More from the Christmas crackpot...

[nlpnt at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 7083

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Neil Ward" <neilward at d...> wrote:
> Christian said:
> 
> <<<At 8pm there is the King's speech.>>>
> 
> Similarly, British people have to listen to the noble and glorious 
Queen
> blathering on at 3pm on Christmas Day.  One year, when the Royal 
Family had
> had a particularly crap year - with divorce, death and smouldering 
buildings
> on the calendar - Elizabeth called it their "annus horribilis" 
(Queentalk
> for "f***ing nightmare!!!!").  Incidentally, the British Royal 
Family, being
> of German extraction (apart from Prince Philip, who is "of 
Greece"), open
> their presents in the European tradition, on Christmas Eve.  The 
loyal
> subjects have the patience to wait until the next morning.


I think the President of the U.S. makes a Christmas speech, too; I 
think I've heard of it. But I'm not sure; you see, if he does, nobody 
pays any attention :)

 My French-Canadian family usually had the Christmas party on 
Christmas Eve; this got started after they moved to the U.S. and may 
be unique to our family. Many, many years ago, when my mother was a 
kid, the family got home from Midnight Mass and the kids were too 
wired to go to bed and wanted to open presents- over the next few 
years, their entire Christmas party moved to Christmas Eve.
 By the time I came along, we were this massive family* and everyone 
still came to the Christmas Eve party; about 40 people in 4 rooms, so 
finger foods only (no room to sit!). There were people coming and 
going all evening from 4PM to midnight, with big blasts of new 
arrivals when each Mass got out.
It was convenient to have the whole-family celebration on Christmas 
Eve and each family's private festivities on the day.

*My mother has 9 sisters and a brother.