Pass the mince pies- Christmas Chat Thread Part Deux

King Mog

DvB wrote: »

Same. Hate Tuesdays, my least favourite day of the week by some margin.

Ah no ! Monday’s are unbeatable for awfulness

DvB

King Mog wrote: »

Ah no ! Monday’s are unbeatable for awfulness

Nah, they have a novelty value after the weekend IMO. Tuesdays dont even have that. Bruuuutal day!

CelticRambler

Heroditas wrote: »

I was over in Brussels on a day trip for work today. Arrived in the airport and there was only one or two decorations visible but in the city centre there's still loads up!

One of the reasons I love living on the continent! Tree is still up, and lit/decorated; and SonNo.1 found two of last year's cards when tidying this morning, so they've been put up with the few others we received this year. Mind you, our local supermarket is selling advent calendars at 30% off this week, so I suppose the end of the season is in sight ... Roll on Carnival! :pac:

TRS30

CelticRambler wrote: »

One of the reasons I love living on the continent! Tree is still up, and lit/decorated; and SonNo.1 found two of last year's cards when tidying this morning, so they've been put up with the few others we received this year. Mind you, our local supermarket is selling advent calendars at 30% off this week, so I suppose the end of the season is in sight ... Roll on Carnival! :pac:

Nice.

Based on a post read earlier we should all be moving to the Philippines as Christmas runs from Sept to Jan (even though 4 months of as hectic a Christmas as this year would be too much, even for me).

CelticRambler

TRS30 wrote: »

Based on a post read earlier we should all be moving to the Philippines as Christmas runs from Sept to Jan.

:eek: Ohhh, no. Not for me - no Christmas in this house (or environs) until the first or second week of December! The parties started last week, and will continue (as they should) until Mardi Gras. :cool:

Never could and never will understand people wasting October and November on Christmassy stuff when there are so many other things to be doing, and all of Jan & Feb available for rest-and-relaxationrevelry ...

Postgrad10

Just read Christmas trees stay up throughout January in the Ukraine. Might move.

DvB

Spotted one house with all their decorations still up and lit on my way home from training tonight. Well one of the kids spotted it to be fair. That's the latest I've seen do far.

Postgrad10

I had a rotten afternoon at work. And I was having such a good day.

kitten_k

The lovely twinkly lights on my commute home have been replaced by horrible election posters

Loughc

Postgrad10 wrote: »

I had a rotten afternoon at work. And I was having such a good day.

I’m having a rotten week!! Is it too soon to wish for the weekend?? :pac:

DvB

Loughc wrote: »

I’m having a rotten week!! Is it too soon to wish for the weekend?? :pac:

Never too soon!

Posy

kitten_k wrote: »

The lovely twinkly lights on my commute home have been replaced by horrible election posters

Booooooooo.

TRS30

kitten_k wrote: »

The lovely twinkly lights on my commute home have been replaced by horrible election posters

Was thinking the same yesterday when I heard the news. One of my pet hates, wish they would ban them :mad:

Jude13

Walked past an office today which had its Christmas 'tree' (branded boxes piled 10 feet with lights and a santa hat) still up.

I love that we are setting the foundations to beat last years post total. In other news my OH floated a location abroad for Christmas this year so I will get googling.

TRS30

Jude13 wrote: »

. In other news my OH floated a location abroad for Christmas this year so I will get googling.

I've had this dream of one year hiring a big chalet in Switzerland, in the mountains, all covered in snow. The whole family go for a week with Christmas Day in the middle. We ship all the presents over (and back!) and have people cook a huge traditional Christmas day meal. We spend our time drinking eggnog, having snow ball fights, building snowmen and generally doing Christmas things.

Jude13

^ that would be amazing, however we are just doing us and the offspring on a nice island somewhere, Zanzibar or the Seychelles is the short list so far.

TRS30

Jude13 wrote: »

^ that would be amazing, however we are just doing us and the offspring on a nice island somewhere, Zanzibar or the Seychelles is the short list so far.

Will never happen, unless we win the Euro million or something however is good to have dreams regardless of how unlikely they are to come true.

That sounds really nice. A quiet, relaxing Christmas in the sun has a lot of appeal.

CelticRambler

TRS30 wrote: »

I've had this dream of one year hiring a big chalet in Switzerland, in the mountains, all covered in snow. The whole family go for a week with Christmas Day in the middle. We ship all the presents over (and back!) and have people cook a huge traditional Christmas day meal. We spend our time drinking eggnog, having snow ball fights, building snowmen and generally doing Christmas things.

Swap the chalet for a motorhome, and Switzerland for Bavaria! That's how we spent Christmas & New Year, 2003-04. Would highly recommend it.



(oldest and youngest women in the family decided snowball fights, snowmen and snow in general best enjoyed from the other side of the window! )

Jude13

Keep your hands of my euromillions (even though I don't do it), that's the major flaw in my plan. Though should an elf win it you have set the blueprint for the forum meetup.

Going to work Christmas week as Christmas falls on Friday this year, the first day of my weekend. Have Christmas in our house and maybe even Stephen's day then take my leave and fly off for a week or two somewhere to relax whilst the office goes mad with people returning. That's the plan anyway, just need to make sure that I have employment still etc etc.

