Open the selection box- Christmas Forum Chat Thread

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lycan238 wrote:

Now these days I get none but raid the shops Easter Monday for some discounted ones if any left. If none left its doesn't matter.

They're so cheap as it is, hard to resist!

iguana

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

We always had the Easter bunny growing up and, just like Santa, it's a tradition that has continued even as adults.

I'm so envious. I used to wish so hard that the Easter Bunny was real when I was little. I figured he maybe only went to America because he was in American cartoons and he didn't have a means to fly like Santa.

lycan238

Bruce Mushy Tapestry wrote: »

They're so cheap as it is, hard to resist!

Yeah I know they are cheap as is but i have not bought one before easter in about six maybe seven years.

Mystery Egg

Well lads, I thought you might be interested to hear about my experience doing radio training with Christmas FM.

Well, it was a weekend course, two days 9-5, in the Ballsbridge Hotel, in the Christmas FM studio in there. There were 12 in the class and each of us dropped 200 euro for the privilege. The trainer was a lovely chap called Adrian, who you'll often hear on Spirit FM. The class was pretty varied - some were ambitious (and trendy) young people taking a first step in a career in radio, others were Christmas nuts like myself, and one or two had mistakenly thought that by doing this training they would definitely be able to volunteer at Christmas FM (they hadn't realised how Christmas FM has about twenty times the amount of volunteer applications that it needs!) and who thought they were giving their time back to a good cause...which of course they will be, if they beat back the rest of the competition! :pac:

The guts of the course was learning how to use audio editing software. Then each of us had some time in studio to record a demo, with which we can apply for volunteering opportunities or even make job applications. Once the demo was recorded (which we, nerve-wrackingly, had to do ourselves, in a live and functioning studio!) we spent a lot of time editing it.

So will Mystery Egg be gracing the airwaves this Christmas? Time will tell. In August we need to send our demos to Garvan, who is the programme manager (and who does the breakfast show). Garvan will choose 25% of us who were on the courses throughout the year to be volunteers, but even of that group there is no guarantee you would be on air. You might be involved in vox-popping or editing.

The 25% who get invited back do another weekend of training and then off you go.

I am hopeful I will be in the 25% but at the same time I am not holding my breath. Lots of talented people around! I'll let ye know how I get on.

Jude13

Great update!

Any mention of Christmas shoes?

Mystery Egg

Jude13 wrote: »

Great update!

Any mention of Christmas shoes?

Actually yes!

You might be saddened to learn that from 7am to 7pm on any commercial radio station the DJ has no control whatsoever on the playlist! The songs are in categories based on popularity, and depending on the date and proximity to Christmas, an algorithm plays X amount from category A (most popular), B (moderately popular) and C (not that popular). Category A gets more and more airtime as Christmas approaches. This alogrithm is controlled by the programme manager, who has say over what does and doesn't get played. The DJhas no opportunity during their hours on air for originality, which is why Christmas FM cannot take requests, only dedications. And it is also why we hear certain songs over and over. They are in category A - which is where I presume Christmas Shoes is - and therefore their airtime simply increases as the big day approaches.

Kinda ruined the mystery for me, but at least we know we aren't being punished. Christmas Shoes is a song that is loved or loathed by all who've heard it - so those who love it must outnumber those of us who feel like their ears are bleeding when it comes on.

If you want to affect what gets played, you have to take it up with the programme manager! :pac:

washiskin

Just saw the Christmas FM tweet looking for charities to apply for the Charity Partner spot for this year. The countdown begins in earnest now!:D

Jude13

Mystery Egg, what if, by accident, it got deleted from all Christmas fm computers (presume its digital in this day and age). Im kidding by the way. Great insight.

Just give the programme manager a nudge and put the waitresses Christmas Wrapping Cat A status.

Mystery Egg

Jude13 wrote: »

Mystery Egg, what if, by accident, it got deleted from all Christmas fm computers (presume its digital in this day and age). Im kidding by the way. Great insight.

Just give the programme manager a nudge and put the waitresses Christmas Wrapping Cat A status.

Sorted

Crazyteacher

Very cool mystery egg. Even the experience of that alone is brilliant.

I have started pinning and have a christmas board, very slow to start because there's so much not so nice Christmas stuff out there but I will keep looking.

Glitzgirl

Watching desperate housewives ( while feeling totally embarrassed by my lack of domestic skills in comparison ) and it's a Christmas episode ! Loving it !

freshpopcorn

Glitzgirl wrote: »

Watching desperate housewives ( while feeling totally embarrassed by my lack of domestic skills in comparison ) and it's a Christmas episode ! Loving it !

I'm re-watching it over the past week!

Jude13

I had a pals two kids staying over in mine for a few days. One is thomas the ank engine mad. My OH kept coming in the room and wondering why the Christmas episode was on a loop. Me and the eldest had a deal, he could watch what he wanted but it had to be a Christmas episode.

Glitzgirl

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I'm re-watching it over the past week!

Great minds I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it been ages since I've seen it !! Enjoy

baby and crumble

LADS!

I have been woefully ignoring Christmas recently but now I'm like "IT'S NEARLY MAY OMG!" :p:p:p

I will say the wedding planning (exactly one month before Christmas Day:D) is taking over this year, but I really don't want to be at a point when we come home from honeymoon in the 2nd week of December and I have EVERYTHING to do.

Also I was away on holidays last week and one of the random little pottery company shops we popped into had a whole Christmas section and I wanted ALL OF THE THINGS!!!

