Christmas Considered Harmful?

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

+1.

Marvelous here, banks open as normal, got the builders in on the 25th, kids at school. Xmas? What Christmas?

Although the commercial aspect of it is creeping in with the shops and adverts on the telly. Discracefull.

Posted by ChrisH on 27/12/2017 23:52:54:

Having a tee-shirt which declares me to be a Founding Member of the Grumpy Old Mens Club, I am one with the feeling of SOD; my family are quite used to my Bah Humbug approach to Christmas.

But I do not hate Christmas as such. I hate Christmas for what it has become. The whole message and magic of Christmas has been lost. Children getting bigger and bigger more and more expensive presents which the parents can't afford and the children expect but don't appreciate. Compare that with our youth when parents were hard up and we were more than happy to get anything at all.

Christmas adverts from end of August onwards, shops stuffed with Christmas goods for months before, compulsory Christmas music blasting from every shop for weeks, and then the shopping. Horrible. Hide in the shed time. Tons and tons of food bought, because we 'must have some of this' or 'some of that', how much goes to waste, must stock up as the shops will be shut for one whole day.. How much do we over-eat and drink? We buy as well bottles of booze that never gets drunk for ages, plus that bottle of 'whatever' that no-one drinks but we'd better get a bottle in 'just-in-case' cos Aunty Whoever drinks it and if she turns up'….

There is not this hype in France, or at least the part of Brittany we go to. Things are so much more calm, the lack of hype and great expectation means Christmas is so much more enjoyable, though still expensive!

Whatever happened to the message of Christmas, to peace and goodwill to all men? It has all ended up as one huge raid on my wallet, depriving me of essential workshop goodies and depriving me of essential shed time, that's what's happened to Christmas.

Bah Humbug to you all.

Chris

PS. When we moved to our present house 10 years ago some idiot had planted a Christmas tree in the garden years before which by then was 45 foot tall, give or take a yard or two. Dominated the garden, took masses of space and light, hid a beautiful copper beech tree behind it. Cost £400 to have it cut down, but well worth it. Beware, those thinking of planting this year's tree. Ours is a suitably plastic and fibre-optic jobbie, will give years of service, none of this £25 plus a tree rubbish you end up putting on the tip 2 weeks after Christmas Day – why clutter your house with it, shedding needles, why not go straight down the tip and just throw £25 in the skip and save the mess and wastage. Bah Humbug. My wife really loves me, this time of year………..

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

I hadn't thought of leaving the country to avoid Xmas. What a good idea!

Played a board game with the youngsters and had to hum the song 'Spin the Black Circle' by Pearl Jam. What? Who? Chaps beware: there's a whole world out there of which we know nothing!

I've calmed down now. Like banging your head against a brick wall, Christmas is best when it's over…

Hypocritical baloney, bunk and eyewash. I'm already looking forward to next year's bash!

Dave

PS Buying all the presents on the Internet with a Credit Card means you get to see all your spending listed neatly plus a shocking total at the end. I got my bill yesterday – expletive deleted.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Message of Christmas? Our village church was packed on the Christmas eve service with all the grandchildren that accompany their parents returning home for the holiday. If nothing else despite the 'inconvenience' it brings families back together and a few of the recent incomers to the village were able to mix in and make a few more friends.

There is still a bit of snow lying on my lawn for atmosphere too. I need to light the fire for the other part of the holiday atmosphere of the warmer kind.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Only 363 days until Christmas!

Mike

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

I also, like SOD, bought some of SWMBO's pressies on-line, plus a couple of items bought in one shop (on a pretext of looking for something completely different) whilst she was grocery shopping elsewhere. On-line excellent only if able to hide the delivery away from all seeing eyes, better is delivery arrives when she is out.

Managed to wrap all her pressies whilst she was out shopping (again) and hid them in a cardboard box in my shed – so she was in total ignorance of what I had got, if anything at all, and when. Only when I brought the cardboard box in – whats that you're holding? looks like a cardboard box dear, just a moment whilst I lock the door and I'll check, yes dear, it's definitely a cardboard box I'm holding here, said all Basil Fawlty-ish – did she twig I had got her stuff.

Bonus arrived Christmas Day when she was delighted with all her stuff, as I was with the ER collet set I got that I had thoughtfully suggested would be good to have……….. One has to work the system to one's advantage……..!

Chris

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

never wanted anything for the under the tree……..which incidentally hasn't been outta the box for three years, first year got a new kitten, second a new Border Collie pup and this year just couldn't be bothered…….

my pressy was given away, well the money was……..it went to Souda Bay animal shelter, really happy about that……

glad it's almost over, just 1 more big day to go……

hopefully more shed time next year…….

keep well……clogs

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

ChrisH, like you I prefer to shop online the only problem is the wife and I both share the same email address but it is not impossible to buy secretly, I make sure that I intercept any incoming emails before they appear on her IPad, I just transfer them to the archive, she never looks in there. I use the same process when buying tools online, it saves the interrogation of “What have you been buying now” which I sure many others are familiar with. Thankful now that the frenzy of Xmas is over, what a huge commercial exercise it has now become, used to be more civilised 65 odd years ago when I was a youngster, but then we still had some rationing left over from the war. Nostalgia, things always look better when you reminisce, we seem to blot out the unpleasant experiences and thankfully only remember the good.

Dave W

[OldMetallerParticipant @oldmetaller]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 28/12/2017 10:01:21:

Played a board game with the youngsters and had to hum the song 'Spin the Black Circle' by Pearl Jam. What? Who? Chaps beware: there's a whole world out there of which we know nothing!

