The Holiday (mostly Christmas) Thread

three-company-creepy-santa.jpg
 
Impressive. Nice collection there.

Thanks!

The room was all done but I had to change a few things in it so it is still under development. I will add LED lights around the whole of the big banner as I just have two now at the bottom middle of it which lits up the Man United club crest under it quite nicely. Also storing an old tv in there doesn't help but all will be done in due time.

Beating City today in the derby in time added on almost made me tip over the xmas tree in the living room. I hope Robert Duvall and Tom Cruise enjoyed the game cause they were there.


---Urbanus
 
Thanks!

The room was all done but I had to change a few things in it so it is still under development. I will add LED lights around the whole of the big banner as I just have two now at the bottom middle of it which lits up the Man United club crest under it quite nicely. Also storing an old tv in there doesn't help but all will be done in due time.

Beating City today in the derby in time added on almost made me tip over the xmas tree in the living room. I hope Robert Duvall and Tom Cruise enjoyed the game cause they were there.


---Urbanus

Man Ltd. are doing very well! Since I have been paying attention, they have not lost a game.

You have a mini museum there. :) Why this team? When did you become a fan?

Do you get to watch the live broadcasts of the games on the TV, as you are outside of the UK?
 
Man Ltd. are doing very well! Since I have been paying attention, they have not lost a game.

You have a mini museum there. :) Why this team? When did you become a fan?

Do you get to watch the live broadcasts of the games on the TV, as you are outside of the UK?

Sorry for ruining your xmas thread with this :)

I was born in 1968 just a month after United won the European Cup as the first english side to do so. Year after in 1969 swedish tv showed a live game on saturdays during winter and dad told me about the Munic air disaster plus the fact I probably liked the shirts and the players I grew up watching on tv. Then during the 90's I travelled over cause then I had time and money to do so and was blessed with the fact that the club won a lot of trophies during that time.

The man that came up with the idea of broadcasting english football in Sweden died last week so I was one of many mourning his death and how he actually changed a lot of lives here.

Lars-Gunnar Björklund
R.I.P.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F1k4l-kNA6M/TnWqaJKjEfI/AAAAAAAAHF8/5oR_1kj9plY/s1600/L-G+B.jpg

I live in Sweden and now I watch all games online with the same type of quality that I used to have on cable or on satellite. I have been an armchair fan now for just over 10 years as other things took over like women who tend to ruin our lives ;-)

Keep paying attention cause you might be our lucky charm. Aren't you a famous author or artist?


---Urbanus
 
Sorry for ruining your xmas thread with this :)

I was born in 1968 just a month after United won the European Cup as the first english side to do so. Year after in 1969 swedish tv showed a live game on saturdays during winter and dad told me about the Munic air disaster plus the fact I probably liked the shirts and the players I grew up watching on tv. Then during the 90's I travelled over cause then I had time and money to do so and was blessed with the fact that the club won a lot of trophies during that time.

The man that came up with the idea of broadcasting english football in Sweden died last week so I was one of many mourning his death and how he actually changed a lot of lives here.

Lars-Gunnar Björklund
R.I.P.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F1k4l-kNA6M/TnWqaJKjEfI/AAAAAAAAHF8/5oR_1kj9plY/s1600/L-G+B.jpg

I live in Sweden and now I watch all games online with the same type of quality that I used to have on cable or on satellite. I have been an armchair fan now for just over 10 years as other things took over like women who tend to ruin our lives ;-)

Keep paying attention cause you might be our lucky charm. Aren't you a famous author or artist?


---Urbanus

First off, you didn't ruin my thread at all. Is there even such a thing? I mean, we are here to share and to discuss Moz and everything else under the sun. Who cares what thread it is discussed on, right? Of course, with the exception of the General Discussion forum--that is supposed to remain Moz related.

Well, if I am a lucky charm, so be it! :) Thanks for sharing your story. I did ask, so don't feel shy about that. :) I can understand how the colorful shirts along with an emotional history of this team, and the experiences you shared with your your dad, would lead you to becoming a loyal lifelong fan.

I do most of my viewing online as well. Love that high definition, up close experience.

