# Christmas Escapes



## Packerjohn (Nov 2, 2019)

I have tried to escape Christmas madness but it seems to follow me.  We spent one winter in Mexico & I go so sick of all the stores playing that darn "Feliz Livieda" (pardon spelling).  Another Christmas we spent in Lamu, Kenya which is about as Moslem as you might want it.  Believe it or not the hotel put up a Christmas tree, played Christmas music & had a special Christmas meal.  Please tell me where I could go on this planet & escape all the mad Christmas hype.  Thanks.


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## jujube (Nov 2, 2019)

I'd suggest Afghanistan or maybe North Korea.


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## oldman (Nov 3, 2019)

I always thought Kenya was a Christian nation. Guess I was wrong. 
.


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## toffee (Nov 3, 2019)

Noooo john stay at home and sit it out with the rest of us and save time an money LOL''''''
but I do know what your saying !!!!!!!!


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## Keesha (Nov 3, 2019)

On an island by yourself?


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## Packerjohn (Nov 3, 2019)

Anyone wanting to go to Afghanistan or North Korea hasn't travel a lot.  Maybe staying at home is good.  It saves a ton of money since travel has now become BIG business.  I think the secret is to keep away from any mall & throw those Christmas flyers in the recycle bin where they belong.  When you retire who really needs all that junk anyway?  Let the younger generation stockpile it in their rented storage garages.  LOL


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## Capt Lightning (Nov 3, 2019)

I live in a small village where nothing happens.  There's a tree in the village square that is decorated with lights at Christmas, but that's it.  There's usually a party / drinking session in the village hall for Hogmanay, but even that is relatively low key.

The major cities are a bit different.   We usually visit the Christmas markets somewhere in December.  Our favourite is Hamburg (Germany),  but we enjoy the peace and quiet at home for Yuletide.


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## 911 (Nov 3, 2019)

This is off topic, but since it mentions Christmas, I thought I would mention the following. I was speaking with the manager of one of our 2 Walmart’s here and he told me that if I knew of anyone that was considering on buying a smart TV, to hold off until after Thanksgiving. He said their warehouses are full and he was told by his district manager that they will have some great deals come this Christmas. So, I was in the other Walmart yesterday and guess what? They had a flash sale on 65” TVs for $379.00. Even if I didn’t need one (and I don’t), I would have bought one. BTW, the brand was a name I’m not familiar with.


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## StarSong (Nov 3, 2019)

Capt Lightning said:


> *Hogmanay*


_Had to look this up.  For the rest of us, it's Scottish for New Year's Eve.  _

I like Christmas. A lot.

Other than music repetition, what's not to like? Stores and homes are decorated and festive, shops turn profitable for the year, most people are in pretty good moods, there are parties to throw and attend, a reason to wish strangers and friends Happy Holidays (instead of "have a nice day"), and we try to find a special something to bestow on the special somebodies in our lives. Kids get a few weeks break from school, adults a few days off from work.

We do this while celebrating the birth of someone who taught us (as have many others) to be kind to one another. One needn't be a Christian to love and embrace that message - it uplifts us all.

What's not to like?


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## Liberty (Nov 3, 2019)

StarSong said:


> _Had to look this up.  It's Scottish for New Year's Eve to the rest of us.  _
> 
> I like Christmas. A lot.
> 
> ...


Well, after my mom died, I wanted to "run away" for a few years.  She had lived with us for 26 years and we had baked hundreds of dozens of cookies together to hand out at Christmas.  It just hurt too much to be home.  Too many fond memories. Neither she nor I nor my hub liked fighting the crowds every time you "had" to go anywhere near a mall or shopping center.  That's a given, but other than that, we loved the "giving part" of the  holidays.


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## Ruthanne (Nov 3, 2019)

I don't know but I've just been staying in my apt. and haven't been bombarded...yet.  I made the mistake yesterday though of watching a Hallmark Christmas movie--ugh...had to turn it off, they all seem to be the same.  Good luck with finding an escape!


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## Pepper (Nov 3, 2019)

Resistance is futile.


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## StarSong (Nov 3, 2019)

Ruthanne said:


> I don't know but I've just been staying in my apt. and haven't been bombarded...yet.  I made the mistake yesterday though of watching a Hallmark Christmas movie--ugh...had to turn it off, they all seem to be the same.  Good luck with finding an escape!


You can't blame Christmas for Hallmark's endless parade of sappy, formulaic movies.


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## toffee (Nov 3, 2019)

omg I watch them hahahah on the movie channel -some are bad some not so bad ….but its nice to drift into fantacy for a afternoon '


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## Ruthanne (Nov 3, 2019)

StarSong said:


> You can't blame Christmas for Hallmark's endless parade of sappy, formulaic movies.


Who said I blamed Christmas??


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## Capt Lightning (Nov 3, 2019)

StarSong said:


> One needn't be a Christian to love and embrace that message - it uplifts us all.
> 
> What's not to like?



