Hooray! My favorite thread of the year! (I've just made it my homepage so I don't forget to post in it this year. )

I'm going to savor it, so only one question answered at a time.

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Driving around town to look at the Christmas lights. Although, I wouldn't exactly call it a Christmas tradition, but I've done it twice and should make it a tradition in the future!

Actually, one of my favorite traditions is that my dad and I went last-minute Christmas shopping on Dec. 23rd. I'm pretty sure that happened more than once... There's no more time to procrastinate at that point. You need to get the presents or else! Now that I think of it, since my sister does everything but x-ray the presents to figure out what's inside, it was a good way to keep her gifts secret.

Dad's in heaven now, so I can't do this tradition with him anymore, but it was sweet and I remember it fondly.

Nice opener, Cleander!

As long as this year has seemed, at the same time it seems hard to believe it's almost Christmas.

Movie Aristotle's post reminded me of a couple traditions I had growing up, and they also center around my dad, who is no longer with us, so I've come to cherish the memories all the more.

His birthday was December 18 (so close to Christmas that his middle name was Noel), and it marked the 'official' start of Christmas in our house. We'd celebrate his birthday and then put up and trim the tree. (So close to Christmas might seem odd these days, when holiday merchandise shows up in stores in September, but there wasn't nearly so much 'holiday creep' 50 or 55 years ago).

We'd also drive around looking at the lights. I grew up in a rather small town (population 15,000 or so), and my parents seemed to know everyone, and my dad had an encyclopedic knowledge of the streets and where the lights would be best (probably gained over his years as the Sears appliance repairman). (I like to think that my ability to visualize maps and directions is part of his legacy to me).

My Christmas experiences have changed over the years. (This is basically a set of Christmas memories, so I hope it fits into the questions)

My childhood Christmases always included taking good used toys for 'children who haven't got any' and placing them under a huge Christmas tree in our cathedral, then gazing silently on a big nativity scene nearby, known as the Manger Scene.
That was a daytime activity, and an evening one was to visit the Garden of Goodwill, an ordinary front garden filled with figures, moving items, lights, and displays, the annual gift to the city of the man whose house it was - long before everyone had lights draped all over their houses.
Visiting our favourite department store's Father Christmas was also an important countdown towards Christmas. It had a huge figure of The Man on the verandah, with one finger beckoning us to come in (and for our parents to buy). This particular FC was clearly the real one, since he arrived at the end of the annual Christmas parade, and was installed in the children's activity area soon after that.
Then there was shopping for small items and cards, bought with our own money (saved from pocket money, well taught by sensible parents); and the annual Parents' Day to mark the end of the school year - singing Christmas carols, and some simple performances.  Did I mention that being in the Southern hemisphere it was summer, and each class had a turn in the swimming pool every day? Ah, nostalgia!

Nice engaging, enthusiastic intro, Cleander, thanks!

It is interesting reading everyone's posts. And to those who have loved ones no longer with us (mine is my dear mother). We always feel their missed presence even more this time of year. My dad is still here (at nearly 94 years of age), so we treasure every time we have with him: we talk with him a few times each day and video chat with him once a week.  

I have so many Christmas memories growing up, which would be pages long, so will refrain from over-doing it here. A few key memories, although I don't even know where to begin to choose, so, let's see, hmm ...

*as a family, going to a live performance of Handel's Messiah at Toronto's old Massey Hall every year, which I have no doubt sparked my love for this amazing Oratorio to this day. I even had the great privilege of singing in a choir (lower alto) that sang the highlights, as we toured southern Ontario. I could hardly sing my part at times, for the utter joy of it all.

*my dad donned some festive clothes as St. Nicholas, including a bright white shaving cream beard. (We never believed that Santa brought presents, but sure had fun with Dad dressing up and distributing gifts Christmas morn. )

*we spent two memorable Christmases in Bermuda—one with the five us us; the next with the five of us, plus my fiancé (now my husband of 40 years).

*so many fun board games with family and friends over the holidays!

*living in Ontario, we always had loads of snow over the holidays, and since we were very much outdoors kiddos, we spent ages playing with friends and neighbours in that always entertaining high white blanket.

*singing carols together 'round the piano with the glowing Christmas tree light illuminating the cozy room

*Christmas Eve services when I was a teenager with our church family

*as for music, I can't begin to tell all, there are so many favourites; in particular, I love the old carols—harmonizing to them in an a cappella group setting is the best

*while all these ^ stand out so dearly to me (particularly the music), probably the area that takes the cake, so to speak, is the emphasis my parents put on reaching out to those folk who were alone, hurting, grieving, for whatever reason. All year long, we would regularly have these folk (of all ages) over for meals and games, and the Christmas holiday was certainly no exception. The greatest gift my parents gave me is passing on that legacy of looking beyond ourselves to those in need, sometimes even going out of one's comfort zone to show Christ's love to others. I am forever grateful that our family continues that to this day: it is the most fulfilling and joyous gift—to bless others (particularly those who are marginalized and/or alone) as we have been so blessed. Unfortunately, we cannot meet together in the same way this year due to COVID, but will still be doing as much as we can for these dear ones.

Merry Christmas as we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us!

23 days until Christmas!

What is your favorite Christmas song? 

"O Holy Night" is my absolute favorite in recent years. When I finally stopped to listen to the lyrics, it has since never failed to move me. I catch myself humming it throughout the year.

