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Xmas in the big 25' eh?
Personally for me I'm probably a 4/10 at a push on my "in the spirit" scale.
It's been a big, long and tough year with lots of ups and downs, health scares shaking me in march, moving house from a small relatively new build to a 4 bed 1970s semi-reno project that we completed all the work on in 10 weeks slaving away every minute we weren't at our day jobs learning pretty much everything as I went through, proud I learned to plaster though, from sale to completion the entire process sucked, 5 stone weight loss through sheer grit, tight diet which has become quite miserable as winters set in, old company I worked at started going through merger & acquisition so spent 6 months worrying about job security whilst manning the due diligence, audits and general job stresses until I landed a new job as I couldn't justify the pressure for the pay anymore and lack of "what happens after" at my old one, family dramas, fought myself into a new fitness routine, and to save your eyes a massive essay I'll park it there and leave the rest to imagination.
And that's not including the general state of everything at the moment, you know? I'm not gonna let this thread turn into a blaming labour or the tories or capitalism or the CCP or immigrants or religions as those are are just easy answers to a nuanced situation.
And to be honest, I thought it was just me, but my wife who for the past 7 years has been a 10/10 on her christmassy index this year shocked me with an admission of a self confessed 7/10, on the phone to my mother this morning, unrelated she said "I dunno, it doesn't feel like xmas this year, feels out of sync", and coincidentally enough I was scrolling tiktok after and it seems it's not just me this year feeling low on the index.
I assume a lot of it is to do with the weather which has been bad since October, shops pushing for easy to sell margin booster gifts like a £2 bottle of supermarket whisky with a glass in a little box for £10, or 50p worth of haribo in a box shaped like a christmas cracker for £3.50, everyone struggling to make ends meet feeling like Christmas this year is just a big life admin task, is everyone just burnt out on life? Or is it deeper?
Anyway, STW, how christmassy are you this year?
The Covid years were our chance to stop all this nonsense and we failed. It's as shit as ever. I like a mince pie but the rest of the whole mess can get in the sea.
Zero....until Thursday at 12 noon when I break up until the new year.
I wasn't feeling it at all until last weekend. Then we went to a Christmas light show with Mrs Lunge and the dog. Then we met a couple of friends for some Christmas beers and all was well.
I'm really looking forward to this year, partly as I know that I'll be out of the country for 3 weeks early in the new year.
Zero....until Thursday at 12 noon when I break up until the new year.
Thats a fair point, I've not had any annual leave since July and have the 24th-5th booked off, not that I'm counting the days down or anything. Maybe I'll find myself at a 7/10 come 5pm Tuesday next week
...I was scrolling tiktok after...
I've pin pointed one of the problems.
What is a, presumably, grown man doing on Tik Tok?
Getting there, 0.5%.
Normally I run at about a 5/10. It just seems like a lot of effort for one day of over-indulgence & then done for another year.
But - last year we were having an extension built which over-ran and we had no kitchen for the Christmas break. We lived out of our living room with a microwave & airfryer.
We had Christmas lunch in a pub which was a complete disaster - 30mins to get a drink, over an hour for starters, 3 hours until the main course came out by which time everyone was ready to leave & then they served my mother-in-law who is gluten intolerant a plate with obviously no gluten-free food on it whatsoever so she had no faith that the replacement plate was actually gluten free. It was terrible.
So - last year was about a 2/10
This year I decided that I need to just go with the flow & am currently around an 8/10 on the Christmassy scale. The house is decorated, we have a fairly chilled plan for the Christmas break, most presents are bought, I'm going to the work Christmas do this Friday and I am trying my best to make it an enjoyable time for my Wife & daughter.
7/10
Despite a pretty shit year Christmas is panning out OK.
Just four of us for the big day since we lost my mum in July - but my dad is starting to build himself a new life and seems to be coping well now.
Meeting some friends we've not seen in years. Local pub Xmas Eve and New Years Eve.
We don't go mad present wise as a family and we agreed a few years ago to just pick a name out of a hat and just buy one decent present for that person.
