A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again

Oh my gosh YES! my whoooole family agreed that it felt nothing like christmas this year
it's like the world has suddenlt just gone anti-christmas :/
but i got some awesome vans ;D i wanted your CD and a uke but i didn't get then :'(
my birthday is in february so i'll hopefully get them then :)
by the way your music amazes me :)
and amongst my group of friend, you (along with alex and charlie) are like celebrities :D
keep on making the awesome music :)

oh and i was wondering who your favourite band was?? :)

Gaaah, sorry, so many typos :S

I had exactly the same feeling this Christmas. Something was just missing, I can't explain it. I got skis (which I got before Christmas and knew about) and a couple of other things, nothing was a surprise. I had to pick out the gifts I got for Christmas...I think that ruined it.

:\ I don't understand the joke...
I spent christmas sleeping on the sofa of my Dad's 1 bedroom apartment for close on 10 days. not very fun.
I got Painfully Mainstream, some cookbooks, (because my dad finds it fascinating that I'm a vegetarian), screenprinting supplies, some other unimportant things.

The joke: At what point would a man impaled on a spike be laughing?

Screenprinting is awesome. I wanted to get into it bigtime a while back.

yes, agreed. Christmas was much less christmassy this year, although it was still fun. I got a GIANT beanbag chair this year, which is mostly occupied by my cat, and i also got a Wii! I was SO excited by the wii! The last time i got something that big was in 2005 when we got a gamecube. The only game system i had before that was our spastic NES that only worked when you shoved a teddybear in the game slot to keep the game down. Oh the memories...As for the religious aspect, i have a secret...I'm atheist! Heheh, my whole family is, so it's really just Christmas without the Christ. Presents, family, but no religion. Also, Tom, I'd just like to point out that this is your 50th comment, thus making you equal to Alex's blog comments ^_^ <3

I felt exactly the same as you this christmas- not in the slightest way christmassy, probably down to the fact I was in africa and it felt like the height of summer- which is a shame, because christmas is usually promoted as my favorite day of the year because of the cold-ness.

by the way, that joke made me spit an ample amount all over my keyboard

haha i got a kazoo for christmas!!! :) i try to play why i shouldnt have let you in on it but, it sounds a lot different... in a bad way... :( haha illl try to learn it....

Hmm, you're not planning on experiencing Christmas again? I recommend T3, or something a bit stronger...

i got a melodica for christmas !!
inspired by you charlie and julia nunes.
it was pretty exciting but that was my highlight of christmas.

Tom, You and Alex inspired me to learn ukulele so that is what I got for christmas a ukulele :)

completely agree- never really felt like christmas. just another day, only slightly happier...which is actually kind of impressive because I 'woke up' as an absolute MONSTER... *not a morning person in the least*
in terms of the religiousnesses... well, ya' see, mom: after 13 years of catholic school she converted to paganism. dad: 2nd generation not-quite-practicing jew. mom's husband: undefined. basically, there's a solstice tree next to a couch with christmas presents underneath and a menorah on the table. five stars for confusing childhoods.
what did I get? oh I'll tell you what I got... I got HEADPHONES and this is BEST :D

I think it's something about being between the age of 15 and 25 to think that Christmas/the Holidays aren't as festive as they used to be. We did everything the same as always this year, and my dad even came to visit for the week, but it still didn't feel quite as wonderful as it used to. I'm also in the same boat as "meganmilsom." My grandpa died five years ago but Christmas still isn't the same because we no longer even see some family members.
Anywho, gift-wise my Christmas was quite nice. I received ridiculously fuzzy socks, a bright purple peacoat, an iTunes gift card, and a new laptop. :)
Oh, and hi, my name is Elizabeth and I enjoy your music very much.

You are correct. This year has not felt very Christmassy. I got excited in the run-up to the 25th but... meh. The Christmas TV hasn't even been very good.
I got presents, and an insuffiecient amout of money to buy Painfully Mainstream and Parrot Stories, so won't be getting either until after the foreseeable future. :(
Jesus was a part of my life: I liberated him from his styrofoam packaging and put him in his ceramic manger. (:
I didn't see my grandparents because of the snow, but on the plus side neither did I see my cousins. I visited my great-grandma; she's great : D She's also hilarious, both intentionally and unintentionally (: Christmas beans spilt. :D

I swear that christmas gets more depressing each year. my little sister has all the fun and presents, christmas is still magical for her. my christmas was about avoiding food, trying not to scream at the people around me and getting as drunk as possible.

for me, christmas has lost it's magic, it's just another day.