Dave, you can't be that much of an old duffer if you know a Pearl Jam song!

'See this needle, see my hand,

Drop-drop-droppin' it down, oh so gently…'

OMG, it's a song about taking drugs! No it's not, it's about playing your old vinyl records!

My Christmas day was really nice: my friend Jacquie, who owns the local Moroccan restaurant, had a bunch of us singletons and waifs and strays round for xmas dinner. It was in her lovely, characterful restaurant and about ten people turned up. We had invited some of the local homeless people, but despite my friend Kev going out in his car to pick them up, none of them actually came which I thought was sad, but can imagine the diffidence they might have been feeling at the prospect of meeting bunch of strangers. And, boy, are we strange!

After some excellent food, conversation and ribaldry, I returned home to watch The Outlaw Josie Wales and drink a remaining drop of wine.

Jacquie will be plied with her favourite Prosecco later today in the pub, to thank her for her kindness.

Regards,

John.

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

Dave W – Senior Management and I have separate emails, so no problem there. Like you though I suitably 're-locate' incriminating emails to 'unlikely-ever-to be-seen' mailboxes, 'just in case'. Often incoming parcels with tools or stock are hard to avoid being seen, or even she having to be signing for them, but the tricky and definitely essential bit is to make sure the invoice never appears anywhere where it can be seen and then commented upon! My Father was wise to this, it was amazing how much stuff he 'just happened' to pick up dirt cheap 'down at the market' essential for his various hobbies, not that I, or anyone else as far as I am aware, ever visited this magically cheap market, or found out what market it was even; I learned a lot from my Dad!

Chris

Edited By ChrisH on 28/12/2017 22:28:45

[Adrian GilesParticipant @adriangiles39248]

360 days till Christmas, some strange folk have got their lights up already!!

[Clive IndiaParticipant @cliveindia]

Posted by Mike Poole on 28/12/2017 12:10:25:

Only 363 days until Christmas! Mike

Or, looking at it another way, Christmas is at its maximum time away right now

[Clive IndiaParticipant @cliveindia]

Posted by ChrisH on 28/12/2017 22:27:11:

Dave W – Senior Management and I have separate emails, so no problem there. Like you though I suitably 're-locate' incriminating emails to 'unlikely-ever-to be-seen' mailboxes, 'just in case'. Often incoming parcels with tools or stock are hard to avoid being seen, or even she having to be signing for them, but the tricky and definitely essential bit is to make sure the invoice never appears anywhere where it can be seen and then commented upon! My Father was wise to this, it was amazing how much stuff he 'just happened' to pick up dirt cheap 'down at the market' essential for his various hobbies, not that I, or anyone else as far as I am aware, ever visited this magically cheap market, or found out what market it was even; I learned a lot from my Dad! Chris

You folks worry me – you can't go through your life doing what spouses want you to do.

I've heard of people going to garden centres with spouses, in order to earn brownie points, so they can go to their club or into their workshop.

You can spend your money how you want. Always remember, when considering buying something, your wife has probably spent more on shoes this month than you will the whole year on your stuff.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Chris, managed to take delivery of a new milling machine some time ago without detection, it was on a next day delivery timed for when senior management was out at one of her activities, all went well the mill was safely stowed in the workshop but managed to get grease on my trousers so being a good boy dutifully washed them, my downfall was they were still on the washing line when she returned, so succumbing under interrogation she found out why the trousers had to be washed. Surprisingly I was not excommunicated and survived unscathed.

Dave W

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

………..yes, and it's surprising how much stuff for top management appears on my Amazon account and arrives addressed to me. I don't mind, but several suppliers must have be marked down as a serious cross-dresser.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Posted by Samsaranda on 30/12/2017 11:50:00:

Chris, managed to take delivery of a new milling machine some time ago without detection, it was on a next day delivery timed for when senior management was out at one of her activities, all went well the mill was safely stowed in the workshop but managed to get grease on my trousers so being a good boy dutifully washed them, my downfall was they were still on the washing line when she returned, so succumbing under interrogation she found out why the trousers had to be washed. Surprisingly I was not excommunicated and survived unscathed.

Dave W

You should have hung your pants out aswell and blamed it on an unexpected shart.

Mike

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Just think positively- It is the return of the sun ! For us in the north side.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Posted by Gordon W on 30/12/2017 16:00:24:

Just think positively-

Definitely a short supply of that in the world.

Michael W

[Phil WhitleyParticipant @philwhitley94135]

I actually got something I wanted this year, although the wife and I generally get something for each other when we are out, rather than actual Christmas time, that way we are sure to get exactly what we want. So what did I get? Something I have been promising myself, and she cottoned on A Rothenburger Brazing torch, complete with Map gas,. heatproof mat, carrying bag, and a brand new 15mm pipeslice! Cracker!

[OldMetallerParticipant @oldmetaller]

Posted by Mike Poole on 30/12/2017 12:14:33:

Posted by Samsaranda on 30/12/2017 11:50:00:

You should have hung your pants out aswell and blamed it on an unexpected shart.

Mike

Unexpected shart… my first laugh-out-loud of the day, thank you!

Regards,

John.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Of course Christmas is harmful.

I have lost many pounds in cash terms but gained 3lbs in body weight, I call that doubly harmful!

 

Anyway, Happy New Year.

Edited By V8Eng on 31/12/2017 10:10:59

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