How’s it going so far?
Are you taking time off? If so what are you doing?
Who are you spending time with and who are you missing?
Any New Year’s Resolutions or interesting end-of-year reflections going on?
gifts are probably the least important thing going on… at least if you over getting things from your parents.
My dad’s coming home from New Orleans today, so that’s awesome.
My sister in law threw an Xmas shitfit about no one buying gifts so I got guilted into buying gifts for people which I absolutely despise, not because I’m cheap, but because I hate the idea that I’m “supposed to”.
I’m going to San Diego for a post-holiday vacation, so I’m looking forward to that. Besides seeing family, the holidays mean very little to me.
Heading into 2012 I am going totally credit-card-less which isn’t my normal MO. Typically I rack 'em up pretty good then pay them off with my xmas bonus, but I’m going to try doing this a little differently. I’m also trying to eat out less… I averaged over 750 dollars a month in restaurant expenses over the past 3 months, while my grocery bill was under 100. Trying to do more cooking in 2012.
It’s all routine at this point. Canada for Xmas eve, back here for Xmas day.
I’m just looking forward to Florida in January.
I’ll be heading into Buffalo tonight and staying through Monday to see family and friends. My best friend is coming up from D.C. so looking forward to catching up with him. I’m off all next week for the most part with the exception of running a couple hockey clinics. Then I’ll be back in Buffalo again for New Year’s weekend. Other than that, not too much planned.
New Year’s Resolution: find a job back in Buffalo lol.
This is one of my biggest issues too. It’s insane how much I spend eating out. The sad thing is, I’m actually a pretty decent cook too so I have no excuse.
Nothing special for me for the holidays, just family stuff on Saturday and Sunday. My aunt and uncle who live down south are coming up for the first time in about 5 years which is cool. My uncle just got back from Afghanistan so it’ll be nice to see him.
I’m looking forward to New Year’s though because an old friend/college drinking buddy is gonna be in Buffalo and hilarity should ensue.
some time off work and seeing family is all it’s about other than some gift giving and recieving.
i’m in the office next week and the week after with a few days off here and there… looking forward to a light couple of weeks and lots of time with siblings
on the subject of dining out too much… i find that home cooking is usually better than dining out anyways… that said, i dine out quite a bit myself.
Hanging out with the local family no plans for travel right now…rest of the family is currently spread all over VA, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Afghanistan.
In the new year new job, marriage, more travel.
my family and i stopped doing christmas presents. the only requirement for the holidays is to get together, and invest some time in the meaningful relationships that we have in our lives. we may grab a bite to eat somewhere, and maybe play a game back home (one time we got 4 different types of beer, one person would bring out each beer at a time (in a glass) and the others would have to guess which beer it was by tasting it). i have a huge problem with this capitalist orgy of consumption, and i refuse to be the solution to all the overproduction. the only message we are ever exposed to during the holidays is CONSUME, as if the only way to show someone you care about them is by purchasing some sort of commodity.
i find it really sad how it is common practice for people to become super stressed during the holiday season because of all the shopping/presents AKA debt accumulation that they have been convinced HAS to be done. i’m sorry, but i don’t want to kickstart my time off school/work by digging myself into a financial depression. THE HOLIDAYS ARE ABOUT SPENDING TIME WITH LOVED ONES NOT OVER-CONSUMPTION.
My mom retired this year, sold her house that was 5.5 hours away and moved 15 minutes away. It will be the first xmas morning in a while where she’s there to see her grand daughter open presents, so that’s really awesome. We’re having some family over xmas eve for drinks/appetizers, my mom is going to stay over then the big unwrap xmas morning. The wife and I didn’t do much for presents to each other but went way overboard on daughter so xmas morning should be a blast. Prime rib dinner that night with family then over to my mom’s to do 2nd xmas on the 26th at her house. Some other inlaws come into town later on the 26th then back to work for me on the 27th.
