Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Preparing for Christmas already? — Parallax Forums

Preparing for Christmas already?

John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
edited 2011-09-04 10:34 in General Discussion
Some stories I heard about people shopping... for Christmas!

Strange. My sibling is buying new clothes and keep it for the New Year too. Looks like people wanted to get away from the huge crowd during the season.

So, what do you guys and girls intend to make for the Christmas season? It may be a waaay bit too early, but hey, time flies so fast!

I will start : A small jukebox with SD-Card and can plays Christmas songs. Use a Prop and the SD card. Wait, I can attach some LED to make them blink or glow or anything and place them on a plastic Christmas tree. :)

Comments

  • icepuckicepuck Posts: 466
    edited 2011-09-03 17:41
    I was experimenting with a arm linux wifi computer for a while to use as a music player to hide inside a xmas box car, some thing like the following link.
    http://www.reindeerpass.com/USA-Trains-2007-Christmas-Reefer.aspx
    This project is now on hold now that I'm having to pay for fall classes.
    -dan
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2011-09-03 19:18
    Like most men, I do my Christmas shopping on Dec 24th afternoon.
    Nothing like a deadline to force you to make decisions...

    Bean
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2011-09-04 02:07
    The only Christmas presents I buy early are for myself. As far as the other people, I am Jewish. So I don't have a lot to buy. Nonetheless, Christmas is an important global holiday, the Taiwanese depend on it quite a bit, even if the population is less than 8% Chistian.

    I do have to do some shopping for Chinese New Years though. It is all difficult to explain. Taiwan actually canceled Christmas as a national holiday about a decade ago. They canceled Teachers Day at about the same time (and I am a teacher).

    This is Asia. Everything is just different. All the toys are already on ships to Walmart.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2011-09-04 04:01
    I'm working on my christmas gift for myself already; a Prusa Mendel 3D Printer...
    (got the Ardunio Mega2560 and lots of components on friday. Already broken or lost a couple of SMTs... )
    Maybe I'll be able to print a few gifts this year?

    My brother is getting a 1:35 scale plastic model of an ISU-152 heavy self-propelled artillery, which I picked up in Russia this week...
    (I've never seen a kit of that monster before. In fact, I don't think I've seen any of the kits from that manufacturer before, either) Definitely going to freak him out...
    I may or may not give my sister a Matryoshka doll that I also picked up in Russia, but at the moment, it's taking up space in the windowsill at my office.(Together with a few other souvenirs. )
  • TorTor Posts: 2,010
    edited 2011-09-04 07:05
    Bean wrote: »
    Like most men, I do my Christmas shopping on Dec 24th afternoon.
    Nothing like a deadline to force you to make decisions...

    Bean
    That's what I do as well, and as I'm in Norway the Dec 24th _evening_ is the actual Christmas event, not the day after.. well, shops close at 13:00 (1 am or pm or whatever it's in am/pm) so I'll have to finish the shopping before then. Or else it'll be the dreaded chocolate box from the petrol station.

    (Anyway the great thing about Norwegian 'Christmas' is that we don't call it Christmas.. we use the old name for the winter solstice celebration. So which religion, or no religion: It doesn't matter, whatever the Church says. They can't change the fact that it's not called Christmas, so it's not a Christ mass.)

    -Tor
  • John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
    edited 2011-09-04 08:16
    Loopy Byteloose wrote: »
    The only Christmas presents I buy early are for myself. As far as the other people, I am Jewish. So I don't have a lot to buy. Nonetheless, Christmas is an important global holiday, the Taiwanese depend on it quite a bit, even if the population is less than 8% Chistian.

    I do have to do some shopping for Chinese New Years though. It is all difficult to explain. Taiwan actually canceled Christmas as a national holiday about a decade ago. They canceled Teachers Day at about the same time (and I am a teacher).

    This is Asia. Everything is just different. All the toys are already on ships to Walmart.

    My sibling bought new clothes for Chinese New Year, despite it's all months and months away. Reason is simple, during the Chinese New Year season, things got more expensive. On other normal days it is significantly cheaper.
    Tor wrote: »
    That's what I do as well, and as I'm in Norway the Dec 24th _evening_ is the actual Christmas event, not the day after.. well, shops close at 13:00 (1 am or pm or whatever it's in am/pm) so I'll have to finish the shopping before then. Or else it'll be the dreaded chocolate box from the petrol station.

    (Anyway the great thing about Norwegian 'Christmas' is that we don't call it Christmas.. we use the old name for the winter solstice celebration. So which religion, or no religion: It doesn't matter, whatever the Church says. They can't change the fact that it's not called Christmas, so it's not a Christ mass.)

    -Tor

    People in Scandinavia called them "Yule Festival"? Or "Winter Solstice Festival"? :)
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2011-09-04 10:34
    Yule is probably the closest, yes.
    The modern word in use here in Norway is 'Jul', 'Julaften' ('aften' = evening in more polite wording)

    The biggest bonus with the event being on the eve of the 24 is that kids always manages to burn through any batteries included with their toys that evening, so there's no reason for them to get up and make lots of noise on the morning of the 25. Not that it would help, as ALL stores are closed then, even the 24/7 gas stations, so no batteries to get anywhere.

    Which is why I always include extra sets of batteries with the toys I give to my brother's children...

    The 25. is considered a 'family day' and it used to be considered rude to visit anyone but the very closest family.

    Incidentally, the eve of the 23. is known as 'Lille Julaften' ('Lille' = little), and one of the many traditions, is to watch this film:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1v4BYV-YvA
    (In other countries in Europe it's common to see it on New years eve)

    Another tradition on the eve of the 24. is that it isn't 'really' christmas before we've heard the S
Sign In or Register to comment.