’ house (which is right next door), we are allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve. I always know what it will be. It’s been the same thing my whole life. Pajamas. These were always “from” my parents. Everything on Christmas morning was from “Santa.” The one other gift that was always labeled as from my parents was an ornament. We got those a few days before Christmas so we could put them on the tree that year. I got my ornament for this year last weekend. It’s got a school painted on it and says “Teacher of the Year 2011.” I always love the ones like this that commemorate something that happened that year.

Chestnuts roasted by Brandon (brandmed) @ 12/22/2011 1:06 PM

Since I was a kid, Christmas Eve has been our big OPENING PRESENTS day, with Christmas morning reserved for a few special presents that “Santa” brought, and our stocking stuffers.

This was kind of born out of necessity. As a kid, I had a huge family, and for some reason, my parents felt it necessary to visit literally every single damn family member’s house on Christmas. So my Christmas day consisted of being shuttled from house to house to house from dawn to dusk. As a result, we ended up doing most of gift-opening the night before, on Christmas Eve, because we were barely home on Christmas day.

Even though we’ve moved away from most of the relatives now, the tradition remains. I open gifts with my folks on Christmas Eve, and now that I have a family of my own, Christmas day is spent at my house and visiting the in-laws.

Chestnuts roasted by tanta07 @ 12/22/2011 1:26 PM

@chrander, my family would drive around and check out Christmas lights as well, good times! Since I’ve been married my father-in-law takes one of his buses and drives the entire family around to see the lights. Sometimes we bring hot chocolate and wear Christmas hats and sing carols when we stop…it’s a great time! This year we didn’t get to do it because it’s been so busy with the new baby but next year we should be back on track!

To clarify, my FIL collects old vintage buses and fixes them up and uses them for different events in his spare time (he’s a fan of different types of transportation…I know, odd).

Other traditions we have include church services, going to church Christmas plays and white elephant gift exchanges…love them all!

Now with my son we’re hoping to start a few traditions of our own. This year we did the Elf on the Shelf thing and I’m sure in the years to come we’ll put out milk/cookies for Santa and carrots for reindeer :)

Chestnuts roasted by Church @ 12/22/2011 3:01 PM

I love surprises, but i’m also horribly nosey and since my husband mostly bought my presents off my Amazon list, I pretty much know what he bought me. I also know that the MIL is either getting me a crib or a rocker. My mom is getting me baby stuff and is the likely culprit of buying the only item purchased off my Babies R Us registry — a rectal thermometer.

My Secret Santa, Teddy Ray, did a freaking awesome job this year. I got candy, season 2 of Pete and Pete, AND the motherfucking Hey Vern, It’s Ernest DVD! Totally put me to shame — I got DJ D a jar of Baconnaise.

Chestnuts roasted by Mystie @ 12/22/2011 5:26 PM

I was never much of a peeker, but I’m a notorious inspector. I’ll poke, prod and shake that thing to death trying to figure out what it is, but I won’t try to peek under the wrapping. Well, except for that one time when I was a kid…

I also once accidentally found one of my best gifts ever — Super Mario Brothers 3. I was looking through a draw for a pencil or something and there it was. I was so excited that I ran downstairs with it, thanking my mom for getting it. This was about a week before Christmas and the game hadn’t been out long. All I knew of it was what I saw on TV and I wanted it soooo bad. I still feel kind of bad for ruining the surprise though.

Right now there is a huge box for me under the tree at my mother’s house and I’m a total loss as to what it could be. Nothing I put on my wish list would come in a box that big.

I’ve never really had any desire to open presents at my own house until Christmas morning. That’s what Christmas morning is for — to get all excited the night before, come in and sit down while A Christmas Story is playing on TV (all damn day), sit down with a nice cup of coffee, and go to it.

I kind of have 2 Christmases in a way. Since my parents divorced when I was about 2 or 3, I’ve always had my dad’s side and my mom’s side, and they’ve always been separate. On Christmas Eve, I go to the extended family thing on my dad’s side — about 40 or 50 people, all extended aunts, uncles and cousins. People I pretty much only see on Christmas Eve every year. We do that whole white elephant thing there (why the hell is it called that anyway?). Then, my dad, his sister, her kids, and his brother and me all retreat back to his house for our own gift-giving session. Just something for the immediate family. On Christmas Day, I exchange gifts with my mother at her house, then we go to her family’s extended get-together, with another load of 50 or so extended family members. It’s huge on both sides. This year’s weird though, because for the first time in about 30 years, my mother has been invited to my dad’s side and she’s going with me to that whole thing. It’s a total worlds-colliding situation and I don’t know if I like it.

