Merry Christmas Mystery Box PIF

[michiganlover]

In celebration of the Christmas Season, I have decided to clean my den of items that don't receive much use.

So I am giving you a box of random shaving items.

But it's Christmas, so here is the catch: I'm not going to tell you in advance what is in the box!!

So if you are interested in my Mystery Box, simply post below stating your interest, and share a story about your Christmas Traditions.

I'll pick a winner next Thursday December 27th, and drop the box in the mail on Friday December 28th.

Since I am paying the shipping on the box, I am limiting this PIF to USA only so it can travel priority mail.


One Final Caveat: I expect you to post a photo to this thread of the contents of the box once you receive it!! What's Christmas if you can't show off your LOOT??

 

[Saxman11290]

I'm interested!

Coming from an Italian-American family, a big part of our Christmas tradition is actually celebrated on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, there you can't eat meat, and instead, you have to eat 7 different types of fishes (I forget the reason, some Roman Catholic tradition). So we enjoy as many types of fish as we can including seafood antipasto, raw clams, shrimp cocktail, stuffed filet, etc.

A funny story regarding this tradition I thought I would share. My paternal grandmother is Sicilian, and as a sicilian she loves fresh seafood and this tradition. My mother, who is half Greek and half Sicilian was invited over my paternal grandmothers house the first Christmas eve she was together with my father to help with the food preparation. When asked to open the refrigerator to retrieve an ingredient, she was greeted by live "Scungili" or sea-snails that had climbed out of their bowl and were sticking to the light bulb on the top of the refrigerator! It must have been a Christmas miracle that she stayed with my father after the shock of finding these critters crawling around a refrigerator

These little guys:

 

[Nick Danger]

I follow the stereotypical tradition of my New York Jewish family: I go out for Chinese food on Christmas Day.

Nick

 

[stryker4526]

Sure, I'm in.
Our Christmas tradition is fairly boring. We always opened one gift from each other on Christmas Eve, then the rest on Christmas morning. And of course there is the requisite Christmas feast every year.

 

[wheelhouse]

Sounds fun!

My family and I don't often get to see each other during the holidays as I am in Seattle and they are on the east coast. When we are together, we always had a tradition of Bloody Marys and eggs Benedict first thing in the morning. Followed by champagne and Mom's Christmas cookies while opening presents. Eventually we all got tired of cooking first thing in the morning, so we went straight for the champagne and cookies. I have been in Seattle now for almost 20 years and have turned at least one person a year onto this tradition, spreading joy all around.

 

[Joe in Seattle]

When my children were small and starting to question the existence of Santa, one Christmas Eve after they went to bed I took a bit of charcoal and sketched out Santa's footprint on the hearth. Their eyes were big as saucers next morning.

 

[Toothpick]

Thanks for the great PIF, i'm interested!


well my families Christmas traditions have changed a lot over the years, but the last few years have been like this...a few weeks beforehand we all talk about who will be at the grandparents house this year "Janis is coming? great " then we usually have something negative to say about a few people that are coming "oh, Carols son? that kid runs that family, i'd take a belt to that boy." Then we talk about the food "KFC! geeezzz can't cook a ham or something!...i dont even want to go now"

Then once the family is all together we are on our best behavior "Janis!! how have you been,! i love you and miss you so much!"..."extra crispy! Mmmmm my favorite, pass me the mac n cheese! yumm"... "you're Carols son right? boy have you grown! whats that behind you ear...a quarter!"

Then after we are all back at home we talk about our experience with the family "did you see Janis?! should have got her just a salad."....."i'll tell you one thing if Carol dont take a belt to that brat next year im going to!"...."i can't believe we had KFC for Christmas dinner!!! i'm staying home next year"

*names have been changed to protect family identities

 

[Gingerbread]

I love both mysteries and boxes... I'm sure the winner will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[SinnerinRehab]

Count me in.

Traditions are building with 3 young kids. They all believe in Santa and we go to my in laws house where Santa drops in to check on the kids before he does his run. Its great. This year however, the new boss wants us open on Christmas. Ugh. Doesnt he have a family?

 

[nb1812]

Hey this sounds fun, I'm in; our family tradition is pizzelles or italian christmas cookies. My grandmother and grandfather made them by the hundred every year for as long as I can remember. After they passed on, the torch (not to mention the well season pizzelle iron an recipe) fell to me. To me nothing says Christmas like anise...hmmmm AS idea??

 

[rickboone1]

We used to run up a credit card bill every year, then pay it off in January. Thank goodness we broke tradition this year!

 

[sychodelix]

Awesome PIF, I'm definitely interested.

My oldest son has Aspergers Syndrome (autism) and takes things VERY literally, and does not like it when things don't turn out they way he expects. Because of this, we never pretended that Santa Claus existed for him, because when an autistic child finds out something is not true like that, they DO NOT often deal with it well. In school though, his teachers talk to him about Santa and what he is bringing them and everything. To make things even more complicated, we celebrate Hanukkah, even though we are not Jewish.

