Christmas - Bah Humbug

[hst43102]

Some kind of Christmas song cancelling headphones would be good.

Absolutely. Most shops seem to think that non-Christmas songs are banned during December!

 

[DarloRich]

Now for the big question: Cheese with Christmas cake - yes or no?

Stollen

No - i am sure he paid for them

Still got the sprouts problem, found some decent ones but they cost a few coppers more, trying a third food store tomorrow, grrr, bah

Have you not got a market near by?

 

[Big Tim]

Now for the big question: Cheese with Christmas cake - yes or no?

Yes please. Crumbly Wensleydale (and a generous pour of Port to wash it down)!

 

[Cowley]

Yes please. Crumbly Wensleydale (and a generous pour of Port to wash it down)!

Chedder strong enough to make your eyes water for me.

 

[david1212]

Just now at the end of the News the BBC are already running trailers for Christmas programmes. A week before would be long enough.

I feel for shop workers who get the same loop of songs several times every day for a month before. I don't want to be hearing the songs yet, at most 10 days before then not too many until 23rd.

Up to a point I can understand shops and street lights and decorations from the last week of November. However I just don't get house decorations as by 25th no longer new / different / special. 10 days or so before is soon enough.

Afterwards many are down within a couple of days yet the traditional twelfth night end of Christmas is 6th January.

 

[Crossover]

I had to endure Jingle Bells being blasted out of the car radio on my way to work at 06:30 on Sunday morning. Switched it off and drove in silence.

Last time I checked, multiple radio stations are available, even in Manchester

I work in IT, and christmas day is usually when the main servers and their various friends with multicoloued lights (firewalls, tape drives, etc) get all their firmware updates done!

I like doing updates at strange times to avoid the masses but I do draw the line at Christmas Day (usually...maybe it’ll give me something to do this year!)

Yes. So that's four good things!

Aldi Christmas Cake - dunno what it is about it but I do rather like it!

 

[TheEdge]

Normally I'd agree with this thread but this year anything to make it feel like the end of 2020 is drawing close is a good thing in my book.

Keep expectations low for 2021 though.

 

[yorksrob]

All this talk of Christmas Pudding ! Give me trifle any day.

 

[dakta]

Perhaps I'm a bit strange, I like Christmas, it's a chance to get a break and get away from the normal routine. Whilst I've not been going to the companies own this year office I don't even mind the M62 commute hell as long as it's snowfall causing it!

In my own personal business rented office/workshop I've put lights and a tree up and Christmas music even though we don't have customers visit due to COVID, on the IT side we do have a change freeze, it doesn't affect me as I work in SOC (Security Operations Centre) so if anyone's working so are we. So whilst I will be working Christmas, I hope it's a case of watch TV with the laptop booted next to it hoping nothing happens

 

[xotGD]

Afterwards many are down within a couple of days yet the traditional twelfth night end of Christmas is 6th January

I think decorations ought to come down straight after New Year. Seeing them when you've been back at work for a week just seems wrong.

 

[nlogax]

All this talk of Christmas Pudding ! Give me trifle any day.

Trifle over pudding? Christmas cake with cheese? Freaks, the lot of you

 

[Tracked]

Ah, glad to know that someone else hates it! Here's the antidote:

It's the one song my position hasn't softened upon over the years, I used to say that and McCartneys' Wonderful Christmastime; that's still bad, although I did read something a few weeks ago which was really interesting (mainly the production side of it): https://andrewhickey.info/2016/12/12/in-defence-of-wonderful-christmastime/

 

[xotGD]

Post - Christmas you get people asking 'What did Santa bring you?' as if they were saying something amusing and original.

Plus all those clowns queueing at 5am on Boxing Day for the sales. And the news channels feeling obliged to report it.

 

[nlogax]

Plus all those clowns queueing at 5am on Boxing Day for the sales. And the news channels feeling obliged to report it.

Part of the same news routine as 'these mad swimmers braved frozen seas on Christmas Day from Dingleberry-on-Sea' news stories. We'd probably miss them if they weren't reported.

 

[xotGD]

Part of the same news routine as 'these mad swimmers braved frozen seas on Christmas Day from Dingleberry-on-Sea' news stories. We'd probably miss them if they weren't reported.

You get that story three times in a week:
- Christmas Day swimmers
- Boxing Day Swimmers
- New Year's Day swimmers

All as daft as each other!

 

[baz962]

Chedder strong enough to make your eyes water for me.

Enough about your socks

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I have done very minimal decorations this year, I won't be getting any visitors, so doing indoors does not seem worth it, apart from putting up any Christmas Cards that I may receive and one string of lights in the lounge. I have however, put lights in the front bedroom windows and on my big bush in the front garden, all of these can be seen from the road outside and brightens things up.