I'm glad you made that point because the time round the 25th Dec. was celebrated long before the advent of the 'Christian era'.  The earliest record of Christmas being celebrated on 25th Dec was in AD 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine.  Christians were late comers to the party, but all are welcome.


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## Llynn (Nov 3, 2019)

November and December are my favorite times of the annual trip around the Sun. I love walking in my woods in the cold air and during the long evenings I love reading a good book by the fire while enjoying one of my treasured briar pipes.

Since I have no television, I automatically avoid the cacophony of seasonal advertising and schmaltzy or otherwise ridiculous video presentations: (Ernest just will have to save Christmas without me again this year). I am selective in the Christmas music to which I listen.  I do relish Christmas programs on old time radio (to my mind the availability of OTR programs on the internet somewhat excuses the crap also found there) so while that may not really be an escape from the season, it is an escape from the 21st Century which is good enough for me.

I am not religious nor am I anti-religious. Some years I decide to attend a Christmas Eve service (usually at one of the major old-line churches; full of pageantry and tradition and Bach ).

I have always liked Fred's speech in Christmas Carol: "There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew; "Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round--apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that--as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open
their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"............... Now the folks from the Marketing or Finance departments may not be included in this enumeration but as i said, I am selective. After all were Scrooge alive today, he would probably own Amazon and a whole slew of broadcast media.


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## Packerjohn (Nov 3, 2019)

oldman said:


> I always thought Kenya was a Christian nation. Guess I was wrong.
> .


Lamu is located in the north, not all that far from the border with Somalia.  The Somalias are muslims to be sure!


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## Packerjohn (Nov 3, 2019)

Guess I am lucky because I cut the cable TV some 16 years ago so I miss most of the horrible Christmas commercials of BUY, BUY, BUY & BUY some more.  I am not against the spirit of Christmas, I am not against little kids having fun, I am not against Christians celebrating the birth of Christ & I am not against Christmas decorations.  I am against constant commercials telling us to use our credit cards.  I buy very little, if anything, so therefore on January 21 when all those credit card bills come in & everyone is sad, miserable & grumpy, I am all smiles.  Each to their own, I guess.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 3, 2019)

All the holidays make me sad. All my family is gone. My two Grand kids are the only bright spot. We see them on the holidays which does take my mind off the sadness and emptiness I feel.
When I'm back home I look forward to the week after New Years. That's when I start what I call "my vacation". I start my many projects, my sewing machine becomes a permanent fixture on the dining room table, craft paint all over the place, new recipes to try, garden to plan out. The hubby retreats to the TV set and hopes I don't call him to help me rearrange the furniture.


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## Meanderer (Nov 3, 2019)

Maybe instead of escaping Christmas we should rediscover Christmas?


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## terry123 (Nov 3, 2019)

Think I posted on another thread that we do a low keyed Christmas.  I love the midnight mass and attend when I feel like it. The kids come over and we have a big gumbo dinner. Sometimes I make it and sometimes we pick up from Abe's Cajun Café.    I do stockings and they do one for me. I enjoy the stockings as much as I enjoy their company.  They are so busy that I am thankful that it is the one day that CVS gives their pharmacists the day off.


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## Packerjohn (Nov 4, 2019)

Christmas can be a good part of the year if we just ignore the commercial advertising.  I think if we just use common sense & find joy in our lives & our hobbies things will work out.  We can all have a Merry Christmas without 2 months of HO, HO, HO!


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## Liberty (Nov 4, 2019)

Liberty said:


> Well, after my mom died, I wanted to "run away" for a few years.  She had lived with us for 26 years and we had baked hundreds of dozens of cookies together to hand out at Christmas.  It just hurt too much to be home.  Too many fond memories. Neither she nor I nor my hub liked fighting the crowds every time you "had" to go anywhere near a mall or shopping center.  That's a given, but other than that, we loved the "giving part" of the  holidays.


Wow, I'm quoting myself here...never did that before...lol.  The kitchen has been remodeled since then but here are a few pics to give you an idea - every flat surface had cookies on it:


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## oldman (Nov 4, 2019)

Packerjohn said:


> Lamu is located in the north, not all that far from the border with Somalia.  The Somalias are muslims to be sure!


Is Lamu a separate country, or what?


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## Packerjohn (Nov 4, 2019)

oldman said:


> Is Lamu a separate country, or what?


No, Lamu is not a separate country.  It is a town on the Indian Ocean, located about 212 miles north of Mombass, Kenya.  Lamu is a part of Kenya but it is located near the Somalian border.  I was there one Christmas; trying to escape Christmas.  The old part of the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Nice place to visit but very, very hot.


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## Packerjohn (Nov 4, 2019)

Liberty said:


> Wow, I'm quoting myself here...never did that before...lol.  The kitchen has been remodeled since then but here are a few pics to give you an idea - every flat surface had cookies on it:
> View attachment 80126
> View attachment 80127
> View attachment 80129


That's a lot of baking.  You must have a very large family?


