Heh…you should’ve been in DC a couple of weeks ago. It got Invaded… 
My sentiments precisely. People are broke, or they’re saving up what little money they have left for booze on New Year’s Eve. Don’t even get me started on the two-in-one gifts. Ugh! Consider yourself lucky despite having a holiday birthday. Not only do I have the displeasure of being born on the 28th, my parents named me Holly. Christmas is the only time I hate my name… People seem to think it’s clever to sing “Have A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Deck the Halls,” etc when they see me. GEE! NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE! Fucking wankers.
I’m new here, though I’ve watched most of y’all anonymously for some time. thoguht you might like this song. seems to fit the mood of this thread
Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk
At our Christmas party
We were drinkin’ champagne punch
And homemade eggnog
Little sister brought her new boyfriend
He was a Mexican
We didn’t know what to think of him
Til he sang Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Brother Ken brought his kids with him
The three from his first wife Lynn
And the two identical twins
From his second wife Mary Nell
Of course he brought his new wife Kaye
Who talks all about AA
Chain smokin’ while the stereo plays
Noel, Noel, The first Noel
Carve the turkey turn the ball game on
Mix Margaritas when the eggnog’s gone
Send somebody to the Quik-Pak store
We need some ice and an extension cord
A can of bean dip and some Diet Rite
A box of pampers , some Marlboro Lights
Hallelujah everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family
Fran and Rita drove from Harlingen
I can’t remember how I’m kin to them
But when they tried to plug their motor home in
They blew our christmas lights
Cousin David knew just what went wrong
So we all waited on our front lawn
He threw the breaker and the lights came on
And we sang Silent Night
Oh Silent Night o’ holy night
Carve the turkey turn the ballgame on
Mix Bloody Marys cause we all want one
Send somebody to the Stop 'n Go
We need some celery and a can of fake snow
A bag of lemons and some Diet Sprite
A box of midol, some Salem Lights
Hallelujah everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family
and that pretty much sums it up, here from the dirty dirty souf!
lest I be accused of claiming work that is not my own, that song is called “Merry Christmas from the Family” it’s performed, and I believe written, by Robert Earl Keen
Amen, Eve. And it’s already icy and snowy and insanely cold here now.
Aaaaand, I’m going to get to spend my winter break working in the food court of a shopping mall. :mad: :smack:
wiggumpuppy, I love that song. Very festive. 
Hehehehe, Kimstu, Did you know that every year there are people protesting to the ‘black Petes’? From the ones who don’t know the story behind the tradition ofcourse.
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Sinterklaas arrives with his white mare and black Petes on a steamship somewhere in November in the Netherlands.
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Kids put their shoes in front of the fireplace so that Sinterklaas - riding his horse on the roof! - and black Pete who has to climb through the chimney… can put a [small] present in the shoe. *
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He has a huge book with all the names of good - and naughty kids. If you have been naughty - well…bad, really, Sinterklaas will put you in a sack and takes you with him, back to Spain.
Don’t think you’ll get to see the bull-fights or the Prado over there either.
You have to learn to climb chimneys.
And that’s how black Pete becomes black.
Soot.
*Shoes used to be little clogs and most houses don’t have a fireplace, but kids actually believe Pete will be able to wriggle his way through heating pipes, so they put their shoes in front of the central heating.
I actually went to high school with a “Mary Christmas” – born on 12/28.
I got into a weird vortex about 15 years ago went I went to work for Rand McNally. Our group’s secretary was born on Christmas Day. Her daughter was born on Christmas Day. My manager was born on December 26. And the guy who had the job before me was born on Christmas Day.
The only positive I can see, looking back over these many years, is that in college our dorm floor had a tradition of throwing people into the fountain at the Union on their birthday. Never had to worry about that – we was all on break, and by the time the next semester rolled around they were looking for January babies.
“When Chekhov saw the long winter, it was a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope; and yet, we know winter’s only one more step in the cycle. And standing among the people of Punxsutawney — basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter. For Channel 9 news, I 'm Phil Connors.” — Groundhog Day
Thank you, Eve, for the thread. Thanks everyone for the laughs - they’re much needed today; the computers here at work have been conspiring against me again.