Best of all I switch the work email and phone off for ten days! 🎉🎉
I absolutely can't wait to clock off on Friday and soak in the xmas holidays.
It's been the worst year on record for our family (lost my Dad, had bowel cancer myself blah blah), so feel lucky just to be alive.
Finished chemo a few weeks ago, so by the time xmas rolls around I should be okay to socialise again for the first time in 4 months 🙂
We've had a relatively fortunate 2025, feeling blessed in that regard. Becoming a bit of an Ostrich regarding a lot of the global bad news although there's always a bit of it gets through.
However our wee boy (8) has been acting up at school a bit so we're getting some fairly regular emails from the teacher, and sadly he's also acting a bit too spoilt/entitled for my liking, a bit of a wake-up call as maybe we had been getting a bit complacent, too easy with an only child perhaps! Anyway, has all resulted in a fair few arguments and the whole holiday just feeling a little bit too mercenary which has diminished the general good feels.
Am enjoying stuffing myself with Celebrations though and tucking in to a nice glass of red one or two more evenings during the week 🙄
Oh, and our new kitten is having a great time in the tree which is good for a giggle most evenings, and I've convinced the family that Gremlins IS a Christmas movie, so the average quality of the TV has risen slightly. Also the morning rides are looking more festive!
0/10
The whole Christmas thing does nothing for me at all (proper Scrooge me) and I absolutely hate New Year, I would rather celebrate the solstice.
...I was scrolling tiktok after...
I've pin pointed one of the problems.
What is a, presumably, grown man doing on Tik Tok?
Because the internet didn't stop in 2010? 😂
You don't have to stop using the internet to know that TikTok is just voluntary brain damage.
I've got a hyperactive 4 year old in the house so we've been on full Christmas mode for weeks now. I can't wait until it's over so he can calm down a bit.
Hmmm...good question. I'm 44 and married but we don't have kids so regularly end up hosting our respective parents in some way or another. So, Christmas day itself doesn't hold much excitement really and just feels like a bunch of old people having dinner on what will inevitably be a drizzly afternoon.
That said, I'm never going to be against 10 days off work and I think after the 27th we're free of all family obligations so I will be able to log some road cycling or running miles.
24th-27th seems to be 4 consecutive days of socialising/drinking with either family or friends which sounds great but these days I find if I do 2 days in a row of drinking it just makes me feel depressed/unhealthy so may need to take on a very hungover run at some point and I must say 4 days feels slightly suffocating to me.
I study as well as work full time and January 26 is the first one in two years that I haven't had an exam requiring me to study through the holidays. Again, you would think I'd be super pleased about this but I weirdly feel pretty indifferent about it.
All in all it feels a bit routine really but I'm sure I have it much easier than so many people, so I'm grateful for that.
I was a 0/10 until I went to our community choir carol service yesterday, Mrs Watty is a member . . . and I’m still a solid 0/10 (I hate bloody Christmas). 😆
Hmm. Mixed year. 4/10 at the moment. After 3 months of decent riding and my first trip abroad cycling since heart issues started 5 years ago, I managed to break ribs in a crash which then led to various complications. I'm getting back into light exercise now but haven't been on a bike for 8 weeks.
Hopefully Christmas spirit will improve after this week when I stop work for the Christmas break.
For me, it starts too early so by the time actual Christmas gets here it's almost on life support.
As to feeling "Christmassy", it kind of comes and goes. If I can get a quiet hour sitting by the tree, book in hand and a nice glass of red on the go then yes, I'll feel it.
Up until Sunday it was an absolute 1/10.
As a child and young adult Christmas had never really been fun - it was chaotic and stressful with occasional moments of joy. Once I moved out of home it was good to start just doing our own thing. It was only in recent years I actually started to fully enjoy and embrace the season as we built our own set of traditions etc. Absolutely helped by knowing and understanding more about why I never enjoyed it.