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## 911 (Nov 9, 2019)

On the 18th, I’m going to Florida in the morning on a Southwest plane. Problem is that I am coming back in the evening. Really? Who does that? It was 17 degrees here this morning.


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## fmdog44 (Nov 9, 2019)

Houston FM radio station 99.1 started playing Christmas carols 7 days/week, 24 hrs./day this week and will continue until Jan.2


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## Lara (Nov 9, 2019)

This is the only place I know of to escape Christmas...


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## 911 (Nov 9, 2019)

Liberty said:


> Wow, I'm quoting myself here...never did that before...lol.  The kitchen has been remodeled since then but here are a few pics to give you an idea - every flat surface had cookies on it:
> View attachment 80126
> View attachment 80127
> View attachment 80129


These pictures remind me of a Polish wedding that I went about 15 years ago. The one lady told me that her and 5 other ladies baked all day the day before the wedding. There were a lot of cookies, but also many, many other pastries. I must have gained 4 or 5 pounds on that day.


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## Liberty (Nov 10, 2019)

911 said:


> These pictures remind me of a Polish wedding that I went about 15 years ago. The one lady told me that her and 5 other ladies baked all day the day before the wedding. There were a lot of cookies, but also many, many other pastries. I must have gained 4 or 5 pounds on that day.


You should know the guys who tell my hub "if I was married to your wife, I'd gain a lot of weight"...lol.  Mom and I used to cook for weeks before Christmas.  Every night after work I'd bake a couple batches of some cookie or bar...then freeze them.  One year we were building this main house and living in the apt over the garage and I started putting bars in every available drawer and cabinet as we didn't have a lot of storage space for all our furniture and stuff.  

We would take all the cookies and bars out, place them on the floor and start packing the gift containers for employees, and other recipients.  That year, a couple weeks after the holidays, I'd open up a chest, or desk drawer and find a pan of bars we forgot that got stuffed in there a couple days  before packing!


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## tortiecat (Nov 10, 2019)

Liberty
My kitchen looked like that until about 5 years ago; I decided at age 85 to finally stop and let others
in the family do it. Of course they haven't but that's not my problem anymore.
We do get together at my son's for for the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and that
I look forward to.


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## Pepper (Nov 10, 2019)

911 said:


> On the 18th, I’m going to Florida in the morning on a Southwest plane. Problem is that I am coming back in the evening. Really? Who does that? It was 17 degrees here this morning.


Why?  Who does that?


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## Liberty (Nov 11, 2019)

tortiecat said:


> Liberty
> My kitchen looked like that until about 5 years ago; I decided at age 85 to finally stop and let others
> in the family do it. Of course they haven't but that's not my problem anymore.
> We do get together at my son's for for the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and that
> I look forward to.


Yes, frankly would have stopped a lot sooner, but my mom (who was legally blind) lived with us for 26 years and just loved that part of the holidays.  She was overjoyed to bake her favorite cookies, pack them and give them out.  Always said that Christmas was for children and giving.  We baked hundreds of dozens of cookies and she couldn't do it all herself so we made it our joint tradition together for over 20 years!


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## oldman (Nov 17, 2019)

I guess maybe I would like to find a place like that too. Having seasonal depression, I am always looking for a place to hide over the holidays. My wife and kids mean the world to me, but when my best friends died, Mom & Dad, the holidays haven’t been the same.


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## Liberty (Nov 18, 2019)

oldman said:


> I guess maybe I would like to find a place like that too. Having seasonal depression, I am always looking for a place to hide over the holidays. My wife and kids mean the world to me, but when my best friends died, Mom & Dad, the holidays haven’t been the same.


After my mom died in 2006, we used to leave a couple days before Christmas every year, drive around the swamp to SW Florida to a beachfront condo we stayed in for 5 weeks.  Oddly enough the weather was sometimes only marginally better than where we live and sometimes worse if you call hurricane force winds and storm surge filling the complex swimming pool with black junk and palm fronds all over the place. We were on the top floor and those howling winds were wild.

One time the cell phone shrieked at us to "take safe shelter immediately" tornado approaching.  Ok, now we are in a cube on the top floor of a beach condo with water coming in the walls...like where do you take shelter - not in the elevator for sure, huh!

Who was it said "you can run, but you can't hide"...oh yeah, it was Joe Louis.


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## Autumn72 (Dec 28, 2019)

Packerjohn said:


> I have tried to escape Christmas madness but it seems to follow me.  We spent one winter in Mexico & I go so sick of all the stores playing that darn "Feliz Livieda" (pardon spelling).  Another Christmas we spent in Lamu, Kenya which is about as Moslem as you might want it.  Believe it or not the hotel put up a Christmas tree, played Christmas music & had a special Christmas meal.  Please tell me where I could go on this planet & escape all the mad Christmas hype.  Thanks.


Las Vegas


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## Autumn72 (Dec 29, 2019)

Lara said:


> This is the only place I know of to escape Christmas...
> 
> View attachment 80667


Freeport, Bahamas La Cayua, or Aruba too.


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