Help!

[dimestore-hippy.livejournal.com]

I need some help! 

I want to write a Briley fic about Christmas and dinner and Patrick and all that, but I've never had a traditional Christmas dinner. Or at least, the last time my family had one I was like 6.

So ideas people?

Also, ideas may be used in my Transformers fic as well . I'm doing lots of christmas themed stories for the season, but dinner and relatives? I've no idea what's traditionally made or discussed or anything.

....That makes me feel kinda sad.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sorry if this isn't allowed (since it's not ONLY for Ben/Riley....) You can delet if it isn't. I just didn't have anyone else to ask. My friends would think I'm a bit weird for asking, really. They would. They know nothing of my fanfic writing haha.

Hopefully if I can get some tales of Christmas with family the Briley will be written in the next week or so and posted as a Christmas present for you all!

Thank you!

Comments

[dimestore-hippy.livejournal.com]

Thank you! (I've done this backwards. Just realized that. I've been gone all day and just now reading all these, and I've replied from the bottom up haha. Oops)

So you put the tree up on Christmas? Not early? I know decorations usually end up going up the day after Thanksgiving here in the US and it's probably different other places since there IS no Thanksgiving, but you're the second person who's said they put the tree up on Christmas day.

Do you decorate any more? Like lights outside? Over the top inflatable holiday creatures? (Really, just down the road from me there's this inflatable snow globe with Rudolph and a snowman going round and round on like a merry-go-round!)

It's so interesting reading all these, especially yours- so detailed! It's been a great help! (I so should have started from the top haha. Oh well, to late now.)

[onduril.livejournal.com]

Well, we do have one of our trees decorated with lights. But the tree is in our backyard, so you don't really see it from the street. But my parents office is facing the street and we put up a dancing Santa my parents brought home from their trip to the US some years ago. And we have some little lights up in the windows facing the street. Other than that we don't have much decoration outside.
I guess it just isn't that common, but I also know some people whose house is very much decorated with lights and santa figurines etc. But it's still rather uncommon.
As for the christmas tree. I know some families and friends of mine put their tree up way earlier than we do. But it's always been that way at home. But Thanksgiving is way to early for us (as we don't even have that holiday..^^). Most people buy the tree about 2 weeks before christmas and some put it up then, and others put it up around the 22.-24.
Oh...I just remembered...in the time from December 1. to december 24. we have a so called advent calendar. It's basically a little gift calendar for everyday of december up until christmas. You can either buy them at the supermarket...most often they are filled with little chocolates, or small toys for children. Or you can make one yourself. I got one from a good friend of mine and I don't know what's inside. So everyday I take one little package down and I'm really getting thrilled about what's inside.
I don't know if you got one of those things in the US...but I love this tradition, because with an advent calendar you can put all your promises of not gaining weight on christmas aside because, with december 1. you start eating a whole lot of chocolate.^^

[dimestore-hippy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we have advent calendars. But there's no chocolate or anything. Not that I've seen anyway.

Normally you just bend the day up and theres a picture behind it. It's almost always religious. So the the pictures are like a lamb, or the baby jesus or something, so they're were never really big in my family after my Grandparents passed. (My parents have never been religous people)

I'm going to start writing, hopefully, tomorrow. I'm decorating outside today with my mom. She actually gave in when I argued for decorations haha.

[onduril.livejournal.com]

I can only recommend the chocolate ones.^^..They make you feel happy for the day. I love chocolate.^^
We also do have the religious ones, but my family isn't that religious either so we never had one of those.
I wish you good luck with decorating outside. Don't fall off the ladder. And I hope you have fun doing the decoration. And I'm looking forward to your story.