december in america

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where do you think is nice to spend a little time in the run up to christmas? perhaps it is somewhere warm, get out of the cold, brr. or maybe somewhere that is more christmassy.

germany is a wonderful place to be at christmas, i wonder where in america has a comparable feel.

where in america would you go for a little break around this festive time?

― charltonlido (gareth), Saturday, 18 October 2003 08:20 (twenty-two years ago)

What do you like about Deutschland during Christams, charlton?

Last year I spent Christmas night at "Art Hill" which is this nice steep incline outside the St. Louis Art Museum which becomes prime sledding territory during the winter. There's even usually a little bonfire going to keep people warm. Seeing this at night, in the dark, only seems to make it more romantic and nostalgic. Anyway, last year I was there with my friend and we heard a kid who's Dad had taken him out sledding at 10 o'clock at night in a decent snowstorm say "this is the worst christmas ever!" because it was time to go home.

― bnw (bnw), Saturday, 18 October 2003 08:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I know we were talking about the West Coast last week, but I would say that I do love going home to my folks' place in Carmel some hours south of San Francisco around Christmas. No snow o' course but plenty of crispness in the air, the stars just look beautiful, and the lack of street lights in the town makes all the various housing light displays really stand out (when they look good at least!).

― Ned at Martin's place (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 18 October 2003 10:33 (twenty-two years ago)

small town new england
nyc

― kephm, Saturday, 18 October 2003 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

New York City is nice at Christmastime. People are exuberently friendly. Shop displays are really festive. Skating in the park, etc. is fun against the backdrop of the skyscrapers. Then get on a train and go north to Vermont. Don't drive yourself, of course, because you'll want to be drinking the entire way.

― Skottie, Saturday, 18 October 2003 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

i third new england, especially the western portion. lee, lenox, stockbridge, sheffield, great barrington.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Saturday, 18 October 2003 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I have spent my last three christmases in small-town Indiana. and they have been everything that my North London childhood christmases were not (though having said that, my family is Jewish!). However, I'm sure everyone will say New England, New York State, etc (Washington state sounds like it would be good too), but whatever people say about the Midwest, those people know how to do christmas! As it gets closer to December, all I can think about is how I'm going to get back there for a fourth year. I'm willing to bet it has some of this "german" feel that you speak of (and most of those people are of German/Scandinavian anyway).

*tries to imagine Gareth in Mishawaka, Indiana*

― adaml (adaml), Saturday, 18 October 2003 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

i also second germany. munich in particular. go to the square in front of city hall and eat sausage and look at trinkets.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Saturday, 18 October 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Denver?

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 18 October 2003 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah Xmas in NYC is nice. But then I don't really do christmas so what does it matter. I'm all about Halloween and the time up to Thanksgiving in general. And for that I like Tejas just fine.

― A Girl Named Sam (thatgirl), Saturday, 18 October 2003 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Christmas in NYC can be great to view commercialism in all the store displays---sans having to spend a dime. Can get into biting cold temps, though. I'm a bit spoiled, as I rarely spend the hols in the States (this will only be my second).

Ideal place? Let me think on that a sec....

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Saturday, 18 October 2003 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm looking forward to my first SF halloween. Apparently there wer riots and crazy religious stuff last year...

― adaml (adaml), Saturday, 18 October 2003 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

...people with chainsaws and swords on the streets, etc.

― adaml (adaml), Saturday, 18 October 2003 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Damn, this makes me want to stow away in your suitcase to partake of the madness.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Saturday, 18 October 2003 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wadam/halloweenphotos/Thumbnails/22.jpg

― adaml (adaml), Saturday, 18 October 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Supposedly Denver is the home of outdoor Christmas lights. I must admit we have a remarkable number of Clark Griswalds around here, and some of the displays are so bad they're good. Come around any time before Valentine's Day, half of them will still be lit.

I've always thought that any trace of Chirstmas should be gone by January 2nd.

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Saturday, 18 October 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Adaml, canna see nowt in that pic; more background light!

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Saturday, 18 October 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

― daria g (daria g), Saturday, 18 October 2003 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

florida!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Saturday, 18 October 2003 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Blount, you can dare say that cause you aren't down here. Try FL in longer doses.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Saturday, 18 October 2003 18:21 (twenty-two years ago)

daria do you really think so? i hate olede toewne alexeandrieae viregineieae because of cute "e"s. i cant even remember christmas last year, but my retail-weary knees can. ;-)

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Saturday, 18 October 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

In any suburb throughout the land you can find kitschy lawn displays of Santa and his reindeer and the Baby Jesus, along with lights galore. I recommend this for you. If you play your cards right I'll take you to Mount Vernon.

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 18 October 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's been two winters in a row that I've found myself wearing shorts on New Year's Day, so I vote Texas.

― Aaron A., Saturday, 18 October 2003 23:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Being in a warm climate at Christmas = duddest thing ever

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 19 October 2003 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

this might be my first non-American Xmas this year!... tentatively planning thanksgiving in LA (maternal folx), and Xmas in Vancouver Island, BC (paternal folx) (and hope to fly up my grandma in LA to come with!).

Otherwise, i think my immediate relatives in L.A. and I have come to the conclusion that Xmas is just kinda becoming more "meh" every year the way we were celebrating it.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 19 October 2003 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Vancouver Island is meant to beautiful, db. Is this true?

― adaml (adaml), Sunday, 19 October 2003 00:35 (twenty-two years ago)

It is quite true! I would probably want to live there once all my body hair turned white, in fact...