You're right, the magic of christmas is slowly slipping away. I actually managed to sleep in until 1pm without anyone bothering to wake me on christmas day. i miss being a kid :-(
Christmas day was the usual; The parents arguing across the dining table, me foolishingly thinking that if i put it on repeat my family would finally accept Shakin' Stevens classic as the greatest christmas song of all time, the cat climbing up the christmas tree to get a bauble and knocking the whole thing over.
Atleast my presents managed to brighten my mood a little. Books, CD's, DVD's, tights, shoes, perfume, and the promise of a ticket to Leeds Festival 2010 (which means that all the stress that was caused over trying to choose between Leeds and Glastonbury was for nothing, as i will now be attending both).
Anyway, I hope that your Christmas was slightly more magical than mine. Keep writing those fantastic tunes, and have a great new year :-)

Oh, one more thing, sorry (:
On your new CD, I see you changed springsong to a different song? I have the one that was available off your site for free download, ages ago, but the one on Painfully Mainsream is a different song althogether. I was just wondering what made you change it? I love them both, but it made me very curious (:

The old song was an experiment - the new one is more... springy? :D

Another thing - notice that all the season songs are interlinked. Springsong ends how Summersong begins, Autumnsong ends how Wintersong begins and... Wintersong now ends how Summersong begins. The album starts and finishes with the same chord sequence, same melody, even the same drum fill. It's all a beautiful cycle. The old one didn't have that coherence to it.

Maybe I'm just a big kid, but I still enjoy christmas just as much. We have our own little traditions and that's nice - I just spend it with my parents, so no awkward family situations, we go for a walk on xmas eve to admire our neighbors festive decor and point out how much better it is tha our own. We have a laugh at what my batty old gran has brought us (and it is usually something very weird, my dad got what appears to be a toilet brush this year...)
I think christmas will be the one thing I'll really miss when I move out. It's comforting and familiar. And there's lots of nice food :D and I got painfully mainstream. which made me extremely excited XD

Good Christmas. Felt the same as you, really.
Fuzzy socks.
Yes.
Not so much. I went to church, that's all.
Yes.
I don't like beans.

I agree, Christmas has lost a bit of its magic over the years, no more gigantic piles of surprise gifts and no more listening intently for Santa all night (though the whole deceitful Santa thing is really a little disturbing). We did spend a record amount of time opening gifts this year, taking turns, it lasted nearly 10 hours (with breaks).

I got a large stack of books (including, "Wake Up, Sir!" - Jonathan Ames, "Mother Night" - Kurt Vonnegut, and "Infinite Jest" - David Foster Wallace, among others) and a disgusting amount of chocolate. And of course some re-gifted underpants...'cause that's the kind of thing that happens quite frequently in this family, lol.

I unfortunately did not get your CD despite putting it at the top of my list though, so I'll have to order that very soon, 'cause I'm not sure that I can live much longer without it :-S

Happy holidays Tom!

Look forward to Infinite Jest. Put it at the end of the list though, because it will take you a year to read. I'm still working through it. :D

hehe, yes, I'm thinking that one will have to wait till summer when I don't have to cram my head with school everyday. ^_^

I think you're definitely right- Christmas has almost no magic anymore. It's completely, absolutely, and irrefutable normal now. I couldn't even get excited about the fact that it's a white Christmas for the first time since i was 3 years old. Bothersome. Only thing I can enjoy about the holidays anymore is sleeping in.

I remember when Christmas Day was the earliest day I'd wake up on. Memories.

That really scared me this year, my mum had to wake me up (with a very alarming 'ho ho ho' that almost gave me a heart attack) and I just thought 'wow. I must be getting really old and boring o_O' scary and saddening :'(

The Christmas cheer is a little suffocating around town, but the house is a safe-haven. I don't celebrate the birth of Jesus, so I pretty much camped out with a good book, Battlestar Galactica Seasons 4 and 4.5, and a bunch of coloring books. MLIA.

the john lennon makes me happy
and i am jesus. it's my nickname and everything. plus i'm jewish, which helps.
and i got a panda hat and some socks. it wasn't very satisfying because neither of the people in my family gift exchange remembered to get me anything. and people wonder why i'm so screwed up...

i had a nice christmas!
im jewish, so i dont have to go to church or anything (my dads not jewish so thats why we "celebrate" but really im just a capitalist)
i got an accordion and a harmonica and a bunch of books and cds (how ever i did not get YOUR cd because i didnt ask for it, because i was assuming i would get it in new york but NOOOO you had to be all /popular/ and sell out...its ok though, my birthdays coming up)
but yeah, christmas was good, new doctor who was good, and im glad to hear that nothing super horrible happened to you :D

I enjoyed the break from, well life more than the actual holidays. I got to sit in the same spot for over 6hours sleeping, eating, or doing a combination of the 2 and no one bothered me all day! I shut off my phone and computer and the world hasn't combusted as far as I know. Tomorrow I'll have to go visit the family, but mass amounts of liquor will help me through it. I might even enjoy myself.

