My Brother and I haven't done 'C' since 2000 – we always go boarding. Personally I haven't done it for about 20 years

Few years back, Xmas in Les Arcs, Le Santa turns up pulled by reindeer on a sleigh. My daughter still believed in him at the time, although she knew the ones in shops were not real. But the look on her face was amazing – as in wow, it really really is him! Very moving for me to be honest.

Bit of snow, away with good mates and their families, no silly all day cooking extravaganza but a party anyhow. Top way to spend chrimbo.

I have very little family and I'm it's youngest member at nearly 30 with no kids on the horizon, so I never feel the need to bother with it.

When you strip away the big dinner and family gathering (otherwise known as gluttony and quiet frustration – both of which are possible at any point during the year should anyone be that bothered) it's hard to see Christmas as anything other than an opportunity to sell lots of tat to lots of frenzied sheep.

My attitude towards it isn't helped by the fact that I used to work in advertising, and looking from that side of things Christmas was the most ungodly, unkind, soul destroying, money grabbing time of the year.

I dont' sit there being miserable, but I certainly don't find any enjoyment in the season beyond the time off work. I hope to be riding Wharncliffe Woods or the Peak on Christmas day. That's more like it.

Just curious – who is giving the "C" word a miss this year?

Take a wild guess…

I really enjoyed last Christmas – I spent Christmas Eve with OH's family and then drove down from theirs Christmas morning (wonderfully quiet roads) and spent rest of day with own family. Two quite different experiences but both with lovely sets of people.
This year I can't do that and I think I'm gonna be rather sad about it 🙁

Not sure what we're doing for the solstice yet – it's all a bit weather dependent and i'm sick of nob-ends digging multiple fire pits at all the local sites.

As for Christ Mass? Well, it's just me, the missus and our little girl with huge amounts of rich and tasty food – all in-lwas and out-laws have been banned. My boys are coming over on Boxing Day and we get to do it all over again. Happy times 🙂

2 weeks off work

Go to a Carol service Christmas Eve
Wake up to presents on Christmas morning
Have all the family round for dinner
Drink lots
Play bored games

Then go aawy for a few days with friends to spend NYE somewhere fun

I love Christmas time

reading this thread has made me realise that I quite like Christmas! I've had some awful ones, but in recent years it's been really chilled, just a chance to catch up with the family, eat good food and generally unwind. But we have quite a small family, so it makes it easier.

As for the 'c' word, I've been trying all year, but it just keeps coming up in conversation!

All very quite this year for me working right through and on the day will just be me and the GF. Long walks on the beach, quiet lunch and a good DVD with a bottle of something. Then I get my son for Boxing Day so that shall be awsome as me and him can play with all teh toys and have fun out doors 😀

Bittersweet for me – no dad this year (died a few days into the new year) but we have our twins.

So I will be celebrating, but remembering dad.

I spent a recent christmas trying to keep someone 'alive' so they didn't die on Christmas day.

A lot of you moaning feckers need to wake up and be thankful for what you've got.

what C word?

i'm determined to get banned 😈

A lot of you moaning feckers need to wake up and be thankful for what you've got.

Not moaning at all. Just really looking forward to Christmas this year, because I'm doing nothing 🙂 Funnily enough, I like my family so am happy to see them throughout the year. This might be assisted by the fact that I only have 1 relative living in Europe 😉

Seriously though, I just can't be arsed this year. Family have been asked to sponsor me on a charity ride if they want to. My brother's been doing charity presents for the last few years so I'm following the trend. No special food or drink, I'm just going for a long ride somewhere.

best thing to do at Christmas time….

go to a muslim country. Unfortunately for me my holiday in Morocco returns a week early so I have to put up with the over hyped tacky commercial crap for the first time in a few years. Grrrr.

Kev

bah humbug.

when im King, christmas will be christmas eve, christmas day, and boxing day.

mention of the C word out of those 3 days will be a crime.

im bored of it already, and its bloody november.

Miserable sods, most of you.

I enjoy Xmas …My kids still enjoy it, they're 9 and 12, we try to limit their pressies and stuff, and we've always just exchanged small gifts amongst the adults, so it's not really a consumer-fest. Partners sister and Mum live opposite us (sounds awful, but is in fact great) so dinner's a shared thing, will probably be chicken this year, I'll make the pudding, Mum in law makes cake, kids make all the decorations, and the jelly (dunno why, family tradition now). Some friends are pretty religious so we'll probably end up at church at midnight helping all the oldies and singing our hearts out, the kids love being up late anyway…We'll remember some folk who aren't here anymore, and generally have a lush time. Oh, and I'll get miles of riding in…

I'm with coffeeking. Cheer up ffs!!!!

Eat too much, get drunk, get grief for eating too much and getting drunk. Get too drunk to care, fall asleep happy. Great motivation to set New Year riding resolutions the following day. (Never drinking again ! will ride in ALL weathers etc) Christmas is coming like it or not…….

Yey it's mithras's birthday, oh no hang on the christians borrowed everthing from mithras, named him jesus and turned him from a roman sun god into a weak insipid boring little f*ck.

Instead of sacrificing a bull I have a nice steak and chips 😀

I thought this was going to be a Children in Need thread!!