Here's Josh Groban's version and one with The Nativity Story scenes.

Yes, finally time for my favorite thread of the year! Nice intro, @the-mad-poet.

What is your favorite Christmas song? I can't pick one, I can never pick just one, I will not pick just one. Seriously I love Christmas music and as soon as there is a chill in the air I start playing it. So, a few of my favorites are...

Love the image of your dad as St. Nick, Jo, with the shaving cream beard.

Auntie, when we were growing up we also called it the "manger scene." I don't recall hearing that expression outside my extended family until now.

Speaking of nativity sets, my parents had a rather simple ceramic one that they purchased for one of their first Christmases together, so it's pushing 70 years old now (my brother stores it until it's time to set it up in my mother's little room at the skilled nursing facility). It might be showing its age a little, but it's full of memories.

Favorite song/carol?  There are so many to choose from! "O Holy Night," "Silent Night," and so many others.

A favorite recent memory was attending a Christmas Eve service with my brother and his family at a church near their suburban Seattle home in 2017 (my mother didn't join us since there was actually snow and ice and we were worried about the falling risk). The Nativity story was told, framed by Christmas carols and their history, and I loved getting to sing so many of the old classics. The memory of hundreds of people singing "Silent Night" a cappella in the candle-lit church still gives me goose bumps.

We called this a "manger scene", as well. One of my favourite adult memories of the manger/nativity scene is the beautiful, very delicate, Thornwood set I bartered for in Jos, Nigeria, and carried it back so carefully with me all those thousands of miles (this was in the late 70s when I was in university). I found a beautiful stable here at home that fit the pieces perfectly, and we lovingly put it up every year on the fireplace mantel.

That image of the congregation singing "Silent Night" a cappella, stargazer, gives me goosebumps! I also love hearing the background of carols and hymns. Each one has a story.

And here is a photo of my beloved Nigerian Thornwood manger scene:

https://ibb.co/JFngcM1

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... Except it's not, because unusually for Minnesota, there's no snow right now. ? 

I have a lot of fond memories of Christmas. We tend to get the Christmas tree up within the first week or so of December (I love Thanksgiving and protest it going up earlier than that 😛 ), and otherwise decorate the house. My mom loves model nativity scenes, so she gets out her collection of them and puts them... just about everywhere.

We used to have a tradition of doing an Advent calendar every night after supper - we had a book with an entry for every day from December 1st to December 24th. But, when people started working night shifts and we all kind of outgrew the particular book we'd been using (it was very much written for young children), that particular tradition kind of dried up.

What's your favorite Christmas song?

I've had a few over the years - when I was really young, it was Joy to the World. As I got older, it switched to Silent Night for several years. However, a few years ago, I was just struck by how beautiful O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is. I just love the sense of longing the song gives you. So that has become my favorite Christmas song, but I still love most of the classic carols.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

My favorite tradition when I was a little kid was probably doing a Christmas pageant with my cousins that we would perform for our grandparents.  I was usually an angel, but I confess there were times I would rather have been Mary.

Now, I think one of my favorites would be driving around my town to see all the Christmas lights.  This is something my family has always done.  Listening to Christmas music and looking at all the beautiful light displays can be a lot of fun.  

I remember that our town had a “Christmas Card Lane” when I was a child.  The giant Christmas Cards had lights shining on them in people’s yards.  It was so long ago that the people had old fashioned decorations and Christmas trees that were covered with tinsel, which made “icicles”. The trees had the old style lights with the colored bulbs used in the 1960’s.  I still use those type of lights on my tree today.  🙂

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

-What is your favorite Christmas song? 

Oh goodness, I have too many to list, so I'm going to simply share my newest favorite that I've discovered this Holiday season.

Hope is Here by Building 429 and featuring Terrian 

A good one for this crazy 2020 year. 

22 Days until Christmas!

Thanks for all the great stories guys! 

@johobbit, So cool you actually got to sing the Messiah! No group I've sung with has ever been big enough to do it justice. 

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent has also been a favorite of mine,SnowAngel.

I think one of my favorite traditions has always been the Advent Calendar. Every December each sibling takes turns moving the marker up each day and taking the candy out from that spot. Of course, a couple of my siblings have moved out, which means those of us who remain get more turns, so I guess you could say this tradition really improves with age.  

In other news, it is predicted that Saturn and Jupiter will meet on December 21st to form a bright point of light which may have actually been the "Star of Bethlehem." This event has not apparently taken place since 1226. Make sure to go up on the top of the nearest available tower to observe this conjunction!  

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

Make sure to go up on the top of the nearest available tower to observe this conjunction!  

Preferably one with six empty rooms and a long staircase beneath you so there's no chance of Miraz overhearing you...  

I did read a very interesting theory recently about what the real Star of Bethlehem may have been — a conjunction of Jupiter with something else, the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo, I think it was. Apparently someone had done all the calculations and figured out that this would have taken place at just the right time and it was something the "wise men" would have recognised as signifying the birth of a king. If anyone's interested, I'll see if I can find the website again. It's something probably no-one will ever prove for certain (and my own faith doesn't hinge on whether or not we ever identify the exact "star" in question!), but it's an intriguing topic...

I'm still thinking about my answers to the Christmas Countdown questions, so will post some of them hopefully in the next day or two! Very much enjoying reading other people's answers, thank you.