So Did You Have A Good Christmas

[Si Hunt]

Presents by the fire, carols and jolly games, or bad weather, illness and family feuds... How was your Christmas?

Was it like a Dollywood Christmas Special or a Hammer Horror Christmas Special?

Si.

[duncan]

It was alright.

I obviously did a bad job as a parent as despite the new presents to play with, my kids were "bored".

Ho hum

[Si Hunt]

You'll get your revenge. One day they'll be rushing around trying to simultaneously wrap 50 presents, write 100 cards and put the decorations up. Then you can say "bet you wish you had time to be bored now eh?"

Si.

[Jon Masters]

Worst Christmas for a long time - having struggled the weekend before to deliver presents to relatives, and spent over 10 hours non-stop travelling, I went down with flu last Wednesday which is still hanging around now.

So despite spending lots of time preparing lots of party food for visitors I sepnt most of Christmas coughing my guits up , not eating, and going to bed at various times of day and night.

[Si Hunt]

Poor Jon

Has anyone had a nice Christmas?

Christmas Day was nice, but ruined by the evening during which I managed to get cross with most of my family.

It wasn't so much that Doctor Who was banned - it seems to cut no mustard with either of our families that Doctor Who is the one thing over Christmas we would like to watch. In a sort of "don't you realise I have lived, breathed and slept this program since I was 3" kind of way. But Mum insisted we would all sit down for "family games" instead. Fine. Instead we all sat down and... did nothing. I think what makes me mad is that I wasn't asked to bring or organise something - and if I had of been, it would have been rejected because I'm not trusted to do anything like that. So we just sat there.
"We can't find the game," Mum said. Just one game, is that all you have?
"How about cards?" I tried, desperately. Eventually I managed to get someone to find a pack of cards, but by then my sisters youngest had woken up screaming and that was that. Not his fault, of course, but we could have set something up long before then, if only it had been organised better. It's ironic, because the Christmas Lunch was organised perfectly, and what a job that was. Then for the evening, everyone just sits and ignores me when I suggest we do something!

And then my sister asked to put the TV on! But of course! Although not Doctor Who, of course. Ggggggggrrrrrrr!!!!!

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

Alright at best. Not spent at home for well-known reasons; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals at my brother and his partner's house. Can't complain at all about the quality or size of the meals; only complaints that Dat was there as well, and turned an innocent joke about Brother being turned into the fairy on top of the tree into a rant about - well, guess!, and I'd rather have spent more than a couple of minutes with Step-nephew and -neice, whom I'd not met before. Other than that, breakfast at McDonald's Monday, a first for me and four days lounging around. The only low point was coming home to a carpet and wallpaper that was still wet and smelly, and having to sort out when the man's coming to replace the hot water cylinder, but that's for another time.

[Larry]

pretty average really - we had a quiet christmas day as it was just me my mum and brother, Boxing day my sister her hubby and son all came down.

[Larry]

, I went down with flu last Wednesday which is still hanging around now.

So despite spending lots of time preparing lots of party food for visitors I sepnt most of Christmas coughing my guits up , not eating, and going to bed at various times of day and night.

hope you feeling better soon there's nothing worse when everybody else is having a good time and your feeling ill and just want to be left alone.

[Stephen Morgan]

Have to be honest here, but Christmas has been deadly dull this year.
Christmas Day was ok, we spent the afternoon with my family, as my mother is bedbound we go there as she can't come to us. I'm afraid that I stayed a little long for Viv's liking, I fell asleep as Viv was bored even though she was chatting with my sister and brother-in-law most of the time.
We had a row in the car coming home which put a damper on the evening and as a consequence I didn't enjoy Doctor Who. That memory will be forever ingrained in my mind everytime I see this years Christmas episode.
Boxing Day was ok, we spent the afternoon with stepson David and his family, their house is always cold, and I'm afraid I got a little fed up of it but didn't dare complain as I didn't want another row. We got home from there about 7 O-clock, and Viv went straight to bed to get warm, leaving me to my own devices.
We were supposed to be going down the caravan, the cold weather has put paid to that, also, Amy has had possible Swine Flu and was off work before Christmas, and is in danger of losing he job due to bad time keeping over the last year.
I told Viv we would go down to Newton Abbot if Amy showed no sign of going back to work, Amy resisted this and had a row with her mother over the phone. Perhaps we should have gone down there, it may have been some excitement at least.
Amy and Rob are however paying us a visit this coming weekend, she has apparently recovered from said flu and has returned to work, and has the forthcoming weekend off. Caravan, tickets, New Years party, no chance.
I'm getting a serious case of cabin fever, fed up of watching films and looking at all the food we have in the fridge, as we were going to the caravan our friends have made other plans and no one has been in, and we've hardly been out.
Viv's booked me a flu jab for tomorrow morning, I'm going to visit my cousins, that'll be a change.

