Explore things tagged 'holiday'

Greg says...

Nov 08, 2009

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A couple of photos from Singapore Art Museum @ 8Q

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a-couple-of-photos-from-singapore-art-museum-8q-qkawggcICpsCthGidyIq.zip (2489 KB)

Went to the Singapore Art Museum @8Q last night. Some girls gave us a tour of the main installations, which was really helpful. Teresa has better photos but this was just a test from me. More to come. :)

Filed under: holiday, Singapore

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DECORP. says...

Nov 07, 2009

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Halloween 2009

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Halloween_2009_tags_rye_holida.zip (2604 KB)

Filed under: holiday, rye

Kevin says...

Nov 07, 2009

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The Point of the Holiday Season to an Atheist

In a conversation with a friend, who is also atheist, the topic of holidays came up. Someone questioned why she would have a Christmas Tree. She said “Umm, why not?” I also thought it was a strange question. I said “I’m atheist, but I love the holiday season.” However, when my cousin (who is not atheist) questioned this “...and what exactly do you love about it?,” I started wondering if maybe this wasn’t so obvious to those who don’t understand atheism. Perhaps this question deserves to be fleshed out a bit.

Every atheist has a slightly different definition of atheism. Going into the nuances is outside the scope of this post. Suffice it to say we don’t believe in God and tend to shun the institution of religion in general.

So my desire to celebrate the holidays with family and friends is considered strange behavior for an atheist. First of all, what is Christmas? It’s the celebration of the birth of Christ, although with a little research, I could come up with the names of at least two other non-christian deities who also celebrate their birth around this time (an inexplicable coincidence), but that’s another topic for another day. If you’re Christian, this idea of “birth of Christ” is not lost on you. You may go to Church, but even if you don’t, you recognize that this holiday has the aforementioned religious element to it. I don’t believe in Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ, and I don’t celebrate it any more than I celebrate Hanukkah or Ramadan. Christmas, specifically, holds no significance for me. However, the holiday season in general is a different matter.

If you set aside religion for a moment, do the days in and around November/December feel like normal work days? Of course not. Decorations are up, Christmas trees and Hanukkah bushes are up, people are shopping for gifts and visiting with friends and family, and the atmosphere is just generally more festive and cheerful.

We decorate the house and put up a tree if we’ve got the time. It’s pretty to look at and it helps to create the festive atmosphere that we enjoy as much as anyone else does. We don’t stress out if it doesn’t get done. It’s not about responsibility. It’s about doing what we enjoy doing without losing perspective. After all, what’s the Christmas tree got to do with the religious aspect of Christmas anyway? It’s just another decoration for the house. We exchange gifts just because that’s what’s traditionally done, although we rarely do so on Christmas day. It just happens, frankly, whenever the hell we feel like it.

So, what do I love about the holiday season? Essentially everything that my Christian friends and family do. The only difference is that I don’t recognize it as a celebration of the birth of a man that Christians consider their god. I use it as an opportunity to celebrate the things that are important to me -- my family and friends.

Filed under: Atheism, Christmas, Holiday, Religion

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Lipstick, High Heels & BS says...

Nov 06, 2009

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Untitled

Apple Retail Stores Roll Out ‘Reserve and Pick Up’ Purchasing for Holiday Season! http://ow.ly/zZsR apple tech shopping holiday news

via Ping.fm

Filed under: apple, holiday, news, shopping, tech

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Slickriptide says...

Nov 06, 2009

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Holiday Entertainment in Seattle

Made your holiday entertainment plans yet? Do you enjoy holiday songs? How about participatory entertainment? Are you looking for something different than the Nutcracker and choir performances and the more traditional evening out at holiday time? Is $30/person (plus whatever food and drink you might like, if any) in your budget?

Allow me to recommend Judith Owen and Harry Shearer's Holiday Sing-Along.

On the off-chance that you are unaware of either or both of these fine people - Harry Shearer is a comedian and actor, best known for playing Derek Smalls of the band Spinal Tap and for his voice work on The Simpsons. Judith Owen is his singer-songwriter, British-born wife. The event (one hesitates to use the word performance) grew out of the Shearer-Owen household's holiday parties. In Judith's words, she began missing the big holiday gatherings of her family in Wales, and after five years she realized she'd married a Jew. :-) She took things into her own hands and began inviting "industry" folks over for food, wine and singing and eventually the gathering outgrew their house. After the first year of the party being at an outside venue they were encouraged to "take it on the road".

