h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Once again it is time for the annual Christmas Chat thread to start.
This thread is for those who LIKE Christmas. I have started a thread for those who don't like Christmas in Misc Chat too.
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I like Christmas and have started to buy things like packs of tinned soft drinks as can't carry much at one time as no car so a few at a time helps, the two for one offers help too!

Can we join in if we're enjoing the yuletide, if not the religious festival itself???

Of course!
I have always done a thread at this time for those who enjoy what ever part of Christmas they like. I love the carols and traditional decorations, even Sally Army music Christmas Bands, but I am not a church goer.

I shall have a finger in each... I'm like that!


What I like: Warm glows in the cold and dark, that feeling of anticipation that there's something to look forward to in the long, cold dark...

Knowing that spring will be along soon.

Getting cold and spangly with frost so you can go inside and get cosy and warm and drink mulled wine or hot chocolate.

seeing people and enjoying spending time together with them, with a focal point and a reason. And when applicable, seeing their reactions when they open your carefully-thought-out but weird presents

Yes indeed, I love to record artists who don't usually do Christmas music but do one of the Christmas songs on Christmas Specials on TV, another of the things I like about Christmas.
The Bill, normally quite a grim programme, did a lovely special one year about a drunk claiming to be an elf who really was one of santa's elves! It sounds ridiculous but worked really well and had no crime and had deep snow all over and tales of a delivery van full of mince pies stuck in snow, and the runaway kid who gets back with his grandad of course.....

I actually like Christmas now (with 4 children)... but what really gets on my nerves is that the shopkeepers start in July AHHHHHHHHHH! Even worse is Christmasy music in the shops.

Do people still do Carols from door to door in England ... or are they all mugged or arrest for trespass?

Love Christmas puddings ... but have to have them sent over from England ... do M&S send food stuff to Germany? Love those adverts from M&S and also Jamie Oliver re: Sainsburys!

Got sent a great DVD from Jamie Oliver about Christmas food ... I'm planning to make/cook lots of Christmasy food this year!!

Some people still go carol singing in England but not as many as used to nor are they as good sometimes, just a line or two and stop.
Don't know if M&S send Christmas puds abroad but I expect they are very good puds!

Many s ago (sounds like 'once upon a time')!
A small group of us used to go door-to-door carol singing (me on guitar)

We had an official collection tin from OXFAM and people were very friendly and generous.

Sometimes we had to move on as people would join in and want more !

Happy Days

I still enjoy the singing - but not standing out in the cold !

When I was very young I went carol singing with my older sister, well she sang and I was there for the cute factor, well it was a long time ago! I don't think I actually sang at all.

Ah, had a lovely warm fuzzy moment on Saturday - Santa was arriving in the town square, and we were in the right place just to see him come out of his workshop door. Me and the kids were delighted.

Did a bit more shopping today - found a great Tshirt for my son, but still looking for sparkly shoes for myself to wear to a big party in Scotland.

Don't know what to cook this year - Dai doesn't like turkey, or pudding, or cake , although we were given a little cake as part of a fabulous hamper, so I'll be eating all that myself. Last year we made venison stew.

A nice ham, a bit of lamb, perhaps a bit of something gamey and lots of sausagemeat and chestnut stuffing. or a 'Bloody eat it anyway you silly sod'...

Dificult if someone doesn't ike turkey, what about those tiny young chickens, duck or grouse or something?
The things that mean Christmas to me, well a few anyway, are the Avon Christmas adverts when a kid as always first one on TV, Carols From Kings, and Christmas films that actually are about Christmas.

Hmmm, he's a bit against any poultry to be honest! But a nice slab of lamb sounds good to me.

Christmas carols - gorgeous. We had some at the Friday night lighting of the tree in Lisburn - we took our 5 month old dog with us, to get him used to noisy crowds, and he behaved himself brilliantly. I wore my special Luxembourg Santa hat (special because it's shaped like a cut out of Lux, a sort of squiggly triangle, and so it has fond memories for me of when I lived there.) The parade - 12 days of Christmas, fantastic costumes and local school kids - was truly magical. I look forward to going to the 9 lessons and carols do at the cathedral nearer the day itself.

Have booked tickets to the big panto in Belfast - my ex is in the pit so we usually manage to get a shout out from Dame May McFettridge. Plus we'll probabaly also go and see the local am-dram panto nearby.

Who's been making their pudding today, Stir-Up Sunday?

Being a ex-pat, I watch The Sound of Music with my children every Christmas - for some reason, this always reminds me of Christmas' when I was young ... my children also sing along ... which is even nicer.

Let's start at the very beginning! A very good place to start!

As I dropped half an enormous pack of mixed dried fruit and nuts on floor I thought what a waste but have kept them to put out for birds at Christmas as normally don't feed them and others just give them stale bread so will be bit of a birdy treat, expecially if neighbours go away for Christmas!

I've started wrapping! Stockings for my 2 little darlings have evolved over the years into a now well-known package of a book, a CD, some smellies, concert tickets and a few wee bits and bobs. I bought 2 of Tesco's reusable canvas bags with the Christmas design on, and am wrapping the gifts as I buy them - red paper for him, purple shiny for her. This will prevent any unwanted premature Hunting Of The Presents!

Today, being the first day of December, is the start of Christmas proper, here in Germany. Our children are allowed to open the first of their 24 little presents (normally a chocolate or sweetie, but sometimes something small, like pencil sharpener, etc.). This should not be confused with the cardboard advents calendars. These are real artworks and filling the 96 little packages with goodies also takes its time, as you can imagine.

My wife and I also do something similar for each other ... but with alcohol filling. We also get small think-of-me or thankyou little some-things to put with the chocolates. Which is a way of saying Thank You I guess!!

On the 6th of December ... Oh, I'll tell you more about St. Nickolas on the 6th!!

Ah hunt the hidden Christmas present!
I remember it well, sadly my parents weren't very good at hiding them although I can't remember if they were wrapped or not.
One year when I was older and still living at home my dad bought me the record deck I wanted to go with my Hi Fi. He took it in to my bedroom when I was out presumably to check it was the right one and left the instruction book in my bedroom, bless him.
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I remember when we were kids my parents left the main Christmas presents laid out in living room and we all waited at top of stairs while they switched on Chrismas tree lights and all rushed downstairs. I can't remember about when we got older, since I was the only one left living at home I expect they just wrapped record deck and gave it when we all got up but can't remember at all.
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There seems to be the first proper TV Christmas programme of year tommorow morning, Sunday, on BBC1 at 10am called "Christmas Voices" with opera singer Lesley Garret and assorted other singers which I shall record and watch when I get home. I love Christmas music!
I was thinking of going to a Christmas parade and turning on of local Christmas lights yesterday evening but it rained from half hour before start to nearly midnight so didn't go as rain was very heavy.

There's a Candle lit chior presentation of Handel's Messiah soon.. I might take my mum to it. It's things like that can give a little glow, like going to evening mass in a cathedral (I think) in Vienna when I was five... I didnt understand it but I knew it felt magical...