Yes, my Secret Santa gift from Mystie arrived yesterday just before I was going to work, so I decided to just take it to work with me and open it there. My coworkers were amused to find me opening a mysterious box at my desk full of Baconnaise, Bacon Popcorn (wth???), and some kind of powder stuff that you put into fruit juice which is supposed to ferment it and turn it in to alcohol. That one, I’m looking forward to. When I replied to an anonymous e-mail on Elfster asking me if I like bacon, I had no idea this was what I was in for.

I wonder if the person I was assigned to buy for got his or her gift yet… I suppose we shall find out soon enough. According to Amazon, it’s supposed to arrive today or tomorrow.

Chestnuts roasted by DJ D @ 12/22/2011 5:38 PM

Deej, it comes from, I believe, Burmese custom of rulers having white elephants as a symbol of a just rule and supposed to bring prosperity and good fortune to the nation, the rulers would then gift a white elephant to certain courtiers but it was a blessing and a curse, they were great symbolicaly but were essential high maintenance and practically useless. White elephants then became a term for anything that seemed like a good deal was useless. Seeing as a lot of white elephant sales and raffles are from throw outs donated, yo can kinda see how that stuck.

Chestnuts roasted by Guise is jingled all the way on Hot Choc @ 12/22/2011 5:50 PM

Secret Santa is awesome, but I really don’t like Dirty Santa or white elephant or whatever you want to call it. It just seems like it’s not really in the spirit of the holiday to me. I guess it’s different if everyone brings a silly gag gift, but when people start fighting over gifts because it’s actually something cool that they want…I dunno. I’m not a fan.

Chestnuts roasted by Annette @ 12/22/2011 5:57 PM

I also just received my X-E Secret Santa gift. It is book 2(hard cover), of The Walking Dead. So awesome!! I already sent a thank you note over on Elfster. Thank you again velouria_78. You rock!! :)

Chestnuts roasted by Jason @ 12/22/2011 6:05 PM

@Church: Your Father-in-law is fucking rad. My bus collection currently stands at one.

Chestnuts roasted by Yellow Yurt @ 12/22/2011 8:38 PM

Haha, I suddenly thought of Star Trek the Next Generation. “McDonalds – so the tree won’t fall.” Like “Shakka, when the walls fell.” Too nerdy? Just me? OK.

Had a combo day – part crappy part awesome. But I found at a comic shop a vintage 1984 on card Doom Commander from Voltron! (I’ve been getting back into Voltron lately). It was Canadian and real beat up, so when I got it home I cut it open and now have a 100% new and awesome Voltron toy I just opened. It’s totally worth it. Kinda like “Awesome presents of the past” except I’m the first one to play with it.

Chestnuts roasted by Terror Claws @ 12/22/2011 9:06 PM

My family gets together on Xmas Eve and does a the whole dressing up, family and dinner business then… We eat dinner late and stay up until midnight. We hug and celebrate and then we do a mad dash for presents. We open all of our presents at midnight and then Xmas day is just for lounging, leftovers and watching movies in PJs.

Now that I’m married, Eve is with my parents and Day is with the in-laws.

Chestnuts roasted by Super Genie @ 12/22/2011 9:37 PM

Terror Claws: Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.

Chestnuts roasted by Annette @ 12/22/2011 10:05 PM

Christmas Eve is for doing the huge turkey dinner. My Grandma, parents, uncle, brother and his kids and GF…we pig out and all open ONE present.

Then, the extended family leaves, and we watch Xmas movies all night long.

Then, Brother and I spend the night, and can’t go near the tree all night because Mom actually still puts out new gifts on Xmas Eve ‘from Santa’ and fills the stockings, so she gets really mad if we go to the tree and check things out before Xmas morning.

Xmas morning, we all gather to open STOCKINGS FIRST while Mom and Dad make coffee. Then, we open all our gifts and Dad cooks the only meal he cooks all year — HUGE Xmas morning breakfast! (Usually pancakes and local maple syrup.)