Until last year anyway - the lead up to Christmas was very much overshadowed by my partners mum being taken to hospital late November, moved into a care home two days before Christmas then passing away two days after. To say it was an utterly shit time was an understatement. We got through it well enough by still making a nice day of it for us and the hound. There is something about opening a few presents with the help of a big goofy greyhound that just makes life better.
That was his final Christmas, so this year the seasonal joy has been very hard to find. I found it though, a little, by helping out at the greyhound sanctuary Christmas event over the weekend. It was... nice.
5/10 so far. I studiously ignore Xmas until we're well into December - don't want to get overexposed - but I just bought a venison shank to cook over the hols which I'm quite excited about.
The tree went up on Saturday (a bit early for me) - looks great. We've watched a couple of Christmas films/shows (Blackadder etc) and the shopping is done. We don't have kids which makes things easier but probably mutes the excitement factor.
I keep a really tight diet usually, but allowed myself a mince pie this weekend, and will be digging in on Xmas day itself. I bloody love a Christmas pud, even if it does leave me with palpitations for the next 8 hours.
I've got 2 weeks off this year - travelling around to see family for the first week and then a week at home. It's going to be great.
So yeah. Getting there.
For me, it starts too early so by the time actual Christmas gets here it's almost on life support.
I make a conscious effort to avoid it until I'm ready! But I accept that if you've got a partner who strongly disagrees it can be a challenge...
OP
See that little dot thingy in the bottom left/right of your keyboard.....
6/10
With all the shit that's flying around in the world just now, I'll take that.
If you lucky to have friends and family that you love and care about,this time of the year is as good as any, to hold them close and let them know.
Peace
I don't object to the early start really, I treat it a bit like a festival of light (especially up here in the Northern latitudes!) so an extra couple of weeks of colourful lights hanging everywhere when it's getting dark at 4pm is fine by me!
0/10 for me. I'm not a Christian so it has no religious significance, I'm retired so it isn't a holiday, I've never been a fan of organised/compulsory fun, but most of all I find the rampant, planet destroying, avalanche of plastic, pointless and overpriced tat just seriously depressing.
Oh, hang on, I'll upgrade that to a 2/10 because I'm quite enjoying my beer advent calendar.
Getting there, 0.5%.
Exponential scale btw, re-evaluating (bought beer this morning), let's say 2.2%, it's a lumpy exponential scale..
Not much, until 12 today when I'm off out to meet up with two current colleagues, and 4 retired colleagues. All a great bunch of people you call 'friends', rather than just colleagues.
Then off out again with the 'Exec' group from work on Thursday. Again, a decent set of folk you actually 'would' socialise with. I then finish on Friday (assuming we box off an audit in time). We've an invite for Christmas Day, but I'm driving so we can escape/dad taxi duty. Just the two of us Boxing Day as daughter ay boyfriends, and son has moved out recently. Nice and quiet. Hoping for some dry weather so I can go out riding, rather than just cycle commuting.
So 2/10 on the scale. Just need a break (not literally as I have history for breaking stuff - broke my pelvis on 8th January this year, so it's been a tough one on the recovery).
17% enjoy the fairy lights
13% anticipating a Christmas present I bought for myself
20% relieved to have explained that ⬆️ to mrs gordimhor who has done the same thing for herself
50 % Can't be arsed with the whole thing
0% For me. Iv'e never been a particularly big fan (even as a kid).The only thing i'm looking forward to is the time off work!
11/10!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Ha, only kidding.
A very 'meh' 4/10 and it'd be less if it wasn't for the kids who're still young enough for Santa etc. They're strangely flat though but perhaps that'll change later with a Christmas school concert tonight and a weekend of Christmassy shit planned.
Not very but I haven't for a number of years. As a child and young adult it was chaotic fun - I'm one of 4 siblings and we'd have grand parents, aunts etc. round had people sat on camping chairs to get everyone in.
Since my dad died we've not really done that. As we are all adults with partners it is nearly impossible to get everyone together. No one has a house big enough to host and we are spread out over the UK. We get together but normally in January when its a bit easier.
