I am coming back again with another year of Christmas ideas. For reference, I try to not talk about items that I talked about in previous years for a better catalog of ideas. I imagined this to be a quick run down of things that I would like but it morphed into a much longer rabbit trail. I share the whys and thoughts of some of the things that I would put on a Christmas list
Tag: Christmas
December 12, 2022 – My 2022 Christmas List
I admit, I am bad at this. It is not like I don’t have good ideas but I either I can’t execute or I don’t have time. I talk about the some today, so I will skip this. I guess the main reason that I did this podcast was to provide helpful information on gift buying before it is too late – from a decidedly male standpoint.
Ultimately, I feel like too many people Christmas shop to check the box. That is just as it is written shopping rather than gift giving. Like all things, the value is not in the doing but the intent. If your intent is to finish then you end up justifying to yourself your decisions. Those end up being disappointing gifts.
End Your Programming Routine: In these times, I wish that I was the kind of guy that was into this holiday. Some people think and plan long before the middle of December about how they want to approach things and what they are going to do. I am just not wired that way. Is is selfish. maybe. I don’t know, but I have to work with what I am.
November 21, 2022 – Holiday Hate
Through the years, I have grown less enamored with Christmas much preferring Thanksgiving. I am not going to give away my podcast secrets here, you will have to listen to find out what is driving this.
The name of this podcast is inspired by George Orwell’s concept of ‘Hate Week’. This is whipping everyone up into moving into the same direction. I am getting everyone ready for the holiday season with this podcast.
End Your Programming Routine: I guess my desire is to change the course of my history. I just realized that the days my family will all be home is limited. We can go back to old traditions or start new ones or let things be the way they are. But, let us feel free to make them what we want and not feel trapped by life just passing us by.
December 29, 2021 – Snow Days at 46 versus 13
We had snow on Christmas Day. It wasn’t in the morning but started coming down in the early evening. It snowed all night and continued the next day. The last time I remember having snow (on the ground) Christmas day was 1992. From my memory, there has been one, true ‘White Christmas’ here in my part of Oregon, that was in 1988 where it started snowing Christmas Eve.
I had a four day weekend. Friday and Monday were holidays for me around Christmas. I spent Friday cooking as I made mole from scratch. We had a low country boil for Christmas eve dinner. Saturday was Christmas and Sunday was a down day. Monday, it was back to work, so to speak. Since my mother-in-law was staying with us over the weekend, it was time to get her back home.
I shoveled a path on the deck, stairs, driveway and a few access points. Part of why I did that was forecasts were all over the map in terms of high temperatures. I didn’t want the packed snow to ice over and be days worth of problems, including the driveway. When I got to her house, I knocked the snow off of the awning, shoveled the snow off the roof, shoveled a path to the door. We then discovered that the water line was frozen. I spent an hour defrosting that and getting the water running.
When I used to work outside of the home, a snow day was not a day the office was closed, unlike the kids school or working for the state, like my wife. I would plan extra time to get the car cleaned off and drive half speed or less. When I had the ability or forethought to take my equipment home before the storm, I would work from home while everyone is watching movies and playing in the snow.
In 1988, my brother and I got mountain bikes for Christmas. We road them in the snow and ice for the first time. Needless to say, we found that combination didn’t work too well. I don’t remember my brother’s outcome but I know that I laid my new bike down several times that day.
I suppose that I get my tendencies from my parents because a snow day was just a regular day. They would go off to work in the morning and we were left to ourselves. We lived on a hill in the country and there was some traffic but not a lot. We would start a fire in the woodstove in the shop and sled for hours down the hill, every couple of hours going into the shop to warm up and dry off.
There is a stark contrast between what we did and my kids. They don’t really play together, not even making a snowman or snowball fight. I would estimate that they barely spent an hour a piece over the last couple of days outside. Maybe they get it from me? I was spent from the month of December and the hours in the kitchen over the last week. I just wanted to sit down and watch football for a couple of hours.
It seems like a lot of people appear excited to have snow. Here, it is about a once a year event. But, the truth is, I don’t see a lot of people doing stuff and really taking advantage of it. Maybe it is just a good excuse to do nothing? I guess what I feel like is that there is everything that needs to get done, plus more work and time to do it.
My son asked me if I was excited that it snowed. I told him that I have spent winters in Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada; not really. I used to work for a Canadian company and the majority opinion was that it was better to live somewhere where snow was not in the daily routine. One guy even told me that people had winter cars because of the salt on the roads (at least he did).
End Your Programming Routine: I like seasons, I don’t think I would do well in a semi-tropical climate. Last year I wrote about the transition to Winter makes you appreciate the Summer and was necessary for life to recharge and grow strong. That being said, I am OK if this is our annual snow event. It has been a number of years since we have seen any accumulation of snow. I really appreciate that I don’t have to add several hours to my drive or even leave the house at this point.
December 22, 2020 – Is Christmas Really What You Think?
This is for sure a holiday that I struggle with. Call me selfish, call me a Grinch or a scrooge maybe. I wanted so much to assign a newer or different reality to the holiday but chock it up to a long line of non-conforming beliefs.
