This is really a topic that has nothing to do with Unmanned Spaceflight, or maybe we can find some links to it...

The question is more to see how we celebrate Christmas to see the differences between our national and local traditions.

Where do you, how do you, with who do you celebrate Christmas?
Any place for space in there?

I'll spend mine at my sister's home (the biggest of all) in Queluz, the city where I lived untill left my parents house, it's an opportunity to review old friends, smells and places, to walk through the palace gardens with my nephews...
The Christmas evening starts in the afternoon when everybody starts gathering, my sister, brother-in-law, nephews, my parents, my b-i-l dad and sister, me, my woman, my dog, my sister's dog...
This year there will be no grandparents, one died in August and the other is in the hospital and not very well and no one could convince my grandmother to gather for Christmas...I hope things get really better for 2007, that's one of my strongest wishes...
We eat a lot, as everyone, before dinner, talk a lot, laugh a lot, discuss a lot (we're latins you know...), watch all the classics, and for dinner the tradition is to eat this great codfish with tons of vegetables and potatoes and egg, all drowned in massive doses of olive oil...
Then the indispensable coffee with digestive and more talk, and more digestive, and more food.
At midnight we go to the church's ceremony in the middle of the cold with the kids protesting and, finally, in the return, we open the presents (there will be some Hawking book for me, and socks too...) and drink and eat and sing some songs...
Now it is time to each return to their houses, to have some sleep to gather again in the morning after with the kids displaying their new toys and clothes.
Everyone smells nice and we visit other relatives to...eat! This time lamb...
That's it...Untill we meet all again for King's Day (January, 6th) to eat King's Cake...
The New Year will be in the North of Portugal, in the Minho region, but that's another story...
Man...I'm hungry!...

Sorry to hear this is your first Christmas without the grandparents, ustrax. Life sure does bring changes.

As a child, we would always gather at my grandparents farm in the middle of Texas. Ususally, my brothers family would be there too. The tradition in the USA is Santa comes during the night on Christmas Eve and places gifts under a decorated tree (for good children, of course). So that night, us kids would have a hard time falling asleep, since we kept waiting to hear some fat man land on the roof in a sleigh.

Early in the morning, the kids would rush to the tree to see what was there, and then wake up everyone to get breakfast over fast! We'd open gifts and fill the house up with noise as the sleepy parents had to begin making the Christmas dinner, which was a roasted turkey and baked ham. That evening, we'd sing carols (badly), and then eat lots of cake and cookies.

As we grew older, my Mom had to be clever hiding the gifts so we wouldn't find them before Christmas morning. She would also label the gifts with each of us having a code name, so we could not tell which gift was ours. So a unique family tradition we had was The Guessing of Names.

My wife's family had a slightly different tradition, where presents were opened on Christmas Eve so that they could attend Mass on Christmas morning, and then come home for the big feast. That is also how my German cousins celebrate; except instead of gifts, you leave your shoes out so Kris Kringle can fill them with chocolate. Their dinner would be fish, except my aunt doesn't like it so now they eat pork roasted in a clay pot called a "romertopf"... which is probably a very old dinner tradition, since the word translates to "roman pot".

Happy Holidays and a wonderful new year to everyone!

Hi Marz!
Here traditions also variate, several people celebrate the ways you referred, we like to go to the midnight mass because we're celebrating Someone's Birth...It's like going to His birthday party...
And thank you for your kind words...Life goes, one way or the other, Onward...

Let's see.. elements of a traditional British Christmas Day...

Up early to unwrap pressies in bed and and have the first glass of Baileys... reluctantly get out of bed to find a church service on the TV, closely followed by a diabetes-inducing sickly-sweet "Make Dreams Come True" TV show - featuring Noel Edmonds or someone like that - in a hospital, or featuring a dozen or so street urchins who want to swim with dolphins or have a bath in Vimto or something... the long build-up to Christmas dinner, to the accompanying sounds of a "Carry On" film or "1976 Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special" in the background... again... then all round the table for a big Christmas Dinner, turkey, roasties, stuffing, the works... crackers are pulled, paper hats are donned, groans exchanged as bad jokes read out, and naff cheap Made In China plastic moustaches, compasses and the like are piled up on the table before the revelries stop to allow watching The Queens Speech and then "Top of The Pops" on the TV...

Then the afternoon, and the "After Eight" mints or "Fruit Jellies" come out, along with the Baileys and/or Advocat, as everyone settles on the sofa to watch The Big Film... then they wake up half an hour after it's finished, wondering what happened at the end...

Teatime: turkey sandwiches and reheated roasted potatoes... yummm! ... before going for a walk to get some badly-needed fresh air... then back inside and top up the Baileys or brandy glass and settle down to watch the Dr Who Christmas Special...

No?

Oh. Just me then...