This year it will just be my wife and I, we're down at her mother's for a few days afterwards. It's nice but I do feel I miss out when others have big families locally that can all get together. My wife has a horse that needs sorting out over Xmas. Otherwise, I'd be off on holiday somewhere. I'm always envious of the Australians and NZers who get decent weather at this time of year.
This year, I lost my job at the start of November so don't think I'll even appreciate the time off as much either.
That said, some people have masses of trouble at this time of year. I'm not a big fan, will still have fun and none of my problems are at all serious.
Not sure. Thought this year I was going to be a solid 8 by now.
Mrs Tyred had breast cancer this year, the initial call coming a couple of days before Christmas last year, which made us both a -1 last year as we didn’t tell anyone anything as we didn’t know anything for definite. Was pretty horrible.
She had surgery early in the spring and thankfully came through that fine, and has been fine since, but now December has rolled round and she’ll be due the first of 5 annual scans shortly so I think we’re both on edge a bit for that.
It could all be so much worse though, trying not to lose sight of that fact.
I don't think I'll really embrace it until Christmas day. My daughter has had the nasty cold, son just messaged to say he's got it now, partner has had a sore neck/shoulders/back for a week or two so she's soldiering on. On Saturday, if everyone is well enough we drive 400 miles to Wiltshire to see my in laws, MIL has been in home for 4 years with Alzheimer's and Christmas is about the only time our kids can see her. Unfortunately the deterioration every year is very noticeable and saddening. The three days with my BIL aren't especially relaxing but it's manageable and then we have the long drive home on Christmas eve. Christmas day will be with my family including their two new puppies which will be a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Hopefully by the 27th I can get out on my bike, I've asked Santa for some new gloves and a warm riding top. Slainte everyone.
Nah not yet, maybe 10%. Trees not even up yet (this weekends job) Finish work on the 23rd so maybe more then, always try to be festive for the wife but it doesn't come naturally tbh!
I find the rampant, planet destroying, avalanche of plastic, pointless and overpriced tat just seriously depressing.
I do too, but I find one key to actually enjoying Christmas is to abide by the famous words of, er, Ebeneezer Scrooge: "You keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine".
This house will be free of plastic tat, haribo, crappy supermarket food and general crap. I have put word around the family that people should just buy me things I can eat or drink, preferably from some poncy deli. (or socks). And Christmas is all the more enjoyable for it!
I don't let other people's idea of what Christmas is or should be colour mine - just like I don't spent the rest of the year stressing about fools doing whatever they do the rest of the time.
I'm at 0/10. I genuinely hate Christmas. Have done since I was a young child. There are longstanding issues there I know but, hey-ho. I might make it to 2/10 on Saturday when we meet up with our friends for the annual pre-Christmas pub night (which will rate as night outs go at 10/10 cos we love them - they're as much our family as our actual family) but I'll be back to 0/10 the day after. I've made the effort over the years for Mrs F and our boys, and now I'm a grandad too, so will make effort for them as well, but truly, I'm never more depressed than this time of year. Sorry.
Strange how it's all about booze and time of and nothing about the little baby jesus.Ses it all
0/10
The whole Christmas thing does nothing for me at all (proper Scrooge me) and I absolutely hate New Year, I would rather celebrate the solstice.
Yeah that one.
I liked the 'chance to see family' side of it. Give a present, expect nothing, catch up, pressure off. Worked fine for many years.
These days due to some personal stuff, I just want nothing to do with the entire extended winterfest season other than to be alive on the other side of it.
My kids love it, so the show must go on. Maybe one day I will learn to enjoy it again.
Strange how it's all about booze and time of and nothing about the little baby jesus.Ses it all
We all know why it's less about the baby Cheeses and more about feasting and excess, and have probably discussed it on this forum every year since Jeez said that cheesemakers will inherit the earth.
...I was scrolling tiktok after...
I've pin pointed one of the problems.
What is a, presumably, grown man doing on Tik Tok?
I've pinpointed another problem. What is a - presumably - grown man doing judging what others do in their own time?
I do care enough about actually important things to point out that commas don't work like that, either.
