November to March sucks. I might need to move back to Mexico.Originally Posted by Spikey M
November to March sucks. I might need to move back to Mexico.
We put our decorations up the first weekend of December, I am not too fussed but the wife is mad for it so may aswell get some mileage out of the expensive tat.
I had to bring the decorations down yesterday but they aren't going up until Friday because the wife wants to do a deep clean on Thursday in preparation. I asked why I couldn't just bring the decorations down on Thursday night. She thinks they need to "air off".
I was having a curry with some m8s the other day, both of whom are shacked up whereas I live alone. They asked me when I put my decorations up, I told them I don't put any decorations up because it's a bit tragic just putting them up for yourself to look at, and I'll be at the folks' place for actual Christmas anyway. They both looked at me in horror, as if I was describing some sort of sexually-motivated string of brutal murders, rather than a failure to attach paper chains to the door frames of my one-bed. "But it's Christmas!" I don't get it, really.
We have an alliance.
Someone that lives alone and goes elsewhere for Christmas would be a deviant to actually put them up.
I really think we should start a crowd funding initiative so Jimmy has to decorate his house/flat. Appreciate it's not a money thing, but I'm hoping it will guilt you into putting up decorations.
Perhaps just a small Christmas tree on a table?
We were the same even with the wife. Pointless putting decorations up if you're not going to be there at Christmas.
If I lived alone I wouldn't put them up either to be honest. I don't think most men would.
Last edited by Spikey M; 28-11-2022 at 09:26 AM.
I would.
Same.
I'm a twit
Deviants.
I'd like to spend time with Jimmy near Christmas. I think he'd start to like me. A friendship would blossom, for that I am sure of.
I'm quite a good Christmasser, I think. Happy to drink all kinds of alcohol, do the washing up, and never take part in arguments.
Not sure who the worst Christmas people are. Probably cantankerous old people who can't sit still or stop moaning about things.
So Giggles.
It's either miserable people (the type that moan about trees going up in November on the first day of advent as Jesus would have wanted the arse eatin', turn up rockin' cunts) or Disney Women that insist everything must be magical at all times.
Since my abscondment and subsequent return (much like Jesus Christ), Giggles seems to have changed as a poster. For the better I should add.
He seems in a happier place. And that is all the Christmas present I need.
I agree. I was AWOL from the old board going tits up until the beginning of this year. Giggles doesn't seem all that grumpy, bar the odd random pop at Kiko or Baz but things like that keep the board entertaining.
When I lived on my own I did the bare minimum decoration. One of those two foot trees designed for a work break room, string some lights around that and then around the window so passers-by see how festive I am.
I love Christmas and don't really care when people put their decorations up, I'm just trying to cultivate a spikey as Disney adult type thing, though I'm not smart or charming enough to do it without just coming across like I have some weird vendetta. I'll buy you a stein and give you a big kiss.
I might have to surrender to Disney shortly. I tried to be an old school dad at the weekend and put Thunderbirds on at TV time for my daughter (more for my own entertainment) and it scared the shit out of her.
Wait until she sees @Clunge.
I'm a twit
You should persist, it's character building. Probably. How old is she?
I couldn't give a shit about decorations and I would normalize not having to gift people inane crap as well. I'm definitely here for the seeing people, eating cheese and getting drunk a lot though.
Oh I'll persist. She's only five months so I didn't even think she saw anything other than colours at this point but she was blatantly not a fan of The Hood. TV only goes on for her to have a shit in peace, she's more pre-occupied with the trees in the garden at the moment anyway.
Christmas is brilliant, best time of year.
Once it actually arrives that is.
If we never went in with both feet the place would die. You're welcome.
Christmas in our family is a constant battle between the younger generation wanting to pivot to the latter, and my dad refusing to do so because he likes tradition and things being the same as when he was a child in the 1950s/60s.
This year we're doing a paella for Christmas dinner instead of the messy time-sink of a roast, which is very much our El Alamein moment I think.
We tend to just make or do something for the week that's in it now. Like the mother will do all the baking, the sister will bring the booze, etc. We'd still give cards and something small to each other but we all tend to buy ourselves the stuff we need throughout the year anyway.
