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What was Christmas like when you were growing up?
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When I was growing up Christmas was probably the most anticipated celebration because:
As children, we enjoy Christmas much more than as adults. Maybe that's why, even when we grow up, some of us look forward to it with the hope that those times will come again
As a child, we used to meet with my aunt who lived in the house where my mother and her sisters grew up. She was very humble but very welcoming.
All of us cousins would play and eat, while the adults would dance and talk until dinner time.
Visitors always arrived and were welcome at the table to share.
Unfortunately, about 10 years ago, Venezuela entered one of the worst economic crises, which led us not only to suspend the meetings, but also, many of the family members, to emigrate and Christmas no longer has the same meaning for me.
La navidad cuando era pequeño 🤔, la recuerdo muy bien, era una fecha llena de aromas muy sencillos y deliciosos, mi mamá preparaba los dulces tipicos de nuestra región natal y la comidad típica del país (hallacas), yo solo jugaba y miraba la tele viendo programas o pelís navideñas jajajaja.
Me colaba en la cocina y le decía a mi mamá que hiciera una hallaca especial, donde yo le indicaba que ingredientes colocarle en mayor cantidad, que eran los garbanzos 🤣, luego le hacía un lazo especial para identificar cuales eran las mías, algunas veces la pasabamos en casa de mis abuelos y podiamos oír las parrandas en las madrugadas, que se les conoce como misas de gallo, eran lo más geniales que recuerdo jajaja, al finalizar venía lo esperado, una porción de bizcochuelo y una copita de vino que no me daban jajaja, pero siempre lograba probarlo, sin dudas unas buenas fechas para recordar, ahora las comparto con mis hijos y paso mis conocimientos culinarios a ellos 😊
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
This is lovely. My mum made us join her in the kitchen and we didn't have any sisters just us boys. It's a memory I'll savor for life.
Currently I always cook something special to share on these dates, every year I prepare the traditional dishes and a new one that I create with what I have on hand, but the essence is the same, only now I am the father and the son at the same time ☺️
Christmas was the time when I had a lot of time. The half yearly exam would be over by then. 5Days off and and the school would open only the next year. Best time of the year to full fill your hobbies.
It was the time when there was no internet, Instagram, FB, WhatsApp, if you wanted to be social you had to step out and be social. I guess I miss the simpler times.
Christmas, and all times were more social at those days. Nowadays everybody is on there phones, sending messages to the person who's next to them, 😉 Hopefully will the social days became the normal days again and will we remember what it's all about in this life, to be together, united as humans and we will take care of eachother in good, and bad times. That's my christmas wish for this year! May you have Happy holidays!
I seriously doubt if people will connect like they used to. Even when the technology has made it 100 times easier to talk to a person, we have evolved into someone who want less talking and interaction.
I am not sure where we are heading we have the means but we lack the will. I am no different, one by one slowly I lost contact with all my childhood friends. All I am left with is the memories.
Sorry for being gloomy inthis festive season. ❤️☮️
Youre not gloomy, it's the sad reality, in this kind of stuff i am a little bit of a dreamer, 😉
Haha, so true, no cellphones yet. You really had to be present to make friends socially.😆 I miss those days I think it was super fun.
Merry Christmas to you dear!🤗😍🥰
We just need to accept that online friendship can be as good as the old school type. That's all I guess. The only thing we can do is make the best of what we have and keep moving forward.
Although online friendship will lack the joy of kicking the friends in butt for being late.
Merry Christmas to you too ❤️☮️
We just need to accept that online friendship can be as good as the old school type. That's all I guess. The only thing we can do is make the best of what we have and keep moving forward.
Although online friendship will lack the joy of kicking the friends in butt for being late.
Merry Christmas to you too ❤️☮️
Haha, I guess it goes with the times. Being Online now is what is the normal because of the pandemic. During my time the great minds, the inventors were still putting into physical the hardware parts of what we are experiencing and living now.
As the bible says, line upon line, precept upon precept.
Grateful to have lived, seen and experience the many wonders man have made and developed.
I guess for the next generations, flying cars will be their norm.😍😍
Advance Merry Christmas to you too!
Those times were the best (even if it sounds like old people talk) because going out and seeing each other in person will always be better than just texting.
How much physical contact is missing these days, although for those of us who are far away from those we love, it helps a little to shorten the distance.
Exactly, we do sound like old people 🤣🤣🤣.. but that's ok. We also sound like wise people. 🤣🤣🤣
And I am definitely not against the technology though.. I would hate to write letters and wait ages for reply.
