Cancel Christmas ?

[MikeMusic]

Let your vote count !

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/vote/16-12-2013/would-you-cancel-christmas?utm_source=MSE_Newsletter&utm_medium=poll&utm_term=17-Dec-13-v1&utm_campaign=vote&utm_content=1

[The Barbarian]

Take it or leave it, i always make sure i working all the way through..

[Gordon Steadman]

Nah...its Christmas every day here:lol:..........






No money left.....




But, lots of good food, plenty of wine, just about all the material goods we need and quite happy sitting in front of a roaring fire with the arm round my wife:) listening to Bach.

[Tarzan]

No, never cancel Christmas:champagne:

[Wakefield Turntables]

Why cancel Christmas when you can use it as an excuse to upgrade your system:mental:

[MikeMusic]

Why cancel Christmas when you can use it as an excuse to upgrade your system:mental:

:)

[Oldpinkman]

SEASONS GREETINGS


Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all.
Additionally, I hope you have a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2013, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society great, without regard to the race, creed, colour, religious, or sexual preferences of those involved.
(Disclaimer: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)

Have a great one!

Even the mods on AOS can't get me on that one :cool:

[MikeMusic]

SEASONS GREETINGS


Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all.
Additionally, I hope you have a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2013, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society great, without regard to the race, creed, colour, religious, or sexual preferences of those involved.
(Disclaimer: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)

Have a great one!

Even the mods on AOS can't get me on that one :cool:
:)

[The Barbarian]

Christmas these days is the polar opposite as to when i was a kid.. No fanks..

[mr sneff]

Christmas these days is the polar opposite as to when i was a kid.. No fanks..

+1 Totally commercial these days. Haven't participated for years, hate the way the build up starts before Bonfire Night these days,

[Audio Al]

Christmas is for children and shopkeepers ;)

[Macca]

I do look forward to my Christmas dinner. it's about the only decent meal I get each year aside from resteraunt food.

[MikeMusic]

I do look forward to my Christmas dinner. it's about the only decent meal I get each year aside from resteraunt food.
Well if the kids are cooking, something special no doubt, I don't mind being part of the rather wonderful meal
:)

[sparrow]

Aye a would agree with cancelling the dreaded Krimbo..I stopped enjoying it years ago ..all money these days and folks trying to out do everybody else. These days christmas for me personally is dire. And boxing day?? dont even go there..

[Jonboy]

Never really been one for Christmas and this Christmas and new year are going to be the worst i can remember so i would love to cancel it but as i have 4 kids to look after i have got to put on a brave front for them despite whats happing between me and their shitty mother :(

[MikeMusic]

Never really been one for Christmas and this Christmas and new year are going to be the worst i can remember so i would love to cancel it but as i have 4 kids to look after i have got to put on a brave front for them despite whats happing between me and their shitty mother :(

Hope it goes as well as possible Jon

[Joe]

Christmas these days is the polar opposite as to when i was a kid.. No fanks..

Yes, Santa has moved to the South Pole. Now when he visits, he takes stuff away. On the plus side, he leaves you a glass of whisky and a carrot.

[MikeMusic]

Yes, Santa has moved to the South Pole. Now when he visits, he takes stuff away. On the plus side, he leaves you a glass of whisky and a carrot.

:)

[Macca]

Yes, Santa has moved to the South Pole. Now when he visits, he takes stuff away. On the plus side, he leaves you a glass of whisky and a carrot.

As long as it's a Camberwell carrot he leaves he is welcome to take some of my junk away with him ;)

[RobbieGong]

It's the fact that the message of Christmas has been lost and the financial burden people feel at this time, otherwise Christmas is great.

[The Barbarian]

All you can do is lock the door close the curtain & play Christmas {Commercial influences come in it's done for}, a bit like i do pretending im living in 1969

:eyebrows:

[Macca]

All you can do is lock the door close the curtain & play Christmas {Commercial influences come in it's done for}, a bit like i do pretending im living in 1969

:eyebrows:

Good advice. For me I get to spend some time with my mum, my brothers and my nephews and nieces up in the Mersey Paradise, watch some Christmas films like Zulu and The Spy Who Loved Me on DVD of course since it's all Ant and Dec bollocks on the telly these days. I'll settle for living in 1977 if it's all the same to you :)

[Joe]

Good advice. For me I get to spend some time with my mum, my brothers and my nephews and nieces up in the Mersey Paradise, watch some Christmas films like Zulu and The Spy Who Loved Me on DVD of course since it's all Ant and Dec bollocks on the telly these days. I'll settle for living in 1977 if it's all the same to you :)

1977 was about the worst year of my life so far. I can't remember much about 1969. Christmas started to go wrong for me when I was 16 and my main Christmas present was .... a shirt. Ooh, ta. I mean, it was a nice shirt, and I was too old for toys, but still, a shirt.