We used to do Christmas dinner with my uncle and grandmother, but now my gran is clinically deranged and my uncle has a missus, we briefly see the extended family in the morning then me and my mum just spend the rest of the day at home.
We don't go mad with trimmings but my mum is a professional cook so it's always top quality. I think a roast dinner is something people think is crap cus they've never had a good one. The trick is just using decent quality ingredients and not overcooking everything. Was discussing this with THE LADS during the USA game, and my very gay and very cosmopolitan mate was moaning about his working class parents putting the veg on about an hour before serving so it's just a pile of green mush.
I remember my nan, when she was still compos mentis enough to cook and that, saying something like "I'm sorry, I don't know why the beef is so tough, I only did it for 20 minutes longer than the instructions said to", err...
Roast dinners are awesome. I'm not one of those Toby/takeaway wankers just because I want a roast every Sunday. I probably have about 5-6 per year. I'm always the one to cook them and they're a pain in the arse in all honesty (assuming you do them properly) so I do them sparingly when I can be bothered committing the time. Plus I do the family Christmas dinner which is 18 of us so I've got to psych myself up for that effort.
I did my first Christmas dinner last year and the turkey was drier than the Sahara. Thankfully the in-laws are staying with us this year and the FIL will take over responsibility. They're not big drinkers so it's basically wine to accompany the food rather than overindulgence.
The key to moist turkey is a meat thermometer (whip it out at 70C) and resting it (in foil) for at least as long as it was cooked for.
Or just bin it off and do some other meat that's much tastier anyway.
I think option 3 of letting someone else cook it is also valid.
Yeah if you're the Germans.
A fucking paella gahahaha.
I have a really small family so for me it’s just an opportunity to spend a week or so around my parents.
We pivoted away from Turkey the last few years and opted for chicken, and it’s just so much better. Quite often there’s a ham or gammon in there too.
Also my annual reminder of good bannoffee pie is.
We do Turkey (which my Mum always cooks quite well) and a ham. If it's a big crowd a pork neck (Polish Karkowka) will be on the table too.
I've been angling for a goose instead of a turkey for at least one Christmas but there's too much resistance.
Banoffee is a regular here too, as is baileys trifle. I’ll be adding a pecan pie for the first time in a few years also (unless, like everything else, pecans have something to do with Ukraine and are about a grand a kilo these days. Haven’t checked yet).
My mum cooks an almighty Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings you could ask for,and we all eat at the dining table and it’s fantastic - better than any present I could unwrap. As previously mentioned, this years my dads turn.
But then on Boxing Day I’ve gotta go the in laws and they don’t have a Christmas dinner at all. Mother in law puts out like 5 pork pies, buttered barms, an open packet of Bernard Mathews turkey slices, and like shite buffet stuff like that, and it barely feeds the 5 of us who are there, and I’ve gotta eat it on my knee in the living room. Proper depressing. No wonder my wife hates her family, if that was her Christmas every year.
I'm a twit
Bernard Mathews turkey slices
They all sound great and significantly better than Christmas pudding/cake.
Are you one of these English people who can't cope if different foods are mixed on one plate?
If I went round someone's house for Christmas Dinner and they served up a Paella I would glass them in the face.
This is why you're an outside the box thinker. You don't stick to those traditional lanes. You say up yours to your gran who wants the traditional trimmings. "What's that, it might be your last Christmas? Not my problem sweetheart. Adios."
While I’d normally be one for go with what you’d like, paella is really reaching for the extremes.
Pecans are crazy expensive these days. Ł4.50 for 250g in Tesco. Used to be Ł3.
Pecan pie might be worth it anyway though. I might try a pumpkin pie again this year.
Assuming you shouldn't be eating it on Christmas Day, Saint George's Day, Royal occasions etc., you've still got the vast majority of the year to be eating dago slop. If you really want to ruin your old man's Christmas that much...
Might as well have a portion of Uncle Ben's each.
We never have Christmas cake, just get a quarter of the mothers one so we can give it to visitors that want it. Was never a fan of fruitcakes.
Haven’t decided on the dinner yet fully, as in what way the second spud will be and what veg we’ll be having.
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