Anyway, he now insists that Santa brings presents for Hanukkah. And you have to agree with him, because it's like arguing with a brick wall if you don't!

 

[hillbilly pick]

Cool PIF! I'm in! For the past 12 years, my Christmas tradition has been to drive 8 hours to my mother and fathers house to spend the holidays with them. For the last 4 years, I have rotated between my family's and my wife's. This year, we have decided that we are going to stay home and start creating our own traditions. That said, not sure what our traditions will be.

I hope this counts, and have my fingers crossed for the mystery box.

 

[Dools]

This thread is Beautiful, imo, of course.

Please count me "in", I'm a noob......"yes sir, may I have another?..."

Christmas Eve tradition that my wife and I started 24 years ago, this Christmas.....The two of us and our 3 children, 20, 17 and 12....Right before we go to bed, we will light as many candles we can find....usually around 40 or so...put them in the living room, gather there and share "I rember the Christmas....." stories.....When that is over, we do "I am thankful for.....", each one of us, then, we pray, out loud, from youngest to oldest, give hugs, and, go to bed.

One of my MOST FAV times of the year!! That moment.

 

[Unadan]

I'm in. When I was a kid growing up in Parma, OH, my Aunt Maryann (A Catholic Nun) would come visit us at my grandfather's house dressed as Santa. Of course I really believed it was Santa!!

 

[weizemanner]

I had a pretty normal Christmas experience growing up. Presents under the tree, hanging stockings on the fireplace. My favorite tradition (after my father almost ran some family off the road trying to ask where they got their tree from because it looked so nice) was to go out to a tree farm and wander around drinking cider looking for the perfect tree - the widest one we could find that would fit under the ceiling - and chop it down with the dullest saw we could find. Until the farm workers would finally take pity and cut it with a chainsaw for free. Maybe they just wanted to go home.

We also didn't always have a lot of money growing up so my parents would stretch the christmas morning experience by wrapping gifts in such a way that I would have to open them several times to get to the present. It started with multiple layers of wrapping paper and got more complicated as I grew up. One Christmas there was steel banding and industrial shrink-wrap involved.

I think my love of shaving may have somehow stemmed from Christmas. One Christmas, I sneaked downstairs to find what I then only understood to be a poorly-dressed(red jogging suit?) fat man with a huge white beard breaking into our house. I cried for hours while my parents tried to explain that it was only my father dressed as Santa Clause... with a huge nasty fake beard...

I'm in. Thank you.

 

[Porcupop]

We have many traditions! Go cut the tree in the woods, sleep around the tree as a family on Christmas eve, family reunion, etc.!

 

[KindestCutofAll]

I'm in!!!

Our favorite Christmas tradition is the Christmas Phantom.

We bake a huge batch of homemade cookies. We package the cookies with a nice Christmas note.

As a family we select 3 people or families that we feel has exemplified or need the Christmas Spirit.

Our family parks the car where we can see the front door where the cookies are being delivered. We take turns and 1 or 2 of us SECRETLY deliver the cookies to the front door then ring the doorbell and dissappear.

Over half of the people will at least look around corners or up and down the street before taking the cookies in. A few actually chased us! The thrill of never having been caught combined with actually watching the reaction when they get the package is the biggest Christmas present we get each year.

~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ ***~~~
One of my favorites deliveries was dropping the cookies at the front door of a coworker from West Africa. The next morning at work he told us about how "some vandals left a package at his front door".

He called the police to report it. He explained the reaction of the police. The police encouraged him to appreciate the gift and eat the cookies.

In spite of the gracious note that explained why he was selected for the goodies, and the endorsement by law enforcment, he threw them out because he was afraid of what may have been in the cookies.


~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ ***~~~
Fortunately I believe that most of the cookies are appreciated and eaten.

 

[one cut]

well every year we had the cursing of the tree,some time before Christmas's the tree was assembled and cussed out because despite laying in a box all year in the basement some how parts had gone missing.

The cursing of the lights was much like the cursing of the tree for much like the tree the lights lay in the basement all year to but some how stopped working and got tangled.

the night after the tree was put up we had the "joy and terror of the cat" where our cat could no longer resist the temptation to jump in to the tree sending it crashing to the floor waking my father who promptly preformed the cursing of the cat ritual.

this was repeated almost every night in the days leading up to Christmas.

 

[Taborcarn]

Our Christmas tradition is that the whole family plays hide the pickle.


Hey, minds out of the gutter!


On Christmas Eve the parents hide an ornament on the tree that is shaped like a pickle. It's hard to see since it's the same color as the tree. Whichever kid finds it first gets an extra present.