I don’t like peeking at gifts. My brother used to actually unwrap corners and re-wrap them. When he showed me things that were mine, I would get MAD. I hated knowing in advance. He, however, loved it, and was a pro at finding things…..then telling me and ruining my surprises.

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 12/22/2011 10:51 PM

I know what a couple of mine are, only because I practically begged my parents for the blu ray ultimate editions of the Harry Potter movies. And I counted.. 6 boxes of the same size and shape! YAY!

And there’s one present that I can’t figure out that’s wicked heavy for its size… Hmmmm…

Chestnuts roasted by Cat the Vampire Slayer @ 12/22/2011 11:19 PM

Pancakes and local maple syrup….

I want to do Christmas at Muppet Baby‘s house.

Chestnuts roasted by DJ D @ 12/23/2011 12:24 AM

I have a daughter about to be born within the next 3 weeks so I get to really analyze what happens on Christmas and decide what her memories will be. It’s actually very exciting. Children are a way to be a kid again, it seems.

Chestnuts roasted by rusty @ 12/23/2011 1:24 AM

I like surprises, but I DID peek as a kid. I remember peeling back the tape on a gift once and discovering one of those see-through phones (anyone remember those?). Strange that I remember that so vividly. Nowadays, my mom demands a list each year and 1) I’m an only child and 2) my list is never too extravagant, so I usually get everything on my list…except, for some reason, The Weird Al Show on DVD, which I’ve asked for for at least three years now. *keeping fingers crossed*

When I was a kid, the extended family on my mom’s side would go to my grandmother’s house on Christmas Eve. It was glorious. It seemed like everybody bought presents for everyone else. Then, when we went home, because we had to drive an hour away on Christmas to see my dad’s family, my parents would let me open my presents before bed. Ever since my grandmother died (’95 or ’96), it’s slowly gone downhill. First, we started drawing names, then we moved onto the white elephant thing. This year, because of a long story and what I suspect to be a jealous aunt, it looks like we’re not even getting together.

My Secret Santa, Teddy Ray, did a freaking awesome job this year.

Aw, shucks, Mystie, I’m glad you like it. Thanks for the kind words. DJ D knows by now that my gift did indeed come today and I now have a cool Funko Pop Bumble figure to go with my Funko Pop Heat Miser figure. They are currently holding court with my fiber optic USB Christmas tree. Thanks, Deej!

Photographic evidence of said court: http://www.facebook.com/therealteddyray#!/photo.php?fbid=2915712053934&set=a.1270294159515.41285.1294690760&type=1&theater

Chestnuts roasted by Teddy Ray @ 12/23/2011 3:20 AM

Hell, you know how to work the Internet. I give up. It’s 2:30 in the am, ffs.

Chestnuts roasted by Teddy Ray @ 12/23/2011 3:27 AM

@Church Luckily, my snooping days are over…I think, haha. I try not to because I seriously love surprises. I have ruined a Christmas or two before by finding gifts (pre-wrapped), so I’d much rather leave things be and get excited to tear apart the wrapping paper on the big day. ;D However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t accidentally bumped into a gift or two. My family isn’t exactly that awesome at hiding things. I’m not talking closets…I’m talking in plain sight right in the garage. :p

Chestnuts roasted by Silverpsycho (Liz) @ 12/23/2011 5:07 AM

I agree with DJ D in wanting to go to MB‘s for Christmas. Please tell me there are sweaters involved, or Santa costumes or hockey jerseys – I’m pretty sure the latter is just standard attire anyway.

Chestnuts roasted by Guise is jingled all the way on Hot Choc @ 12/23/2011 5:26 AM

Also, since I’ve taken over doing the whole ‘running Christmas’ thing for the family, I still put out stockings and fill them for the family. I’m the youngest. CHRISTMAS MAGIC!

Chestnuts roasted by Guise is jingled all the way on Hot Choc @ 12/23/2011 5:28 AM

Hey, last night the neighbor lady left presents for my 2 kids. The each got a Zhu Zhu pet. I have sen them at Toys R Us, and pondered how they were so hot a few years ago, and now they on sale 24/7. So I thought they must be lame.

The kids LOVE them.

Great stocking stuffers! They are small enough. Best thing since sea monkeys!!!

Chestnuts roasted by Alexander @ 12/23/2011 6:46 AM

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