Did I say this already? I think it would be great if we could hibernate from mid January to mid April. Absolutely stuff ourselves over Christmas, go to town with it! And then sleep through these crappy, dark, boring, feck all to look forward to days!!

Be great for the environment too.

CelticRambler

Jude13 wrote: »

Have Christmas in our house and maybe even Stephen's day then take my leave and fly off for a week or two somewhere to relax whilst the office goes mad with people returning. That's the plan anyway, just need to make sure that I have employment still etc etc.

Ah, employment is over-rated! When that pic above was taken, we were technically homeless and unemployed, having quit our "old" life in England a couple of months before. Sold the house and swapped it for a motorhome and drove off into the great blue white yonder with no real plan ...

Jude13

Sounds amazing, I had so many plans as however life got in the way, I was a Dad at a young age so I will have to await retirement for any real adventures.

Also, what the craic that I can't see any pics? Or is it head office cracking down again.

DvB

After doing the hosting this year my attitude to going away or staying in a hotel for a few days over Christmas has changed. I was always a firm traditionalist who had to have Christmas at home with all the family, but this year something changed. As much as I enjoyed hosting both sides of the family, it was a huge amount of work and I missed most of the day due to being in the kitchen.
In fact the nicest day we had was St Stephens day when the 4 of us went for a walk, came home & made a lovely dinner for just ourselves with no TV or radio etc on in the background, then played some games & watched TV before heading to bed. So at the very least we'll be having Christmas day & dinner to ourselves this time, but if the funds allow would love to go somewhere and be able to relax.
I suspect you'd need to plan it early though and I cant see that happening so it'll have to remain an idea for a little while.

CheerLouth

I love Christmas actually when it's just a small gathering. We had just the four of us in 2018 and it was lovely. In the run up, I was a bit worried that we'd miss the hustle and bustle & we could have gone to the inlaws but it was actually lovely. There was no pressure to serve up a dinner for any particular time, we had the craic the four of us and in between dinner and dessert, the kids went outside for a play on their bikes. It was lovely.

CelticRambler

Jude13 wrote: »

Sounds amazing, I had so many plans as however life got in the way, I was a Dad at a young age so I will have to await retirement for any real adventures.

Our younglings were part of the adventure :cool: - 4 of them between 3½ and 8yo. The older two still talk about that Christmas (the others were a bit too young to remember it).

Jude13

CheerLouth wrote: »

I love Christmas actually when it's just a small gathering. We had just the four of us in 2018 and it was lovely. In the run up, I was a bit worried that we'd miss the hustle and bustle & we could have gone to the inlaws but it was actually lovely. There was no pressure to serve up a dinner for any particular time, we had the craic the four of us and in between dinner and dessert, the kids went outside for a play on their bikes. It was lovely.

That's my dream, the four of us and just chill.

TRS30

DvB wrote: »

After doing the hosting this year my attitude to going away or staying in a hotel for a few days over Christmas has changed. I was always a firm traditionalist who had to have Christmas at home with all the family, but this year something changed. As much as I enjoyed hosting both sides of the family, it was a huge amount of work and I missed most of the day due to being in the kitchen.
In fact the nicest day we had was St Stephens day when the 4 of us went for a walk, came home & made a lovely dinner for just ourselves with no TV or radio etc on in the background, then played some games & watched TV before heading to bed. So at the very least we'll be having Christmas day & dinner to ourselves this time, but if the funds allow would love to go somewhere and be able to relax.
I suspect you'd need to plan it early though and I cant see that happening so it'll have to remain an idea for a little while.

While I would be leaning to that way of thinking, I know this will change during the year, especially the closer we get to Christmas. I have spent every Christmas Day with my folks apart from one (when in Oz travelling). Just not sure it would feel the same if they were not there. I know eventually the day will come and I guess I want to put that off for as long as possible.

In saying that, similar to yourself DvB, one my most enjoyable days was the 27th when it was just the 5 of us and we didn't leave the house all day. Board games, jigsaws, couple of kids movies, in the Christmas pjs for the day, loved it.

jr86

Deleted User wrote: »

Did I say this already? I think it would be great if we could hibernate from mid January to mid April. Absolutely stuff ourselves over Christmas, go to town with it! And then sleep through these crappy, dark, boring, feck all to look forward to days!!

Be great for the environment too.

This - the first 3 months of the year are definitely my least favourite!

The fact they're the furthest from Christmas is probably a major factor ( ) but I get fed up of the dark evenings and extremely changeable weather, once December passes (when it is nice and seasonal)!

I always love it when April comes around and the days are getting brighter and the evenings longer, with the weather much more settled generally. I find the year just whizzes by after that!

freshpopcorn

Guys if ye encounter anybody looking for votes over the next few weeks.
Will ye ask them will they make it a criminal offence to moan about the Brown Thomas Christmas shop opening in August.

DvB

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Guys amid ye encounter anybody looking for votes over the next few weeks.
Will ye ask them will they make it a criminal offence to moan about the Brown Thomas Christmas shop opening in August.

But, but, but, it opens earlier & earlier every year

There's no telling some people:(