 

[yorksrob]

I started on the Quality Street over a month ago, so I guess you can say that Xmas has come early in that respect.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

One of the most tiresome aspects of xmas is being forced to watch rubbish telly because there's nothing else to do.

Nothing else to do? But.... but.... but..... you seriously mean that browsing the forum doesn't provide all the entertainment you might need 24 hours a day?

*shocked*

 

[yorksrob]

Nothing else to do? But.... but.... but..... you seriously mean that browsing the forum doesn't provide all the entertainment you might need 24 hours a day?

*shocked*

Well, to be fair there's usually less going on on here, given the railway's shut down as well !

Latest xmas pleasure is scouring Traksy for the signallers' xmas messages, but that only lasts for so long !

 

[Jamesrob637]

I think decorations ought to come down straight after New Year. Seeing them when you've been back at work for a week just seems wrong.

Many more people will work from home on Monday 4th of January 2021 than were working from home at the equivalent point this January so I expect the weekend of 2nd/3rd of January to be popular with putting decs away.

 

[david1212]

One of the most tiresome aspects of xmas is being forced to watch rubbish telly because there's nothing else to do.

I don't watch much TV at any time. I've got books to read and DVD's as yet unwatched. If only wanting to fill 30mins or so I'll find something on Youtube.

I've just looked up this evenings TV schedule just in case anything interesting to me. Already Christmas movies on several channels yet still nearly three weeks away.

I'll put up decorations next weekend then they will come down on 2nd / 3rd Jan. Three weeks is plenty and this year that will be longer than usual, sometimes in the past they have only gone up less than a week before. I'm not totally Bah Humbug but see it is an event centred around one day not a season. Regardless of actually practising any Christianity based religion the origins are lost or insignificant to most but rather it is commercially driven.

 

[DB]

Regardless of actually practising any Christianity based religion the origins are lost or insignificant to most but rather it is commercially driven.

Its origin is a midwinter solstice festival. The christians hijacked it, and then the marketers hijacked it from them!

 

[SS4]

I am just thankful that in this day and age there are plenty of secular and non-seasonal content available to pass the time. I can stick youtube on for half an hour or watch an episode of some show on Prime. Spotify and my local NAS mean I can listen to whatever I want instead of the radio. Albeit I do have to mute any ads that come on for the shows I do watch.

What annoys me is the media's refusal to realise that many of us do not like Christmas and would be happier if it vanished - whilst saying nobody should be alone at Christmas seems noble in reality it should be that nobody should have to be alone at christmas. Relatedly, they seem to think they'll make anyone happy as long as it's shoved down their throat often enough. To make matters worse it comes almost immediately after the winter solstice meaning the dark nights are on the way out

With capitalists hijacking the festival from the religious it is not shocking and now it's a season of obligation - one is obliged to give cards when they receive one and it's the same with gifts but with the added caveat that it should be of approximately the same value with the result that tat is bought never to be used again. Then you end up with the traditions - can you imagine trying to describe a British christmas to aliens? You'd sound silly

Best part of the season is easily the two bank holidays

 

[najaB]

one is obliged to give cards when they receive one

I've received many cards and never sent one. I still seem to get them every year from the same people anyway.

 

[Gloster]

Until she died a couple of years ago my mother continued to receive a Christmas card addressed to my father, who died over a dozen years ago. It was from someone he had worked with up to his retirement in the mid-1980s, but who had not been any sort of good or long-standing friend, merely someone with a similar interest in sailing. The letters contained several sheets of news about their family, none of whom my parents had ever met, and pets and holidays and house and so on, but no return address to write to and say that my father had died.

I still get occasional cards addressed to the previous occupants of my house, the most recent one only last year. I have been here seventeen years and the house was for sale because the husband had died.

 

[Bobdogs]

I have done very minimal decorations this year, I won't be getting any visitors, so doing indoors does not seem worth it, apart from putting up any Christmas Cards that I may receive and one string of lights in the lounge. I have however, put lights in the front bedroom windows and on my big bush in the front garden, all of these can be seen from the road outside and brightens things up.

Not sure about lighting up your big bush in the front garden............

 

[najaB]

Not sure about lighting up your big bush in the front garden............

I keep getting YouTube ads for products to sort that out.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Yes, sorry, I supposed I should have rephrased that line in my posting above. Glad it bought some smiles though.

 

[squizzler]

Christmas - its something for those annoying people who tell you at every occasion how "crazy busy" they are to fuss about during the dark winter months when they otherwise might be forced to some healthy introspection...