Have you heard that Christmas in the Philippines is livelier and longer celebrated? Growing up, it has been our tradition that, if it's September, we start decorating our house with colorful lights and lanterns outside and decorate a Christmas tree with gifts under it (though sometimes just an empty box that is beautifully wrapped haha). The neighborhood is vibrantly colored, with Santa Claus or a reindeer statue in their windows and doorframes. After All Saint's Day, children were all over the neighborhood, caroling at the top of their lungs with their improvised musical instruments such as tambourines and drums. Aside from the opening of presents, carol singing is my favorite thing to do because I get to roam around the neighborhood and bond with my friends, and I can also save money by caroling. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, which I always looked forward to, and every Filipino kid shared the same thoughts with me. Now that I'm older, though I'm still only 22, the more I appreciate the true meaning of Christmas, that it is more than just gifts, colorful lights, gatherings, and caroling. Now, when I think of Christmas, it is more about being grateful and content with what you have, spending quality time with your family, and sharing your blessings with other people. Now that Christmas is fast approaching, let's spread positive vibes and love!
They were great as I remember going to bed early and looking forward to playing with my gifts in the morning. Unforgettable moments so for me Christmas has been very special
When I'm still a kid all I know about Christmas is a time to dress on red and visit santa 🎅, but when I grow older I realize Christmas is more than that. Christmas is a season of sharing, season of love. It's a great time spare apart to share to people next to your door am that exactly what @ecency is doing right now to celebrate Christmas to us.
Thanks for this initiative, you understand Christmas the way I understand it. Hahaha😂
Haha, I envy you growing up you get to meet Santa mine was different. Since we live far from the city, from the country side so we never really had Santa but we made our Christmas meaningful and fun.
Merry Christmas dear!🤗😍🥰
Christmas time is fun, sorry you don't have the fun with Santa.hahaha😂 I also had it once, but lot of Christmas with dress. Merry Christmas dear friend.
Certainly, Christmas goes beyond the commercial meaning it has been given around the world.
Sharing with loved ones and with those who have none is at the heart of the celebration.
Nothing is small as gift on Christmas, try to share with love.
Thanks for stopping by my friend, merry Christmas to you
Christmas is a time to remember to share love and care of every humanbeing and every animal who shares this world with us. And enjoy company ❤️ Happy holidays for everyone!
Yes it's a great time to share with lovers and haters.😂.
Merry Christmas my friend
thanks!
Ibh, we don't celebrate Christmas in my homecountry, we celebrate the New Year, so it wasn't a big holiday when I was a kid. But when I moved to Korea, Christmas was about a vacation. I was meeting with my friends and we spent a whole day together walking, eating, talking, and having fun! :) But the thing that never changes for me is that Christmas is magic!💫
Here in the Netherlands, Christmas is all about lights in the Christmas tree, building a little village in our home's with a lot of lights, and enjoying to share it with friends and family. Christmas is more to share it with family, and New Year to celebrate it with friends and familiy, watch the clockworks on television who's counting down to midnight, and than enjoy the fireworks. And i get always emotional when the counting down is starting, i don't know why, but that's the way it is 😁
Awww! I feel you! That counting...3, 2,1...and then Happy New Year! I always open a countdown on the laptop and watch how the clockwise moves to midnight :)) I don't know how to describe what I feel at that time, but it is something fantastic 🕰️
Still excited before I'm excited receiving gifts when I was young. Now, I'm excited giving gift for my kids and family.
So true dear, now it is our time to give back.
The tradition of giving presents with Christmas we didnot have that, thats growing in our country, we had the brother of Santa Claus, Sinterklaas on the 5th of december when i was child. And we still celebrate Sinterklaas in our country for the kids. The growns ups, are more and more giving presents under the Christmas tree. When we were children we were told to be good kids otherwise Sinterklaas will take you in a sack back to his homotown Spain, 😂 of course no one was taken. And we were told that he was a turkish good saint, who freed slaves, and payd them to work for him as a black pete, and make children happy with pressents and candy! And Christmas time was a time for family, in our family we celebrated the birthday of my sis at the 22th of december under the Christmas tree, and the birthday of my granddad at the 26th of december at the christmas tree at my grandparents house. Us children were playing and enjoying the candyballs that my grandmother was hiding in the christmas tree. And the grown ups were laughing and discussing with eachother. That were great times!!
I really did not enjoy Christmas while growing up because I came from a family where we didn't have much to celebrate but we were always grateful for life and hope that the future will be bright to celebrate other Christmas season in style.
Well we too were not well off but we just made the most of our situation specially back then during the eighties (my time growing up) was just a laid back kind of era.
