Anyone pretending that it isn't going to happen?

Does it mean extra riding time cos you aren't slogging around dull shopping centres?

Or … better still … do you enjoy the empty trails on "that" day?

Share your stories!

did last year (hid in france) and the year before.

Unfortunately for some inexplicable reason this year the in-laws are demanding they see their grandson at some point. 🙁

Bah humbug.

I really, really, hate christmas.

thing i love about xmas is the level to which it p1sses some people off

The winter solstice is the more important day for me and I will be with a very special person, but the C day is basically a chance for to be with my folks and have a stonkingly good nosh up : ) I think I'll be riding with Trekster but probably not on the 25th.

Not really – it's going to be a bloody difficult time of year for me 🙁

Last year we were going through the hardest bit of life possible at the time, the anniversary is only a couple of days before Christmas so I am guessing it won't be full of light and joy.

Christmas is great – as long as certain twonks realize that December 15th is time enough for any suggestion of the festive period

once your kids get past about10 years old Xmas is dreadful

I really, really, hate christmas.

I feel for your kid(s)!

I have a daughter and can't really give it a miss. If it I was childless then it would be a very minimal affair. Ride, over to the folks, pub with the old man, dinner and a sleep.

Did Christmas dinner for 13 last year! I love it, come on down if you fancy it! Fun all the way and we may have a Wii to play with this year 😆

1) travelling hours to be crammed with people I don't like somewhere I don't like out of a sense of guilt
2) receiving "gifts"
3) all day in doors
4) excessive eating

Can't wait until it's over [sorry]

yeah i never get these christmas nay sayers, cheer the **** up time of work, you get to eat, drink nice stuff. the best xmas topic on here are the ones who go on about "only spending a tenner" middle class people on working class wages. 😈

Some miserable buggers on here.
I bloody love it.
(But do have respect for people for who it might not be so good).

(But do have respect for people for who it might not be so good).

I think the last good one for me was quite a long time ago, measured in decades 🙁

there are two C words.

one i would get told of for using
the other i lost a mate to in july.

yeah, i though this was going to be about not using the first of those C words

oh and i've got 3 nights booked in whistler for xmas, first year without having to do the family thing. woohoo!!!!!!!!

I do make a point of noting the solstice. Other than that Christmas is as minimal as possible – I have often worked on Christmas day and I have not had a Christmas lunch in 30 odd years. I will see my family at some point – but not on Christmas day

If not working it will be a late nice breakfast, all day out cycling or walking, Normal dinner at night. No lunch at all.

Token pressies only with the money that would have gone on pressies and lunch going to charity instead.

Done well this year, off Xmas and Boxing day. I hate christmas Bah Humbug!

Once you get past being a child it's just a pain in the backside. Trying to think of the right present to get people. Thinking of things you'd like people to buy you. (invariably they never get it quite right)

Wonder how many xmas presents end up as landfill several years later having spent a long time languishing at the back of some cupboard before enough time has passed for you to feel ok about binning something you never wanted or used?

The only good things are catching up with family and friends and an excuse to eat and drink well. Mmmm Roast Turkey with all the trimmings is fantastic.

skiing

Last year we stopped the presents thing. We'll to the same this year.
It's so much less stressful. No Christmas shopping (no crowds). No having to put on a fake smile as you unwrap yet another piece of tat to fill your wheelie bin. Just a good chance to see friends and family and have a good time.
Maybe a quick ride around Haldon or something to round it off nicely!

I find Xmas in the sun a bit hard really – still doesn;t add up for me after 12 years here !
Xmas day always includes (in no order) – mountain bike ride in the sun, swim in the sea, nice beef fillet on BBQ, crayfish, nice Pinot Noir, good beer, mates, games on the deck, escape to victory on the DVD player, NO Xmas carols whatsoever 🙂
Fnish work 18th Dec for 5 weeks – bleedin love xmas. Go back for 2 weeks then have a 1200km MTB race 😯

Xmas is for the kids, so I don't get wound up about it.

Now Hogmanay, that's worth celebrating …. 🙂

I love the whole thing, time off with friends and family, always have family round on Christmas Day, kids are now 10 and 12 and as far as we can tell still believe in it all, can't wait for it, really hoping we can get some wintery weather for the day too, even if that is just a good frost to wake up to. As always I respect everyone's right to have an opinion, I just may not agree with yours, that's one of the things that makes life interesting.

Heart goes out to those above that have anniversaries around that time of year that need reflecting upon rather than celebrating.

Bring it on!!! I love Christmas me.

last year i discovered that christmas is infinitely less stressful if you get your shopping done in November, not xmas eve as i've traditionally done

i'm doing some online now!