Victoria, especially, is kinda like the Santa Barbara of Canada.. except more geek friendly and far more great places to eat. Beautiful, cozy, isolated, where a lot of parents live after their kids are finally off to college, etc. but gets kinda boring after a weekend. (Wish I could say the same about Nanaimo, where most of my folks live, but oh well, it's pretty nice too)

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 19 October 2003 00:44 (twenty-two years ago)

(i mean, i'm sure all the satanists there moved to the Yukon already, or some shit like that)

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 19 October 2003 00:52 (twenty-two years ago)

How about Fairmont, Indiana?

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Yay! That's two votes for Indiana!

― adaml (adaml), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Just for Gareth-an image worthy of one of those fancy vintage t-shirt thingies

http://www.indianachristmastree.com/logo.gif

― adaml (adaml), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:14 (twenty-two years ago)

hawaii

― phil-two (phil-two), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Snowy hat-wearing photo-op.

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/hawaii.gif

― oops (Oops), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

We're headed south this year: http://www.locogringo.com/destinations/pdc.html

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm, that supposed to go here?

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Aaah yes. Scene of, errrr, that Morrissey video. I haven't been there but passed by, saw the water tower.

(Another thread;Water towers-c/d???)

― adaml (adaml), Sunday, 19 October 2003 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Being in a warm climate at Christmas = duddest thing ever

Only if you happen upon "White Christmas", "Frosty The Snowman", or "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" during Christmastime. "White Christmas" especially -- I used to want to travel back in time to strangle whomever was responsible for that song, because I thought it highly ridiculous and insensitive for a lyric to go, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas/Just like the ones I used to know", as if it were a heartless and cruel reminder that I'd never experienced a "white Christmas" before in my life so it wouldn't be "just like the ones I used to know".

Now, however, I don't know how I would handle snow during Christmas. Probably highly unsuccessfully, seeing as though I consider 50 degrees above zero quite chilly and 40 degrees above "cold winter-like weather" and all. 30 degrees above and I'm doing multiple layering of clothing, putting on gloves, and looking up at the sky, hoping that snow may someday actually come.

Christmas over here can really be beautiful, though. Just don't count on any snow or sleet, and don't be surprised if Christmas Day the high reaches 80 degrees or similar.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 19 October 2003 04:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Y'all should come down to Melbourne for Xmas. BBQs, seafood, tons of food, BOOZ and HOT WEATHER. You eat, get drunk and pass out in the sun. And maybe go swimming in a river somewhere. What more could you want?

― Trayce (trayce), Sunday, 19 October 2003 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Christmas in Colorado. Those oddly sunny, yet freezing December afternoons. Then again, I've never spent Christmas anywhere else. It seems in Britain Christmas begins earlier than it does in the US - there are already Christmas displays in Sainsburys and Christmas adverts on telly. I think that most Americans think about Thanksgiving before Christmas, so we're sort of not allowed to jump the gun because there's turkey to consider. I wish I could have thanksgiving this year, and even more importantly - post thanksgiving day christmas shopping. Oh well, I will have to settle for pies this year.

― mandee, Sunday, 19 October 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, as we are talking about Christmas: I saw the tackiest thing ever yesterday:

A Kylie Minogue Advent Calender!!!!!

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 19 October 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

omg that's horrible! Mandee, good to hear from you--you and Tracer can probably tell us more about the differences between UK and US xmas although I'd like to hear more about it from a native UKer point of view. I totally didn't even consider the Thanksgiving factor! Gareth, you should visit during Thanksgiving--I'm sure I could get you into mr teeny's crazy Syrian/German Thanksgiving madness. But the offer stands for Xmas too, if you want to go sledding in St. Louis. You can do small town midwest holidays with me too.

― teeny (teeny), Sunday, 19 October 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Just don't expect a Winter Wonderland in Denver at Christmas. It's cold but not usually that snowy until the Spring. Sometimes the Ski conditions aren't even that good by Christmas, but at least you're guaranteed snow on the ground if you go to the mountains. Chances for snow in Denver at Christmas are probably a little less than 50/50, it melts rapidly down here.

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Sunday, 19 October 2003 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Spending every Xmas in tPA or MA makes me want to be somewhere warm and sunny this year-Fuck cold and snow!!

― brg30 (brg30), Sunday, 19 October 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

If you play your cards right I'll take you to Mount Vernon.

I used to live there! It can't touch the gauche of the midwest and its big ole Jesus birthday cakes.

― bnw (bnw), Sunday, 19 October 2003 20:37 (twenty-two years ago)

On a semi-recent afternoon at Mount Vernon, I was sad that I hadn't left time for "pioneer farming," and my long game object (now "old friend"?) was sad that we didn't have time to go out on the water (which is probably more appealing in Summer). We were there during the half hour between closing the gates and getting rid of everyone, and they drove us out in their golf-cart-esque grounds vehicles. Not very colonial.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 19 October 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.ouraaa.com/traveler/0309/fea_aglow_m.html

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 20 October 2003 00:01 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

How is Salt Lake City this time of year?

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

cold and snowy?

― A Girl Named Sam (thatgirl), Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

it's cold but not unbearably cold, ie the high is usually around 40F

― oops (Oops), Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it highly ridiculous and insensitive for a lyric to go, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas/Just like the ones I used to know"

Does it help that the song was originally sung in a movie by a character who has to spend the holidays in California, and misses his childhood Christmases?

― j.lu (j.lu), Sunday, 23 November 2003 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to want to travel back in time to strangle whomever was responsible for that song

that would be this guy

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 23 November 2003 03:01 (twenty-two years ago)

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