For those of you who celebrate Christmas or Giftmas or Winter Festival or A Day Off From Work For A Religion I Don’t Practice or whatever – are you going anywhere, or staying home? Being a guest, or having guests, or neither?
Me, I’m going to my sister’s in North Carolina for the whole of Christmas Week. Should be big fun for the whole family. I’m not looking forward to the cross-country flight, but I can’t wait to see everybody.
I was going to go home to L.A., (Hooterville is not my “home”, just a place where I currently reside) but that’s off now. So I’ll be stuck in Hooterville for the holidays. Bummer.
Peanut and I are going to go up to Idyllwild and spend some alone time at a little cottage type place. We elected not to do the whole family shenanigans this year.
We both come from divorced parents - far too many spots to visit to see everyone, so we decided NO ONE gets us!
Home. If that’s what you want to call it. I have no vacation time, and no way to go anywhere, so here I’ll be.
We’ll drive to Ocala to spend Christmas day with my inlaws. Then on the 28th, we’re driving to Baltimore to see my family. I’ll drive back to FL on New Years Day, and my daughter and her friend will fly back on the 5th.
I am going home in the sense of “where my parents live” but away as well since where the live now is a flat in Cheltenham, UK that I have never seen before and that will be a huge pain to get to. So I guess I get a little of both worlds…
I’ll be going back to my old church to sing with the choir at the midnight service on Christmas Eve, then spending the night at my parents’ place since it’s a lot closer. It’s rather nice that way, and going to church on Christmas Eve and Easter morning particularly matter to me.
CJ
I’ll be spending the christmas holiday away from my home, but traveling to my home town. I’m rather looking forward to thawing out in southern CA. Hoping to escape before the Rose Parade/Bowl tourists hit town.
Yes.
I mean, I’ll spend Christmas morning here, with my husband and kids, then on to my dad’s (he’s only an hour away).
And at some point, either shortly before Christmas Day or shortly after, we’ll go to my mom’s (also about an hour away).
Having divorced parents means lots of road time. But hey, my mom’s parents were divorced too. I’m not really celebrating any differently than I did when I was a kid. I’m fine with it. 
We’ll be home, just the four of us. No one’s coming to visit. It should be a peaceful day.
As dysfunctional as our family was, I figured out pretty young that after everyone moved out of the house, if I wanted to see my sisters with minimal travel, I’d better not move too far from the folks because my folks’ was where everyone would gather. It was no vocational sacrifice with the big ol’ Chicago jobs machine right there.
It’s worked out pretty well so far; my folks live about seven miles down the road and never come over without an invitation. I never go to their house unless it’s my birthday or an out-of-town sibling is visiting them.
My wife and I are flying out from Tokyo and my parents are flying from Boston to meet in France and spend Christmas with my grandparents. After the two of us return to Japan, we’ll spend the New Year’s holiday in Shizuoka with my wife’s mother.
We’ll be visiting with my mom’s side of the family (a 1 1/2 hour drive) on the 22nd–they decided to get together then, as it’s easier on everyone (we’re all grown up and married/attached) to visit with everyone else. No rushing about on the 24th/25th, which is nice. We’ll spend Christmas Eve with the SO’s folks.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, my dear!
A German Christmas for da Quas’. :D:D:D:D:D:D
Although I average two trips a year “home”, this will be the first time in 40 years that I will have enjoyed a German Christmas with my friends and family in Rothenburg.
Even if there won’t be snow, there will be “Heiligen Abend”, Glühwein and my little cousins opening their presents from Das Christkind
It will be a magic time for me.
Thanks for this thread and allowing me to share in it.
Quasi
We’ll be doing the Theme Park thing for the holidays. Knott’s for the 23rd and 24th, home for Christmas, then Six Flags for New Years Day.
I’m going to Disneyworld. I’ve never been, so it should be fun. (And only after 15 years or so of saying, “Dad, you promised last year that we’d go to Disneyworld… when are we really going?” Who knew it’d take 'til I was 22?)
Home! Sweet home! With my family I haven’t seen in nearly a year! With my friends I miss! Just 8 days!
Unfortunately I only get two weeks of Winter break (stupid university bureocracy)! :mad: That means I’m back January 4, and classes start January 6. For the first time I’ll miss Epiphany with my family.
Yeah, but isn’t that big star still lit up on the mountain? (Apologies if I’m mistaking which West Texas town…)
As for us, as usual we’ll be visiting the in-laws in Kansas, rather than my Mom in West Texas.
Visiting my sister & family in Houston. Looking forward to meeting my 1-year old nephew I’ve only known by photos thus far. After a week of that, we’re driving to New Orleans for New Year’s (probably should book that rental car, eh?)
How’s this for a Christmas itenerary?
First thing Christmas morning, my girlfriend and I will get up and have a quiet, private exchange of presents. At 9:00 or so, we’ll be at LaGuardia to fly to my mom’s house. 12:00 puts us down there for a three-hour orgy of consumerism that really ought to get a thank-you note from the Retailers Foundation of America.
At 6:00 AM the next day, we fly down to her parents’ place. Yep, that means leaving the house at about 4:00 AM. After a leisurely 24 hours down there, we fly back home (Newark this time) on Friday.
The reality is it should actually be a lot of fun. But just in case, I wouldn’t advise anyone to break any rules in GQ on Saturday! 