Christmas Lists

[John Fenna]

I would happily let the modern, comercialised Xmas disapear up Santas proverbial (santa is an anagram of Satan...) and as I am not a Christian the religious side is lost on me realy.
I like the idea of a mid-winter cheer up though - I take part in the local Am Dram Panto every year and also take the role of Santa (or his anagram) at our local (non christian multi faith) church - just as it is a good fund raiser!
We do the prezzie and grub bit on the 25th and my rich Auntie comes to stay for a week (got to keep in with her!)
Secretly I have volonteered to work over Xmas as one of the residents in the Mencap house I do relief work for has no one to go "home" to this year (....it is a good thing my wife never reads these forums!) - I figure that those who celebrate Xmas and have kids want the time off more than I do.
I am looking forward to a couple of bottles of decent Malt and some of the River Cottage books for myself - Santa alone knows what I will be getting my wife and Aunt though.....

 

[leealanr]

After so many years of working over christmas, following my retirment in late 2008 it was really nice to have time to spend with my family.

Now having moved to Jordan (and working again!) we had a great christmas last year, very little commercialism, a fantastic meal at the Sheraton Hotel in Amman (cost about £25 each) where what ever took your fancy was available from Turkey with all the trimmings, to curry, vegetarian meals and so on, followed by a great set of party games at a friends house.

A visit to a nearby village was lovely (a christian community) with lots of decorations, a full size nativity set and people who actually valued what the event meant to them.

No I don't miss Christmas in the UK much, we all did miss the wonderful snow the UK had for the first time in many a year thereafter, but not the crassness the whole thing has now become.

We are "doing" the Sheraton again this year by the way with friends coming to our house on Boxing day.

As for pressies, well I quite fancy one of those Woodland Edge Fire boxes and every piece of music from the 70's I foolishly got rid of! (King Crimson, Audience, Strawbs, Family and on and on).

Happy Christmas!

Alan L.

 

[treadlightly]

I like the idea of a mid-winter cheer up though -


I agree with that, its more of a mid-Winter collective cocking a snook at the elements, saying that however dark and miserable it
becomes, we will get through it together. That, for me, is a good enough reason to enjoy it.

 

[Ph34r]

I have given this quite a bit of thought

1. Land rover defender
2. New spoon knife
3. An acre of leather
4. Rob Bayley to mess up and accidently make me my knife 2 years early.
5. A forest

Most of them wont fit into the conventional stocking, So i thought Id ask Mr. Claus for a workshop instead.

 

[rik_uk3]

http://va3qv.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/elecraft-kx-1-ever-see-one-for-sale/

and

http://www.rab.uk.com/clothing/shell/kinetic_jacket---262/

They should be there...I've bought them

Dropped the hint about a couple of DVD box sets too.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

I would happily let the modern, comercialised Xmas disapear up Santas proverbial (santa is an anagram of Satan...) and as I am not a Christian the religious side is lost on me realy.
I like the idea of a mid-winter cheer up though - I take part in the local Am Dram Panto every year and also take the role of Santa (or his anagram) at our local (non christian multi faith) church - just as it is a good fund raiser!
We do the prezzie and grub bit on the 25th and my rich Auntie comes to stay for a week (got to keep in with her!)
Secretly I have volonteered to work over Xmas as one of the residents in the Mencap house I do relief work for has no one to go "home" to this year (....it is a good thing my wife never reads these forums!) - I figure that those who celebrate Xmas and have kids want the time off more than I do.
I am looking forward to a couple of bottles of decent Malt and some of the River Cottage books for myself - Santa alone knows what I will be getting my wife and Aunt though.....

Like it, we dont do christmas in are house, we have Yule

 

[oldtimer]

Seems a lot of bushies have signed the Sanity Clause!

 

[John Fenna]

Like it, we dont do christmas in are house, we have Yule

Yule enjoy that then.....

 

[gowersponger]

Hmmm, Lets see

No fake plastic trees
No re-runs of shmaltzy US movies
No unattractive females staggering along in Mummy Xmas outfits thinking they look hot
No frantic consumerism
No-one in rocking chairs, wearing cardigans or singing with children like the worst kind of no***
Not to hear "I wish it could be Xmas" ever abloodygain
No "Sales"
No Eggnog
No cartoons featuring the voice of that effete Welsh bloke and an anthropomorphic pile of precipitated frozen water
No "charity" cards from people I don't gives a rats patootie about
No long printed notes from smug mothers about the activities of their sickening offspring
No imposed teeth clenchingly saccharine visits from people who I despise but to whom I am expected to behave differently towards due to a religion I don't believe in and in any case the event in question did not take place in Winter, nor did it involve trees, plum pudding, turkey, tinsel, fat weird blokes in the corporate Coco Cola colours or bloody reindeer.


