gerv 

Got any special events planned where you ride instead of driving?

There'a a large display of Christmas lights in a city park and I plan on making the annual bike ride to see the lights. (Full disclosure: I have never made this ride before. It's quite often either snowing heavily or too cold. My substitute is to stay hope and watch White Christmas until I fall asleep. Usually about 10 minutes into it,)

How will you survive the holidays?

Artkansas 

Well, I'll probably watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians on XMas Eve. There's some Christmas displays in North Little Rock, but given the temperatures, I'm not too tempted, though some cyclists go.

iheartbacon

I'll be busy with lots of church activities. Jesus is the reason for the season! We have a toy drive that's lots of fun and we go caroling on Saturday evenings.

agent pombero

The gf and I have a big ride to her families house, 33 miles each way. I'm hoping it won't rain (virtually no chance of it snowing if the past is any indication).

CarFreeFam4

We had no plans, until yesterday. My dad called and said they're coming down to Portland and would like to pay for a rental car so we can come spend a couple nights with them. So I guess we'll go see them, hubby will work and hopefully we can fit in a visit with his family in Portland too while we're there.

gerv 

Christmas in Portland? Could be worse... What are you doing on a bike during this time?

CarFreeFam4

We'll tour the lights at the lake, lovely folks at the LBS offered me one of their rentals to join them.

ro-monster

So far our seasonal activities have consisted of walking to the local game shop to buy a game for donation to Toys for Tots. Since we don't celebrate Christmas, that was the totality of our holiday shopping. Later we rode our bikes downtown to see the Holiday Train and drop off the donation.

Our wonderful LBS has a holiday lights ride each year, which basically entails spending a Wednesday evening cruising around looking at lavishly decorated houses, then heading back to the shop for treats and socializing. I'm planning to go to that too.

charbucks

I'm going to take all the carbon karma that I've saved by not driving and burn it up flying home to see my parents. That's how it works, right?

Artkansas 

I organize the Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas's entry into the local holiday parade. Each year I take a stuffed animal along on the parade to give it a little adventure and then donate it to Toys for Tots.

In recent years, I've teamed up with Recycle Bikes for Kids to fill out our entry in the parade. That has worked very well. This year we had about 50 people, and the kids seemed to love riding along, giving out candy to the kids watching the parade. I thought this was win-win. Made the kids with us proud of their bikes and the kids watching the parade jealous and wanting bikes. The best part though for me is riding back, because the timing is such that I get a long quiet ride along the river right at sunset, with red and blue clouds reflecting off the water.

This is my parade bike.

sauerwald

I did actually have a christmas/bicycle thought on my ride home last night. Christmas comes close to the winter solstice, which means that it is dark during my commute to and from work. I have a fairly bright blinky lights, as well as constantly-on lights on my bike, and I am confident that I am easily seen most of the year. At this time of year, many of the homes and businesses along my route have even bigger and brighter lights, which both mask my lights, and add a distraction for the drivers that I am sharing the road with. My question: Am I more at risk at this time of year as a result of Christmas Lights?

Artkansas 

I don't think that Christmas lights are the big distraction as much as holiday busyness and extra drinking are. I wear that Santa hat that you see in the above picture from the holiday parade till Christmas. I get a lot of recognition for it, so I think it catches peoples eyes and also identifies me as something you don't want to hit.

gerv 

That is one cool bike!

Newspaperguy

For Christmas, I'll either walk or ride out for Christmas dinner. Either option is fine. If I'm not leaving town, I prefer human-powered transportation.

There have also been times where I've gone for a ride on New Year's Eve, starting shortly before midnight and riding in the new year. It's a nice way to make the calendar transition, but I haven't decided if I'll do it this year.

bjjoondo 

LOL, well we spend Christmas Eve at my Mom's, my brother is a struggling student, (Army Vet going to college) so we PAY him to come get us and take us back home via his old beater car so he can have some "spending money" during the holiday! We will either stay a home and cook a roast or do a 2 mile walk down to the Black Bear Diner for Christmas Dinner. To be honest we are TOO PARANOID to take our bikes and leave them where we can't see them to eat at a resturant via bicycle. We'd have a tough time affording to replace our bikes, "quickly" if they were stolen!

Roody

I do a ride at midnight on Christmas Eve with friends and family, followed by alate night supper at my house. We ride on residential streets, looking at the holiday light shows. It's especialy nice when it's snowing at midnight.

gerv 

I'm still thinking about Christmas dinner. I'm trying to figure out a vegetarian dish to have. I had spinach quiche for Thanksgiving, so that's out. Maybe I'll backpeddle and buy a pork roast.

ezdoesit

Hey gerv I am at vegetarian and would suggest a nice big pot of lentil soup on a cold day.
I just got done makin a pot and man was it good.

iheartbacon

Make a smoothie with seasonal fruits and vegetables.

wahoonc

Try Majedra next... we make it both vegitarian and non.

Aaron

mr geeker

i'll probably ride to the south side of town and visit my father, eat his food and then go home. maybe at some point i'll watch the grinch who stole christmas, scrooged, or as artkansas mentioned, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. all of which are good movies.

cyclokitty 

Our Christmas plans include The Hobbit movie, eating home baked treats, a good walk downtown (we'll take the subway and it will be busy), find an open coffee shop, maybe eat dinner in China Town or a rather cheerful Middle Eastern restaurant. Presents will be exchanged with my best friend and I think I did quite well finding a 2013 calendar of her favourite comic book (Liberty Meadows), a cozy pajama set, Itunes gift card, and home made chocolate mint thins (Nila wafers dipped in minty melted chocolate). Mr. CK and I don't bother giving each other prezzies because what's the point? The money comes out of the same cookie tin and we like prowling the internet for goodies & treats together.

gerv 

I think I'm already over my lentil quota for the month.

Although a smidge of lentils in a pot pie , along with a bunch of root vegetables, might be interesting.

I've also used lentils to make a pretty good "meat loaf".

... ok... maybe it is a lentil dish.

ro-monster

A few pics from tonight's Holiday Lights Ride (sorry about the crappy quality). There were about 50 bikes of all kinds, and we even got a police escort to stop traffic for our left turn at one busy intersection. It was a clear chilly night, good company and a fun ride!

Some decorated bikes, waiting for the ride to begin.



This entire street, a 2-block stretch of Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos, California, is decorated with an amazing number of lights and ornaments. There was a long line of cars and many pedestrians, and of course all our bikes! This house is one of the more lavish ones, but not by much. One place had a gazebo with a life-size Santa statue whose lap you could sit on, plus a pair of life-size reindeer on the lawn.



Santa joined us for our ride!



And last but not least, the Christmas Tree Traffic Cone.

gerv 

If a white Christmas will put you in the mood, we should be go to go.

Got 12 inches of snow last night and unless the world ends tomorrow, I'm predicting the new Mayan Calendar will start with a lot of snow shovelling for me.