"Strange how it's all about booze and time of and nothing about the little baby jesus.Ses it all"
I'm looking forward to some time off and disappearing into the hills to avoid the nonsense as much as possible. No booze, no Jebus. It's a bit like Christmas isn't really aimed at men like me.
Mixed this year. Definitely leaving it later to get going. When I was working at Center Parcs Christmas started first week of November. Kids back from Uni this week, wife finishes teaching for the year on Friday. Singing Carols at St Albans Cathedral on the 22nd. I’m working on Xmas Eve, going to be a Santa at the care home I work at, then 4 days off. Actually I’m feeling quite Christmassy now!
1 out of 10 bothered about Xmas for myself.
I was the expected 4/10 at the start of the week but was looking forward to reaching 8/10 by end of the week when I would finish work until New Year and expected 2 weeks of a mixture of festivities, family, relaxing and over eating/drinking (with some exercise to balance).
Sadly work is a nightmare and is ridiculously busy - most annoyingly including some major issues which I expect I wont be able to get off my mind for the whole time I'm off (even if I wont be able to actually do anything).
Even worse managed to strain my back so now faced with the prospect of feeling sorry for myself and either being in real pain or at least constant discomfort.
So I'm back down to 2/10 and just hoping I get to FXXk it mode by next Monday!
If Xmas songs were that good then radio stations would play them all year round wouldn't they .
Just another excuse to spend money on frivolous tat that no one actually needs.
I'm with Lister, it can **** right off. 0/10
Going to a solstice BBQ with a few friends tomorrow though, looking forward to that. A because it will actually be fun and B because I wasn't already sick of it by mid September Oh, and C, if there is music it will be good. Did my shopping in M&S this week, I don't care what they charge, it's quiet.
Strange how it's all about booze and time of and nothing about the little baby jesus.Ses it all
No, it isn't strange at all.
For the majority it hasn't been a religious celebration for decades, maybe longer.
Rather than sneering at people maybe take note of the words posted further up.
"You keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine"
Yep, don't rate myself on an out of ten scale, but feeling quite Christmassy. Put all the lights up at the start of the month.
Break up on Friday for 16 days after a very hectic year work wise.
Going to a mates family gathering at his pub/restaurant on Christmas day.
Got a lads, lads, lads Christmas bike trip to BPW planned and may do a local one too followed by a beer and curry evening. Generally intend to do quite a bit of riding.
Only aspect to take the shine off it is daughter is in Oz, but we'll video call.
Love Christmas, not overly fussed about doing much for NYE though
Well I am beginning to look forward to it. Mainly at having both kids + son-in-law here for the first time in ages (son works overseas). I feel so lucky to have a happy family, as I know not everybody does.
Also roast goose and bread pudding.
Ramping up slowly. I had a great first part of the year, including my daughter getting married, but a pretty shit second half due to some fairly serious health issues which I've mentioned on another thread. Recent treatment for which left me a bit knocked about. I had started to get a bit cynical and dismissive about Christmas in the last few years, but this year does feel a bit different for me. In a good way.
I'm starting to come out the other side of my health stuff and feeling very grateful for it. Mrs Bloke absolutely loves Christmas, and does make the house look really nice. Her enthusiasm is slowly knocking the Grinch out of me. My kids who I don't get to see often enough will be here with us. We all get along really well and it's going to be a relaxed, fun family time. I am really looking forward to that. Currently 5/10 but predicted to peak at a solid 9/10 on the big day.
I'm about a 1/10 this year, in a bit of a downer funk and really need to kick myself up the backside.
Son is older now so will be out with his mates, I don't really have any so mainly just me and the dog (and he's a social nervous wreck so walks at busy times of day are avoided).
I think I've sort of changed what I want from christmas now far enough to make it generally pleasant, it used to be I'd be just about sick with stress and performance anxiety and the total creeping dread that I might be Bad At Christmas and I might fail to have the legally mandated Most Wonderful Time and that everyone would hate me and they'd be right.