[Jonboy]

Hope it goes as well as possible Jon


Thanks Mike :thumbsup:

[keiths]

Dreading it, to be honest. First one since my dad died and only me on Christmas day.

[Andrei]

Dreading it, to be honest. First one since my dad died and only me on Christmas day.
Yikes! V sorry to hear that. For a few years after a loss I would 'remember' it by playing Beethoven's 3rd. Notwithstanding the 5th and 9th it remained Beethoven's favourite and I feel within myself that I know why.

[John]

For me Christmas is a time to be with family I love watching my nephews getting excited around the gifts I remember one time the youngest doing a backward somersault he was so happy and excited. I also enjoy watching Doctor Who Christmas special and eating Christmas dinner This year I be on-call so cannot drink and hoping I do not get called out.

[MikeMusic]

It's the fact that the message of Christmas has been lost and the financial burden people feel at this time, otherwise Christmas is great.

I really like the idea I picked up from our RM sorting office lady...
You can only buy presents from the £1 shop or a charity shop.
Some of the stuff I've had over the years is such a colossal waste of money

[MikeMusic]

Dreading it, to be honest. First one since my dad died and only me on Christmas day.

Sorry to hear that Keith, been there.
Indulge and play yourself good music

[keiths]

Sorry to hear that Keith, been there.
Indulge and play yourself good music

Oh I intend to :)

[Mark Grant]

Dreading it, to be honest. First one since my dad died and only me on Christmas day.

Similar here really although not on my own.
The first Christmas since Dad died and there will be an empty chair at the head of our dining table as he always sat in the same chair when here for Christmas dinner, I have been glancing at that empty chair all month when I walk past the table...

Have to make the best of it though and keep everyone happy for a couple of days as we have a few visitors to feed and drink. :) :cool:

[hal55]

Totally agree that Christmas has been taken over by commercial interests, which is why every December I recite the words of the great Dr Seuss:

"Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas means a little bit more"

I buy a present for an underpriviledged child every year after hearing, some years ago, a line from a retailer who did a "wishing tree" for donated goods.

"Buy a present for someone you don't know,
for a smile you'll never see,
and a thankyou you'll never hear,
and rediscover the real meaning of Christmas.

Works for me.

Hal55

[Gordon Steadman]

My wife and I were sitting having lunch and talking about the inevitable invites for drinkies. New Years Eve being the worst.

"Oh gawd, do we really have to go?"

This may be seen as a bit down in the mouth and standoffish but...............I reckon its all Dickens' fault. In his day, life for most was one of constant drudgery with very few redeeming features (if we are to believe the old bugger) It was therefore understandable that the chance to let go, forget all their troubles and actually enjoy themselves for a whole day - maybe two - had some real meaning.

The accusation of being a 'scrooge' if you don't want to join in these days is common. However, our lives are not like that these days. However hard done by you feel you are, life if a bed of roses in the west compared with some and certainly for most in Dickens' days.

As I said in an earlier post, every day is Christmas day now. We can do just about what we like. See friends and celebrate the friendship any day of the year. we really do have freedom and appreciate it rather too little. The commercialisation of the whole thing has taken away any real meaning anyway (whatever that may be for you) and I for one, refuse to join in.

We had a lovely day with my nephew and his girlfriend on Sunday. Roast duck, all the trimmings, pud, pies and cake. Very nice it was too. BUT............the celebration was because we see them very seldom and it was great to enjoy good times together. The fact that it is Christmas is just a bi-product of them going to see his father who also happens to live in France. There, they have the whole scene, the tree, presents opened with military precision at 9am, shortly after the breakfast call at 7.30:eek:

Here, they drifted down at about 10.30 and relaxed, listened to some music, played with the cats and drifted off, reluctantly, after lunch.

