Author Topic: XX days until Christmas!  (Read 59072 times)

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Offline JonLeung

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XX days until Christmas!
« on: September 17, 2007, 07:46:30 am »
So, what is everyone hoping they'll receive for Christmas this year?



I don't expect much myself, as I usually end up buying the material things that I want right when they come out (I see games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the horizon but I won't be waiting for Christmas).  Or they're too expensive for me to expect anyone else to buy for me (laptop (even though my dad just bought my brother one for school), iPod, replica Master Sword, etc.).  And the things I truly want (love, job security, family stability) are immaterial so I can't really expect them under the tree.



But I'm interested to know what you guys think are hot gifts this year.

Offline Maxim

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2007, 09:20:32 am »
Bah humbug!



It seems that once you reach a certain point, you can't get cool stuff for Christmas any more, but on the other hand you get to actually buy cool stuff yourself whenever you want it, so long as you have money. (Me, April: Oh look, shops full of Wiis encountered by chance while abroad. I'll take one.) It's probably related to the way the cool stuff I want costs a lot more than the cool stuff kids want. The downside is no more childlike anticipation and excitement, having to buy gifts for everyone else, and receiving crappy token presents. I can't remember one thing I've got in the last few years that wasn't a waste of time to open.

Offline TerraEsperZ

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2007, 10:28:01 pm »
Well, although my family wasn't poor, my parents never put any real emphasis on expensive presents eitehr for our birthdays or for Christmas, and instead we just travelled with them a lot. The most expensive present I ever got was an NES, and that was for both me and my sister. The downside was that at the time, we kept comparing outselves to other kids who would sometimes receive 150$ from their grandparents alone while we'd get about that amount total for all our present *if* we were lucky; the upside is that we didn't grow up spoiled rotten and appreciate the value of hard work.



The rest of the time we were told to save our weekly 5$ allowance until we could buy what we really wanted. Needless to say that I got tired of the Gameboy before I could ever earn enough to buy one, and I never bought a lot of things I thought I wanted but never regretted not getting.



Anyway, while Christmas no longer has all the magic it had as kids when we used to count the days until Christmas Eve with the mass, the extended family supper, the presents from our parents and family and the little gifts in our decorated socks in the morning which we were *sure* were really from Santa and the holiday cartoons every day for two weeks, it's still a special time to me.



Now that Christmas is devoid of material value, I've attributed a more spiritual one to it. While it's true that all the values preached at Christmas are important such as love, compassion, family and such, they really are important all year long. But somehow, we just keep forgetting among the troubles of everyday life. It's important for me to use the holiday to reflect back on those important values and try again to make them last as long in my mind as I can.



I also like to take the time to get to know my extended family more. As a kid, I just couldn't care less about the adults, and as I grew up, I got caught in the little disputes and rivalry where most of the family for example think that so-and-so hates them and keeps avoiding them because she's a snob, and things like that. But in recent years, I've tried as much as possible to talk to everyone during the Christmas supper to try and really know what's going on in their lives  and how they feel. I can't know for sure that everyone's being honest, but my experience tells me that people just aren't honest with each other or such rivalries and misunderstanding wouldn't happen.



Oh yeah, as for my immediate family plus a few chosen friends and extended family members, we throw our own little party where we have fun, play games and try to dance as bad as possible to cheesy music. Basically, do the kind of things that we know everyone involved will enjoy and participate in.



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Offline StarFighters76

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2007, 02:32:30 pm »
Christmas, don't remind me. Last few years just hasn't felt Christmasie for me.

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Offline bustin98

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2007, 11:41:36 pm »
Thanksgiving is my extended family time. We all get together and either watch American Football or play video games. After eating of course.



Christmas is now all about my kids. I might get one thing I am looking forward to, but its not like it was before kids. I do not like to give toys and such to my girls as I remember having a ton of toys myself and most went unnoticed or they broke from abuse. I see the same thing happening with them. So at this time in their lives clothes really make a better gift. Though there are certain DVDs I wouldn't mind them having.



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Offline JonLeung

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2007, 04:15:46 pm »
85 days 'til Christmas.

42 days 'til Super Mario Galaxy.



I suppose things are a little less Christmasy each year, but once you have kids, I guess it'd be a little different.  I imagine it must be a joy to see a child's face light up when they get something they really want.



You know the infamous "Nintendo 64 kid"?  If I ever have kids, I want at least one of my kids to be like that one day with something I get them.  (Probably not with a future Nintendo console, because I'd've probably gotten one on the first day myself.  I got my GameCube, DS, and Wii on the first day and I don't see the future game systems being any less exciting for myself, since I'm such a geek, and maybe moreso the older I get.)

Offline JonLeung

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2007, 12:00:24 pm »
Well, it's only 50 days now...not that anyone else is counting.  :P

Offline Revned

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2007, 12:13:00 pm »
You sure like countdowns, eh?

Offline marioman

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2007, 07:55:40 pm »
It's an obsession.  On Christmas Day he will begin his countdown to the New Year.  Valentine's Day will follow that.  :P

Offline The Ultimate Koopa

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2007, 03:31:50 am »
49 days 'til christmas

10 days 'til Super Mario Galaxy in Europe (6 days for US, 23 days for Australia, and -5 days for Japan)

Also, at least 56 days 'til Super Smash Bros Brawl for UK, 96 days for the US release date



Oh and... 1,725 days 'til London 2012 on July 27th, 2012



Between 1,883 and 2,247 days 'til Shrek 5 is released in 2013



About 24,163 days 'til the Green Wall of China is completed in 2074



Oh and this is really cool...

47 days 'til the Grand Conjunction!!! (23rd-24th December 2007), in which there will also be a full moon, not to mention that it's the Winter Solstice... ish... etc... blah blah blah...

Offline RT 55J

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2007, 04:47:23 pm »
How many days will it be until Duke Nukem Forever is released? 999994598723987543378997458899?

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Offline The Ultimate Koopa

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2007, 04:27:34 pm »
HOLY CRAP!! This was potentially a... possible 1998 release? It's had trailers in 2001, etc.... and, as of almost 2008, there's still no plot???????????????

Damn that evil Scott Miller!!!!


Offline marioman

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2007, 08:23:00 pm »
Heh heh.  And the developer still insists that the game will be released.  He must be the most optimistic person in the world.

Offline The Ultimate Koopa

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2007, 04:25:35 am »
Firstly, 46 days left... and here's a silly mathematical joke/riddle...



Why do mathematicians think that Christmas and Hallowe'en are the same?

Offline marioman

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RE: XX days until Christmas!
« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2007, 02:05:16 pm »
No clue...