We had a huge ice storm all day, the power went out and my mom refused to get out of bed to open presents. I got socks, books and cookies, I can't remember much else. I ended up sleeping all day because anywhere but my bed was cold.
When the power finally came on I actually tried ordering your cd from DFTBA and realized I couldn't, which made me sad, so Indigo was basically on repeat all night. It really wasn't all that bad, I wasn't in the christmasy spirit either though. Today was much better though.

I had a brilliant christmas. (And jesus is a large part of my life, i just find mass sinfully boring, oh, the ironey.)
The message was sent that i am going though a hello kitty obsession (and in mid teens, fancy that.) so every member of my family purchased a hello kitty themed present for me and my bedroom currently looks like a unicorm has thrown up an array of pink and red glittery sludge that had replaced the very essence of my teenage bedroom. As in, there is liking hello kitty and then morphing into an obsessed four year old.
Not that i would be one to complain.
Socially, my christmas was not one to remember, i agree, the turnout for me was "just another day, except one where you see your cousins and get stuff." Although, it was the first christmas my family have had without the presence of my late grandfather. He, for me, brought Christmas alive. It definatly wasnt the same.
But i got chocolate. It helps.
My favourite jokes -
What did Ag bond say to Cu?
Taken, not shared.
and
What are marios trousers made of?
DenimDenimDenim
If you understant the last one, you will be my best friend. ever.

But enough about me, what did you get, Tom?

I got a new tripod and loads of books and DVDs :D Oh, and enough chocolate to get me through a nuclear winter. And I lol'd at that mario joke :D

i notice the John Lennon War Is Over quote at the top :)
I received The Beatles Rock band game and a wii and your cd and....stuff. :D
I am obsessed with all things Beatles so yeah, i was really happy. What did you get Tom?

x

BEATLES ROCK BAND!!! Our cousins got it for christmas, and they brought it over. We just had the best time. Favourite moment: My eldest cousin and I playing through I Want You (She's So Heavy) and nobody else having the faintest idea what was going on.

:L My dad and i have been playing at every opportunity we get. I am always on the Rickenbacker (John lennons of course) and my dad plays the violin bass (Paul mcCartney) I didnt get the big pack of the drums, guitar and mic cos my parents thought id rather have the guitars and yeah i am happy with them but im asking for the drums and George's guitar for my birthday. Sounds like you had a nice christmas though :D

a very lovely christmas for me, no magic, my sister wasn't present, and we all only got one present each, but it was still fun
which i think is brilliant, because although it wasn't very christmas-y it still remained the one day a year everyone in my family (okay, nearly every since sara wasnt there) is in the same place at the same time, interacting with one another and watching Harry Potter while my mom repeatedly asks us to play a board game that nobody wants to play. It's the thing i remember most about christmas each year, not the abundance of presents or anything, but the rare family time that come after.

but speaking of gifts... I saw you in New York and you played your uke so my mum got me a ukelele for christmas :D
so thanks for indirectly giving me a ukelele, i shall name it tom after you and frezned :D
<3

I am honoured!

Oh, Christmas. This year, I was much more excited about what I was giving than what I was getting. And though I'm not married and I don't have any kids, I think that this is the sort of magic that will be in the holiday again. Jesus *is* part of my life, and Christmas is really nice because my family will actually come to church with me (my dad would rather watch TV or play Wii). I think that Christmas Eve was nicer than Christmas day, as my parents came over for french onion soup, and after church we all caravanned back to their house for wine and stop-motion-animation Christmas TV specials (something nice about the intimacy there that is lacking with all the people on Christmas Day).

And in reference to Sam's comment, I would say that Jesus was born in my heart, but not my anatomical heart. More in a figurative / spiritual sense.

And things I received? Besides FCE which I've been using for a few months now, my mom made me this big certificate that basically says she'll pay for the summer course I've been saving for at the Center for Cartoon Studies.

What'd *you* get, Tom?

I actually like your blog, and I usually am very anti-blog. I like your way of writing, it's very stream of consciousness, and your head seems like a lovely, clever literate place to be.

As for Christmas, I got a laptop in prep for University, which was pretty wonderful. Jesus was only present in the songs I sang. We're not a particularly religious family. We did have a few cheery Christmas family gatherings though. ^-^
Rain rather than snow though.
My city is failing at fitting the Canadian winter stereotype. Crazy lake effect.