I like xmas we have a mellow family sadly this year with two less in it than last year, one sudden, one less so, will be a good a time to catch up with all the close family over the period but not all at once it's in nice size time chunks 🙂 No one likes a family overdose.

Added excitment this year we should have our campervan, so heading down kipping en-route and some more camping over the festive period.

Got some good eating, social friends/family and biking planned so for us I think it will be excellent and I am looking forward to it.

I'm with coffeeking. Cheer up ffs!!!!

Im working X-mas day and don't have any kids – so its just another day for me and the missus – so not much cheer really.
Prob go out for a night ride later in the day – might put some decorations on my bike to mark the day.

We'll be off to a cute as anything Christingle service in a nearby village on Christmas eve with some friends then a chinese takeaway after at ours. Then on Christmas morning we'll be doing the unwrapping with our 4 and 6 year olds first thing followed by eggs Benedict for breakfast. Then off to the beach for a bit of french cricket with the 4 year old's new cricket bat. Then to my mum and dads (15 minutes away) for a slap up trad Christmas dinner, but back home for tea and get the kids early to bed, then orienteering on Boxing Day at a local score event with mobile checkpoints including a Christmas fairy and father Christmas.

What's not to like?

Its a C day indeed, the very day my company of 11 years have decreed, going forward, I will be redundant. Immaculate timing boys, combined with the absolute minimum redundancy pay allowed. Thats £380 per year service. And they expect me to work right up to this date too. C**ts.

However, there are those that face greater challenges that me, so, keeping things in perspective, I am only really hacked off, it could be a lot different.

Don't usually do Crassmass, preferring a bike holiday somewhere warm, but not this year. May well have xmas lunch at IKEA for a quid!

Oooh, I thought you meant c**t!

I'm sorry for those who have lost loved ones and will be reminded, horribly, amongst all the fakery and over-indulgence.

I do the Solstice thing, so Christmas (which I don't think is even Jesus Christ's birthday anyway) has no significance for me.

I will go for a ride as usual and I'm trying to find a charity who could use an extra pair of hands on C Day – preferably an animal charity reasonably local to where I am at the time (Enfield).

I fookin love Christmas. Going to be in Delhi for it this year though which will be a little strange.

Someone used the phrase 'quiet frustration' which sums up a day at my inlaws pretty well 🙂
Nothing majorly bad, just having to laze around a smoke filled, boiling hot house eating soggy vegetables, dry meat and trifle from some packet and pretending to enjoy it.
Crap telly on a bit too loud all the time.
Hopefully it's wet so I ain't missing a nice day for a walk/ride.

Skiing with the kids and missus – whoo hoo 😀

Can't wait!!

Yeah me, were not having Chicken that day, its Turkey for us.

besides the crap presents that i don't need, and those that i buy, i think it'll be a good one this year. My ex shoehorned me into christmas mass, carol singing, very boring family days out (her side, not mine) and such trivial stuff. This year, it's with my folks and friends going to the best pub in yorkshire and drinking and eating and being merry! So tat should be good.

i'd love it if people didnt buy lots of awful presents, but put some money towards plane tickets or bike stuff or somet. I'd happily do that instead of trawling round meadowhall on xmas eve, after work……

Well, what a good response and how interesting to read such differing views on quite an emotive subject.

Last year, due to different circumstances, I decided to "opt out" of everything relating to the "C" word. This year I will do the same again – a solo bike ride in an area that I enjoy, accompanied by a little picnic including a flask of hot proper coffee. The ride may even include footpaths and tracks where I'm not allowed 🙄

Progressively disengaged from the whole festive period.

Last year, what with circumstances, I did the hermit thing. Didn't even send one card…

This year will be the same.

So for you, the "C" word is "Cheeky".
Have fun.
It looks like I will have to be with the in-laws on the farm. But they're OK and we will get out for a walk to feed the sheep before nightfall.

Ah, but the hermit thing is through choice. I didn't send one card or give one pressie. It's liberating to feel disengaged from such cr*p 🙂

I was willingly sporting a santa hat in public last Sunday. Funny what parenthood does to you. Had to welcome santa to town with 2 year old.
Anyone who knows what a miserable bas***d i am wont believe this though.

When you strip away the big dinner and family gathering (otherwise known as gluttony and quiet frustration – both of which are possible at any point during the year should anyone be that bothered) it's hard to see Christmas as anything other than an opportunity to sell lots of tat to lots of frenzied sheep.

+1 Left to my own devices I'd just take the opportunity to get out and do something in the hills and forget the rest.

So … people … any changes of heart/mind/circumstances?

A little update would be interesting … and wind up those who accuse some of us of being miserable!

C for me is the 90 min in the morning of the 25th seeing my kids, then its back to abnormal. except this year lacking a mtn bike for the usual c-day ride. might have to go for a run instead. not a problem.

xmas-free zone here, though I did feel quite xmassy walking through the snow to my mum's house yesterday afternoon :o) And I tried to buy some blue tinsel to wind round my bike but either it has fallen out of fashion, or all been snapped up 🙁

Well I for one cant wait
I have 2 small children that are really excited about it.
and I am going to eat and drink my arse off !!
and lots of time off to go riding (starting with afan monday)

Wooohooo 😆