Kevin's Watch

Okay, MOST African men don't wear Afros, although occasionally someone will affect John Shaft (where they find the white bell-bottoms I don't know, I'm jealous). 99% wear their hair very close cropped. Dreadlocks are just beginning to make an appearance among the well-groomed-- fromerly the only ones to sport locks were juju men (who wear little else), or mentally-ill vagrants. (Women plait their hair and most wear extensions at least some of the time.)

No one I have talked to in Nigeria has ever heard of Kwanzaa, which is an American innovation. Christians celebrate Christmas, Muslims celebrate Sallah, and I don't know what the pagans do, probably have some winter solstice thing going on.

I just had to get that off my chest!!

Since we celebrate the first three choices, I selected "something else."

The immediate family (Hyperception, Beorn, and myself) observe Hanukkah. To respect my father-of-love (Hyperception's Dad), we do a secular celebration of Chr-stmas, including tree, stockings, gifts in the morning, and a festive meal.

And, from the first Yule after Beorn's birth, I have read The Yule Fairies out loud to him every year. It is a tradition we look forward to.

My family celebrates Advent, the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and Epiphany (Jan. 6). We have special traditions for each of them.

What about a Festivus for the rest of us?

I believe Festivus would fit under the "something else" category.

Ah!
Three Kings Day.
I forgot about that.
Before we left south Florida, we used to go to Little Havanna for the Three Kings parade.

And yeah, NYE and NYD is still celebrated here.

Christmas.

I usually work on Christmas.

Awww, cute, Menolly!!

sgt. null, when and/or what DO you celebrate?

I tried to get my family into doing Advent. I dunno, no one was into it. I think I'll just do the candles myself this year. I like the preparation/anticipation thing. Gets the focus off the commercial stuff and onto Christ (you know, the guy whom Christmas is named for).

deer of the dawn wrote:I tried to get my family into doing Advent. I dunno, no one was into it. I think I'll just do the candles myself this year. I like the preparation/anticipation thing. Gets the focus off the commercial stuff and onto Christ (you know, the guy whom Christmas is named for).

Advent is my favorite part of the year.

sgt. null, when and/or what DO you celebrate?



we are Catholic

For the past several years we have celebrated Yule, which is what Pagans call the winter solstice, so that's what I picked in the poll.

Our Yule celebration looks remarkably like Christmas -- tree, lights, presents, big dinner, etc. -- which I figure is fair since the Christians have borrowed liberally from pagan traditions over the years. Every year, the girls pester me about opening a present the night before, the way we did when we celebrated Christmas, and every year I have to explain to them that a) there is no such thing as Solstice Eve, and b) they're already getting a four-day jump on everybody else so they ought to just shut up about it.

We also do New Year's Eve. I used to try to do a big ham dinner on New Year's Day like my mom did, but nobody was really up for another big honkin' dinner (after Thanksgiving and Christmas). So it's sort of devolved into ham sandwiches and leftover Christmas cookies.

deer of the dawn wrote:Okay, MOST African men don't wear Afros, although occasionally someone will affect John Shaft (where they find the white bell-bottoms I don't know, I'm jealous). 99% wear their hair very close cropped. Dreadlocks are just beginning to make an appearance among the well-groomed-- fromerly the only ones to sport locks were juju men (who wear little else), or mentally-ill vagrants. (Women plait their hair and most wear extensions at least some of the time.)

No one I have talked to in Nigeria has ever heard of Kwanzaa, which is an American innovation. Christians celebrate Christmas, Muslims celebrate Sallah, and I don't know what the pagans do, probably have some winter solstice thing going on.

I just had to get that off my chest!!

I don't understand this post. What do afros and dreadlocks have to do with the holidays? And what did you get off your chest?