Deck the Halls – 2012 Christmas Geneameme – Family history across the seas

Deck the Halls – 2012 Christmas Geneameme

Posted on 2 December, 20122 December, 2012 by cassmob

It’s the start of the Advent season today and I thought it would be fun if we shared our different experiences of Christmas and how we celebrate it around the world. By doing this through a geneameme we’ll be able to compare our responses and see whether we do things very differently or if there’s lots of similarities.

For this meme, it doesn’t matter whether you’re religiously inclined or not, just tell us how important this season is to your family.

It would be great if you joined in from around the world– the more the merrier (and it’s the season to be merry!). I’ve tried not to be Australia-centric so please pull me up if any of these are unclear…we should all be able to “have a go”.

THE 2012 CHRISTMAS GENEAMEME

Do you have any special Xmas traditions in your family?
Is church attendance an important part of your Christmas celebrations and do you go the evening before or on Xmas Day?
Did/do you or your children/grandchildren believe in Santa?
Do you go carolling in your neighbourhood?
What’s your favourite Christmas music?
What’s your favourite Christmas carol?
Do you have a special Xmas movie/book you like to watch/read?
Does your family do individual gifts, gifts for littlies only, Secret Santa (aka Kris Kringle)?
Is your main Christmas meal indoors or outdoors, at home or away?
What do you eat as your main course for the Christmas meal?
Do you have a special recipe you use for Xmas?
Does Christmas pudding feature on the Xmas menu? Is it your recipe or one you inherited?
Do you have any other special Christmas foods? What are they?
Do you give home-made food/craft for gifts at Christmas?
Do you return to your family for Xmas or vice versa?
Is your Christmas celebrated differently from your childhood ones? If yes, how does it differ?
How do you celebrate Xmas with your friends? Lunch? Pre-Xmas outings? Drop-ins?
Do you decorate your house with lights? A little or a lot?
Is your neighbourhood a “Xmas lights” tour venue?
Does your family attend Carols by Candlelight singalongs/concerts? Where?
Have any of your Christmases been spent camping (unlikely for our northern-hemisphere friends)?
Is Christmas spent at your home, with family or at a holiday venue?
Do you have snow for Christmas where you live?
Do you have a Christmas tree every year?
Is your Christmas tree a live tree (potted/harvested) or an imitation?
Do you have special Xmas tree decorations?
Which is more important to your family, Christmas or Thanksgiving?

Thanks for participating in this Christmas Geneameme and sharing your Christmas experiences!

Don’t forget to leave a link to your geneameme response in the comments section or on Google+ or on Twitter using hashtag #xmasgeneameme. Thanks!

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2013.

49 thoughts on “Deck the Halls – 2012 Christmas Geneameme”

Julie Goucher says:

2 December, 2012 at 11:29 pm

Mine is up! http://anglersrest.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/deck-halls-2012-christmas-geneameme.html

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rebelhand says:

2 December, 2012 at 11:45 pm

I like this! (And Julie, you did make me laugh with your answer to no 3)

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1. Julie Goucher says:
  
  3 December, 2012 at 4:44 am
  
  My husband loves all the festive period, decorating the tree, the lights and all the wonderful foods. As soon as the Christmas Channel appeared on Sky it has barely been off onto another channel and I can just about get a quick Sky News fix! I am afraid I am a real bar humbug, much to hubby’s horror!
  
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  1. cassmob says:
    
    3 December, 2012 at 7:31 am
    
    I used to be a real Xmas fanatic but as the years go by, less so. Even so I don’t think I could keep watching/listening only to a Xmas Channel (in fact didn’t even know there was one!).
    
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  2. Julie Goucher says:
    
    3 December, 2012 at 8:31 am
    
    I am not a telly addict, but thankfully our sky box records, so I record my programs – mainly history related & can watch at my leisure!
    
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  3. cassmob says:
    
    3 December, 2012 at 9:26 pm
    
    I like my hour or sometimes two of chill-out time in the evening but my Fox Box seems to have an inordinate numbers of Kids’ programs (and WDYTYA!) stored on it 🙂
    
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2. cassmob says:
  
  3 December, 2012 at 7:33 am
  
  Look forward to seeing yours Frances.
  
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ScotSue says:

4 December, 2012 at 9:54 pm

My contribution, at http://scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/pauline-at-httpcassmob.html. I imagine you will have quite a challenge yourself in pulling this all together,. With many thanks and good luck!

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1. cassmob says:
  
  5 December, 2012 at 7:26 am
  
  Thanks so much Susan. I really enjoyed learning about how you spend Christmas…lovely image of the snow falling, despite the work that will later entail with sweeping etc. Happy Christmas! Pauleen
  
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Linda Herrick Swisher says:

9 December, 2012 at 7:42 am

Thanks for the questions. My reply is at http://roundtuitgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-answers-to-christmas-geneameme.html

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1. cassmob says:
  
  9 December, 2012 at 8:38 am
  
  Thanks for joining in, Linda. I really enjoyed reading how you celebrate(d) Xmas…there are so many different experiences, it’s all too easy to assume we all do it the same way. Pauleen
  
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Randy Seaver says:

9 December, 2012 at 9:03 am

I made it the SNGF this week (thanks for the idea last week – I already had the post done before you sent it), so you may get more responses. Mine is at http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/12/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-cassmobs.html

Cheers — Randy

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1. cassmob says:
  
  10 December, 2012 at 6:43 am
  
  Thanks for participating Randy and thanks for making it the SNGF post. Hopefully people will have fun doing it. I really enjoyed yours as you’ll have seen from my comments.
  