Growing up a Christian, it was ingrained that this was a celebration for the birth of Jesus. My world was rocked when I was a Junior in High School and we talked about the origin of Christmas in Latin class. I had never heard of such things, it was so foreign that it took me years to accept the truth.
Alright, rewind. It is well established that the winter solstice has been recognized by indigenous cultures throughout the world. Winter solstice has a place in agrarian life because it celebrated the transition between daylight getting shorter and daylight getting longer. One of those celebrations was the Roman version, called Saturnalia.
Saturnalia was a celebration named after the Roman god Saturn, who happened to be the god of agriculture. One description I read was that it was that it was akin to Mardi Gras; an over the top party. I suppose that you could see the appeal, I mean who doesn’t like to have fun. Gift giving was one of the traditions that went along with week long party.
As the church was growing in influence and Rome was diminishing, the popularity of Saturnalia was not. It is believed that Pope Julius I co-opted Saturnalia into December 25 as the ‘official’ birthday of Jesus. Even though it is believed that his actual birthday would have been in the early springtime.
Maybe I just haven’t accepted the reality that everything is what it is. I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised people believe in traditions that are not always what they seem or are even based on reality as we are told. There is a lot different brands around the type of holiday be it ‘Hallmark’ or religious or ‘the magic of the season’. For me, maybe I will lean toward Festivus, for the rest of us.
December 9, 2020 – 6AM Christmas Tree Decorating
It is probably an understatement that I have been busy lately. I just came off of three days off and I barely had a minute to do anything other than the the things I have committed to. We are working on my wife’s office, selling trees at the Boy Scout tree lot, yard work and other seasonal activities.
For those that know me, they wouldn’t be surprised if I admit that I am kind of a Grinch. That being said, I am also a traditionalist. I am not happy to put up outside decorations or inside for that matter. But, I will never give into the artificial tree movement for the reasons that it is not right.
We have had the tree in a bucket of water for over a week now. Because getting the tree up requires my muscle, the only time I had to do it was before work, so I started working on the tree at 6:30AM.
Because I live in Oregon, natural Christmas trees are normal. I didn’t see an artificial tree until I was a teenager at least. I know that a lot of people live in places where you can only buy a tree from a lot, because it was shipped in from somewhere else. However, I thought that I would provide some tips about Christmas trees just in case.
Getting a wild tree
I have done this a number of times. I would have to say that far and away, this is my favorite tree activity. Permits can be purchased for $5 from the US forest service. You go up to the national forest and you find a tree (that is in the national forest boundaries) and you cut it down and take it home. They will provide you with a map and some suggested locations to get started.
- Check the weather. Early snow can make access difficult to impossible. Nobles tend to be at high elevation, above 4000′ are are the first to lose access.
- Plan for adventure. Bring supplies like lunch and drinks and tire chains as well as saws and straps to get that tree. But also think about sleds and possibly campfires. This is an outing more than a to do.
- Don’t push it if you start to see snow. This can turn deadly if you don’t respect mother nature.
- Wild trees are spindly and sparse. If you are into that, then your in luck. Some varieties like Douglas fir can have pretty wimpy branch strength.
- There are some limitations. Trees have a slot window (bigger than, smaller than Y) for harvest. They must be a certain distance from the road and stumps need to be cut to the ground. It is surprising how big trees really are when you get up to them versus at a distance. This can make the hunt challenging, but rewarding.
Going to a tree farm
This is typically our go to. You go to a place that grows a lot of trees and you cut it or someone else does. Often times they are geared toward the younger family set with Santas or tractor rides and such. Think of it as the Christmas version of the pumpkin patch.
- Dress for the weather, the fields are often muddy and wet.
- Help is usually available to bale the tree so that it is compact for travel. They can help load it or secure it to the vehicle as well.
- I find this a little monotonous. You can most likely find the tree that you want, size, variety and look. But, they all sort of blend in together after a while.
- This will likely be the cheapest tree to buy. You are not paying the fuel to go into the mountains and you are not paying the lot mark-ups.
Tree lots
Press the easy button on getting a Christmas tree. Pull in, look around, pay and go. My boy’s Boy Scout troop operates a lot every year. We spend a fair amount of time working the stand and plenty of people buy trees that way. We did this year too.
- For best selection, go early in the season. If you are looking for something larger or a particular variety, it pays to buy early. The business aspect of this leads inventory to shoot for the biggest sellers and to sell out if possible.
- Price shop for the best value. There are very few options in our small town as most of the competitors have gone away over the years. But I have seen a range of prices that vary from “I can’t believe someone would pay that” to “we don’t even buy them at that cost”.
- Most tree lots are fundraisers for programs (in our area). It doesn’t feel so bad to pay more when I know the profits are supporting good causes.
- Tree lot trees can be cut over a month ago. If you live somewhere outside of the pacific northwest, tree cutting for Christmas trees begins November 1 for destinations like California and Panama (really? Yep). I can say for our tree lot, I saw the trees cut and then I hauled them to the yard that day.
I was going to go into tree care, but this is already getting long. So, I will save it for another day. I hope that if you haven’t gotten your tree and you don’t have an artificial one that you will get it this weekend. I think our stand will be out of trees by the end of Sunday.
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