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[Kokuma]

There are people who don't celebrate the holiday at all for whatever reason -- I think that's #2. I believe #3 means... "no I don't, but I still celebrate something around this time of year and that something is...." Meaning for the person who selects #3 to tell us about what they do celebrate.

Correct me if I'm wrong here Kokuma.

That's the thing I tried to reach with this poll.

I, myself, celebrate Christmas but more cause of these "non-spiritual" reasons than the christian theme about Christ's birth.

Usually my aunt has come to my dad's place (which was originally my granparents') with her 2 kids and we have spent the Christmas time there together. Now that granny has passed away and aunt has settled to a new house in other province, she isn't coming to there anymore this year and I think it's just me and my dad there this time.

I get all filled up with this Holidays woo-woo (all the decoration stuff everywhere in the stores, holidays songs as grocerystores' bgm music, the hurrying ppl in the streets in hunt for the last presents) many days before the actual 24th/25th day...

I have to evacuate there in dad's ranch around 20th day, empty my head totally and start to build the "Christmas feeling" from, like nothing. I bake ginger snaps and christmas tartlettes, decorate dad's house with Christmas stuff, listen Christmas CDs and go to look for fir-tree in our own forest.

In Finnish tradition Christmas is celebrated in 24th more than in 25th. Santa comes in the 24th evening and brings presents to kids. 25th day is also important, known as the "most holy day of the year".

The elements that make my Christmas are Christmas songs, real woods-smelling tree in the corner of the livingroom decorated with the old worn-out stuff that can be found from cardboard box in carage. Hyacinths, "Christmas Stars" and other seasonal flowers like Amaryllises. Walk in the snowy forest in the 25th day morning just when the sun is rising and it starts to get lightful, as I have done in many years.

The thing that makes Christmas not to feel like "real" Christmas is if there is no snow on the ground like there has been in couple of last years (weather climate change? ).
In finnish we call that situation a "black christmas" - in comperement to white one when there is snow. (Nothing racial included)

[dancinkayley]

We don't really celebrate Christmas in my family. All we do is put up a Christmas tree and decorate it ('cause it's fun, you gotta admit!) and give each other presents. No Christmas dinner, nothing.

By the way don't mention Christmas dinner to my friend. She doesn't like it because she has pet turkeys.

[Mimitchi]

I celebrate Christmas, but I think the poll question was formed in a way that kind of seems inconsiderate to the other celebrations..

Perhaps the question should just be "What holiday do you celebrate?" and have options like Christmas, Hannukah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, other, and none.  Because those who don't celebrate Christmas might feel singled out or people who don't celebrate anything might feel like they are left out as well. 

As it is, the poll question is kind of like creating a poll with the question "Are you white?" and having options like "Yes I am!, No I'm not, I'm another race, like African American" or something. 

I don't know, I'm just all about people feeling like they're included. 

I rather agree with Madcow here. The poll sounds like it was made without any education behind it... listing only the couple the author is aware of and putting everyone else in other. Would you like help revising your poll Kokuma?

[Kokuma]

I rather agree with Madcow here. The poll sounds like it was made without any education behind it... listing only the couple the author is aware of and putting everyone else in other. Would you like help revising your poll Kokuma?

I tried to edit it to be bit less "black-n-white".

If it's still any way offensive or imappropriate, you can delete it if you want.

[Mimitchi]

I tried to edit it to be bit less "black-n-white".

If it's still any way offensive or imappropriate, you can delete it if you want.

It sounds great to me - thank you for revising it

[Mimitchi]

Christmas for me has been a celebration about family, friends, good eats, laughter and movies. This might be a long post hehe...

I'm not a religious soul nor have I ever been, so this holiday has never really been to me about the religious aspect.  However, when I was very young (about 7-10ish) I used to go to a midnight ceremony on christmas eve at the church with my mom.  I did not like church all that much on the regular sundays (kids my own age were cruel :p), but I did enjoy that one night of the year. I can't quite explain it but it was the feeling of getting out so late at night and being with adults and being "part of something". It was the one night of year that I wasn't told to go to bed early and of course there was the magical feeling of Santa coming around during the night. As a kid it really felt like something special. That's what I remember most about my very earliest christmas memories.. being out with mom at the church at midnight.

Later in my teens my mom started cooking these colossal meals and inviting everyone over. I remember feeling so impatient at her making us wait until everyone got there to open gifts.. all the while sneaking peeks at the stockings hehe =)

These days Brendan and I spend the day together, no big family events, just time together.  We have our own tree and decorations. We tend to buy some really cool things for each other, but then we buy a zillion small gifts so we have so many things to open up hehe. Unwrapping is fun ^.^

We also have been making a big breakfast and dinner all in the same day. I guess this is one of my mom's traits carrying over to me -- making a huge meal the day of christmas.. of course the problem is it's only the two of us so we have leftovers for days after hehe! Neither of us are huge fans of turkey, so we have Ham cooked in the crock pot instead. Breakfast tends to be HUGER then dinner though. I'm hoping Brendan will make his blueberry pancakes again.. yum! ^.^

We always try to make sure to watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation at this time of year too.. I think I always have every year since as far back as I can recall. It's just one of those movies that to this day still cracks me up.

Guess I wouldn't be my nerdy self if I didn't mention that for the past several years I have participating in events within an online rpg too. Since 2001 up until this year, it has been Final Fantasy XI. There'd be special activities to do with friends within the game in celebration of the holiday, usually lasting a couple of weeks.  This year I am part of World of Warcraft, and I don't know if WoW does a christmas event or not.. WoW has celebrated other holidays, so I'm thinking they will do something. I could look it up online, but I don't wanna spoil myself.  I almost didn't include this paragraph.. but I must be honest and say online RPG friends have been part of holidays for so long that it's hard for me not to mention them.

Anyways, I apologize for the length of this post