"Aren't you a famous author or artist?"

Haha. More like infamous, psycho blogger/wannabe digital painter. :D You're too kind.
 
First off, you didn't ruin my thread at all. Is there even such a thing? I mean, we are here to share and to discuss Moz and everything else under the sun. Who cares what thread it is discussed on, right? Of course, with the exception of the General Discussion forum--that is supposed to remain Moz related.

Well, if I am a lucky charm, so be it! :) Thanks for sharing your story. I did ask, so don't feel shy about that. :) I can understand how the colorful shirts along with an emotional history of this team, and the experiences you shared with your your dad, would lead you to becoming a loyal lifelong fan.

I do most of my viewing online as well. Love that high definition, up close experience.

"Aren't you a famous author or artist?"

Haha. More like infamous, psycho blogger/wannabe digital painter. :D You're too kind.

Checked you out online a bit and my research tells me you are very creative so don't be too hard on yourself. When it comes to football clubs they are like women, they choose you not the other way around :)


---Urbanus
 
Checked you out online a bit and my research tells me you are very creative so don't be too hard on yourself. When it comes to football clubs they are like women, they choose you not the other way around :)


---Urbanus

Thank you for the compliment. Do you really feel like it is the women that do the choosing? In evolutionary biology that is referred to as female choice. If geography determines football team choice, then I would have to agree with you, that the team chooses you, as you don't choose your birth place. Of course we can move elsewhere as adults. But by that time, fan loyalty is already in place.
 
Thank you for the compliment. Do you really feel like it is the women that do the choosing? In evolutionary biology that is referred to as female choice. If geography determines football team choice, then I would have to agree with you, that the team chooses you, as you don't choose your birth place. Of course we can move elsewhere as adults. But by that time, fan loyalty is already in place.

You could debate that for a very long time and it is interesting. Personally I never felt that one had to support a local club cause I would feel pretty sad as a person if I chose a side only cause they were a local one. I am not into local patriotism at all and I can only quote many of the Manchester band members during the Madchester days that got sick and tired of questions about their city making them say "it's just a place we come from".

I think you need to feel some sort of connection with a place and a club to call yourself a true fan but I can only say that I felt at home among United fans and the local view on life and a lot of other things. I first went to Manchester in 1983 with my dad to see United play and it happened to be the same weekend as when The Smiths made their debut at The Hacienda. Weird to know I was there that weekend without having a clue they existed and how big it one day would turn out to be for me personally and so many others. At least I got an insight into the vibe of the place back then.

I am sure women choose or at least decide if a man and a woman will become lovers or not. It is somehow inbuilt in the make up of a woman and I think by now science has showed a lot of evidence for it although whenever science ventures into the field of psychiatry that can never be considered as science then it becomes a bit more complicated. Sweden's most prestigious crimes professor recently touched upon this on a tv show here.

I don't know if you for some reason dislike Man Ltd. as you choose to call our club cause I guess we will always be stuck with that economy link despite many other clubs taking that part a lot further in recent years. I just know all the years I was a fan when United were shite and Liverpool and others won the lot and being a United fan was far from glamourous but for some strange reason I just felt they were my club.

During my travels over in the 90's I often felt that the area near United's ground felt like some place I had visited before maybe in a previous life cause I cannot explain the feeling so if there is such a thing as a previous existence then perhaps I lived my life there. I always felt at ease there and blended in well with people and picked up the local accent and all and had I gone there now without my blonde hair and scandinavian looks then maybe they wouldn't have believed that I was truly from Sweden cause back then the looks made people realise I was indeed swedish.

By saying that the club chooses you like women do I mean that most fans cannot be very precise when they list the reasons why they became a fan and for most fans it was a combination of things and often we have the feeling it was chosen for us from before we can remember like in my case cause I have supported United longer than i can actually remember. As men we find women interesting for various reasons but in the end they decide if we are allowed to date them and be their partner. For me United and the woman/women I have/had chose me.