My birthday is December 10th - I’ve had all the same hassles. Two-for-one presents, no birthday celebration because everyone’s too busy with Christmas, etc. etc. etc. High school through college I never had a birthday celebration because it was always in the middle of finals.
My sister’s birthday is December 25th. My mom’s birthday is December 26th. My late spouse’s birthday was December 26th. My current partner’s birthday is December 17th. One of my best friends’ birthday is December 28th. Fortunately, my cousin (December 17th) moved away. I know I’ve missed a few of the next generation; I try to forget them whenever possible. The step-child’s birthday is in November, so I get a few weeks reprieve on that.
My partner is Jewish and insists on celebrating both Christmas and Chanukah for the step-child.
Do y’all have any idea how expensive December can be? I think not!
I boycotted Christmas for many years; spouse was cooperative - we usually went away somewhere (Las Vegas, anyone?) for the entire thing. Even work knew better than to try to get me in on whatever inanity they were perpetrating. My current family insists that Christmas MUST be celebrated, or evidently the world will cease spinning. After several years of battling the issue, I gave in. Somehow that also filtered over to work; once again this year I must find a gift for someone about whom I know nothing (and care only slightly more). Damn, but I miss those days! I hate Christmas.
Between three adult partners and one step-child from a divorce, we have FOUR family gatherings to coordinate at every major holiday. Plus the eight nights of Chanukah. And don’t forget the birthdays!
Quit whinin’, ya buncha slackers! 
One bright note - we always have a combination birthday party on the weekend between my birthday & partner’s birthday. Unfailingly, that is when the organization-wide Christmas party is scheduled at work. Oh, damn, I’ll have to miss that again this year due to prior commitments. Sorry! 
Whups, better make that FIVE at Christmas - I forgot to count ours!
Hey, when you live in the Alleghenies, you either lie to yourself about winter big time or spend the whole season crying in a fetal position in a darkened room.
Me, me, me - feed them to me!
[CookieMonster] CCCCOOOOKKKKIIIIEEEE!!![/CookieMonster]
Sure, glad to brighten your holidays.
Anyway, I am on call 12/24-26, so there will be opportunities for more lasting memories.
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the king
I agree with you on that one. My solution, watching depressing, scary or ultraviolent movies instead. This year, I’m thinking about watching In the Mouth of Darkness, Straw Dogs, The Wild Bunch, Schindler’s List and/or The Dirty Dozen on Christmas Eve.
I dunno, I always figured Rosemary’s Baby or The Omen would make excellent Christmas Eve fare.
I agree, but I don’t have Rosemary’s Baby, but I am willing to include The Omen on the list.
Regression toward the mean. Since the slough of despond implies something unusually bad, you can expect to go back to the quasi-suicidal meloncholy that is the mark of normalcy. See? Better living through science. Besides the alternative was flying to Manhattan, hunting you down, and giving you a hug. Unfortunately, I’m currently broke.
Two years ago I decided to do something about the whitewashed sappy inane Christmas noise that some people call “music.” I arranged, played, recorded, and released my own CD of Christmas songs, but this time done up all proper. I have a version Gesu Bambino that would make Kurt Cobain say “Turn that gawdawful racket down!”, and a version of O Come O Come Emanuel that would make you think Santa’s driving a locomotive frm hell down your ear canal. One friend referred to the CD as instruMENTAL music. My mother’s only comment “Oh dear, those poor toy soldiers!”
Very little of the twee of Christmas can’t be fixed by some good head-banging.
Are you gonna share?
There’s also the Excelsis series from Projekt records, a series of goth Christmas albums.
I have 10mb of web space from Comcast. If someone can recommend a good freeware app to RIP mp3 files from a CD, I suppose I could upload them for your listening pleasure.
Fun fact about these songs: Every one has, buried deep within it, a snippet of a song from The Wizard of Oz.