A nice long break for me this year as we've been given an extra day off (Mon 23rd Dec) and I've booked a couple of days leave the other side - so I actually now finish on Friday 20th Dec and don't go back until 6th January For us it's usually out for a mate's birthday on or around the 23rd Dec, then out with some friends and the kids on Christmas eve (it used to be to wear the kids out by going to a pub with a play area, but my kids are a bit old for that now ). Then Christmas Day it's normally up early for pressie opening with the wife and kids, then the in-laws, my wife's nan (who is 92) and my mum for lunch at our house with free-flowing booze, then collapse at tea-time and an early night. Boxing Day is lunch at my mum's house with my aunt, my sister and my niece along with my wife and kids, then back to our for xmas left-overs for tea. Other than that it should be relaxing and playing with the new toys (both the kids and mine )
Christmas morning i will watch while the 3 kids open far too many pressies,which will then be de-boxed 1 by 1 leaving me to fiddle with any amount of them stupid bloody wires holding a 2 ounce toy to a piece of cardboard,then a mad dash to get everyone dressed for quick pint before lunch at which point i eat about 7 sunday lunches on 1 plate sit on the sofa struggling to move,drink or talk fighting to keep my eyes open.Its then onto my mothers for tea!! Drinks with my side of the family then finally home to bed. Boxing Day as above!
I finish up on the 20th and dont go back till the 2nd Jan Xmas gonna be spent alone though as Mrs is going down south to be with her folks n am not invited for variety of reasons boooo So we are gonna FaceTime xmas morning whilst opening our prezzies ( modern technology eh? ) and then if weather decent ill goo out on me girl for a blast as i dont wanna be home alone n bored. Boxing day am doing a 16 mile hike along the river seven 28th another 10 mile hike along the Long Mynd up n Shropshire New years Mrs is still gonna be away ( we had planned to spend this together aswell boooo ) So am going oop to the Peak District for 4 days with 10 mile hikes sorted for each day around the Dove dale area And all the hikes will be done wotever the weather sun, snow, hail, wind or rain good test of all me gor tex hiking kit Am happy when biking or hiking so im not gonna moan the fact am by meself!! Roll on is all i can say. Oh n Merry Christmas folks
Before I met the missus and the boil in the bag family I would work xmas eve then given half a chance work between xmas and new year as it is normally dead in offices and bugger all work happens due to change freezes. Then out of the office for the start of Jan so all the xmas people can come in and regal one another with the xmas stories and get depressed about being back in the office. Xmas day and boxing day were spent drunk or asleep. Now have 2 kids so not allowed to work between xmas and new year. Xmas and boxing day will be spent doing fick alles once the kids have had their pressies. Bah fooking humbug ;-)
Ken your take on Christmas cracks me up .............. and to be honest mirrors a lot of my thoughts Perhaps we should meet up halfway and have a non Christmas day
Suits me, Claire. It looks like I'll have the time. It turns out now that apart for a few days in the middle, J and I have completely different days off over the break.
Xmas in my house doesn't exist, neither my daughter, (who's 23) or myself can stand the overblown commercialised falseness of it all...yes ..I can hear the bah humbugs right now lol. The only good thing about the period is that my workplace has decided to shut down for the whole lot, years past it's only been for xmas an boxing day. so that means I get 16 days off Finishing half day on the 24th if the weather looks unfavourable then the blade is going in the kitchen to get stripped down, serviced and some more bling fitted whilst I'm off. Xmas day will be much like any other day off, walk the dogs somewhere remote then as I promised my mother, I'll be popping over their house for lunch and to plunder the leftovers for my dogs who will be even more my best friends when I arrive back smelling of roast turkey, pork and beef....ahhh the pools of drool... Followed by days of fettling and tinkering....and riding providing it doesn't snow
I love Christmas. Love getting together with mates, and having a few drinks, lots of food and seeing the kids faces Xmas day. It's great to see the expressions... I do the cooking at home, and it's the first time in a while we will at home for Xmas (we usually go out to eat) and it's an open house...whoever wants to come, can. Yes, it's commercial, but i make a point of not hitting the shops until 2 weeks before, and not putting decs up too soon.... Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" a few days before gets us right in the mood. The rest of you are miserable sods, IT'S Christmas!.
This is what I love about the festive season. Apart from the fact that I don't have kids. I just enjoy seeing our lass's face on Christmas morning because she's an enthusiastic big kid basically.
Not at all. I agree with the amount of crap that gets through our way. Seems the real reason for Christmas has been forgotten. And it's all about spending money and what they have on TV
The media and advertisers push and hard sell xmas from about the end of September so people feel pressured into conforming with the spend spend mindset they want. So much so that hard pressed folk who are already being squeezed financially by rising living costs, still rack up more debt to achieve what has become perceived as the whole purpose of this time of year, then in the news are reports that shop and retailers are looking forward to bumper December profits....money money money.....from what once was a religious event. Don't get me wrong. I'm completely atheist so this time of year holds nothing special for me, Easter is another money spinner that gets high retail media attention.