Edit: Unless it's "Christmas 2004" in which case it would be "Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... Check if there's any news about Beagle 2 yet... "

This year I am staying in Tucson, but growing up, we would open up one present during the evening on Christmas Eve. When I was a teenager, we went to midnight mass, but usually we went to the Christmas Eve mass (when they had the children's choir, thankfully I was never forced into that). Of course, I would get up as early as possible Christmas day to enjoy the unwrapped presents. I remember one Christmas when I got my first bike, I rode the bike around the 1st floor of our house for an hour before everyone else woke up. After opening up presents, we would sit around, watch TV, and then eat dinner, usually ham.

This Christmas, I'm hanging out with friends, probably go to mass Christmas morning, not sure yet.

Staying at home both 24th + 25th December...
Sunday 24th we'll probably go to the midnight Catholic service
Monday 25th will start watching Urbi et Orbi 'LIVE' from the Vatican,
Christmas day dinner having the family over so that will be a meal with the 'traditional' lobster-soup, main dish of 'exotic' meat (ostrich or ostrich I believe) with Belgian fries, some Belgian Quality Ice cream dessert followed by 'Buche' cake and Senseo coffee

Then a walk on the beach to get every one's cheeks red, stopping by at the small local christmas open Air market to nip some lemon jenever... Back home everyone will have to wait another 4 hours before heading home due to all the 'alcohol road-blocks' by Belgian Police

With five kids (13, 10, 5, 3 & 2) I think everyone can imagine what my house is like on Christmas . My family all live in Los Angeles, 5 hours away, and Allison only has her mother who lives nearby. So Grandma comes over Christmas Eve and all eight of us pile into the car and take up an entire pew at one of the Vigil masses. They have one as early as 3:30pm this year which works out great for us. At the later masses the kids (not just mine) get noisy and cranky. Grandma spends the night and Allison and I stay up until the late hours finishing our wrapping.

When I was a kid my parents used to simply pile the toys up in various corners of the living room and we would all come running downstairs and dive in. It went real fast that way. But Allison insists that everything must be wrapped, no matter how large or small. Moreover she was an only child of a single mother who used to spoil her with large amounts of gifts on Christmas. So my wife insists on dozens of presents for each child. That's why it takes weeks to wrap everything, and then it takes all Christmas morning to unwrap it all.

The kids usually get us out of bed at 5:00 am and we take a break for breakfast around 7:30 and resume the unwrapping again afterwards. Then I spend most of the morning assembling toys (Anyone here ever try to unwrap a Barbie doll??? They stitch the hair to the back of box!). We all settle down for dinner around 5:00 pm and it's usually ham. When I was growing up it was turkey, but my wife doesn't care for all the work on Christmas Day.

Later in the week I usually take the two oldest on an overnight trip to Los Angeles so I can see my Dad and give him his gifts, and visit family and old friends while my wife stays home with the little ones.

Me & my girlfriend this year: Lots of movies from Blockbuster, some good sushi, a few beers...and the whole week off. Thank God for "use-or-lose" leave!

Talking about things Christmassy, I wrote this festive martian story yonks ago, but thought some of you might like to read it...

"Christmas on Mars"

Merry Christmas everyone!

It's interesting to see the differences between cultures... 4pm, 6pm: that's "siesta" time here in Spain!

We'll start the "activities" later. Dinner will be about 9:00pm with the children too (6,4, and 2 years old), and "Papa Noel" will come during the night. Tomorrow I'm pretty sure to be wake-up at 07:00am to see the little gremlinsangels unpacking the gifts for our rejoyness. Talking about gifts, the tradition here is to give them not on 24-25 Dic but on 6th Jan when the Kings come following the orient star. Times are changing and Santa is obviously taking its place (we celebrate both).

Well, time to send the last emails/cards before the celebrations and say to everebody

Merry Christmas everyone! We have just finished our Christmas dinner over here and are going to open the presents soon. Here in Sweden Donald Duck is a Christmas tradition, it starts at 3PM, ends at 4PM. Then we eat dinner and open presents during the evening.

A Merry Christmas to all of you this year!

Anne, Louise, Mary, Nico

Personally, I observe (locally) the Winter Solstice; on a broader scale, Hogswatch Night remains a favourite. As a devotee of the Elder Ghods I have litttle reason, of course, to actually celebrate, as the best that one may hope for is delayed consumption rather than any of that roast fowl stuff.

Aiii Cthulhu!

Bob Shaw

This season - I will be mostly celebrating by......changing the UMSF banner logo

Doug

You're a freak

Nico

And a cool banner it is, Doug! (Frosty the Spaceman? )

Well my roots are from Germany, grew up in the US and we always celebrate with opening some presents on Christmas eve. Attending the church service of christmas carols. Then we await the overnight arrival of Santa, leaving out cookies and milk for Santa hoping he will bring some goodies.

