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Post by janggut on Dec 14, 2009 5:03:15 GMT
@ Fille -> bah! humbug! ;D
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Post by Galadriel on Dec 14, 2009 9:29:46 GMT
For me Christmas (or Yule) is more about being together with the family. I don't care if there are pressies or not, we have a nice time together and seeing the kids unpacking all those shiny gifts brings enough joy to me as it is.
As for me right now, I'm soo sick I can't even go out for grocery shopping and there is nothing in the house, so I called my mom and gonna stay over there fora couple of days untill I feel better.
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Post by twoheadedragon on Dec 14, 2009 11:50:48 GMT
Sorry to hear you're not feeling well Gal, get well soon. It's nice to be with your folks sometimes, my older brother (the one who lives in Jakarta) is planning to come visit us on the 20th of December, maybe stay until the 2nd of January. I believe I share your perception of the most important non-faith-related thing about Christmas/Yule: being together with Family and Friends. EDIT: Though of course, giving/receiving (but especially giving) presents are nice.
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Post by kitty on Dec 14, 2009 17:14:26 GMT
Christmas Update: I thought an thought what my aussie-family-in-law could like and decided that I'm friggin German, of course that IS the solution! Bro-in-law gets a miniture Trabbi, that's the only car that was sold in East Germany and it was made out of paper (!) Sis-in-law gets earrings shaped like "Ampelmännchen", translated as much as traffic light men, a very Berlin gift, (East-)Berlin has its very spcific oldfashioned traffic light men that is nowhere else to be found. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampelm%C3%A4nnchenDad-in-law & Grandpa-in-law each get a piece of the Berlin Wall. BF-of-Sis-in-law (we became friends) gets a tiny book about German Submarines, he is Chinese and likes that kind of stuff Ex-Boss, various ex-office members & my australian GP (he is AWESOME) get a letter about what is going on etc and some photos from cold cold Germany. The only aussie person I've got nothing for is Mum-in-law. She is on a crazy crusade (and I mean crusade... she sold all her belongings, quit her job etc to "follow the voice of God", which led her to the US first and shortly after to South Africa) - I'm mad at her for doing this, not the Godthing but the leaving everything behind and putting the burden of dealing with her stuff to her kids. She is back in Oz atm, living of her younger sons money which I just find disgusting... so she might get nothing. Now it's time for the German side of the family, that'll be 3 times as hard, my family is very uh... uninterested. Last group will be friends, that'll be easy again. PS: Told my mum after she asked me for the 98379381274987 time what I want, that I want Triops! She looked at me like I'm a freak but maybe I'm lucky and don't get some stupid fashion I hate like every other year (apart from socks, I'd like some warm socks) Jadda jadda, blah blah...
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Post by Alrik on Dec 14, 2009 17:57:56 GMT
And it's official! I'm hired for 6 months in Crete!! I'm SOOOOO jealous ! ;D Crete - the dream of my private archaeology studies !
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Post by Alrik on Dec 14, 2009 17:58:53 GMT
*coughs* I got the Metalband I sang for to remember me and will now appear in the credits of their CD HUSSAR! ;D ;D ;D ;D Which name ?
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Post by Alrik on Dec 14, 2009 18:00:25 GMT
A few notes from my side (already posted at another forum) : I feel kind of spiritually and emotionally exhausted. In the forum I'm moderatting in, there has been some kind of ... "unrest" ... during the last few days. It's the first challence the moderation team has, since it is assempled (and that was around October, if I remember that correctly). Now there is kind of an ... "unrest", the people are talking, and then there is almost no festive feeling in the forum there. Therefore, I have decided yesterday evening to pull myself more or löess out of the forum for a few days. Thank God I'm no more moderating alone there anymore, so I don't need to have bad feelings when I pull myself out of it. I can rely on a good team meanwhile. And now I'm waiting for the 18th, when I'll attend a "Night Of The Proms" concert ! This will be this very first time I can see my "idol" ( ) Alan Parsons live - sadly when the other half of The Alan Parsons Projhect has just died two weeks ago ... So the things go ... People become older, die, and so passes our youth, a part of our memories, so to say ...
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Post by Flix on Dec 14, 2009 19:37:15 GMT
I'm going home for the holidays for two weeks. Home has little to no internet access, so I want everyone here to enjoy whatever vacation/holiday/celebration you can!
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Post by Elliot Kane on Dec 14, 2009 19:54:39 GMT
Flix - hope you have fun.
Kit - sounds like a nightmare!
Alrik - start a complaints thread to let people vent. Then you & the rest of the mods (Who should know beforehand, of course!) can work out what the real problems are and react accordingly. Should also help relieve a lot of the tension if you allow an open debate and funnel it into a single place.
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Post by Alrik on Dec 14, 2009 22:39:17 GMT
Interesting thought, EK, I'll present it to the others.
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Post by Hand-E-Food on Dec 14, 2009 23:26:31 GMT
kitty: Your mother-in-law can have a nice card, after all, you wouldn't want to burden her with more possessions to lug around.
