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So how do you celebrate McBloong's Day?

Mariette

Ah, you fell into my trap. I was actually ASKED to explain McBloong's day.

On McBloong's day, McBloong's aardvark enters the homes of good little boys and girls and leaves boxing gloves full of pudding in the cupboards of the house, which the children will have to hunt around and find.

The homes of bad little girls and boys see a much different side of the aardvark; they are taken away for a 27-hour stint of their least-favorite homework (and for those who like academics, this might be dodgeball with gnomes, who are immensely strong, but short, and hard to hit), while the parents are sent to a hotel/spa.

Following this, the entire family opens fortune cookies with surrealist fortunes, all of which come true. So they may spend hours determining how their dad will be struck by someone who stretches time, or why mom will be a gibbon who gives the mayor a subpoena.

McBloong's day may come several times a year. It's hard to predict, that way. Much like surrealist fortune cookies.

see, the only thing I could think of, and the thought wouldn't let any other thoughts past it, was that to celebrate McBloong Day, you just have to celebrate the entire ding dang McBloong day all day mcblong.

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And for each one of these kids there were thousands that accepted it just fine. I have to believe that these kids would have had a crisis over something else.

If a six year old asks where babies come from do you explain sexual intercourse or do you give them a nice story that they can understand? What I'm trying to get at here is that a well adjusted kid will grow up and learn about Santa on their own and be fine with it.

Shiloh

Well, I am sure you have a right to believe that. I disagree, however.

And while, yes, the majority of kids will survive the experience, intact, I really think that making a few adjustments for sensitive and nice kids is the way to go. This is the same reason that I don't think that Elementary schools shouldn't be run like the Lord of the Flies; strong children will flourish, and the weak will be trampled under. Now, it could be argued that these weaker kids would just have been killed off by something else, later; very Darwinian, in fact.

I'm just saying that "well-adjusted" means more than most people think; someone with special talents will usually have slightly different needs. I mean, in the Dark Ages, any male who wasn't a warrior was considered a man with unusual needs. But all those people, who became merchants, artists, lawmakers, and so on, are people who benefit society. Adjusting for the "special needs" of people who are in possession of necessary talents, when the adjustment is so small does not, to me, seem out of line. If you want to discuss what this special talent is good for, that's good, too.

Again, you disagree. I'm not taking away your right to believe differently. And if you want to drop it, I'm fine.

As far as six-year-olds asking questions of babies, I'd reply, "Daddies and Mommies work together to bring babies." Most kids don't need to know more than that, until they're a bit older. It's again, not the whole story, but enough for the kid to go on with.

Anyway, I'm sure others are tired of hearing my long explanations.

But one last thing; if a child has a vulnerability in which he can receive injury, that's one thing; but imagine the difference between getting an injury and learning to deal with injury, and receiving that injury from someone you trust...who did it on purpose.

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The tradition of hanging lights on the tree is also credited to Martin Luther wanting to reflect a particularly amazing starlit sky inside his home. We find a lot of conflicting stories out there.

THanks again for the info.
Florida Sunsets

No way! I hadn't heard about that one....Martin Luther? Really?

Hmm...okay, did some further research on this; some sources put the tree back to Jeremiah's time; but there, they're talking about idols, not trees, I think (adorning a wood carving with silver/gold).

Chopping the tree down (other than to carve into an idol) is a late invention; evergreen boughs were brought in by just about everybody from the Greeks to the Norse; and living evergreen trees were decorated as far back as the Romans (feast of Bacchus); Tertullian condemns the practice in the 2nd or 3rd century.

The Feast of Bacchus and the Saturnalia were Dec 17th to about the 25th. They decorated the tree with 12 candles to symbolize the 12 months of sun. At least, according to "Christmas Tree Traditions," by Diane Relf.


Later traditions about the Christmas tree; who knows? There's a lot of confusion and stealing of credit. It's hard to know what was reinvention, and what was fictionalization. It could be that Martin Luther came up with this on his own, and didn't know about the other traditions. But, there you go.

I thank you for telling me about the tradition; I didn't know about it.

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Lol! This was great. Reminded me of my own childhood when my parents used to qualify the whole Santa discussion by reminding me not to ask for anything they couldn't afford. The neighbors might think we stole it if I got something really expensive, lol! My parents might not have gone to college, but they sure had a BA in BS.

THis is pretty hysterical! LOL!!!