Ustrax, last night on Christmas eve my favorite Uncle passed away in Germany after a long illness. He loved nature and the country side, hiking and biking. I enjoyed many trips with him and his family to many great places in Europe. And they all know my love of astronomy and space every day, since you asked if there is any room.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all

peace be with you

ken

ustrax:

I do have a small "space link" to this year's Christmas celebration.

My father died of heart failure in January 1999, while undergoing a dialysis treatment. I was with him at the time, and in the moments before he died, we were enjoying a National Geographic book on Mars, featuring some of the Pathfinder photos. Since he was a geologist, (and didn't have internet access) he really enjoyed the photos in the book I had given him for Christmas the week before.

Since his death, my four siblings and I keep him in our Christmas celebrations each year by joining together and making a donation each Christmas to a charity in his name. This year it was my turn. I chose a donation to a nearby nature preserve of the Audubon Society, because of his love of the outdoors. And I also made a donation to the Planetary Society, and added his name to those destined to travel to Mars on the Phoenix lander next year. My mother, brother and sisters were thrilled by the printed certificate from TPS identifying "Papa Frock" as one whose name will travel to Mars.

Merry Christmas!

David

David...
I'll hug you when I see you...
Thanks to everyone for sharing their Xmas views...
mars loon...Talking about room and hiking...If by any chance tou pass here...Just ring!

Ended up in Wichita, KS all week, which is about as bad as it sounds. There were two highlights:

1. I rewatched my "From the Earth to the Moon" set. I still love the "Spider" episode the best. Probably my most-watched DVDs in my whole collection. (Well, Thomas, Bob the Builder, etc. don't count. )

2. Got to drive out to Hutchinson, KS and visit the Cosmosphere. Kinda surreal driving to this town in the Middle-Of-Nowhere, surrounded by wheat fields, and seeing a building with replica Titan and Mercury-Redstone launch vehicles standing outside.

Cool items:
-Learned that Odyssey was exiled to France because NASA was too embarrased by the accident on Apollo 13.
-Saw an Apollo White Room signed by Gunter Wendt.
-The large amount of Soviet hardware present, including a Lunokhod rover, and several of the capsules.

www.cosmo.org
http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/...132039214.shtml <-- Not mine, but has some pictures. The quality can't be blamed on the poster, since they keep the museum so @#$% dark. Just once, I'd like to see a space museum where stuff is *lit* so people can take decent photos!

Hmm... this is a question that, for me, has several answers, depending on the epochs of my life.

When I was a child, it was unbearable weeks of waiting, helping Dad find and trim a tree, being as good as I possibly could, listening for reindeer paws on the roof on Christmas Eve, being forced to eat *something* (I usually managed to choke down a piece of toast) for breakfast before opening our presents on Christmas morning, the smells of baked ham, candied yams and pumpkin pie making me hugely hungry as I played with new games, assembled new plastic models, or just read a new book, helping my Mom make ham salad out of the leftover ham the day after Christmas...

When I was a young man, fresh out of college and married, it was rushing to get all the presents wrapped, going to my Polish mother-in-law's for a Christmas Eve dinner of roast goose, polish sausage and pierogi (yum!), opening presents, rushing home, trying to get to sleep early so we could get up early, pack up the car on Christmas morning, driving three hours to my folks' house, explaining we'd already eaten (if we had or not), opening more presents, sitting down for the familiar (and still scrumptuous) ham dinner, helping Mom make ham salad Christmas evening, and then rushing back another three hours home...

On one very, very dark Christmas eight years ago, it was sitting at my folks' house, staring at a hastily-raised artificial tree and wondering bleakly just how many more days my aging and ill Dad was going to live (turned out to be only another fifteen days). Getting the flu (from hanging out at a hospital for way too many hours a day for the previous six weeks) and spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day being violently ill.

During my second marriage (after I had become a confirmed Wiccan, which is a pagan religion to all those who aren't familiar with the term), it was buying Yule presents, having a pleasant Yule ritual with friends on Winter Solstice, in which we would act out the old dramas of ignorance in which men beseeched their gods to *please* let the days start getting longer again, exchanging Yule presents, and gathering around our brightly decorated Yule tree...

Nowadays, it's having about thirty seconds of private contemplation of the cycles of life on the Winter Solstice, trying to find one of my high-school-kid managers at my Pizza Hut who can run my store for two days without causing a major disaster so I can visit with my 75-year-old mother, helping her make a small ham steak for us and my brother, exchanging a few presents, and driving the 18-hour round trip between Minneapolis and central Illinois praying that no ice storms or snow storms keep me from getting back to my store in time to finish my year-end inventory, which has to be completed and logged in the computer by midnight, December 25 -- and arriving to find that the computer has everything AFU, my inventory counts are primarily set to zeroes, I can't set new closing inventory amounts, and the help desk is a recording rather diffidently wishing everyone a Merry Xmas... *sigh*...

I think, of all of them, I'd rather be a child again... Heck, between now and eight years ago, I'm not totally sure which is worse.

-the other Doug