Merry Christmas to you my friend!🥰
Merry Christmas to you too.
Wow! Growing up in the 80's was really fun because it was the time where we always have to be creative with our toys.
We make our own since we are not well-off. What I love about Christmas time was when me and my three other siblings would go around our neighborhood and do some Christmas caroling armed with our very own made musical instruments. We made drums from milk cans. We put plastic on the bottom of the can and tie it with rubber bands so it will make a beautiful sound. Then for our maracas, we would gather soft drink metal caps, flatten them then we nailed them to a wood making a handle with four rows having 5 to 8 flattened caps on each row. Creating a beautiful symphony everytime you shake it.
We always receive money from the houses we sing songs to because we would rehearse the songs first before we do our caroling. Plus we sing the whole Christmas songs usually three to four songs like a medley. Unlike the other kid carolers they mess up the songs.
There were a lot of times we were chased by dogs... haha. Because mostly our neighbors have dogs in their yards. So my brothers would device a sling shot made from guava branch, two of them have sling shots while me and my other sister we have bamboo sticks.... I am the eldest so I am the leader of our group.
We never experienced having to buy a Christmas tree so we make our own even our Christmas lanterns. Every year different theme. There was one time we made a tree out from a real tree but with just the branches with no leaves then we would cover the branches with japanese paper depending on the motiff like white then we add in some cotton on the edges of the branches pretending to have a white Christmas. For the decorations we use our small guava fruits and other small round fruits in our yard. We cover them with plastic glittery cellophanes usually silver, gold, green, red then we put strings and voila we have instant balls.... Haha.
One time we also made our own tree using the coconut palm stems, the One's used as a broom. We make one big bunch then we let it stand, put it in a big can so it will remain standing and like spread all around like a fountain then we cover the stems with glitters, others with different colors of cellophanes. We can't hang any balls since the sticks are light. We cover the can as well with gold cellophane.
We tried also making a tree made from soap since we learned it from our art project in school so we made one for our own home.
The money we gather from our caroling we give it to our mom so she can buy some food for our Noche Buena or the Christmas Eve dinner.
I really had so many fun and happy memories about Christmas growing up.
That's why when I had my own family I made sure my son was able to go on Christmas caroling with our neighbors kids as well because it is really a fun part of being a kid going around the neighborhood singing Christmas songs and having some money, fruits from their singing. They would have their practice in our house and who's the coach?? Me, of course! Haha. At least when he will have his own family he will have his own tale to tell to his kids.
Growing up, Christmas was what me and my siblings were looking forward to. Happy, happy times! Awww! I am having mixed emotions now while writing this comment. Made me teary
Eyed with happiness and gladness while reminiscing the adventures we had growing up since now we seldom meet during Christmas with my siblings because we all live far from each other, from different cities and during those times it was just four of us then now we are ight. Half of my siblings were not able to experience what the first half had.
My big wish for this Christmas is for me and my siblings plus with my parents to be together as one family again including the many grand kids already... From four siblings to eight then now with twenty grand kids and one great grand daughter. Big family already. We can create a choir now.😁😉😍
I just remembered that I made my toys with wood that I got in a carpentry shop near my grandparents' house, I built my cars and airplanes to play, while Santa arrived with the expected gift, my parents were very humble and I remember a very special toy, it was a plastic car, which brought inside colored candies, you could see through the transparent casing.
Wow! A lovely toy that will be told for years to come.
That's right 😊, the best ✨.
When I was younger, Christmas was fun, it was something we always looked forward to. I remember the family coming together to thoroughly clean the house because it was believed that the house should be neat and shining to usher in the season. Then we would decorate with Christmas lights, flowers and shiny decorations 🎄🎄.
OH... Again we always looked forward to our Christmas dresses, it was literally a ritual to get new clothes and shoes👟 for Christmas🎅 and new year. The Christmas food was always jollof rice or fried rice and chicken. Then the Christmas Carol in school and in church⛪.
Ooh I miss when I was younger though.
Undoubtedly it is one of the best dates in many countries, at home my mother gave us with her humility the best she could, she made a Christmas tree with dry twigs, which she decorated with what she had at hand, for me it was the most wonderful tree, although it had no leaves, no snow, no frosted lights it was the best of all, she made it with much love.
We met at my uncle's house when I was little, we played with my cousins, there was a lot of food and fun games at Christmas.
Nos reunimos en la casa de mis tios cuando era pequeña, jugabamos con mis primos, habia mucha comida y diversion de juegos en navidad.
A favorite part was the time to eat the sweets, of course when there were hahaha, the fig jam and the coconut blancmange, uff my favorites hahaha.
