Yule

[allissson]

How do you guys celebrate Yule?

[Baldur Vulgo]

With my family and my beautiful fiancée. Lots and lots of food, presents and gingerbread :)

throw in a couple of beers and I'm 100% satisfied...

[allissson]

mmmmmmm..........gingerbread. :) Do you bake? I have some nice alcoholic dessert recipes.

[Baldur Vulgo]

Yes I bake on occasion. Not good, but I bake if I have too...Read: If Helen forces me :)

About those alchoholic receipts: gimme, gimme, gimme (to quoute a classic ABBA tune)... :)

[WanKKa]

Eating ham, Sleeping, Eating ham......Drinkin...mmm

[vitr]

I spend it with my folks, no matter how old I get. :lol:

We have trees and decorations, (we decorated our houses with trees long before Jesus was born around the same time) and give presents. Useful stuff, no pointless frilly crap is allowed in our house. It has to be clothes, CD's, books, furniture, food or something useful.

We have some obnoxious family to out up with but mostly they are pretty cool, though we have ten times our fair share of weirdos in my family. *twitch twitch*

Parents do have a nativity and some angel things, but they know I don't like them and they ain't going in my room. :evil:

[mmtutti]

Xmas? I revel in the commercial aspects of it, that is celebration enough: eating 'til I can eat no more, and then playing with my new toys, so to speak. it is with a sense of irony: I'll gladly engage in anything depicting the downfall of Christianity.

[VauhtiParoni]

Going to my parents, eating rice porridge, going to sauna, listening to Pakanajuhla :) , relaxing, watching some stupid xmas-movie on tv, eating traditional Finnish Yule-meal, drinking ale, listening to Pakanajuhla, drinking some more, doing phonecalls to my bandmates & friends, drinking, taking a cab to Helsinki centrum, going to bar, drinking, singing ( a lot!!!), listening to Pakanajuhla again, drinking some more, taking a cab to home, trying to find my bed, total black-out.

Next day: terrible headache, (see the beginning of the list above) :)

[Big J Q]

For me it seems to be the same as all of you. Traditional rice porridge, ridiculous programs on tv, eating ham, visiting my grandparents and gifts. We also have angelic decorations, but we don't care about the christian aspect to christmas. After all, it's not their party, they stole it! (Pakanajuhla, anyone?)

[allissson]

We don't have any family at all in Florida. last year my parents and grandma came here and we had a blast. We love to have parties so we have a party on 24 December and a HUGE party for new years Eve. And of course, we do the santa thing as one has to do when one has children. The thing I like best is decorating the house and garden. I make damned sure I do my part to lure back the sun by putting 10,000 lights on the outside of the house and as many poinsettia plants as I can jam in. Indoors, the tree, more poinsettias and fresh mistletoe tied into bundles everywhere. Vases full of Holly and Ivy scattered through the house. Candles everywhere I also have a Yule log that I put candles in because in Florida it's useless to have a fireplace in the house. I also bring the rosemary and some of the more pungent herb plants indoors because I like the smell of it. and I hang a wreath on the door.

I honour the dieties on the Solstice day.

As for cooking, I usually cook venison and all the side dishes. And of course, while cooking, I have a few drinks "for inspiration" ;)

I don't get involved with the commercial end of it and get caught up in all the frenzy - I do my gift shopping in the summer because I hate malls - especially at christmas - I have all that sh.it zipped up by October.

I do bake a lot and make candy at this time of the year because there's a lot of people on hand to eat it. I don't eat much sweets myself.

And get amused sitting back watching the christians get all obnoxious over the whole christmas thing. it's they who turned christmas into a retail holiday. :lol:

[vitr]

Allissson, I get all my xmas shopping done before Nov. starts usually. :D I get cards and giftwrap in new year sales and the only things I get in the retail season are new xmas decorations, they are part of the getting in the mood for me. I like to shop when there are not many ppl about, so I go Saturday morning first thing as I work weekends mostly. :( Gets me out of the house! :)

A log with candles.... beats killing a perfectly good tree. :) We have plastic trees.

[allissson]

I can't handle plastic trees - it seems un-natural to me. I need to smell the pine. :)

[Draugrist]

Well... My parents are extremely christian so it's christmas church for me :x But I like the spirit of christmas, everybody is sooo happy! Besides christmas food is really good! Sauna, food, nicely decorated tree, tv and presents :) Only one month and it's christmas :)

[vitr]

That stinks that you are forced to go against your will. Can you tell your family you don't want to go? They might get a bit arsey but if you explain that you respect their beliefs (even if you don't) and that you just don't share the belief. State the things you think don't add up, and say that you're not trying to tell them what to believe, just explaining your beliefs. If you are constructive and respectful then they will have to take you seriously and respect your choice. :|

[mmtutti]

ya know what... we should combine our forces and write the Definitive Handbook of Relinquishing Christianity!

