...come after Christmas, not before as the merchants would have us all believe. Christmas doesn’t end until Epiphany.
Rushing the season is de rigeur here in the former colonies, a very good example of which is that yesterday our daughter-in-law’s mother’s Christmas gift to us was nine boxes (you read that correctly) of chocolate candy, nine red heart-shaped boxes. Apparently Russell Stover’s was having a sale. I’m presuming these particular red heart-shaped boxes were left over from last February.
Not that I’m ungrateful, you understand. After all, it’s the thought that counts. She brought similar shopping bags full for the families of my three offspring.
But as my mother’s uncle, Joe Singer, the Philadelphia lawyer, used to say, do you get the point? The point is that it’s only the second day of Christmas and already we’ve received Valentine’s Day gifts.
Yes it is "the thought that counts" but sometimes gifts are given with very little thought for the recipients...or their teeth!
ReplyDeleteYorky, a happy Boxing Day to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteWe have 'Aftermas' in January. That way we get to have a lovely 'Christmas' with all the people who were stressed a,d busy over the other one...
ReplyDeleteKatherine, Is Aftermas the same as Greek Orthodox Christmas? Inquiring minds want to know.
ReplyDeleteAftermas is something our family made up. It comes AFTER ChristMAS. It's the closest Sunday one month after the 25th December. We celebrate it every year with family and friends. Sometimes we abandon Christmas completely and have only it.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you would say it is a pagan garden summer festival. It's also sometimes pronounced 'afterMath' - probably because it comes after all the Christmas and New Year hoopla has died down and all that is left is champagne corks, gift wrappings, glitter and old tinsel. We invite all the family (who we've often had to share with other bits of the family on the 25/12) and all our neighbours, and friends, and often have the pleasure of visitors from overseas on their summer antipodean holidays... It's all jolly and happy and relaxed. And, last but not least, we can make use of the boxing day and summer sales for gifts, Christmas-themed stuff, and hams etc. Also, the price of strawberries comes back down. (By a strange coincidence lots of things shoot up in price just on Christmas).
Hope this helps the inquiring minds.