Here's what you're getting, then - An evening with Judith and Harry and their friends, with a lot of fun, laughter and music both reverent and irreverent. The highlight is the division of the audience into groups for singing holiday standards. Yes, that's right. Don't be shy. All the other guests are just as tone-deaf as you are. :-)

I wasn't able to attend last year's show but the 2007 show is still the highlight of my own holiday memories. That year, the special guests were Jill Sobule (Merry Christmas from the Family) and The Bobs (jazzy, humorous vocals, Too Many Santas and others) and Julia Fordham (whose songs I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember).

The Triple Door is a perfect venue. Not too big, not too small. Even the seats in the back have a great view and acoustics. I happen to know this because we learned about the event at the last minute and literally got the last three tickets. Even then it was standing in the back, until a few people cleared out at intermission. I really highly recommend this as an evening out for anyone who enjoys holiday music both old and new and needs a break from the holiday shopping grind (or any other holiday grind).

The show this year is on the early side - Nov 30 at the Triple Door. I'd prefer a date closer to Xmas than Thanksgiving, but I suppose that after Thanksgiving it's all downhill to Xmas anyway. Give it a shot. You'll have a good time. To quote George Zimmer, "I guarantee it."

If you're not in the Seattle Area and you've read this far, it may be that there's a performance near you. More info:

http://www.myspace.com/holidaysingalong - Myspace page for Judith and Harry and specifically the sing-along. Schedule appears here.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2004083251_shearer21.html - Seattle times article about the 2007 show, courtesy of Google.

http://www.tripledoor.net/Calendar/Events/November-09/Judith-Owen---Harry-Shearer-s-Holiday-Sing-A-Long.aspx - Triple Door info and ticket purchase page.

See you at the sing-along!

P.S. If YOU have any recommendations for holiday entertainment, feel free to post a comment. Thanks!

Filed under: Christmas, Holiday, Music

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brentmc79 says...

Nov 06, 2009

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Halloween Recap

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Halloween_Recap.zip (4009 KB)

We had a really great Halloween this year.

It's amazing how much better it is when you live in a house, versus an apartment. Tons of people were out in the neighborhood. Everywhere you looked there were parents out walking around, trick-or-treating and having a lot of fun. Our street in particular seemed to be a pretty happening place. There was a haunted house, a pot-luck, and a barbeque.

Chris and Kim came over to hang out with us, and so did our friends Paul and Larisa with their baby girl. We spent the entire evening hanging out on the porch, having a few drinks and chatting it up. I don't think we made it inside until nearly 2am.

I think Cameron had a lot of fun. He and his Uncle Chris were both dressed as Star Wars characters. I think he really like seeing all his friends from school out in the streets. The laughed and played and compared costumes.

We voted on our favorite costume that evening, and it was unanimous. My neighbor Sheldon, who's from India, was dressed as a Native American with a big feather headdress. When I saw him, I just laughed. He said, "I'm an Indian, LITERALLY!!!"

To top it all off, the weather couldn't have been any better. It was in the low 70's, and there were no bugs out that night, so it was a perfect evening to hang out outside.

I'm definitely looking forward to next year.

Filed under: cameron, dillan, friends, holiday

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Shilo Inns Suites Hotels says...

Nov 06, 2009

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Shilo Thanksgiving Day Harvest Buffet - Nov 26th

Beaverton * Bend * Killeen

Klamath Falls * Newport * Ocean Shores

Portland * Seaside * The Dalles * Tillamook

Filed under: Buffet, Harvest, Holiday, restaurant, shilo, Thanksgiving

h00t says...

Nov 03, 2009

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Dizzee Rascal - Holiday

Holiday (Produced By Calvin Harris) by Dizzee Rascal

(download)

Filed under: calvin, dance, dizzee, harris, holiday, rap, rascal, single

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benaar says...

Nov 02, 2009

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Halloween'd

I'm kinda sad that the holiday I remember as Halloween seems to be going by the wayside. Like most people my age I fondly recall tromping un-chapperoned as a child through the neighborhood on my annual candy quest. Apparently the world is different now and we had a grand total of 3 visitors on Halloween night at our house. However, we did join a whole grip of costumed kiddos earlier at the Greenwood Businesses "Safe Trick or Treat". Joel had a great time playing the carnival games and by the end of the afternoon was confidently (if uncharacteristically) galloping up to the candy distributors along the route announcing, "It's me! I'm Eeyore!"

We did have a few people comment about his little "sister" dressed up as Piglet.

Filed under: holiday, isaac, joel, photo

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Candler says...

Nov 01, 2009

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Caleb in School Production (as a plant)

The weekend activity arc concluded with the Caleb's role in the school play about a Scarecrow, "Taddy Boggle" (can't explain so don't ask). Caleb was a plant hence his green shirt and deciduous headgear. Carissa and her mom stayed in the cry room watching the smaller two.