💣 003 | audio

[devoutish]

Yeah. This Christmas thing. It's just fucking over the top, innit? You do know we're barely into December? You need to calm down, all of you.

[Alfie's tone is chiding, but in a light and teasing way that isn't really meant to be taken as a serious condemnation - he's actually been in an okay mood these past couple of weeks. This is just one more car on the culture shock train. The Christmas celebrations and decorations that he's is used to seeing at home are much more subdued, and definitely don't start this early in the season.]

Is this an American custom, or a twenty-first century custom? If I were to pay a visit across the ocean, would the Europeans be kicking up this much of a fuss? Fucking hell.

Comments

[darwinatrix]

Can't speak to any other nation; my home country didn't celebrate anything of the sort.

It's irritatingly festive.

[devoutish]

Are you so against all festivities, or is Christmas a special case?

[darwinatrix]

I find holidays a waste of time, energy, and resources.

[devoutish]

Goodness, you're a bundle of joy, aren't you.

voice

[alreadyhuman]

But everyone's so excited! [ Vivi has no clue what all this Christmas stuff is about but EVERYONE SEEMS VERY HAPPY AND THERE ARE LOTS OF COLOURS, HE LIKES COLOURS. ] I mean, um...I don't know why, but a lot of people are happy! So that's good. Isn't it?

[ This kid would like nothing better than to see people just being happy in their everyday lives honestly ]

voice

[devoutish]

It's a holiday. Ask 'em about it, if you like; they'll tell you.

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Twenty-first century custom.

In Japan, it's twice as bad, mostly because there's not that many people celebrating the religious part of it.

Personally, I just try to grab as much egg nog as possible and drink until it's over.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

What would you celebrate, if not the religious part of it?

[Full-on secular Christmas is a lot less common in Alfie's time, too.]

[Audio]

[sleight_of_hand]

Well, most people just use it as a date night.

Also, KFC has some pretty awesome chicken dinner deals.

[Audio]

[devoutish]

Haven't you got that other date night holiday? In January, yeah?

video;

[fayzedandconfused]

Shut up. Christmas is the best.

video;

[devoutish]

[Oh, hey. He recognizes your voice, little cake bandit.]

Is it good enough to take control of the entire country?

video;

[fayzedandconfused]

Yeah, why not? You get cool stuff. What's not good about that?

video;

[devoutish]

You can get that without the obsession, yeah?

video

[snoobs]

But the sale prices are wonderful!

video

[devoutish]

Did you queue for ten hours, Hemali?

video

[snoobs]

Who on Earth waits ten hours?

[ Clearly not a nagin with compulsion powers. ]

video

[devoutish]

The people that they interview on the television.

[He may have caught coverage about the excitement over the release of some new video game or another.]

[ Video ]

[ghoulking]

It's a big deal in a lot of places around the world, yes. Insane in Japan, but we usually go to extremes about pretty much anything. [ he sort of misses it in a strange way - but that's because he misses home. ]

Usually, once the Halloween decorations go down, Christmas decorations go up right after.

[ Video ]

[devoutish]

You don't believe in breaks, do you?

[ Video ]

[ghoulking]

Honestly, I don't celebrate Christmas, neither Halloween. So I don't care all that much for it.

New Year's is special, though.

[ Video ]

[devoutish]

I don't celebrate Christmas or Halloween, myself, but I've got two New Years.

[Video]

[wordaday]

It's an American thing, I think. November and December solid is ramping up to Christmas and it stops cold on the 26th.

[Small blessings, etc, etc.]

And you can't complain until you've had to sit through four solid months of it. I love the season but I'm gonna scream if I hear one more Jingle Bells in the grocery store.

[She'd just gotten over the New Year's hump back home, only to show up here thrown exactly two months back into the year like the worst Groundhog Day ever .]

[Video]

[devoutish]

Four months including September and October, or was your arrival time skewed?

Re: [Video]

[wordaday]

It was just after the New Year at home before I got here, last month. [She sighs, hard enough for a little bit of her soul to escape.] So, I gotta go through all of this again. I am so sick of eggnog.