Right. So... if a family member living in another country wanted to visit for "
the big annual yearly get-together with all the aunts and uncles and everyone", they'd come at Christmas rather than Thanksgiving?
Christmas is crazy here too. On Christmas Eve, most shops close early, but everyone forgets! So we all scramble to buy enough food and alcohol to last us and our extended family and friends for the next few days. There's panic-buying; empty shelves! It's
madness!
Ha ha! Oh -- it's fascinating.
We've recently been celebrating a terrorist who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament by detonating Chinese fireworks, so crazy traditions are pretty universal, I think! :-D
I was absolutely baffled when I looked at the Wikipedia entry for the "Blue laws" and found so many restrictions on selling
cars on certain days of the week. Why cars?! Why not... houses, or... televisions...? That's a bit random!
And how come Chinese restaurants are open? I understand many Chinese might not celebrate Christmas, but... who are their customers? Is it mostly Chinese people? Or single people living alone? Or do whole families order Chinese takeaways instead of having roast turkey for their Christmas dinner?
Back in the 1980s when I was little,
everywhere in the UK shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I remember how incredibly strange it was when petrol stations started opening on Christmas Day. I couldn't quite believe that they'd managed to find people who were willing to work for non-vital services on Christmas Day!
Now every petrol station seems to be open on Christmas Day, and
everywhere is open on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Quite a few pub chains are open for pre-booked Christmas Day Dinners, too... and I can't help thinking how easy and convenient that would be... But... I just couldn't bring myself to buy any goods or services on Christmas Day. I'm sure they're raking it in in overtime wages (triple time?!) but, as a staunch atheist, it's nice to keep Christmas special.