Off Topic Happy Holidays!

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Happy Christmahannukwanzahumanewtonaliasolstivus to all!

Got exciting plans? Receive cool presents? Have fun family holiday traditions? Tell us all about them!

As always, my dad's side of the family will be getting together to celebrate. Traditional celebrations include a gift exchange, gathering around the piano to sing Christmas carols together (which is slightly ironic, since the family consists entirely of Jews and agnosts/atheists), and my generation gathering separately for a beer-fueled evening of Mario Kart. Also, my brother and I will have our annual $20 best-of-5 in Smash Bros (which, for the record, I won last time).

 

[Coach Kate]

This is our first Christmas as a family of three, and we are going to be announcing that we are expecting baby number 2 to my inlaws on Christmas morning. We visited my family last week and told them then. We've been having fun with advent calendars, looking at lights, and dress our daughter (10.5m) in all the Christmas dresses. We even flew in marching hanging with my gnomes shirts/onesie.

I just prepped and am freezing these cinnamon rolls to bake on Christmas day: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/brown-butter-iced-mocha-cinnamon-rolls/ . I also made homemade thin mints, Butterfingers, puppy chow, and cranberry orange bread this year, and am looking forward to my mother in law's spritz and my aunt's paper thin cut outs.

We will go to church on Christmas Eve and then do snacks and a few gifts at my husband's aunt and uncle's house. A little abbreviated due to baby bedtime but it should still be fun. Christmas morning is for egg bake, cinnamon rolls, and present. We also have matching gnome jammies (my husband loves gnomes and I am enabler).

The real excitement is going to be New Year's Day, when we watch our currently undefeated Huskies attempt to make the national finals of the CFP for the first time since they won the title in 1991! I am a Huskies fan by marriage, so I've only been invested for the last 5 years, but it is still very exciting.

 

[JBS]

This year is a little unusual for us as plans aren’t confirmed yet… however… they will be soon. We will be having Christmas with family… just not sure where yet.

 

[txgymfan]

This is a tough year for me. First year without my mom and the first year my sister and I are really not talking.

I had December 9th -12th off and did an early Christmas with my dad. My plans with friends got cancelled so I’m alone. I’ll do Christmas Eve with a friend but Christmas Day I’m on my own.

Last year, Christmas Day was the last day I spent with mom. She died February 4th and I didn’t get back to her in time. I also caught a cold so I couldn’t volunteer this weekend. I’m hanging on but it’s a tough holiday.

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

We had a christmas party at the gym with a gift exchange, cookies, some games and a little open gym around 2 weeks ago
Right now I'm out in florida with my family and will stay until christmas. Very fun trip so far so I'm considering this and my new grips as my christmas presents!

 

[Dahlialover]

Ho
Ho
Ho

 

[JBS]

Woohoo… I got an Xbox!

 

[raenndrops]

Thursday afternoon, my brother and I dropped off gifts and all the fixin's for Christmas dinner to a family of 5 that we adopted in memory of our dad and youngest sister. Then, we went to the Christmas Party / Open Gym with a warm socks gift exchange at gym on Thursday.
I took 4 pairs of wrapped socks in case any gymnasts didn't bring a pair. There were 2 of them. They got to participate, so all were happy. I gave the other 2 pairs to one of the coaches - a college sophomore leaving in January for a SECOND internship at Walt Disney World. She competed with my girls for years and was YG's gym bestie!
Friday morning, we dropped off the gifts and food to the other family we adopted. That evening, we picked up YG and went to have dinner with OG ... and we went to her 3d ultrasound before dinner. That was how she told YG, lol. The only people OG still needed to tell after that were her dad and my dad (her "pappy").
Christmas Eve, we went to visit the lake where we spread my dad's ashes this past August because none of us were ready to spend our first Christmas without him. OG and YG also went ... so OG could tell him that she'll have a baby girl at the end of March ... and that she's naming her little girl after him. She also got to tell her dad (he showed up as a surprise), and we got a sweet picture out of the situation.
After the lake, My brother, sister, and I went to (step)Mom's apartment to do presents and a late lunch. She LOVED what we got her (a custom winter coat and a back-up camera for her car), and we all got presents we really liked, lol, you can't go wrong with cash.
Once we got home, our brother went to Church (he had to run the sound board for the Christmas Eve candlelight service).
Today was a relaxing day with the dogs and cats ... the dogs got to go on a walk because it was so much warmer than usual. Lol, we even got to dry clothes on the line outside.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Our gathering was a success, our holiday gift exchange was a success, our evening of carols was a success.

... I lost the annual $20 Smash Bros match with my brother, though; I'll have to practice more for next year. (If any of y'all plays a decent Sheik and/or Peach and wants to play some Melee, feel free to hit me up)