---Urbanus
 
You could debate that for a very long time and it is interesting. Personally I never felt that one had to support a local club cause I would feel pretty sad as a person if I chose a side only cause they were a local one. I am not into local patriotism at all and I can only quote many of the Manchester band members during the Madchester days that got sick and tired of questions about their city making them say "it's just a place we come from".

I think you need to feel some sort of connection with a place and a club to call yourself a true fan but I can only say that I felt at home among United fans and the local view on life and a lot of other things. I first went to Manchester in 1983 with my dad to see United play and it happened to be the same weekend as when The Smiths made their debut at The Hacienda. Weird to know I was there that weekend without having a clue they existed and how big it one day would turn out to be for me personally and so many others. At least I got an insight into the vibe of the place back then.

I am sure women choose or at least decide if a man and a woman will become lovers or not. It is somehow inbuilt in the make up of a woman and I think by now science has showed a lot of evidence for it although whenever science ventures into the field of psychiatry that can never be considered as science then it becomes a bit more complicated. Sweden's most prestigious crimes professor recently touched upon this on a tv show here.

I don't know if you for some reason dislike Man Ltd. as you choose to call our club cause I guess we will always be stuck with that economy link despite many other clubs taking that part a lot further in recent years. I just know all the years I was a fan when United were shite and Liverpool and others won the lot and being a United fan was far from glamourous but for some strange reason I just felt they were my club.

During my travels over in the 90's I often felt that the area near United's ground felt like some place I had visited before maybe in a previous life cause I cannot explain the feeling so if there is such a thing as a previous existence then perhaps I lived my life there. I always felt at ease there and blended in well with people and picked up the local accent and all and had I gone there now without my blonde hair and scandinavian looks then maybe they wouldn't have believed that I was truly from Sweden cause back then the looks made people realise I was indeed swedish.

By saying that the club chooses you like women do I mean that most fans cannot be very precise when they list the reasons why they became a fan and for most fans it was a combination of things and often we have the feeling it was chosen for us from before we can remember like in my case cause I have supported United longer than i can actually remember. As men we find women interesting for various reasons but in the end they decide if we are allowed to date them and be their partner. For me United and the woman/women I have/had chose me.


---Urbanus

Very insightful and articulate post. As always, an enjoyable read.

"I don't know if you for some reason dislike Man Ltd. as you choose to call our club cause I guess we will always be stuck with that economy link despite many other clubs taking that part a lot further in recent years."

So sorry Urbanus for the misnomer. I thought that was the official abbreviation for Manchester United. I had no idea it is a pejorative abbreviation. Please accept my apologies. Manchester United it my fave team. Though that isn't saying much as I really don't follow the sport. Actually, I don't follow any sports teams in the US either.
 
Very insightful and articulate post. As always, an enjoyable read.

"I don't know if you for some reason dislike Man Ltd. as you choose to call our club cause I guess we will always be stuck with that economy link despite many other clubs taking that part a lot further in recent years."

So sorry Urbanus for the misnomer. I thought that was the official abbreviation for Manchester United. I had no idea it is a pejorative abbreviation. Please accept my apologies. Manchester United it my fave team. Though that isn't saying much as I really don't follow the sport. Actually, I don't follow any sports teams in the US either.

Haha we have worse nicknames than that but always remember that the day that people are being nice and saying nice things about the club then you know we are shite. I was not in the least offended cause banter is a major part of football as I know it.

I might even have missed your point altogether.

---Urbanus
 
Haha we have worse nicknames than that but always remember that the day that people are being nice and saying nice things about the club then you know we are shite. I was not in the least offended cause banter is a major part of football as I know it.

I might even have missed your point altogether.

---Urbanus

I see the error of my ways. I meant to type Manchester Utd. Not Manchester Ltd.--the home accessories company? Haha.
 
I see the error of my ways. I meant to type Manchester Utd. Not Manchester Ltd.--the home accessories company? Haha.

So it was a typing error?

I thought you meant it as United are indeed big business which few if any fans condone or particularly like. As I had not seen Man Ltd. written before I thought it was something you had seen online somewhere. I am sure it will catch on.


