I think that my favorite (possibly because it's the only one I've read about tonight that I've never heard of before) is that people would go out to the apple orchards, drink cider, and sing songs to the trees so that the apple harvest would be good the next year.

D got home, I told him about the washer. He checked it- it seems to be working fine.

Perfect! That means D can do your laundry for you! (Spidey is gonna kill me!)

go out to the apple orchards, drink cider, and sing songs to the trees so that the apple harvest would be good the next year.

This sounds rather chilly, at Christmas. Unless it was HOT cider. Hot alcoholic cider? Hmm. Maybe hot cider with rum? I dunno about this plan...

The cider was definitely alcoholic. I'm not sure about hot, but that seems reasonable.

Also, I found an account from Colonial Massachusetts of some young men who went to the home of a man known to make pear cider and demanded some. When he wouldn't give them any, then just sat themselves down and stayed there, singing songs. When he still wouldn't give him any, they beat up his son. And this was reported as if it were just a slightly more extreme example of what could be expected every Christmas. Apparently Nantucket was known for its especially raucous Christmas celebrations -- being way out on the island, they weren't as much under the control of the religious authorities who'd banned Christmas celebrations.

We exchanged gifts with Mom and Stepdad tonight since we won't see them tomorrow, and then came home and exchanged gifts with each other since it was after midnight. I'm so spoiled. Now sleep. Tomorrow more wrapping and baking.

Merry Christmas to all the Christmasy peeps. Home from a very pleasant Christmas eve with my family in Bonita Springs. Unwinding from the trip home with a glass of wine. Need to think about sleeping real soon.

Drinking cider and singing to trees sounds fun to me. We sang a lot on the 2-1/2 hour trip home. Mostly Christmas songs along with the radio, but there were a few detours to Rap depending on who ruled the radio.

One more funny thing to add. TCG gave me the same pair of panties for Christmas that he gave me for my birthday. A pair that is very much my style, and, in fact, I already had. I can't decide whether or not to tell him. Maybe I should wait to see if I get another pair for our anniversary in a few days.

Since I've just finished up playing Santa...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Those of you who have followed my Xmas eve posting habits for years will appreciate the gravity of this.

My one Xmas tradition has ended. The dive bar in La Mesa that I've been going to on Xmas eve for the past 10 years is gone. Apparently it closed a few months ago.