Looks like I'm working, so whilst my 3 year old and 6 year old are hyped up I'll only see them on Xmas day for about 2 hours in total. So those with kids that "f'ing hate it" least you'll be at home with your kids. Still comes with the job but much harder this time now the kids are fully into the magic.

Two small kids, staying with the parents in London, should be OK.

Last year me and J opted out because we'd had a crappy year (due to one of the other C words) so we spent christmas in a B&B in North Wales, opting out. It was fabulous – the landlady was brilliant and we spent christmas day up a hill, boxing day riding in the forest and had pizza for lunch on christmas day – and we decided then that was how we would spend all future christmases.
We failed at the first hurdle because he's on call over christmas this year so we can't go far. D'oh.
I think I will make curries for christmas lunch and hope he doesn't get called and make the most of a break from work. 🙂
(We will visit family at some point over the break to hand out pressies and cuddles.)

The best Christmas I've ever had was a couple of years ago. It was just me and Mrs PP and we got up late, had a full English, then went for a loooong walk over the Surrey Hills, which were deserted. We sat on a log in the forest throwing sticks down the hil for her mum's dog, drinking scalding hot coffee out of a flask and munching Cadburys Heros. We went home and had a veggie dinner (Lovely it was, nice and light)
We had been invited next door for a drink and we went round, but they were all just sat vegging out and stuffing food and we felt a bit out of place, we stopped for a bit then went home and stuck a good DVD on to avoid the crap TV and cracked a nice bottle of wine.

Peace and quiet all day. Luvverly. 😀

I really, really, really have to bite my lip on the day. The wife has to go and get the mother in law and brother in law and bring them over to ours. Brother in Law has never 'hosted' the day and neither has my brother. That's wind up point number one.

Food is a help yourself affair from the serving dishes on the table, so why oh why oh **** why do people take more than they can eat and throw the rest away. Are you TOO **** STUPID to be able to just take what you can stuff in your bone idle body. Wind up number 2

Mother in law always winges about how she must have a drink with daughter and so I should drive. Well, listen here. I do all the **** driving the rest of the year. My relatives can get over to ours by themselves. I see no reason why I should piss about taking an hour out of my day to drive you about. Mrs Feet agrees with this too. Wind up number 3

Have you got [insert really bizarre drink that nobody has here]? the Brother In Law says when asked if he wants a drink. Now this happens every year and we actually make a pioint of asking the week before, but every **** year it's the same. Well listen here mister. If you want drink bitter lemon and advocat or something weird like that either tell us or **** bring it with you you bone idle ****!

Bugger. i can feel my rage rising already. I do like the day for the kids though, its just that the so called adults could actually MTFU and think about things.

It's great, do all the shopping online so don't have to play sardines in shopping malls. Then spend Christmas with family including 5yr old nephew and 3 yr old niece, great fun playing with them and all their new toys 🙂

It'll be odd this year as my daughter will be away from home at Christmas for the first time. And my sons not at all interested.
The best bit for me is the time off as I only get five days off the rest of the year. Looking forward to not driving for a week, long walks and a very very social ride.
No Christmas dinner if it's just us, well not Turkey anyway.
The present thing is a pain, I mean people just buy what they want all year, it seems so shallow now.

Oldgit – only 5 days off the rest of the year? You are in the EC are you not? Minimum 24 days leave this year 28 next IIRC. Legally binding

Always end up driving 4 hrs south for xmas, then back & 5 hrs north for new year, then back, & falling out 'cos we're both stressed at having little R+R time. The way it falls this year, we'll still do the driving but for only a couple of days at each parents, whether it's on 'the' days or not, & get some down-time at home with friends / bikes! (avoiding the town centre like the plague!)

Jewish.

I unashamedly spend every 'C' day indulging in an excess of rum based cocktails and Indian food. 🙂

Really looking forward to it. the kids are beside themselves with excitement already. But yes, I will be enjoying the quiet trails on Christmas Day too. Nice blast first thing in the morning, home for the breakfast barbecue

I really look forward to it. We rarely get to see either side of the family during the year (we like both lots and get on with them all really well), so it's nice to catch up, have some nice food and a few drinks. We can still always fit a morning or evening ride in every day so the extra indulgence is guilt free.

TJ
The down side of being self employed. Yes I have taken more time in the past. However the last two years I've been taken to the cleaners by what I call 'proffessional shisters' going into liquidation/administration/bankrupt etc etc and leaving me to foot the bill.
But that's working in a trade allied to the building industry for you.

Christmas is all about family and i love that it still feels special even at 31, moreso this year because my wife is pregnant and due in Feb.

Lets not forget it is also jesus birthday! (Just kidding on that part)

To quote Cliff Richard "A time for giving a time for receiving" not quite sure what he was on about with Mistletoe and Wine but it may explain why he aint married!