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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
POLL: CHRISTMAS
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)?
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up?
What other decorating do you do?
What's on your gift wish list?
Any ideas what you're getting for DH?
Do you do stocking stuffers?
Share a family tradition if you have one.
I'd rather be rock climbing or playing volleyball
Re: POLL: CHRISTMAS
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? Christmas Eve is always with my mom's side of the family - this year it's at my aunt's house. Christmas Day we split between my dad's side (it's just my grandmother and aunt so they go to my parents' house) and DH's side (they just celebrate with his dad's side).
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? REAL!!! Unless you have allergies, I totally judge those who use fake
And we cut our own! We usually go the first weekend of December (not the weekend immediately after Thanksgiving, the next one).
What other decorating do you do? Oh man.. tons! I put up decorations all over the house (minus the bedrooms). Little things hung on the walls in the hallways and dining room, towels in the bathroom, all sorts of little things in the kitchen/dining/living rooms. Stockings all over haha. I could go on and on! Oh and lights outside too
What's on your gift wish list? A BFP, trim/closet finished in the hallway (my dad needs to do it, we've been waiting a year!), and the basement started. And we're asking ILs for a new crockpot (ours broke... see blog).
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? I am getting him the ice cream maker attachment for our stand mixer!
Do you do stocking stuffers? Yep
Share a family tradition if you have one. St. Nicholas Day.. it's a German tradition really. December 6th, you get either a small gift or a lump of coal - if you get coal you know you need to shape up before Christmas or Santa won't be good to you! I got coal when I was three (the year after my brother was born) and my mom said I cried so hard it broke her heart and she vowed never to do it again! Hahahaha
Real or fake tree? I wanted to buy a fake tree last year after Christmas but we didn't get around to it. I prefer them. DH likes the real tree. We'll probably end up with another real tree and buy a fake one on sale after Christmas. When do you put it up? Early December.
What other decorating do you do? Well last year we put up some thin garlin since we have no shelving in the apartment (can't leave stuff on tables; cats will take it). I want to get some snow flakes to hang from the walls.
What's on your gift wish list? I want a new winter jacket.
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? Already taken care of; I gave him an iPod Touch for our anniversary/Christmas.
Do you do stocking stuffers? I think we'll do these this year since we're not doing big gifts.
Share a family tradition if you have one. We always go to my grandma's house on Christmas Eve and eat Chinese food. Love it. I can't imagine celebrating Christmas Eve any other way.
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? My whole family gets together for this holiday too and I love it (parents, grandparent, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.). It's one of the benefits of having everyone living in the same area. Someone volunteers to host each year, though it's been DH and I for the last couple and I don't mind doing it. The most daunting part is coming up with a menu for feeding everyone.
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? Real. We had a fake tree growing up because my mom was allergic to the real thing but I love the smell of a real tree so that's what we get now. Plus it's more environmentally friendly than fake ones and that's important to us. ETA: forgot to answer the second part of my own question, I like putting it up as early in December as possible, but it usually depends on when DH has free time to go with me to pick out a tree.
What other decorating do you do? I go all out for Christmas with my interior decorating. Haven't gotten around to doing lights in the window yet because I'm a little scared of the work to string lights all around them but last year I finally got those candle thingies to put in the windows so I'll do that this year. But inside I've got ornaments, greenery, pointsettias, lights, etc. all over the place. I even decorated our dining room chandelier last year and loved the way it came out
What's on your gift wish list? My family hates shopping for me because I usually don't have anything on my wish list (which I think means I lead a pretty fulfilled life
). This year though I have a couple of big ticket items, a digital camera (just point & shoot) and a sewing machine.
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? He's been wanting an outdoor volleyball net but I think I'll save that one for his birthday in April. I'm going to look into getting a speed light (a flash) for his digital SLR.
Do you do stocking stuffers? Yes, I think they're so fun!
Share a family tradition if you have one. We do a Secret Santa thing with the extended family, which is fun. We also open gifts by age, so it's a little bit of torture on the little ones but it teaches them patience :P
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? @ the in-laws as usual
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? They have real... not sure if we will have a tree this year or not. It's DH's thing and he didn't motivate to have one last year.
What other decorating do you do? I don't decorate!
What's on your gift wish list? dSLR (in my dreams), sewing machine... $$$$
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? hells no... ummm... socks? I have no idea.
Do you do stocking stuffers? @ the in-laws & they handle that.
Share a family tradition if you have one. My family- for Chanukah, we don't wrap presents... we hide them & play "Hot- Cold". AND we still do it. It was so fun when we were younger. His family- they sit around the fire & his dad reads The Night Before Christmas... and his mother takes 4 months to open her presents. Ugh.