Was sat under the tree with a blanket over me reading by treelight with a rum and coke last night and thinking "christmas, **** yeah". I've more or less stopped stressing about presents- I hate giving people crap presents, it used to put me into absolute anxiety funks for weeks, but in all my life I've never once thought "this present sucks therefore you suck" and my favourite people have given me some shitty presents, so I've just about managed to turn that around and see my stuff the same way I see other people's stuff.
And christmas day will be a fairly mellow family thing where we just eat til we die and my brother makes us play playstation 1 games and I build lego. I think I've basically managed to cut out almost everything I didn't like about it and just reframed all of that as unchristmassy or irrelevant. I'll do one big trip to the shops in a stressy time basically just to remind myself why it sucks.
(this is exactly like how I am shit and cowardly at jumping so rather than fixing that I simply declared jumping to be shit and not proper mountain biking, and went all in on the 2 or 3 skills I actually have as being the Only Things That Count. Not saying it's right, but it works so screw it)
Strange how it's all about booze and time of and nothing about the little babyjesus.Sesit all
I see this as a positive. Yes, Christmas has its traditions and there could be something heartwarming about retreading some of those every year. But for most of the UK population it has nothing to do with religion anymore....because most people in the UK no longer are christian and/or believe in god.
For me a mental re-brand as a 'winter holiday festival' has kind of worked. Wrestle it back off the god botherers and return it to what it was before they started adding their religious connotations. Yeah, I'll probably still slip up and throw out a 'happy Christmas' every now and then because I'm old and it's hard to unlearn this stuff. But, once you think of it as a winter holiday festival with some oldie-but-goldie traditions thrown in for sentimental reasons it's all good. Want to spend it on your own - go for it. Want to spend it with friends or family, that's good too. Want to hand out a few small gifts - go for it, but maybe don't get hung up on the specific day - just when the mood takes you.
But some down time and indulgence to break up the dark months is a good thing for the soul - the ancients had it right.
Really not feeling it at the moment. Gonna be a shit Christmas day.
Will be the first Christmas after my younger sister died, and my mums birthday is on Christmas day as well so it's her first birthday since Katie died as well. Grandad is in hospital with dementia and just being old(94) so nana will be with out him for the first time in God knows how many years.
We won't actually be with my family until the evening as we need to do something with my wife's family this year, but her auntie is really I'll so it'll be going round to Uncle and aunties mid morning for half an hour (we would stay longer but she can't really manage too many visitors for too long) then home for Christmas dinner. me, wife, 2 kids 17&15 and mother in law...
Then at some point drive down to Leicester from Leeds to see my older sister & family and my mum, maybe nana if she's still there.
But, silver lining, boxing day we set off driving down to the Pyrenees us 4, older sis & BIL, 2 nieces and nephew (Katie's son) and 3 dogs!! Woop, Woop!! Hopefully get a couple of days snowboarding in and a decent week and a bit away.
@bigdean I hope it pans out better than you expect and that you can at least enjoy some downtime. Also that things look up for you in the near future 👍
Quiet one this year, just Ms. RM, the hound, and me.
Very much looking forward to no chaos and stress, and hoping the weather on the 25th is dry for a nice walk somewhere.
So probably around a 7/10.
The dog however is not phased.
It's the only time of the year that things really stop at work, no-one sending emails or expecting meetings, it's a pause in the otherwise incessant grind. Yes the weather will be grim and it'll be dark, but a few days of drifting will be welcome, not especially Christmassy for us as a family this year as it'll be just us and the parents in law, perhaps a tad on the quiet time though perhaps simpler for that.
Not feeling it in the slightest, burying my gran on Friday, mum is in hospital with heart problems and I've just been made redundant.
Worse things happen at sea apparently 🤨
It's the only time of the year that things really stop at work, no-one sending emails or expecting meetings, it's a pause in the otherwise incessant grind. Yes the weather will be grim and it'll be dark, but a few days of drifting will be welcome, not especially Christmassy for us as a family this year as it'll be just us and the parents in law, perhaps a tad on the quiet time though perhaps simpler for that.