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Post by kitty on Dec 15, 2009 0:56:06 GMT
@ Alrik - the band's called "Orden Ogan" check em out HERE . @ Eli - indeed............. @ Handy - Nah I don't want to encourage her in her madness! Last Xmas, when her whole braincrack started, her kids (my BF, his bro & sis and all the GFs and BFs of the same) gave her an ingraved pictureframe with all of us on it - and Madwoman did not even bother to take it with her and GAVE IT BACK (!) - she pisses me off... so no nice card for her, maybe one that tells her my opinion... LIFE UPDATE: -5°C tonight, we got BF his first pair of snowproof shoes - he never saw snow ;D Family proves to be its usual annoying self. My brother is not talking to our parents for 3 (?) years and I didn't see him for 2 years - now he answered the phone again and actually met me - but I'm not allowed to say anything to the rest of the fam. - so now I have to sit every other sunday at my parents and listen to them complain about my "terrible brother" without being able to burst out that he is fine and I know how he changed his life. ARGH! I hate stupid secrets like that. My never-speaking grandma is coming soon. She spends every Xmas with us, which makes no sense because she has 6 children which all live in walking distance to her but she drives to another state to come to the one child of hers she has least to do with. And then she sits around for 2 weeks, says nothing, does nothing and makes me wanna scream when, on Xmas eve, she does NOT open the gift she gets, saying "I'll open them later, they aren't important anyway" - every year. I love my family. On a positive note, we started our Webdesign Business today. I'm officially Marketing Manager for Websolutions now. Sounds pretty, doesn't it? And most important - I decided to volunteer again, this time here in Germany. I think I might try the "Trainstation Mission" (no better way to translate..), they obviously operate in trainstations, providing advice to people that have no place to sleep or are hungry or foreigners that got robbed or can't get around (language, orientation..) and people who are addicted to something. It's, like usual, an religious charity but screw that, I was able to deal with the Lutherans, I'll be able to deal with the catholics, I only care for the cause anyway
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Post by Elliot Kane on Dec 15, 2009 2:05:25 GMT
Alrik - good luck getting it sorted Kit - with relatives like yours, I now completely understand why you are an Atheist! I'm sure in your place, I would be, too! ;D
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Post by kitty on Dec 15, 2009 4:33:22 GMT
^ They surely are part of it.
But in all seriousness, I would be otherwise as well. I think I'm just programmed like that....
(I was the only one in my family ever going to church, I was the only one interested in religion at all, up until I was about 14 yrs, I actually wanted to study Judaism - simply because I thought Jews are, uh, 'cool' - and I always really wanted to believe in Fairies ^_^ )
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Post by Dark Phoenix Rising on Dec 15, 2009 10:27:15 GMT
@kit - Have you thought about finding one of those Fundy christian Family First type christmas cards for your mother in law?
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Post by Elliot Kane on Dec 15, 2009 10:29:50 GMT
(Or sending her a 'Happy Yuletide' card, if you can find one... ;D)
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Post by Dark Phoenix Rising on Dec 15, 2009 11:54:49 GMT
I suggested the christian card because yuletide cards don't tend to come in the same patronising variety that christmas cards do.
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Post by twoheadedragon on Dec 15, 2009 14:23:45 GMT
@ Kitty (1st post): LOL, your mother-in-law sounds like the only decent person in your Fam! JK, JK, JK. Seriously, I can't help but wonder if she joined a missionary/volunteer organization like mine, up until just this year one rule we had was that you couldn't have a full-time job (since missionary/social was supposed to be your full-time job)... But I think you picked good gifts for everyone else: if I could pick one, I'd pick a piece of the Berlin wall, and give it to my brother (he was born in December 1989 ). @ 2nd post: I understand you Kitty, my Dad was a lot like you: he was very devoted to the Catholic church (he was even the Catholic Youth leader for the entire city of Paris!) until he was 17, when he decided that it wasn't real enough for him. He wanted something more, something they didn't have. To make a long story short, he met one of our volunteers when he was 26 years old (in Nepal, of all places! 1978), received Jesus into his heart, and started work immediately. Now, 31 years later (27 years of marriage, and 4 kids later too ), he says it was easily the best decision he ever made. BTW, I think DPR's idea's a good one! @ Alrik: I'll be praying for you! ;D @ Flix: Thanks a lot, enjoy your vacation! @ Everyone: Hehe, the month of December is ANYTHING but a holiday for us: it is the busiest, funnest, most active, time of year! People donate more generously, which enables us to visit more orphanages (this month we've already visited 2, with more on the way!), and it's just great! This also explains why I haven't been posting much lately, don't be so surprised if sometime this month I suddenly stop posting, and then post a whole bunch sometime in January. As Flix said, may the rest of you enjoy your December!
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Post by LaFille on Dec 15, 2009 23:15:59 GMT
Gal, you take good care and get well soon, girl! Flix & THD, hope you'll can drop by a couple of times nonetheless... And that you have a great time! I just finished my Christmas shopping. Now if my muse would get out of its hibernation so I could make those Christmas pics while I'm in time...
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Post by kitty on Dec 16, 2009 3:38:19 GMT
I actually think Darky, that's a brilliant idea! Thanks ...and Two, thanks for the little story OF COURSE I could say now "I don't need jesus do decide to do something good for others" but I won't because whatever people's reasons, better they do something, then they don't. PS: gimme your adress and I send you a piece for your brother ^_^
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