Christmas kind of stresses me out now that we have two families in two states to keep happy, but I try to make the best of it.
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? This year we're spending Christmas with my family. We go to church Christmas eve and decorate cookies after, then DH and I will spend the night at home, wake up and have a nice breakfast, then head back over to my parents' house to open gifts and hang out with my mom's extended family.
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? We've done real so far. DH grew up with fake trees and I promised him we could get a fake tree once we have a house with a basement to store it in. No house yet, so I think we'll be getting a real tree again this year. We usually put it up the first weekend in December.
What other decorating do you do? Hang stockings, put out seasonal towels and soaps in the kitchen and bath, put up a winter village scene on one of our bookshelves, ornament centerpiece on the table, wreath on our door.
What's on your gift wish list? Nothing really. I wish we had a house so we could buy new furniture already.
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? We agreed to make our Greece trip our gifts for birthdays, anniversary, and Christmas this year. We'll probably do some small gifts still. I'll see what looks good when the time comes.
Do you do stocking stuffers? Yes, I love stuffing stockings. Usually I'll buy a bunch of scratch tickets and wrap them individually.
Share a family tradition if you have one. My new tradition is baking cookies. We always did sugar cookies for Santa when I was growing up, but now I go all out and bake dozens and dozens of fun special Christmas cookies, and give them as gifts and bring them to parties. I keep some favorites every year and rotate in some new ones to try.
I LOVE these polls, thanks Rock!
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? DH and I are going to do our own Christmas this year! We're staying up here, in our apartment, doing whatever we want!! He has to work the day after Christmas so it's not worth the drive down to CT in all the traffic for one day. Plus, we've never had a holiday where we haven't had to go to at least 3 other houses, so we're really looking forward to doing nothing and celebrating however we want.
We are going down to CT in early Dec to celebrate the holiday with our families though (see below).
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? Always real! We try to get it a couple of weeks before Christmas.
Also, in CT we always cut down our own tree at a tree farm. My first Christmas up here when DH and I first moved in together, we went to a road side market type thing and I got all depressed that we weren't cutting the tree down and just picking one that was lying there all wrapped up and I wouldn't know what it looked like, etc. When I told the guy selling the trees why I was so upset he looked at me funny and said "you mean you drive up into Canada and treck out into the woods and cut down whatever tree looks good?!?!" I was almost in tears!
What other decorating do you do? Lots! Lights all over the apartment, candles, mistle toe, little figures, stockings, etc. I LOVE it!
What's on your gift wish list? Nothing really, I'm not into lists. We didn't really do this when I was a kid and I've never gotten into it. Whatever I get is wonderful and if I need to return it, oh well!
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? We usually get each other lots of little stuff like books, movies, pjs, etc so probably stuff like that.
Do you do stocking stuffers? Oh yes! I like to put bookmarks, scratch lotto tickets, and candy in DHs and all the animals get little treats too!
Share a family tradition if you have one. Christmas Eve is always always with my mom's side of the family. It's been that way since before even my oldest cousin was born. The format is always the same- watch White Christmas & have snacks, eat dinner, open gifts with the youngest person starting first and going to oldest (last year we did secret santa so it was a little different), play cards. It reminds us all so much of my grandparents and the great parties they used to throw- the tradition is definitely in their momory. And now that everyone is older and it's harder to get everyone together, we still make sure to have the celebration even if it can't be on Christmas Eve. It's so great to anticipate seeing everyone and knowing how much fun it always is.
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)?
At my family's. We have a big Christmas eve with lunch and a light dinner, but midnight mass then everyone, including our priest, comes over after mass for a big breakfast and drinks and it goes until about 4 in the morning. Dad and I usually prepare Christmas dinner together for the immediate family.
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? If we get one, it's real. I didn't for years with the fosters plus us being gone most of the holiday. Last year we got our first one, it was real, and we put it up around the 18th (I remember because of that storm we got the week before Christmas!)
What other decorating do you do?
Not much. Like I said, foster dogs, being gone, working all the time. Who has time! I put up a stocking for DoggyBooster, but we don't do our own.
What's on your gift wish list? I'm asking for a lightweight rain jacket, lululemon yoga pants, a kindle, body shop products.
Any ideas what you're getting for DH?
I think I'm getting him golf lessons. He keeps hinting at his desire to learn and I found a club close by that gives 1:1 lessons. DoggyB is getting an interactive game I just came across.
Do you do stocking stuffers?
Just for DoggyB. Santa Paws comes to visit her every year!