I go to church with a guy who really played down the Santa thing for his kids. He said he works hard all year to make money, he buys the presents, and he wants to be the "good guy" and bring his kids the cool presents - why should Santa get all the credit?? So Santa brought them their stocking, and some little things in it - and the big cool stuff came from the parents. Not a bad idea! It's really funny listening to him tell his "side of the story" - lol!! Of course his kids are in high school now, so it's a moot point ;-))

Mama Fox

Santa brought them their stocking, and some little things in it - and the big cool stuff came from the parents

That's what we did too. And, still do with my daughters who are 19 and 23. The "big" presents appear after they go to bed, so they won't shake and guess and get it right. BUT, they are from me. Not for the credit. Though I think that is a good point. It was more because the way my mom did it when I was growing up, I guess. At some point, I remember asking why other kids got lots of stuff from Santa but not me. She said something like "because you are such a good little girl, Santa uses lots of helpers to have your gifts delivered" -- my sister was REAL good too! I have a BIG family with more than the usual sets of grandparents and parents so I got a bazillion presents anyway. Mom would work hard to parcel out my wish list. And, my sister and I followed her example and parceled out my daughters', nephew's, and niece's wish lists. It was also VERY important to Mom to have gifts wrapped. So, the gifts in our stockings from Santa were wrapped too (in Santa paper). My sister and I followed suit. My odd daughters, niece, and nephew NEVER asked the question of why others got more from Santa than they did. Probably, because gifts appeared on Christmas morn so the surprise was still there. By the time they opened the gifts, it was too hard to remember.

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I'm 35 and my mama tells us every year, she better not hear us say there isn't a santa or we don't get anything! It's a fun story just like every other fairy tale. Why is it considered a "lie"? I can't understand why it's so bad to let my kids have a fun time until Christmas morning. It's just fun. Nothing to get upset over when you find out the truth. Yes, my kids will (one already knows, the other is a baby) know the truth about the holiday that it's actually to celebrate Jesus' birth, but let the kids have fun and fantasy while they can. Soon enough they grow up and in the real world, it's not so much fun anymore. there's so much violence and hate and meanness. Let them be carefree kids!

sorry to those who are offended by my opinion.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
or my new saying....
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!
Dawn

No, I'm not offended, we disagree, and if this was the first time that had ever happened (me disagreeing with someone), I can only imagine the place I was living.

As far as, "how is that a lie?" Uh....it's pretty much the dictionary definition of a lie: Telling someone something is true when it is not. Now, you handle things your way, and I'm not trying to get in your face, or be controlling or mean.

When some kids find out, it's no big deal. When other kids find out, it's a HUGE deal. It depends on the child in question, really. I know we do things differently than you do, with the whole tradition, and as long as no one is hurt, meh.

Now, as far as the sort of "letting kids be kids" thing, well, sure. I mean, I don't have to give them all the specifics of the difficulties of the world. And we, in my family, had an AMAZING time with the Christmas thing.

My parents were very into make-believe, and making up stories; we kids did the same thing. But we knew what was make-believe, and what was not. To give an example; we had a contest where you had to come up with a way that anything (the thing in question picked by whoever asked) would lead to "the alligators taking over the world." (This was partly in protest for the contemporary belief that dancing leads to drugs, and music leads to drugs, and everything kids do leads to drugs...yawn.) So, it was a story-making contest, and we had a total blast with it. I'm a big believer in imagination and fun.

And the Christmas traditions of Santa Claus were even better; since we knew the truth, we got to BE Santa Claus, from time to time (I still remember labelling gifts as "From Rudolph," "From Mrs. Claus" and so on); thus sharing the joy and laughter of the season with others. The pretend thing is great for fun; I just don't think that it should be used as anything more than a joy-making tool; this being different than a lie-making tool.

Our parents used to say (seldom, but it did occur), "Oh! What do you want Santa to get you, this year?" It was tongue-in-cheek; the difference? We were in on the joke.

Since we were all Santa, we got to exercise our creativity figuring out what each person would like best for Christmas. An excellent use of mental resources, and one I'd encourage others to try more often. You really had to get to know one another, and figure out the process of gift giving. Some people were good at figuring out just what was needed to improve the quality of life; some people were good at figuring what would give the most joy. The former might get you a new barbecue range, if your house was flooded (so you could still cook), or something. The latter might get you a bunch of gifts based on the theme of your most-liked books/movies (video games, items with characters printed on them, action figures, underoos, whatever). You found out your giving strengths, and kibbitzed on what was better to give. Great fun.