That read tasty, the fig I do know but the other I don't think so. But it must be delicious
It was the perfect combination for me hahaha
Wow, this is really a chance to talk, while I was growing up Christmas was fun than this, the street was aware of Christmas, I could still remember back then where we were living then, in front of our house across the street there was this don bosco student there, so there hostel was across the street, anytime it was Christmas they will stay outside at night and start to drum tins, cans or anything and start to sing too, every one will always listen to them, they will throw knock outs, my will parents disco, we will light them and start playing around, then my grandparents were alive, we would visit them, eat and play, my parents will buy new clothes and shoes for us, I really miss those days, even my uncles and aunts always come home for Christmas but now there is nothing like that, everything has changed, the Christmas is no longer Interesting to me like before. So that's how my Christmas was when I was growing up.
Before they used to buy us clothes to welcome the new year, now we buy them for our children hahaha, but without a doubt I always remember those days with love and affection, Christmas as a child was very beautiful.
Yes you are right, Christmas was really beautiful while growing up
no doubt very good memories, no matter how hard it was at the time, my parents did their best to make sure we were all well. 🙂
It was awesome as Santa brought me presents. When adult Santa left me, now I have to buy my own presents.
haha Unfortunately, Santa gives gifts only to kids))
I regret that I didn't ask him to provide me with a permanent membership to his gift factory😄
That is an amazing idea. I am afraid we have missed the deadline😆
I remember going to my aunts and uncles houses for dinner and to receive their santa's presents.. I remember my aunt from my mum's side, since they lived in the countryside and had two big dogs. Unfortunately she passed aways and we stopped the tradition, and even though I was a small kid I remember it fondly... We had warm traditional food, always the same traditional dish, so good. Then they all pretended Santa had arrive and while some of my family were distracting me pretending to go find him somewhere in the house, someone else would drop the presents and then told me I missed him again haha. Very cute times...
How was Christmas when i was young! We celebrate christmas with our grandparents. But it starts with buying a christmas tree, decorate it with lights, balls and garlands, then setting up the little stable, with Maria, Joseph and the sheep and kings, baby Jesus was always there from the beginning. And we did this always before the birthday of my sis, she is celebrating her birthday at the 22 of this month, so she always had a big christmas three at her birthday celebration. And when Christmas eve was, we went to the church for the midnight mass, with choire Schalmei, i was hoping every year that they play their version of the Little Drummer Boy. Because that version i still remember and really set me to tears of really enyoing and emotions. First Christmas day my dad went to pick up his parents and my mother was cooking her beef soup, patatoes with colly flower and beef roulade. And afther dinner whe had mostly vienetta as dessert. Most of the Christmas holidays, as i can remember were quit but cozy with family. And the other years we celebrate christmas at my aunts place, with family and a big christmas dinner. And the 2e Christmas day, we all came together at my granddads birthday, yes he was a real Christmas child, and a very kind and loving Granddad for all of his grandchildren.
When I was a child, Christmas was about waiting for the 24th night, when 'Santa Claus' came to bring presents. As a child I met him several times, growing up these encounters came to an end and I would wake up on the 25th morning running under the Christmas tree to see what he had left for me. As I grew up I realised that the meetings with Santa Claus were obviously organised, probably then someone got bored of dressing up lol
Anyway, I soon realised that Christmas was actually much more than a present under the tree.
Now that I'm 26, for me Christmas is an opportunity to be with family, to meet relatives, friends, to spend happy time with people you love. Giving presents is a way for me to show my love for a person, to show my closeness. Christmas is an occasion of jubilation, of gratitude. There is nothing better than spending it with those you love, especially family. Unfortunately, I have lost 3 out of 4 grandparents and year after year I miss them. Now that I only have one grandmother I spend a lot more time with her because I have really understood the importance of time spent with them, especially at Christmas.
As a little boy growing up Christmas was just like my personal birthday because I always love the preparation and celebration involve to enjoy the festive season. It is a time where we intend to celebrate with friends and family with the whole neighborhood been decorated with Christmas trees and fancy lights in beautiful colours.
Christmas was family, lots of dinners together, and tuning on TV to watch Home Alone and other Christmas movies.
Now it's more working and contacting digitally with friends and family till you have free time to meet them on Christmas day.
It was a mixed feeling 😉
Some times, no much food and drinks to enjoy the season not to talk of Christmas cloth as a child. Atimes we see food but with little chicken 🤦. Other kids with wealthy parents were really opressing me then but it's all good 😊
What a memory...