Share a family tradition if you have one.
See Christmas Eve plans
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? We are going down to Va to spend the holiday with my family.
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? Fake tree this year because we will be traveling. We usually put it up the weekend right after Thanksgiving.
What other decorating do you do? lights outside, wreath on the door, we hang all the Christmas cards we get on string in the kitchen, we have a bunch of other assorted decorations that go up around the house.
What's on your gift wish list? reusable bags, some books, some music, sweaters (a lot of the sleeves on mine shrank last year so they ar enice 3/4 sleeves now .. still wearable but a lil chilly on cold days)
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? not sure ... maybe something for our camera (lens or external flash) .... realistically it will probably be clothes or something
Do you do stocking stuffers? yep
Share a family tradition if you have one. We open one gift every Christmas Eve. It is always pjs to wear to bed that night.
We lived in Germany for awhile when I was growing up and we brought this tradition "home" with us. My mom still leaves stuff in our shoes that night. And for DH and I she assigns us shoes that she will fill for us since our shoes are 100s of miles away.
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? This year we are splitting Christmas Eve between our families and Christmas we are staying HOME! I am so excited about this. My BFF and her husband are coming over with their baby (still not yet born) and I am making a Turducken. I have never made one before, but my H really wants it.
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? Real tree! We go and cut one down at a farm in Acton the weekend of Thanksgiving.
What other decorating do you do? Lights outside and some small decorations inside.
What's on your gift wish list? A kitchen aid mixer
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? not sure yet...
Do you do stocking stuffers? not usually but we will probably fill Luka's stocking.
Share a family tradition if you have one. We don't really have any.
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? Just the usual, gifts and food, MIL may be here so we'll celebrate with her and SIL
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? Fake, I left ours in FL so I'm excited to buy a new one this year! And I put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving
What other decorating do you do? Oh, I put decorations in every room and usually put up some lights outside
What's on your gift wish list? a new digital camera or diamond stud earrings
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? Nope, not a clue, maybe some Bruins or Celtics tickets, he's really hard to shop for AND his birthday is in the beginning on January so I have to think of something for that too..
Do you do stocking stuffers? Oh yeah
Share a family tradition if you have one. My stepmom's family does a progressive dinner where each person serves a course at their house and it ends at my grandma's house where we have dessert and open presents, it's nice to see everyone's decorations and it makes the day last longer..
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? Christmas Eve is spent at my in-laws with the entire extended family. Then we spend Christmas morning in our own house and then see our families later - I think this year we'll have them to our house seeing as my parents no longer live in MA but will be on the Cape.
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? Fake. It goes up right after Thanksgiving
What other decorating do you do? I have stuff around the house like santas and garland. we also put candles in the windows
What's on your gift wish list? umm, not much right now - we haven't thought that far.
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? I think we're getting each other a new desktop for our study - we each have our own from college and they're getting old and pretty much dead.
Do you do stocking stuffers? I can't remember if we did last year or not - I don't think we did.
Share a family tradition if you have one. Aside from Christmas Eve with the in-laws, they kind of all went out the window last year since it was our first Christmas in our house/away from our families.
Aww that's awesome! We just do stockings rather than shoes, easier
I think that's how they did it when my mom was growing up too. And they did the gifts at midnight thing.. my grandmother was from Germany and moved here when she married my grandfather, so she kept a lot of the traditions with my mom and her siblings 
How are you celebrating Xmas this year (if you are)? We celebrate the holidays with my parents the day before the day before xmas, then on xmas eve we go to someone in DH's family's house (they rotate), xmas morning we open our own gifts, and then it's at DH's parents' house, then we go to my grandmother's xmas afternoon. The Saturday either before or after xmas we celebrate with my dad's side of the family... it's like a holiday week...
Real or fake tree? When do you put it up? We get a real tree now (I had always grown up with a fake tree and I hated it). Last year we got it at the beginning of December and it lasted us well the whole month
What other decorating do you do? I decorate the mantle above the fireplace, put wreathes on the doors, lights on the trees... last year was our first year in the new house, so we'll see what we do this year
What's on your gift wish list? A new interior paint job? Haha... no, but seriously, not much... just coming down off the high of our wedding, I would feel bad if anyone gave us anything
Any ideas what you're getting for DH? A sushi-making kit. There was something else but I can't remember off the top of my head. But again, I think our gift-giving this year is going to be lower than usual...
Do you do stocking stuffers? We do. That might be all we do this year.
Share a family tradition if you have one. Growing up my parents always used to let us open one gift on xmas eve. We may continue that one with our children when they come along