Anyway, just pointing out that the way we do things requires truth-telling, but can still be loads of fun. Especially the being Santa part....especially in cases where the receiver doesn't know who gave the gift. Hee hee! Sneaky fun.

"Sshhh! Sh! Be quiet! They might wake up!"

Not that we did breaking and entering.

I am sure you have a right to believe that. I disagree, however

I most certainly do!

This is starting to sound a whole lt like the generation of kids that grew up being taught that 'everyone is a winner' and everyone got awards so that no one got their feeling hurt. I heard on TV the other day about how these kids are now in their 20s and they can't handle real life. They can't comprehend how they don't deserve the same pay and perks that the company presiden has....after all that was the way they were raised...everyone is equal.

This is material for a thread of it's own though.

Shiloh

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It was interesting for me, because my parents didn't want to lie to my brother and I. I got a stocking and presents, supposedly from "Santa" but I knew it was my parents. I had no problem with this, and liked feeling smarter than my friends who still belived.

Rock Star

i would have felt even more smarter if i found out but never told my parents. getting back to the whole thing about parents working hard to put it all together year after year, wouldn't it be cool to see thier faces when your 18 and they think you still believe! oh wait! that would be me! not that i......

i enjoy writing letters to my kids. they don't know better.
david (team new hampshire)
http://teamnewhampshire.blogpsot.com

My parents worked very hard but had very little money when I was a kid, and they sacrificed quite a bit to make a happy Christmas for their children--while receiving none of the credit. What an unselfish thing to do, and a great example of the Christmas spirit.

That's my perspective.

Booknut

And a great perspective it is! How fortunate for you! :o)

I do plan to incorporate Santa into our holidays somehow. We have a tradition of reading a holiday story every night of December, and many of those stories are about Santa. I'm thinking maybe we might all do a sort of Family Secret Santa gift or something to inspire that selfless giving. For us, the story of Santa will be a lesson in that selflessness, definitely including Santa gifts to those in need. So, the kids will have a version of Santa, just not with the parts I don't care for. :o)

3H

Sorry if I'm boring.

Not remotely boring at all. That's one of my favorite topics. :o)

I looooooove anthropology.

3H

And I still say -

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

Only 10 more days!

BTW, and this will be a cross post, I haven't be able to get to my computer at home for several days and haven't been able to read my AQ mail. At work, I can post but can't read mail. I'll try to get to it all this weekend. Thanks for your patience!

And I still say -

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

Only 10 more days!

And a very happy Solstice to you, too! :o)

3H

and happy solstice..anyone here going to do firewatch?

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i would have felt even more smarter if i found out but never told my parents.

Ummmm, that would have been me... I found out from my "best friend" (who had older brothers and sisters) when I was six. I still remember her telling me.

I don't remember being upset at my parents though. I do remember the "ah ha" moment of, if I don't tell Mom and Dad I know, I'll get twice the presents! Some from Santa and some from Mom and Dad! (In my friend's family Santa quit coming once all the kids knew.)

"Santa" kept bringing me stuff until I was 14; at which point my brother had found out from a "friend" and my Mom asked me point-blank if I still believed. I had to fess up.

You know who I was mad at in that whole scenario? My best friend. To the point of pretty much dropping her at age six.

As far as I'm concerned, there is a Santa Claus. It's the spirit of Christmas that makes you smile at total strangers, hum while you walk down the street, go to five different stores to find "just the right something" for someone (when you HATE to shop), and want to see your kids' excitement at the beauty of the decorations at this time of year.

My opinion--your mileage may vary. :-)
Knit Wit

pre- How much did it cost you to get that snort trademarked? Do we have to pay you now to snort online? =D

Laughing out loud and shaking my head.
Too funny.
SnS

Most people I know who only celebrate Hanukkah respond to Merry Christmas with a smile and "Happy Hanukkah, to you!" I never though t of it as offensive to either party.

I agree! I would never be offended that someone looked at me and said "Happy Hannukah" or Happy Holidays or whatever. I would respond in kind with a smile and a head nod. I celebrate Christmas but think all the territorial offenses that bounce around this time of year are RIDICULOUS....yeah I said it...ridiculous.