[SiHart]

Yes I did have a good Christmas, full of beer and cheer and ice clearing and wonderful food and wonderful company and somehow managing to fit everything in!

Christmas Eve was the best night though- great music, lots of dancing and a very full sampling of Steve's Dad's Christmas Ales. Fantastic!

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

We opened presents - not a huge haul. Skyped with my family.

Went down to the beach, played games with the tide, lost, got drenched. Climbed one of the rocks near the mountain. Got home to cooked turkey, and ate so much we didn't get around to pudding until boxing day.

Watched Shrek 4th then board games.

All in all, one of the best Christmases ever.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

... course a couple of days later it was war in the Crow household, as my wife felt my "leftover turkey pasta sauce" shouldn't have had onion in it (I beg to differ). There was an Eastenders style meltdown over this.

"You put onion and spinach in this?" DUN DUN dundun dundundun ...

Someone pointed out you can never go wrong with turkey and chips though. Puts my culinary attempts to shame!

[Simon R]

I enjoyed it but as ever it never really lives up to the hype. It still seems like so much rushing around and then it's over in a blink. In my memories, Christmas when you're a child seems to last for at least a week. Now it's two days with a bit at the end for new year. It was the first Christmas Eve I've worked and even though it was half a day it meant Christmas couldn't begin until afterwards. Ideally I'd like a day or two off before Christmas to get the last bits ready and actually relax.

[Dirk Gently]

I know exactly what you mean, Simon. I hate the fact that people seem to be eager to get Christmas here & then can't wait for it to be over. I like Christmas & I'm NOT taking my dec's down before 6th Jan.

To be honest I blame TV. When I was young we had Christmas specials & variety shows in the evenings, kids TV in the morning with animated films that you'd never heard of until Christmas, also film epics like Jason and the Argonauts and the like to take you up to early afternoon.

These days the TV channels seem to be more interested in showing Christmas soaps specials & to be honest I can even remember what was on TV this year...how memorable it must have been.

[Anthony Williams]

Mine was awful.

I'm glad I'll be spending next year's in a happier place!

Ant x

[Dirk Gently]

Sorry to hear that, Ant.


To answer the original question, my Christmas was wonderful really. I got some nice gifts, got time to spend with my Wife & had Christmas dinner with my parents for once.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

[QUOTE=Dirk Gently;251594] I like Christmas & I'm NOT taking my dec's down before 6th Jan.

Me too! In fact some of my decorations and lights are still up now. I've always kept the decs up until the 6th of Jan but since I've been with Oksana they stay up until the end of the 7th as Christmas in Ukraine is on 6th and 7th of Jan.

[Dirk Gently]

You lucky man! You get 2 Christmas's!

[Jonno]

A real mixed bag for me so I've voted "alright". I didn't really enjoy the build-up this year - a combination of the hype, being late sorting out Christmas cards, trickly online shopping and presents arriving late in France for my parents, the wretched weather and a stressful time at work. I didn't even bother with putting the tree up this year at home. On the evening of the 23rd I could tell I was getting a bad cold, slept badly that night, travelled to my sister's on the 24th, felt OK but by dinnertime I could only eat a couple of mouthfuls, I'd simply lost my appetite. I'd already spent some of the afternoon kipping on the sofa, but felt so bad I decided to stay in that night - a real shame and annoyance because Christmas Eve at their local is always a lovely night. My sister was going to stay in and keep me company, but I insisted she at least go out and enjoy herself. I spent most of the night dozing in front of the telly and went to bed before they got back from the pub.

I did feel better the next day and managed to go to the pub at lunchtime as is traditional and managed to eat my dinner thankfully. The rest of the long weekend was a couple more trips to the pub, playing Wii at home and a bit of TV watching but I wasn't too unhappy to come home. Then I got some Delhi belly on the morning of New Year's Eve and again didn't have much appetite for eating or anything so I was glad I wasn't going out that night.

The best bit of the festive period for me was a lovely gathering of friends on the 11th, plus I have two parties lined up for this month so my good times are going to be before and after Christmas this year!