^ backed
I agree as well.
It has really devolved into how much Chinese plastic people can buy for my daughter. Happy Birthday Jesus.
Melissa and I didnt buy anything for our kids this year because they’re getting so much from everyone else being the only kids of thier generation in my immeidate family.
As for gifting, i see it differently than you guys a little bit. We do a secret Santa between my siblings and even though i bought some nice stuff for my brother i also bought small gifts for my other siblings and their girlfriends / boyfriends.
We didnt have to but there are things they either need or could use and we didnt spend more than $20 on any of them. It’s just a small gesture to let them know that we appreciate and are thinking about them around the holidays / consider them a part of the family.
Another thing that is fun is with all of my cousins we play a gift game where everyone who participates buys two gifts. A $50 ‘good’ gift and a ~10 gag gift… draw names from a hat and the name that is called picks a gift off the table. If you get a gag gift you can swap it for whatever someone else has picked so if you get something good early on you are sure to lose it… it’s hilarious and good fun. We do that in the office too except that the company buys all the gifts.
In-laws do an exchange, one person each, something worthwhile, LIST/REQUEST REQ’D! So you don’t get any bullshit. My family used to do the same, but they’re all pretty much planted in the ground by now, so there’s only a few of us left to just GTG and enjoy part of the day. Wife and I didn’t really exchange. She bought me an air compressor late summer, and I went broke investing in capital improvements this fall… So we said fuck it. Resolutions are for fggts, and never work, do work and don’t make excuses for how much you suck. Make a change that’s sustainable, and STFU about it.
I’m a broker at Fedex so this time of the year is very busy therfore no time off until the new year just a ton of OT.
I will be spending time with my family what ever is left of it in our area. I do miss my family back in Italy, wish they were here to spend the holiday with.
I’m going to San Diego first week of January for a Skydive/snowboard trip which I’m stoked on since I’ve never been there and to complete my A License.
New years resolution is to quit drinking as I recently started back up at Karate and need to get back in shape. Also pay closer attention to my spending habits as far as going out all the time to eat and as since I won’t be drinking this should help as well when I do go out.
Xmas eve with family,only gifts are exchanged between the kids and not the adults.
We did that at our Formula Christmas party, I got a mega phone which I lengthened the mike cable and put the speaker under the hood of my truck. haha
I’m on co-op now making decent money so I probably spent $600 on christmas for everyone, keeping the gifts in the 45-60 range. I hate buying things because I have to and I really hate being asked what I want, because that’s not how things go. All three of my younger siblings want ipod touches so I am getting them each one. It’s going to be fun watching them open it because I am packaging them in random boxes so they think it’s something else
It’s going to be nice to see my brother who I haven’t really seen in a year or two. For thanksgiving we actually stopped at a U-turn on the 90 to say hi and exchange a hug quick, he had to get back to work a few hours away and that was the best thing I could think of
I bought myself a new snowboard set up and am going to Treblant the week of the 2nd with my buddy and our girlfriends. It’s my first get away so I am excited about that. Hopefully they get snow.
Besides that I have lots of Formula work to get done. I really need to figure out the proE cabling and schematic programs over break.
I’m going to work on Christmas day for a bit then see the family.
New years resolution? Hang out with Bing, lol.
My mom died in October, my dad is staying in jacksonville, a wreck of a person at this time. He’s devastated. It’s weird to worry about my fathers well being, he’s one of the toughest dudes I’ve ever known. It’s just him and the dog. My fiancees older sister just gave birth to her her second child, a daughter, a few hours ago. I’m going to go see the baby later today. I should be excited, but I’ve pretty much just been in a complete haze for the last few months, pretty much just floating through.
I am excited to see the rest of my family tomorrow though
New years resolution is to quit drinking as I recently started back up at Karate and need to get back in shape.
Sand da floor, paint da fence, whacks on whacks off. Go to work Simon, you’ll be a blackbelt.