......and relax

We don't celebrate it by the way

lets hope you havent got any kids ,,scrooge,,.

 

[Matt.S]

Unfortunately I don't run my own household at the moment. Neither do I think my family would much enjoy me heading to the woods for a few days during the Accursed Time. So I'll find meself a quietish corner to disappear behind a growing rainbow-pile of assorted junk to get lost in a good book and a bottle of something flammable and peaty (no batteries required). Hopefully I'll be adequately hidden when the big arguments start. Yes there are small children in the house, how ever did you guess?

My list consists mainly humbugs.

 

[British Red]

lets hope you havent got any kids ,,scrooge,,.

I have indeed. She isn't stupid enough to be conned into buying unwanted tat that will be half price a week later either.

 

[telwebb]

the odd thing is what 'time' are we actually talking about? It (the dreaded 'c' word) is there because the majority decide it should be - but check it out - Monday is still Monday, Tuesday is still Tuesday, etc. etc. etc. .... it's all nonsense - enjoy every day

 

[launditch1]

I for one am looking forwards to the return of Annual gift man.

Dont forget you can track Santa's progress here!http://www.noradsanta.org/

 

[rik_uk3]

Many of my childhood Christmas's were like Reds when Mom and dad had the mid Wales farmhouse in the 60s and 70s, to telly xmas day apart from the Queens speech and of course the Eric and Earny show, log fires, mulled wine, one high quality presents and then just little stocking fillers. Boy, was I glad when I had my own children; pretty much the opposite, loads of prezzies, tree and lights,,,lights,,,lights,,, port and pork pie on the stairs for santa (hic) pretty much everything that in theory I should never enjoy but I've had the best ever xmas's these last 25 years

 

[sapper1]

I have indeed. She isn't stupid enough to be conned into buying unwanted tat that will be half price a week later either.

If the tat lasts a week.

 

[British Red]

Exactly. I don't have a problem at all with a celebration of family. I'm thankful too that most now acknowledge that a midwinter festival - in its timing, trappings, traditions, customs etc. has absolutley nothing to do with Christianity.

Its the whole plastic tat, spend money, overeat, over drink, grope someone at an office party, hypoctitical bonhomie, over commercialised lies that makes me just think "what a bunch of total suckers people must be not to see through this".

If people want to celebrate their love of their families - bloody great. Why not avoid reaching for your credit card though? Have a home made Yule / Saturnalia or whatever you want to call it. Make some bread, grow some shallots and pickle them, make some cheese. Make a present for a loved one - with your own effort. Grow the sage and the onion for the stuffing. Mince the sausagemeat. Grow the cranberries and make your own sauce. Make the puddings and the cake - by hand. Involve the children in these things. Want to wrap the presents? Make some home made paper and some string from veg fibres. Dye it with onion skins. Think your kids would rather have a bit of bubbled wrapped imported tat? Think again.

Can't be bothered? Well, have a lovely, commercial, plastic Christmas.

Red

 

[chas brookes]

Well said Red

 

[PhotoGirl]

I like: A real Christmas Tree, Mulled Cider, Spiced Pillar Candles surrounded by Holly & Seeing family and friends, fairy lights, crap films, falling asleep at any time, Christmas Cards.

And if i'm lucky a glass of whiskey or "who the **** are you looking at" - buckfast. Can't help it.

I don't like (or do): Traditional Roast or overeating, being forced to be somewhere or with people I don't want to see and suchlike.

I'd like: Something new for the kitchen skills like a new knife (doesn't need to be the most expensive as long as it cuts better than what is currently there) or maybe a garlic press ( i lost mine ) or something for the woodworking tool kit (very minimal at the moment ) so I can carry on with my coursework at home. And its never the same without a pair of socks or something warm. If I couldn't have any of that then i'd be happy with something completely fun and random to keep my brain occupied like some puzzle or something traditional. Tbh I don't care. I don't like people spending a lot of money on me, it's not what it should be about to me.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Well said Red

Ditto to that

Two years ago for yule the only things not grown or shot on the estate for are Yule dinner was the milk and flower for the Yorkshire puddings. Great food good company and a time to recharge as the days to follow will get longer and planting starts

 

[Extreme Pilgrim]

There are always a one thing that surprise me at Christmas and that whenever I go to Midnight Mass there are only around 50 people at the service, yet there are millions hitting the streets, getting themselves in massive debt to buy presents that they can not afford and which the recipient usually doesn't want. The giver then spending the run up to January worrying about their next bank statement. Utter maddness.

If you don't have faith in the story, have conviction in your views and don't celebrate. Christmas isn't a time for getting in debt and getting stressed, it is supposed to be a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the company of loved ones.

I hope that doesn't sound like a rant, merely a point of view.