Sweet n Sassy

I choose, as a parent, not to continue the tradition in our family.

My husband and I choose not to continue the Santa tradition as well. I told my children that it was a big secret, and they LOVE being in on it. I was talking about this decision with my (very mature) 10-year-old son just last night. He said that he was glad that we didn't make him believe that Santa brought him gifts on Christmas. He said that he plans on doing the same with his children.

We do have Santa ornaments hanging on our CHRISTMAS tree, and we will read The Night Before Christmas on December 24th after we read some passages from the Bible. We're not anti-Santa, and we don't look down on families that have a Santa tradition.

Although I have numerous reasons for not "doing" Santa, here's the main one: I am concerned that it might hurt the faith of a child. We are Christians and believe in a living God. (When my children learn "the truth," will they say, "Well, if there isn't a Santa, then there must not be a Easter Bunny, and there must not be a Tooth Fairy, and there must not be a Jesus Christ?")

Mandy
gj

Geometry Junkie, I am always amazed at how similar we are! We celebrate Christmas but don't do Santa as well.

We have fun with all traditions of the season, and even have ornaments with Santa on them...no biggie, but as far as making a big deal out of Santa Claus coming, it's non-existent in my family, as it was when i was growing up. My parents never excluded Santa, but didn't go out of their way to talk about Santa, so I grew up pretty much knowing the truth even though my parents still put my presents out. It was just so minimalized and still very fun. I was not devastated or damaged by anything because I was surrounded by love and this is what I will do with my son.

My husband shares his concerns about the tree being a ritual that was formed from pagan influences and he annually reminds me that if we are celebrating the season in honor of Christ's birth then we should do that around September, but I always smile and say "we are celebrating family, and time together, while giving honor to the fact that Jesus was born at some point in time. Period." That usually gets him on board and then we have fun. :).

Sweet n Sassy

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all the territorial offenses that bounce around this time of year are RIDICULOUS....yeah I said it...ridiculous.

RIDICULOUS....yeah I said it too...ridiculous.
Ki
Spiralseekers

Ponder this.....if ya need a chuckle..

There was an article in our local paper about a business in NY state that was advertising Kosher Hams for the Holidays.

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Kosher Hams

Whaaa?
Turkey Ham maybe?
Ki
Spiralseekers

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Kosher Hams for the Holidays

Now that'll make you go "Say what?????"

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"Santa" kept bringing me stuff until I was 14; at which point my brother had found out from a "friend" and my Mom asked me point-blank if I still believed. I had to fess up.

That sounds like my story. I still get a Santa present every now and then. And, so do my grown children. That's how I can get around the whole $ limit per person.

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As far as I'm concerned, there is a Santa Claus. It's the spirit of Christmas that makes you smile at total strangers, hum while you walk down the street, go to five different stores to find "just the right something" for someone (when you HATE to shop), and want to see your kids' excitement at the beauty of the decorations at this time of year.

Last year I went to 5 different stores to find the right Crock Pot for my mom. She was so excited.

I told her this year, I'm going to her house and getting all the stuff we bought her last year (the stuff she just had to have) and giving it to her again this year (since she hasn't taken any of it out of the box yet). This year she wants a Kitchenaid mixer (actually, she's wanted one for years), let's see how long that stays in the box.

Janet, Blooming Flowers

Yeah, I just figured we celebrate Christmas in December because that's when we most need to remember it; when it's dark and cold, and people can get discouraged.

I also like the traditions of celebrating the beauty of the season.

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I also like the traditions of celebrating the beauty of the season.

Unless, of course, you live in the south and it looks like every other season.

B of Florida Sunsets (who really needs to get over the whole I-really-miss-snow thing)

B of Florida Sunsets (who really needs to get over the whole I-really-miss-snow thing)

hey B--there's a close up picture of snow in the DUMMB founded in the Middle of Nowhere Ohio mini-meet event album if you need a visual fix ;)

I live in Indiana and have had many discussions with my DH about moving to AZ. The bottom line has always been...I cannot live where it does not snow. I need it. BBG

Happy HoliDAZE! To me its a whole Holiday Season. Beginning with my birthday (which is tomorrow YIKES!) and lasts until National Hangover Day.

deniserows
and loves her libations.

Happy Birthday and Happy Holly-Daze to you too!

Drink some Yuletide cheer for me too.

Knit Wit