I know which I prefer. The best present we had was seeing them.

[anthonyTD]

Tend to agree with a lot said here, especially the commercial aspect of this time of year, for me, its all about having a bit of a rest at the end of the year, and spending time with the people i care most about, i don't need presents, or anything material, although i get the inevitable questions every year, what can we get for you etc,i much prefer to give than receive,i think we take our lives for granted, as Gordon said we in the western world' on the whole are not poor, [far from it] yes, there are aspects of our society that could be a whole lot better, but i consider myself very privileged to have been born in these life and times...However you do this time of year, make an effort to enjoy your selves, and those around you will also benefit. That's my take on it folks, have a good one, and i wish you all the best to you and yours for the coming year.:)
Regards,Anthony,TD...
My wife and I were sitting having lunch and talking about the inevitable invites for drinkies. New Years Eve being the worst.

"Oh gawd, do we really have to go?"

This may be seen as a bit down in the mouth and standoffish but...............I reckon its all Dickens' fault. In his day, life for most was one of constant drudgery with very few redeeming features (if we are to believe the old bugger) It was therefore understandable that the chance to let go, forget all their troubles and actually enjoy themselves for a whole day - maybe two - had some real meaning.

The accusation of being a 'scrooge' if you don't want to join in these days is common. However, our lives are not like that these days. However hard done by you feel you are, life if a bed of roses in the west compared with some and certainly for most in Dickens' days.

As I said in an earlier post, every day is Christmas day now. We can do just about what we like. See friends and celebrate the friendship any day of the year. we really do have freedom and appreciate it rather too little. The commercialisation of the whole thing has taken away any real meaning anyway (whatever that may be for you) and I for one, refuse to join in.

We had a lovely day with my nephew and his girlfriend on Sunday. Roast duck, all the trimmings, pud, pies and cake. Very nice it was too. BUT............the celebration was because we see them very seldom and it was great to enjoy good times together. The fact that it is Christmas is just a bi-product of them going to see his father who also happens to live in France. There, they have the whole scene, the tree, presents opened with military precision at 9am, shortly after the breakfast call at 7.30:eek:

Here, they drifted down at about 10.30 and relaxed, listened to some music, played with the cats and drifted off, reluctantly, after lunch.

I know which I prefer. The best present we had was seeing them.

[Marco]

I think that Gordon (along with Anthony) make some excellent and valid points, but one very significant thing is being forgotten in the 'what is Christmas really about?' stakes, and that is the religious side. It's the 'Christ' bit in Christmas where the real message lies.

Quite simply, if you have a religious faith, then the celebration and whole meaning of Christmas takes on another, very important, dimension.

As a practising Catholic, there's nothing I enjoy better than going to midnight mass on Christmas Eve and participating in the celebration of my faith, singing carols and being 'at one' with the congregation, then afterwards enjoying a brisk walk home in the crisp evening air, admiring the twinkling glow from all the decorations and trees in people's homes, forming a colourful backdrop against the night sky, where a roaring log fire, some home-made mince pies, and a large Drambuie await at home! :)

Then, the following day, the house has a lovely Christmassy atmosphere, with the lounge all warm and cosy, candle lit and adorned by our beautiful (real) Chrtismas tree and all the vintage baubles and decorations, where we watch the morning church service on TV, usually live from Westminster Abbey. Then I play some nice Christmassy music on the hi-fi system, as Del prepares a superb Christmas lunch. When my parents arrive, we enjoy our togetherness as a family, having fun and being merry, counting all the blessings that God has given us, and praying for all of those who are less fortunate.

*That* for me, is what Christmas is about... Chez-nous, there is not a hint of any existence of the odious commercialism and greed, unfortunately associated with this time of year. In my opinion, Christmas is only truly magical if you've got family, and especially children to spoil, and/or a religious faith to acknowledge and celebrate. If not, it's true meaning and magic is lost.

Marco.

[Joe]

M
As I said in an earlier post, every day is Christmas day now.

It's all Roy Wood's fault. He kept on singing about how he wished it could be Christmas every day, and now it is.

One of the Christmas traditions in our house is to suddenly realise on Christmas Eve that there's still 'one last thing' needed, usually late in the afternoon. This year, it was icing sugar.