I get to celebrate Christmas twice!

@blind-spot 76

over 3 years ago (Edited)

OCD

Gifts, greetings, celebrations and parties. What's better?

That...but twice!

"But, what about the day off, Blind-spot?!" you ask. In my profession there are no conventional "offs".

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In some ways I compensate that with celebrating the holiday twice. Officially.

You see, time is a man made thing. Unless you follow the lunar and solar rotations, time that we are used to is manmade. Well, even the rotations were first used by the Egyptians to put a static value and "make" time. What about time as per religion?
I'll leave that for you to decide if it is manmade or not.

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Nevertheless, time is a manmade concept. And in that very sense, so are dates and years. It is hard to pinpoint and decide on one exact version of time and dates. And whenever there is something manmade, there are errors.

These very errors and confusions allow me to celebrate the holiday twice. Who gives two excrements as long as I can party twice, amirite?

In Ukraine, we officially observe the holiday twice. The first on 25th December, and the second on 7th January.
Among the sects within Christianity, the Orthodox in Ukraine observe the holiday on 7th of January.

This all began with the disagreement between the Julian calendar and Gregorian calendar regarding dates and time. The Julian calendar has extra 11 minutes compared to astronomical time and hence made it longer. The Gregorian calendar was introduced to rectify this and although the transition to the improved Catholic calendar was planned, it never happened.

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So now I am left to enjoy the mindless partying that ensues on both these nights!

My days of clubbing are behind me. But the best xmas parties used to be in there. Except for the obvious, I really enjoyed how well they used to design the interiors and the amazing show the clubs used to organize.

Nowadays, I enjoy the public displays and the free concerts in the open squares. The more sober and friendly kinda vibes.

I particularly appreciate the complete transformation from regular stores to blinding beautifully lit Christmas portals all along the streets.

Sometimes, I just go out for a stroll after work just to get inspired by the pure creativity these guys ooze.

The show of art keeps getting better every year. Since I don't have a religious connection to the holidays, I have the privilege to enjoy the celebrations without having a weight on my back.

Sometimes I deliberately go hunting for spots that have put up lots of beautiful lights.

On the day of occasion I gather up the boys and we go around enjoying services that are submerged in holiday gear.
This year I have selected this café for the 25th.

Considering these installments are a temporary investment that makes more people smile than make people come in really makes my heart melt. People really love spreading joy during the holidays.

For the 7th, which will be a Thursday, I am planning to go to a more niche celebration in a park. Friday will be a holiday for most of my mates, so we could get a little wild without having to worry about the next day.

I scouted the area, and looks like preparations are well in the woodworks. No pun intended. Maybe intended. Intention is classified.

I realized my celebrations are getting a little stale. I get excited about the holidays because I know the stores are going to have killer offers. That is, truly, how I celebrate.

There are no stores with good offers that I do not visit. Around this time of the year they have amazing decorations, too. Guess it's a win-win.

Apart from the mentioned above, I love the plum cakes. They are sold in almost every corner. My personal favorites are the homemade ones the adorable Babushkas sell. Sometimes, they let me take a colorful plastic bag for free.
How festive!