Sounds good. I'm very much in a 'that's a january problem' frame of mind with work emails.
Not feeling it in the slightest, burying my gran on Friday, mum is in hospital with heart problems and I've just been made redundant.
Worse things happen at sea apparently 🤨
Christ, thats a few punches to roll with. My instinct is to ask if you're doing okay, but that seems a bit daft. That's a tough hand mate.
I've a roof over my head and food in the cupboard so I'm better off than too many folk
Strange how it's all about booze and time of and nothing about the little baby jesus.Ses it all
Does it? All it says is that people who are actually religious and believe in Christ are dropping in number every year. I’ve never believed or had any faith at all, my parents brought me up to discover for myself, and I discovered it meant nothing to me. Especially when practically every single day something happens around the world that causes death, anguish and untold pain and misery to people purely because various religions hate each other.
I will most likely be on my own Christmas Day, although I might pop down to my brothers with their presents, he’s my only close relative and we’re not that close - there’s a nine year age gap, and his wife is pretty poorly, so they can’t do large gatherings.
Boxing Day I am looking forward to, as my late partner’s family are organising a big family dinner, and I’m considered family, so her sister and aunt are coming from New York and Brussels respectively, and her mum and daughters will be there, nine of us all together, it’s going to be a really lovely day.
Yeah not very. I don't hate it, it's just a bit meh. There's not much magic in it for adults is there? Time, expense and tolerating the most tedious dickheads in your family, if you still speak to them at all.
Merry Christmas 😀
Just had 10 days travelling around Switzerland by train , visited The Matterhorn, The Eiger etc it's true the trains actually run on time ! Drinking Gluwein at proper Xmas markets not the 50 sheds of shit we have here 🤔 complete with real snow !
Got back Monday and trying to hold on to those memories under slate grey skies and wondering if it's ever going to stop raining 🙄
Although did manage a blue sky ride yesterday afternoon and according to the forecast it might settle down next week 🤞
7/10 Love the Christmas music (but only from 10th December). Love all the Christmas films (watched White Christmas for the 10th time over the years). Love meeting up with friends, finishing work and relaxing.
Obviously missing loved ones and having to put up with people who don't like us is the down side.
Also this year we've agreed with some not to buy gifts, instead providing experiences (eg taking a friend out for coffee/lunch). I too am fed up with tons of tat and plastic cr*p that ends up in landfill in January. Also I get a bit cross with young ones not thanking us for gifts of money. It's so much easier nowadays to text, you don't even have to write a letter or telephone, it's just having manners.
Weather is getting on my tits, constant grey and raining. My fault as I got a new bike 2 weeks ago.
World is going to shit so that's another minus.
Although last year my mum had a stroke and was admitted to hospital, so fingers crossed we manage to avoid that this year.
Kids are all 15 + so they're not really excited about Christmas.
But looking forward to Christmas day as it's just us, the kids and my parents.
Then meeting up with some friends we've not seen for ages the weekend after.
I'm also booked onto a Santa run on Sunday so I think that will help get me into the spirit of things.
Overall I'd say I'm around 6/10 currently, and hoping to get up to 7/10 next week.
Away on holiday week before Xmas is how we do it. Xmas is what you make of it. But I did notice there are less lights than usual and people seem to have given up cards - I think that's a reflection of apathy.
People are generally exhausted these days. And it's been a hard old slog on the bike this November/ December.
Mostly I'm glad my mother is still alive to enjoy another one - as she didn't look like it a year ago.
Can I have a minus score?. Original plan was to go away for a week’s skiing to escape the inevitable of hosting old people AGAIN. But Mrs BH has done a lot of damage to her knee in a skiing accident and we have had to bin off the Xmas break. Which would have been terrible anyway because MIL has moved from a state of gentle ageing decline to a diagnosis of terminal cancer in the last two weeks. So now we are hosting BIL and wife as the family scramble to secure care and ensure MIL affairs are in order.
So I've actually improved my rating a bit now things are getting a bit closer and we've made some plans.
