The days of yuletide cheer, and spiked eggnog, over-baked fruit cake, and family dinners, gifts, and all the rest are upon us.

What if anything are your plans for them?

Who do you spend them with?

What traditions do you have.

(Sorry I'm a sentimentalist to the core, I sent flowers to the ex's*, sent my family their gifts, got a new copy of "It's a wonderful life" and other Christmas flicks.)

*Not my ex who stabbed me, although I did send her Mom flowers.

Lets see, the kids finish kindergarten on the 24th and I managed to get 24th and 25th off for once this year, although the wife still has to work both. So I guess we'll be getting up early on the 25th so the kids can open their presents before the wife has to go out.
Then, while the kids are fighting over their presents, I'll probably either watch a DVD or check to see if Valve have bothered with a sale this year (seeing as I bunch of cash saved up just in case and there's a few titles I'd be interested in if the price were right).
So yeah, Christmas really isn't all that special to me anymore. I guess that happens when you live in a country that doesn't celebrate it -- it is for most, still just another normal business day.

I'm definitely on the grinch side, I really hate it but the one year I didn't do it, I got so much shit from my sister for months afterwards that its easier to suffer through it.
Call me crazy if you like but I prefer to make a big deal for birthdays, not only does it spread the cost out more but it seems mroe sensible to give people presents in celebration of THEIR birthday rather that of the birthday for someone who isn't real. If you're going that route you might as well celebrate Jean Luc Picard's birthday...

moving.

*This is my first post. Don't scorn the newbie.
Anyways, I am actually deployed to Afghanistan right now and will be departing soon for R&R. I am really excited about the holidays because I have not seen my family and friends in 8 months. For Christmas, I will spend time with my wife and 2 year old daughter. We plan on listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, and all of that sort of stuff.
The traditions we have are pretty traditional, however, since my wife is a vegetarian (it is not about love of animals, since she has plenty of leather) I decided that I wanted a particular food I have really wanted to eat, pizza, as our main course. I figured there was no point in making a ham or rib roast since I would be the only one to eat it. Besides this, I will be working out and going for a run or a walk with the wife and kid as I like to burn off the calories.
Hope you enjoy your holidays.
~Pete

Welcome man, welcome, you up in Bagram? or Kandahar?
I hope you enjoy your time at home, I think the worst part of R&R is it is always to short.

What most teenage boys do...eat, sleep, play games, and sleep some more. Oh, and get my permit, which will result in me getting my driver's license 3 months later on my bday, and then waiting another 3 months before I have absolute freedom to drive...Damn, hate that...

Neither. I am at Leatherneck. Anyways, My R&R is actually 3/4s of the way through the deployment so it will not be too bad to leave. I planned it that way, but it took a lot of patience.

Jesus was a real person....however, if you mean all that guff about "son of Jewish/Christian/Islam God", then that's much more debatable...Flying Spaghetti Monster makes more sense than all that gubbins :P

... wait you don't?
Aaanyway, I don't hate christmas as much as I hate the 'you have to give everyone gifts at this particular day' attitude. I usually don't even give people anything on their birthday unless I stumble upon something that makes them happy, or I'm sure they'll find useful.

Didn't Leatherneck get some new Ospreys recently? Sigh, I get to go in February, although where is another story.

Not real? The historical evidence is so overwhelming it is like saying, any person of the past cannot be real because one thinks they are not. Being real is not based on what others believe, but on truth based in reality.
Here is a link

Not sure about the monster part, but I have done that in high school.
I believe in flying spaghetti.

If three religions that hate each other like they're siblings agree he was a real person, just argue on the semantics of WHAT he actually was (Prophet/Son of God/False Messiah) then there's got to be something in it. And I'm not even remotely religious, saying that... If pressed, I'll admit to a bit of Wicca, but on the whole, religion is a farce that belongs in the past...
*dodges fireballs*
If my faulty memory is correct, there's lots of Roman Histories that mention many people concurrent with, and interacting with Jesus (Herod WAS a Roman governor, etc)...