---Urbanus
 
I was wondering about Xmas in the states as you have had this tradition for some time now whereby it is called The Holidays to not hurt the feelings of those of a religion that do not celebrate it. In Sweden we had a few years recently where you would see on TV and in stores signs saying "God Helg" which is more or less the same as using "Happy Holidays". Even the colour red disappeared for a while but last year and this year the old traditions have returned and you hear and see "God Jul" (Merry Xmas) everywhere and the red colour is back in fashion.

In Sweden the various holidays we celebrate are under some criticism from the people that are for diversity and who seem to hate all the old culture and traditions. I would say the trend is that we are moving towards a time where celebrating xmas and other cultural holidays are becoming more of an individual choice rather than a general one meaning that these days you cannot be sure it is something that is shared generally by other people around you.

Celebrating these various holidays is not a certainty here now and it is looked upon by some as something dubious as if we are witnessing the last death kicks from these dinosaurs of tradition. More and more swedes tend to celebrate xmas abroad in the sun which has made scientists and people working in the medical field to dub these travels "cancer trips" as skin cancer is becoming more frequent in Sweden.

I am a traditionist in that I would never celebrate xmas abroad and even spending time at xmas away from home at friends just does not feel right at all. Having said that I nearly skipped xmas altogether this year and realised that in the past I have not celebrated it at all every 4th year for the past 10 years or so. This year I am taking it easier and not planning a million things and I enjoy the time leading up to xmas with the stores filled with things cause once the xmas weekend is here it is more or less over even though this year, when it is a so called workers xmas cause they get more time off, I will probably feel glad once the red days are over and things return to normal.


---Urbanus
 
So it was a typing error?

I thought you meant it as United are indeed big business which few if any fans condone or particularly like. As I had not seen Man Ltd. written before I thought it was something you had seen online somewhere. I am sure it will catch on.


---Urbanus

Haha. No, it wasn't a typing error. More like an I am ignorant of UK culture error. For some reason I thought Ltd. stood for United instead of Limited. Silly me.
 
Haha. No, it wasn't a typing error. More like an I am ignorant of UK culture error. For some reason I thought Ltd. stood for United instead of Limited. Silly me.

Funny cause I do not see you as the ignorant type at all although that is of course a quite common trait among americans. I have thought about why that is and found that it must have something to do with being the new modern world not steeped in old traditions. If you have less then ignoring what is above you must in the end be a way of surviving or coping and therefor is in itself a part of the human survival instinct.

Only americans can come away with ignorance as something that is good and as a young boy in Sweden I met this attitude myself in shallow people that I later learned were just very jealous people in a pathological sense. Their illness or rather inherited manners means you cannot even feel sorry for them although you tend to pity the mentally ill and condemn the victims of alcohol or drug abuse.


---Urbanus
 
I was wondering about Xmas in the states as you have had this tradition for some time now whereby it is called The Holidays to not hurt the feelings of those of a religion that do not celebrate it. In Sweden we had a few years recently where you would see on TV and in stores signs saying "God Helg" which is more or less the same as using "Happy Holidays". Even the colour red disappeared for a while but last year and this year the old traditions have returned and you hear and see "God Jul" (Merry Xmas) everywhere and the red colour is back in fashion.

In Sweden the various holidays we celebrate are under some criticism from the people that are for diversity and who seem to hate all the old culture and traditions. I would say the trend is that we are moving towards a time where celebrating xmas and other cultural holidays are becoming more of an individual choice rather than a general one meaning that these days you cannot be sure it is something that is shared generally by other people around you.

Celebrating these various holidays is not a certainty here now and it is looked upon by some as something dubious as if we are witnessing the last death kicks from these dinosaurs of tradition. More and more swedes tend to celebrate xmas abroad in the sun which has made scientists and people working in the medical field to dub these travels "cancer trips" as skin cancer is becoming more frequent in Sweden.

I am a traditionist in that I would never celebrate xmas abroad and even spending time at xmas away from home at friends just does not feel right at all. Having said that I nearly skipped xmas altogether this year and realised that in the past I have not celebrated it at all every 4th year for the past 10 years or so. This year I am taking it easier and not planning a million things and I enjoy the time leading up to xmas with the stores filled with things cause once the xmas weekend is here it is more or less over even though this year, when it is a so called workers xmas cause they get more time off, I will probably feel glad once the red days are over and things return to normal.