Le modèle économique du père noël
Donne des cadeaux contre du lait chaud et des cookies
When I was little, the money was enough to buy two changes of clothes, one for the 24th and the other for the 31st of December. From shoes to some hair accessory. My mother prepared food, but what I remember the most and what I helped her with was looking for a large branch of a dry tree and we painted it white, we decorated it with lights and curtains and a kind of cotton that looked like snow but was very itchy and they didn't let us touch it much. It was a wonderful Christmas.
Merry Christmas @ecency
As I was growing up Christmas all depended on where we were at the time. With us moving around so much over the years .Christmas was either spent at home or at my grandparents place .
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Christmas as a child was fantastic, presents, family, playing all night, throwing rockets (now I don't think it's right to throw them😥)
The most beautiful thing is that my childhood was innocent, I had no problems to take care of myself, school and play, let's take care of childhoods that are very important for the development of children.
When I was growing up as a child, Christmas was a period of happiness. When our parents prepares a special delicious meals for us. Not only that, it was a time of excitement because new clothes and shoes will be available. I always see Christmas as a special season of the year because my late Dad will come back and some of our relatives that doesn't base in the village will come back to celebrate Christmas with us the village. So, I see it as a period of enjoyment and putting on new clothes.
Right now, Christmas is far from what I think it was then. Because am out from the village and has to hustle on my own now.
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As a kid, there was always so much anticipation! My brother and I knew that there would be one 'big' gift; you know, the one you really wanted and or maybe hoped for. Then there'd be a few others, often being of things we needed or toys of lesser stature than that 'big' one. Our parents didn't have a lot of money back then, but they always made it a wonderful Christmas. I can remember my brother waking me up some years telling me to come quick, as Santa had been here! I enjoyed those Christmases! Thanks for bringing that to mind! Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
You know that rumbling sound the drum makes that keeps increasing. That's the way I usually feel.
The harmattan then adds to the thrill, dry air, hot day, cold nights and as if it wasn't enough, foggy mornings.
I don't know if the rice and stew with chicken was the best part of it or the marching outfits my mum would put on us, or perhaps it's the banger, I was a cunning little kid you know, sneaking out through the back to shoot bangers with my friends.
That's it, it's the bangers, the rice could wait and I didn't like the oversized marching outfits anyways, but the bangers was the climax of that rumbling sound that filled my heart.
We didn't do anything out of the ordinary as a family, no picnics, no Christmas trees, no lights, certainly no candles, we couldn't afford all those luxuries, yet my parents found a way to make it thrilling.
A planned trip to our village was the highlight. Leaving the city for the village during Christmas period was a norm here in Nigeria, as a matter of fact the streets gets lonely during these times and that's not because people are indoors.
The journey to the village was a thrilling one because we get to see all the fuzz Christmas was about on the way. Giant Santa Claus balloons built by fancy restaurants, mesmerising lights lining the edges of tall buildings and then bands of all sorts performing on the road.
The journey alone was worth more than the time spent in the village. The latter was usually filled with unwanted hugs from old people with yellow teeths (no offense to them) and unknown relatives asking silly questions about the city.
Church services was also a big deal for us, as we dance recklessly here in Africa just like David did in the Bible. With the local drums in the village it added more finesse to it, setting it apart from the solemnity of the churches in the city.
I've seen the travails of life, sometimes I wish I was still innocent, but I no longer enjoy Christmas as much as I did before. I still find a way to make it memorable, that's what my mum would want anyways.
Merry Christmas in advance to everyone that stuck around with this comment. It's good to finally be back on Hive.
Christmas is a holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is traditionally celebrated by Christians around the world on December 25th. Many people celebrate Christmas by attending church services, exchanging gifts, and spending time with family and friends. Decorations such as Christmas trees, lights, and mistletoe are also common.
Christmas traditions vary from country to country and from culture to culture. In some places, Christmas is a more religious holiday, while in others it is more secular and focused on gift-giving and festive activities. In many Western countries, Christmas traditions include singing carols, decorating Christmas trees, and exchanging cards and gifts. Some people also celebrate by cooking and sharing special meals with loved ones.
Wow! Trust me, I don't personally don't joke with Christmas Rice LolZ, Because it's use to be one special Rice with local chicken always available at it lolz. In my locality everyone will travel to the village to celebrate the Christmas with family and friends at the Village, wow it fun to see everyone cooking rice with chicken as kids we move from one home to another of family members to eat and drink together. That's has become a good sense of memory I can't forget after Church, we eat and drink then move out to watch the local football match, at the same time masquerade is playing as some are watching them dancing.
In deed Christmas is Period of happiness to me as a child.
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