I think online shopping will be my saviour this year. Just buy pressies etc in summer sales and forget about them until we get past the wedding.

Glitzgirl

baby and crumble wrote: »

LADS!

I have been woefully ignoring Christmas recently but now I'm like "IT'S NEARLY MAY OMG!" :p:p:p

I will say the wedding planning (exactly one month before Christmas Day:D)

Hi baby and crumble ! I totally forgot you have your wedding this year ! how are the plans coming along ? I have to ask will it be a Christmas themed wedding !?? Online shopping is a godsend a lot of places will have mid season sales so Def stock up and enjoy your first Christmas as a married couple without the stress of shopping last minute !

Jude13

B&C hope the wedding plans are going well, set aside time for the two of you on the day if you can.

7 months today elves. Better book my leave!

xDisneyDivax

How exciting!! We got married just over a week after Christmas so it kinda took over like my SIL who was one of bridesmaids went on the bike straight after her Christmas dinner!!lol But I wanted to have a wedding with all Christmas decor still up and it was the date we got together too

I second Jude make sure time you both have some time alone on the day, we went to the room after dinner but he was panicking that we gonna miss our first dance!lol also walk up the aisle SLOWLY and enjoy it! Nothing will matter once you see them waiting up at top of aisle, like bridesmaids forgot their candle bouquets and I didn't care

Def do take advantage of summer sales and just think of it as your very first Christmas married!

Eek 7 months!! Better get cracking on my Christmas crafts then so! I went for an interview in Dublin yesterday and I visualised myself back in the office enjoying Christmas celebrations as they went all out last Christmas when I was there!!

Jude13

Best of luck with the interview Disney! Ah the auld Dublin Christmas parties. Knock off at 1pm, pub on the corner. Walk up baggot street pub by pub. I'm actually not missing it that much due to the memories of the mammoth hangovers, but the lights and the craic is getting me excited.

We really wanted a Christmas wedding but the place was booked out. Still a bit annoyed about it actually.

B&C you must be so excited!!! We didn't do a honeymoon after, we had a 4 day break and then I had to ship out when we got home, been away each week since. Anyway after the wedding without a honeymoon can be a little boring but you have Christmas to look forward too.

miamee

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it's actually 8 months to the big day. 7 months to B&C's wedding though if I read that right

Jude13

That's what I meant........I swear.....I had a work day of 3am to 10:30pm yesterday, that should be excuse enough.

I have already looked at Christmas flights and keep saying why can't people come to us in faux outrage at the prices

xDisneyDivax

Awww I'm disappointed! But hey a month extra to make Christmas crafts! I'm feeling quite Christmassy drinking hot chocolate (with loads of cinnamon) and have Christmas fleece blanket around me, well I have it out all year but I had it washed listening to this big shower of hail!

Jude, thank you! I'm from Donegal and worked in Donegal was attending an interview for civil service(Donegal panel) at PAS in Dublin so I'm afraid I didn't experience this Dublin work Christmas craic! :P Although I went down twice for 12 pubs with friends Temple bar one of nights was magical with everyone dancing outside in their Santa hats and all!

Posy

I was in a pub today and had carvery turkey dinner, since it's the 25th and all.

Jude13

Posy you're living the dream. When I head home to the sandpit from Ireland I bring a few hams with me, so Irish. I then freeze them, the last trip to Ireland was for my wedding, I had one ham in the freezer at home so didn't buy anymore. Got home, electricity had gone off during a storm and the ham had been defrosted and refrosted (?) so had to bin it. It was a sad day in the Jude house hold.

Disney, no idea what PAS is but I am sure you would kick as at it. I love Donegal, I am sure you get some seriously christmasy weather? I spent three weeks each summer attempting to learn Irish up there. Haven't been back since, for my shame.

Posy

The Eurovision is on next week- a sure sign that the year is flying by already!!

Loughc

Posy wrote: »

The Eurovision is on next week- a sure sign that the year is flying by already!!

Already!! Wow. That has flown in. My OH was on about what date the schools are back in August. All I was thinking once school starts in August Christmas is just around the corner!

Littlehorny

Booked the staff Christmas do in work yesterday, only one weekend in all of November and December available so it was a case of take it or leave it. We left it till August last year and struggled to get a venue but thought we would have no problem booking in May!

Jude13

I was all set to stay here for Christmas this year, Im having doubts now. A warm Christmas seems so weird. No family or friends (apart from my OH)

But I wont have to travel and I will save.

xDisneyDivax

Jude13 wrote: »

I was all set to stay here for Christmas this year, Im having doubts now. A warm Christmas seems so weird. No family or friends (apart from my OH)

But I wont have to travel and I will save.

Get a snow machine and turn A/C on freezing Will be nice to have your first Christmas married on your own as you'll have plenty ones with families. Ours was a bit stressful in the run up as we rowed about where we will spend it and what we will do. We ended up spending half day at each house and having two dinners!! Think that is turning into a bit of tradition because we did the same last year!:P I was on to my OH about going away for Christmas last year and said we might this year but I'm not so sure now...

Jude13

Sounds like a plan. I have done 1 Christmas abroad when I was unhitched and it was good fun, messy, very homesick. Really missed the city (Dublin) around the festive time.

I did Christmas in my OH's house in 2016. It was strange and I was a terrible guest. I was puking the whole time due to a bug. She has said if its in Ireland this year she will spend it in my parents home.

We need to get the Christmas forum more active on the run up to 6 months to go. Brightens up the day to no end especially when traveling.