---Urbanus

Back on topic. Well, some people in the US have adopted the term War on Christmas to suggest that, well, there is a war on Christmas. But this is usually more to do with religious sentiment rather than tradition per se... the perceived decline of the religious symbolism and meaning attached to the holiday. But Christmas itself is still alive and kicking full force here. There has been some accommodation with regard to non-Christians... those of other faiths and atheists. But mostly this has to do with nativity scenes being displayed in public places. Wreaths and lights don't garner many complaints. Christmas has always--since I have been alive anyhow--a major commercial holiday... very secular. So most people join in the celebration... parties, gift giving... even if not Christian. I was raised in a secular home but grew up with this holiday. And I am an atheist but still celebrate. No church though. I don't really find too many people getting bent out of shape about Christmas... even with its traditional spelling... with Christ in the name. If they don't like it, well, they don't have to join in. Live and let live.
 
Back on topic. Well, some people in the US have adopted the term War on Christmas to suggest that, well, there is a war on Christmas. But this is usually more to do with religious sentiment rather than tradition per se... the perceived decline of the religious symbolism and meaning attached to the holiday. But Christmas itself is still alive and kicking full force here. There has been some accommodation with regard to non-Christians... those of other faiths and atheists. But mostly this has to do with nativity scenes being displayed in public places. Wreaths and lights don't garner many complaints. Christmas has always--since I have been alive anyhow--a major commercial holiday... very secular. So most people join in the celebration... parties, gift giving... even if not Christian. I was raised in a secular home but grew up with this holiday. And I am an atheist but still celebrate. No church though. I don't really find too many people getting bent out of shape about Christmas... even with its traditional spelling... with Christ in the name. If they don't like it, well, they don't have to join in. Live and let live.

I read that xmas is a mix of religious and secular traditions and dates back before christianity and is basically a pagan tradition. As far as I know when it comes to swedish tradition it was a time to mark the end of a year and celebrate the fact that the harvest was over and the barn was full of hay and the slaughter meant there was loads of meat for everyone.

I see myself celebrating a pagan tradition and if there happens to be any christian symbols involved then that is due to someone having bought nick-nacks to stuff the xmas tree with or decorate the home with. I have seen several programmes about xmas and how it was stolen by the christians who adapted it and claimed that Jesus was born on December 25 which has no historical backing and was just a date that the stupid romans chose. But on the other hand the romans were smart enough to hide his body and let the people believe he had awoken from death but that's just something that I know on a personal level as I don't have to believe in the impossible.

I doubt it can ever be a christian value to buy things and give things and eat and drink yourself senseless as that in itself is against the christian principles of modesty and virtue. I celebrate Julblot not christmas but the american short for christmas, xmas, might be a clever way to make it a bit more undramatic. Jul is the swedish word and that has nothing to do with the word christmas at all. As the germans chose to name Jul "mass for christ" we in Scandinavia kept "Jul". It is complicated to say the least.


---Urbanus
 
Living room makeover complete today after the purchase of these dinner chair tables:

http://www.jysk.se/130/727/736/3659700/a/catalog

They looked way better than in picture and tomorrow if I am lucky I will get my hands on these red xmas chair covers to transform them a bit during xmas. So soft and nice to sit on and they match the wooden floor and wallpaper and even the paintings on my wall. I will come back and post pictures when the xmas dinner is on the table.

I just love a sale!


---Urbanus
 
Living room makeover complete today after the purchase of these dinner chair tables:

http://www.jysk.se/130/727/736/3659700/a/catalog

They looked way better than in picture and tomorrow if I am lucky I will get my hands on these red xmas chair covers to transform them a bit during xmas. So soft and nice to sit on and they match the wooden floor and wallpaper and even the paintings on my wall. I will come back and post pictures when the xmas dinner is on the table.

I just love a sale!


---Urbanus

Erm....

I only bought dinner chairs for the dinner table but the rest was correct.


---Urbanus
 
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