I'm glad my blog passes your high standards! Makes me feel all special like. I actually just re-read it after you made your 'stream of consciousness' comment, because I'd never seen it that way at all, but you're so right. I actually forgot I'd said some of the things I'd said. :D

Oh Tom, I'm so glad you invited me to visit your blog!

...

In all actuality I only ended up here by way of coincedental internet perusal, but pretend you invited me anyway so that I may tell my mother I have plans. Are you pretending? PRETEND! Or you might find your new favorite joke in a... precarious situation. And yes, that was a threat.

Let's see about this commenting business, though. Sure, I beat around the bush every once in a while, but honestly - I'm all about business. Commenting business.

I think Christmas was lovely for the first half of the day. It was a white Christmas in the morning, but it just kept coming, invading, attacking, until I was snowed in (trapped, captured, a prisoner to the white fluffyness!) and then it rained, causing the roof to leak and bits of plaster to fall.

I got a suede coat and a watch, but the item I actually enjoyed the most was the box that the watch came in.

Is Jesus a part of my life? Well, he IS in the little Christmas manger scene in my home's family room. I frequent that room quite often, and I do see him when I pass by the manger, so I suppose he is. He wasn't born in my heart though - I know this because that is anatomically impossible. You should ask your parents where babies come from Tom, I think it's time you have "the talk". And I did not see my grandparents.

There we go, commenting bussiness all taken care of, wrapped, and topped with a bow.

Sam

Bam! Just like that, in comes Sam and comments away all the sadness and misery in the world. Feel free to stop by any time. I invite you to.

I had a bit of the Christmas feeling. Of course, by the end of the night, my dad's side of the family was pissing me off and my mom, dad, and grandma were drunk and I hate how they act. I got a bit of what I wanted but then my family went off and bought shit that I don't like for some strange reason. I wish I got more into the spirit but my family decorated the house without me when I was at my Uni and it wasn't cool. =/

You should've gotten drunker than they were. That makes it all better. It's how I dealt with the family party last night.

Haha, if only. 1. I'm from America and they don't condone under-age drinking (18) and 2. I don't actually drink alcohol. xD

Not too many Christmassy feelings over here either.
It was a lovely day though, we spent it with my grandparents and cousin and aunties and we haven't seen them in ages...
Today we're having a party with all our extended family on my mom's side and I'm so excited!

Mainly for the alcohol, but hey, it's Christmas.

Oh My God! YOU TOO?! Me, my sister, and my cousin all agreed that it indeed did not feel like Christmas.

My immediate family was going to visit my grandmother, but we were snowed in. So we had nice little stay at home x-mas. I received a CD copy of the Decemberist's Picaresque; yet another copy of their masterpiece, The Hazards of Love; the animated version of the same album, Here Come the Waves; a Decemberist t-shirt with a strange symbol, which I haven't the slightest idea what it means*; pair of wonderful headphones; and a box of Pocky**. Me and my sister both got $10 iTunes gift cards with which we bought Who Killed Amanda Palmer, and Beirut's The Flying Club Cup. I also bought my sister a copy of the film Brazil, which I more or less just bought for myself.

*Too many Decemberists things.
** XD

Who Killed Amanda Palmer is love. fave traxx: Leeds United, Oasis.

Need to get Flying Club Cup. Gets recommended to me a lot, but I've still not got round to getting it :\

I believe most people can agree that Leeds United is the best track on the album (I'm not sure if I like the normal version or the lounge version better though). Oasis is one of those thing that I simply enjoy because of all of the controversy surrounding it. Blake Says is another track that fights for the top for me though.

The sad part though is that I can only listen to it when my mother isn't around. She absolutely hates the way she sings. :/

Hello! Just spent Christmas with the immediate family this year (we are a continent away from the rest of them). I don't know about the Jesus thing anymore... I watched the new Doctor Who episode and got really confused. Oh, and my grandparents sent a Snuggie as a Christmas present. Overall it was pretty good.

PS: Excellent joke :)
PPS: Sorry about me being just a guest. I don't have a twitter... or DISQUS?

I believe that christmas with out the jesus is the best kind. I GOT A UKULELE!! I now have a tool with which I can annoy everyone i know and/or am near. Can I has chords to your songs!? lol And I got Hank's new cd. I liked the first one better. (i know the singing was terrible but the songs were better) It RAINED all day long. Weather sucks where I live. xD

We stopped celebrating Christmas. Half my family moved across the country over an year ago and the rest of my family lives in Brazil. I got to spend time with my sister who came home from college (or university?) for the holidays, though. :)

We are snowed in this year. Luckily my husband and I gave each other dvds this year, so we have been in watching Doctor Who and Battlestar Gallacgtica. I know I should be sorry, that we didn't manage to see the family, yet But, honestly I have loved the quiet.

Excellent Christmasing there!