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Donna Hansen Peterson says:

9 December, 2012 at 12:56 pm

Hi Pauline my entry is at http://hangingwithdonna.blogspot.com/
thanks for making me think about how we celebrate the holidays.

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1. cassmob says:
  
  10 December, 2012 at 7:08 am
  
  Thanks for sharing your Christmas memories Donna. I really enjoyed your responses as you’ll see from my comments. It’s so interesting seeing how all of us share this special time with our families and friends. We’ve also had years where we invited “orphans” to our Xmas -people a long way from home. Sounds like your family Christmases are very special. Have a happy Christmas 2012. Pauleen
  
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Shauna Hicks says:

10 December, 2012 at 8:28 am

Hi Pauline here is the link to my contribution. Thanks for organising it! http://www.shaunahicks.com.au/christmas-geneameme/

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1. cassmob says:
  
  10 December, 2012 at 4:32 pm
  
  Thanks Shauna…great that you could join in and share your memories.
  
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Judy Webster says:

10 December, 2012 at 9:49 am

Thanks for another very enjoyable meme, Pauleen. I answered many of the questions with both historical and modern slants. ‘Our Family Christmas -Then and Now’, http://judy-webster.blogspot.com/2012/12/our-family-christmas-then-and-now.html

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1. cassmob says:
  
  10 December, 2012 at 4:33 pm
  
  I really enjoyed your responses Judy as they reflected a different type of Christmas experience than that of the coastal dwellers. Thanks!
  
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Alona Tester says:

10 December, 2012 at 8:30 pm

Hi Pauleen, I’ve just done my post http://www.lonetester.com/2012/12/christmas-geneameme-deck-the-halls-2012/

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Catherine says:

14 December, 2012 at 5:35 am

Well, I’m “a bit slow off the mark” Pauleen but it’s done and it was fun. Thanks heaps. My contribution is at: http://wp.me/p2adWw-sF … cheers

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1. cassmob says:
  
  15 December, 2012 at 6:59 am
  
  Thanks Catherine, Deb & Alona, sorry about my delayed response. Our smallest grandson wound up in hospital this week so nothing else has mattered. I’m off to comment on your stories which I thoroughly enjoyed reading last night.
  
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  1. Julie Goucher says:
    
    15 December, 2012 at 7:25 am
    
    Oh Pauline, I hope junior is OK. I have been busy this week and plan to spend an hour or so catching up with everyone’s post.
    
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  2. Alona Tester says:
    
    15 December, 2012 at 8:39 am
    
    Totally understandable Pauleen, family always comes first. That added on to this busy time of year would not have been a good thing and I do hope all is ok with your grandson. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and new year.
    
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  3. cassmob says:
    
    15 December, 2012 at 8:41 am
    
    Thanks Alona. We’ve already had our Christmas present with little man’s healthy survival.
    
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  4. Catherine says:
    
    17 December, 2012 at 12:48 am
    
    No worries Pauleen … “all’s well that ends well” 🙂 SO glad that your little mannie is doing OK.
    
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  5. cassmob says:
    
    17 December, 2012 at 6:56 am
    
    Thanks Catherine and little man has made an amazing recovery, to our great relief. Now to stop him being his usual little bulldozer self.
    
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kristin says:

17 December, 2012 at 10:23 am

Finally got mine done http://findingeliza.com/archives/8216

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Yvonne says:

15 December, 2013 at 9:01 am

Hi, Pauleen! I’ve done mine for 2013 courtesy of Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun at Genea-Musings. See http://yvonnesgenealogyblog.blogspot.ca/2013/12/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-pauleens.html

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1. cassmob says:
  
  15 December, 2013 at 10:35 am
  
  Thanks Yvonne – I really enjoyed your responses! Randy was right -I was surpised!
  
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Pam says:

16 December, 2013 at 1:04 am

Hi Pauleen – It was great to find a new blogger to check out. My 2013 entry via Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun can be found here. http://mymaineancestry.blogspot.com/2013/12/deck-halls-2013-carter-taylor-allen.html

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1. cassmob says:
  
  16 December, 2013 at 7:50 am
  
  Thanks for joining in Pam, I really enjoyed your post”
  
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janicemsj says:

18 December, 2016 at 1:43 pm

Randy Seaver revived your meme for 2016!

http://www.ancestraldiscoveries.com/2016/12/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-pauleens.html

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1. cassmob says:
  
  20 January, 2017 at 11:59 am
  
  Thanks for joining in, Janice.
  
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Linda Stufflebean says:

18 December, 2016 at 11:55 pm

Here is a 2016 entry, thanks to Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: http://emptybranchesonthefamilytree.com/2016/12/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-christmas-meme/

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1. cassmob says:
  
  20 January, 2017 at 11:56 am
  
  Thanks for joining in, Linda – I enjoyed your post.
  
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Cheri Hudson Passey says:

17 December, 2017 at 11:51 pm

This is great! Thanks, Pauleen! Here’s the link to my post! http://carolinagirlgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/saturday-night-genealogy-funpauleens.html

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1. cassmob says:
  
  20 December, 2017 at 6:49 am
  
  Thanks for joining in Cheri. It’s fun to see our similarities and differences.
  
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Fran says:

19 December, 2017 at 10:34 pm

Just leaving a message ’cause Randy said to leave one. I think I have a half finished 2012 blog post in drafts along with some other geneameme’s from Alona and definitely a FB one too in some note app.

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1. cassmob says:
  
  20 December, 2017 at 6:47 am
  
  Seems like a trawl of the notes might find some potential blog posts 😉 Love the power of Randy. You make me smile 😊
  
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