[vitr]

Give it a couple of centuries and it'll be as good as dead anyway. And system which cannot be questioned is bound to fall, as humanity evolves spiritually, askes more questions, thinks more for ourselves than we did in times past.

Humanity evolves away from sheeplikeness, the end of suppressive religion to give way to spiritual beliefs that don't suppress people's identities or dignity, is inevitable IMO.

Not that I have any spiritual beliefs, but I predict humans will always need to believe in an afterlife and possibly a protector/fate, but that it will evolve to a more enlightened state.

[aboriginaali]

Hmm... We´ll see about that..

[Big J Q]

Yeah, let's gather in a 200 years to see, if we were right about the fall of christianity!

[mmtutti]

- you may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I'm here to put you back on schedule.
- I assure you, Lord Vader, we are working as fast as we can.
- the Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation.
- but he asks the impossible. I need more men...
- then perhaps you should tell him when he arrives.
- the Emperor's coming here?
- that is correct. And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress.
- we shall double our efforts!
- I hope so, Commander, for your sake. the Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.

how appropriate.

[Big J Q]

Most approriate!

Aah I love that scene. D. Vader is such an charming person :lol:

I found one error, though:

"- That is correct." should be
"- That is correct, commander.", methinks.

[mmtutti]

well I wasn't being too precise with it. actually the script goes:

JERJERROD
Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We're honored by your presence.

VADER
You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I'm here to put you back on schedule.

JERJERROD
I assure you, Lord Vader, my men are working as fast as they can.

VADER
Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them.

JERJERROD
I tell you, this station will be operational
as planned.

VADER
The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation.

JERJERROD
But he asks the impossible. I need more men.

VADER
Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives.

JERJERROD
The Emperor's coming here?

VADER
That is correct, Commander. And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress.

JERJERROD
We shall double our efforts.

VADER
I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.

my favourite scene also. sends shivers down my spine each time.

[TrollhorN]

I simply don´t get what the @#%$ everyone sees with these movies? Only Braveheart is real!!!!!!!!!!!!

[allissson]

christianity has burned itself out a lot more than you'd think, but because of the publicity surrounding the relatively few zealots who remain and the media coverage, it just SEEMS a lot bigger than it really is. Pagans are a lot more common and a lot easier to find and in much greater numbers than 10 years ago. The truth is, there's a lot more people converting to Paganism than there are to christianity - and the converts to Paganism are coming from christianity. And this is great to see. And I speak only for Florida - these are my observations. It won't take 200 years - I'd say another 20 years perhaps - you'll see some major changes.

[mmtutti]

a movie is a movie is a movie. precious few are worth seeing, most are the same old stories, only with new explosions. that is why I don't go see any movies anymore. the latest one I saw was Sleepy Hollow, and before that there was a three-year gap. that one I actually liked, because of the visual fireworks. only kung fu, gore and sub-standard camp horror flicks manage to breathe new life into me... Zardoz is a classic, I dare you to see it.

I don't think I'll even bother to go see The Lord of the Rings. mark my words, it'll have Hollywood written all over it. I don't mind Jackson making a film after his own visions, but I don't really have to have an interest in his visions, now do I? I've read LOTR eleven times; I well-nigh know it by heart, and that is enough for me. besides, I still haven't forgiven casting Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. the man is an embodiment of cheesy power metal heroes, for fukk's sake.

and I'm far too cynical (as you may have gathered) to put my trust in the demise of Christianity. if it hasn't happened already in all these wasted centuries, it won't be happening anytime soon. all the science in the world can't cure human stupidity.

"populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur" -- Cardinal Carlo Caraffa, 16th century. "the people want to be deceived; let them be deceived."

[allissson]

ahh yes, Lord of the Rings...........now mmtutti - you KNOW it could have been far worse - they could have let one of those dragonslayer wannabe bands do the soundtrack, but instead they made a wise choice and had Enya do it ;) And you should HEAR the people bitching because Rhapsody, Blind guardian and hammerfall didn't get the gig! Now you wanna see something to really ruin a movie - that would have been it! Although I think it would have been kind of cute to see Kai Hansen cast as an elf ;) He could have just gone as he was, no need for make-up or costumes. :lol:

[VauhtiParoni]

Henu,

It´s the same thing as in Bal-Sagoth! You either love it or you hate it. ;)

[Pakana]

Trollhhhorn, that was rather ignorant of you.


I of course meant EVEN of you. ;)

[allissson]

The Star Wars trilogy has Heathen overtones for sure, and are brilliant films, but something went awry with that Episode 1 - it was nothing more than some trying-too-hard-to-be-politically-correct candy-assed piece of rubbish.

The niggers went anal over it because of that Jar-Jar character.

Braveheart - I love that movie, as well as Highlander.

we should start a movie topic perhaps?

;)