57 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

If we go any where other than a couple of blocks away to my in laws house we travel by car. My family lives 4 hrs away so it makes no sense to fly unless we have our own plane or to take a bus. I mapped out the bus ride for my niece to come visit. The bus will take her 11 hours to get here when I can drive to and from in 8 total.

We've always travelled by car.

No, my parents, in-laws, children and grandchildren come to my house each year!

Well - Darlene - a very very Happy Christmas to you in advance. It is a very special occasion and I personally prefer to stay indoors unless and until some special invitation is given by some close relatives. Otherwise, we keep to celebrations of Christmas within the house and, only if needed, spend time wishing or chatting with people residing close by.

You are luck to be living with lots of christians around - so naturually you feel like celebrating it glamorously. Unfortunately, we have large number of Hindus here who resent - yes I repeat - resent Christian celebrations and our habits. In fact, there are organizations that are continuously persecuting Christians here. Luckily for us, we are in the heart of the capital - New Delhi - so we are safe from any untoward incidents as it would be sternly dealt with by the government. Otherwise in villages and distant areas it is just : http://www.gather.com/viewAlbum.action?albumId=20292 Thanks for the post.

Vinod, I am not ashamed to be a Christian. I respect your religion, how you celebrate and all that you value in life.
As a gather member, I value the opportunity to spark a conversation with all people and value their individual human nature.

Darlene - I am a Roman Catholic. Perhaps you did not grasp the essence of my comment.

My say above was to convey to you the horrendous atmosphere we are in and the situation created by non-Christians on account of which the Christmas celebrations in certain places in India have to be on a low-key. Say a similar situation as is in China. You may be well aware how prayers or Masses are celebrated in China – behind closed doors. Some of the states and villages in particular in India have people living in panic for fear of reprisal by Hindu organizations that wield influence politically as also socially and would not hesitate to create mayhem and terror for Christians or Muslims. However, the other sects or religions constitute only a minority and so are spared by the fanatics. To a great extent these elements enjoy political patronage from political parties owing allegiance to these communal organizations and the criminals after committing heinous crimes against Christians or Muslims go Scot free without the least remorse whatsoever. I do not know if you ever heard of Australian Missionary Graham Stanes and his two innocent teenage children were burnt to death by communal people? One such instance of riots and burning of houses, churches and desecration of holy places, destroying of statues in a village in Orissa, India was given to you through a link in my earlier comment for your information. It may be noted that those villagers who had to bear the brunt of these hoodlums fled their villages and are taken care of in camps set up by the government till this very day (even after more than a year since the incident took place). I do not know if you would have the guts to show-case your fervor in an environment like this and then jeopardize own life as well as that of the families behind by throwing ourselves in front of such ravenous wolves-like humans and be at the receiving end of these fanatics for life, whose only look out is to persecute people, not sparing you even at your own house. When I speak of Hindu organizations, it is not one but a cluster of them like RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Ram Sene – you name them, they are there to persecute Christians or even Muslims. You may not have heard of the thousands of Muslims who were persecuted by these very elements during 2004, dragged out of their houses, not sparing even women or children and hacking them to pieces. The number of people killed was in hundreds and that too for no fault of theirs.

Only a year back, these very organizations set up tents and shelters right till the very foot-steps of the house of a Christian Pastor (I look upon him as a younger brother of mine) with many blaring loud-speakers aimed at the very place where prayers were being offered, with a deliberate attempt to create confusion and panic among the Pentecost Christians offering prayers in the very house of the Pastor.

I can understand your view that as a Christian one has a right to celebrate going out of our way, out of our house and to our heart’s content and in the manner we want to with glamour and glee. But had you been living in a country like ours and the way we people are looked upon, it would not be the same Darlene who commented above, but a docile one. And had you known even a iota of the terror that India (be it Christians or Muslims) experiences, you would have saved me the trouble of writing this far to bring out the ground realities. Anyway, thanks for the return comment. Have a nice day.

Vinod, thanks I apologize for I usually check other gather members profile to see what religion they are before I share a comment. Lately, I have read so many hateful things at gather about Christians, that I took the wrong reaction to your post. I understand the battle for people who kill in the name of their God. I appreciate your comment, and forgive me for not grasping the essence of your comment.

No Darlene, it is so sweet of you say that. Your query was heaven sent and you an angel to have given me a chance to open up on the atrocities we experience in India. It was your comment that gave me an excuse to open up on what innocent people (Not only Christians but even Muslims are looked down upon by Hindus) in India are suffering at the hands of these hoodlums who have in them neither spirituality nor a conscience, what to speak of humanness. Well thanks and may God shower His choicest blessings on you, your dear ones, relatives and friends. And may this Christmas light up your life and pave the way towards the bliss of eternal salvation.

it's hard to believe that it's less than 2 months away

We usually go to MIL's. This year we are not. We're having Christmas in our new apartment surrounded by the people we love, each other and our two pets. Unless my husband springs a trip to Florida, then I'm in!

Hello, Darlene. Just wanted to drop by and say how pleased I am that you are enjoying my little Snippet series.

Family usually winds up coming over to our house for the homecooking and fireplace :)

Oh no, the big countdown! Lol! :) I usually drive if I go anywhere, which isn't often. Sometimes I take a short walk. I used to do lots of walking and running and bike riding when I was younger. I guess I'm not a couch potato though, always kids and dogs to run after and housework. :) I suspect I will be doing tons of shoveling again when it snows.

Mostly by car. We are fortunate to have most of our family members within a 60 mile radius.

we travel to bring food to sick people

Normally travel down the road to visit my son and his family.

we travel by car to visit family members.

In the past the tradition for my family was really cool and close knit. I don't know how it started, but Christmas eve was the one night we got to 'pretend' we were still a family of 7 youngster all under the same roof. And yes, fights still broke out (sadly I'm guilty of being the instigater for most) On Christmas eve we would all drive out to my granny's house and have Christmas eve there first. Then when things started to wind down we would drive to my moms and all stay the night there. In the morning there would always be Cinnamon rolls for breakfast (I really do not know why, I think one year we did it, so it just seemed right to continue! LoL) and then we opened our family presents together (yes my children were included in this!) Then we all helped clean up and any of us that had friends to join us were allowed to invite them at this time and all the folks from my mom's side of the family would show up and we would have more presents (mom always liked to make a game every year... secret santa... rob your neighbor... auctions) and then we would feast and play games far into the night. At my mom's old house there was this massive garage that wasn't used for anything but storage so a lot of us would sneak away down there later during the night to drink. hehe. But, I don't think any of that will be happening agin this year. My mom has moved to a smaller house for one. I have a brother that is so into his drugs and alcohol and takes out his fury on me for some reason. I have lost my children. We have all lost a brother. My grandma on my mom's side has been most insensitive through all the pain we have been through and we had to make a tragic 'cut' and choose not to let ourselves be subjected to that pain anymore. But not everyone on my moms side of the family has made that cut. Sooooooo... I have yet to see what this year holds.

i havent traveled the last few years. my mother and two of my siblings live near me so we do get together. luckily we are with 15mins of each other so it isnt far.

Can't travel.
My life is a little complicated and our house is used to fellowship for the folks in our church who don''t have anywhere to go to.
They all pitch in.

My husband and I have promised each other for many years that we will not travel on any holiday. Traffic in Miami is a terror all the time, and on holidays, it's sort of like the bumper cars at a carnival! Any traveling is sort of off-season...
HH

We like to stay at home and cook =)

I stay home and cook~HH

We go by car! HH

all of the above - i'm stayin put this year

nope
home always

No travelling here, we stay home. PIF