We're heading over to the greyhound sanctuary on Christmas morning to help out. Not expecting many other volunteers so will probably be a good few hours walking, feeding and fussing the hounds. Then home for a cottage pie and a glass or two of stout.
Back at the sanctuary on boxing day for their festive walk to take photos of the attendee hounds, walk one of the kennel hounds and have bbq sausage cobs (hopefully it stays dry!).
Still might not be feeling festive, but quite looking forward to it now.
Maybe a 2 out of 10 but should rise to a solid 6 after the weekend?
It won't stop raining and has been properly cold about twice so far this winter so everything is either under water or a slopfest.
Which means I've barely ridden my bike in the last month, the dog needs defilthing after every walk and boots are permamuddy.
Then there is a general state of...:waves hand at the general state of the globe:...that.
That being said...
We're off to Cardiff this weekend for 2 days of festive visits which should be suitably festively chaotic and I get to see my Mum, Brother, Nieces and Nephews. Unfortunately we also "get" to see my Reform supporting Father in Law and Stepmother in Law. Just need to make sure I don't mention politics or bite on any culture war bait.
The Christmas food and booze stockpile is looking decent.
Looking forward to family secret santa (we've stopped buying shit off lists) as I have got my eldest some ace things.
There is plenty of NFL (and it's also College US Football "Bowl Season" for us Sickos) on the telly over Christmas which means I won't be bored between now and about 5th January.
8/10 for me.
A week off work. 19yo daughter (who lives at home) has a few weeks off uni and wants to do stuff with us.
All of my, and my wife's older generation are gone. Having my 2 sisters, their partners, one 19yo neice and my wife's sister over to ours for dinner so looking forward to that. Find Christmas dinner a relatively easy dinner to cook, and we agree no presents (apart from for the younger generation) so all that stress is removed.
Will be a nice relaxed chilled day.
Wife's brother died earlier his year so that will make the day a bit tougher (a lot tougher for her and her sister).
When I look at all the sh*te going on in the world and the hardships that others have to face it makes me feel grateful for the relatively good\easy life I'm lucky enough to currently live.
The dog however is not phased.
She will be once you get the Christmas clothing on her and the antlers/bells!
Meh.
Maybe this weekend will change that.
We were talking about this in the office this morning. No-one seems to be feeling the Christmas spirit here this year at all which is very unusual, but at least it all finishes with the works Christmas lunch on Friday then it's home until 5th Jan.
Like a few others here it's been a bit of a crap year, what with one thing and another but I'm putting 2025 down to some sort of weird aberration in the space time continuum and currently have all my hopes on 2026 being a much better year. I'm probably very deluded there but I feel a bit of optimism is required at the moment.
Christmas itself will be very quiet this year with me and Mrs. Pinkster spending on our own with Rolo the dog (down to 1 this year for the first time in 13 years) and with it being Mrs.P's birthday as well that will be the real focus. I think it will be a case of battening the hatches, opening some wine, and watching lots of satisfyingly crap Christmas TV.
7/10
Getting made redundant so that's put a dampener on things generally - but I'm making an effort to enjoy things like friends, family & time with my GF. So probably a bit more Christmassy than most years TBH.
I see Christmas like the the football world cup. I'm aware that it's going on and lots of people are excited about it, but it doesn't really affect me.
Mrs Elbrus is off to Switzerland for two weeks to see her family. I could go but it's very intense and there's only so much fun you can get sitting in a room full of people who are all speaking in Swiss German when you don't speak it at all. So I'll go and see Mum, but she is bed bound and can't cope with any visitor for more than a couple of hours, so I'll drop in then when she goes to sleep I'll leave her to it. I have no other family and no friends I want to socialise with within 500 miles.
I'll work most of Christmas through choice, there's lots of maintenance work I can do in empty buildings and I'll save my holiday for when it's warmer and there's more light.
I genuinely don't mind it. People are confusing, drunk people even more so and if I don't socialise I've less chance of catching plague.
I do feel very much for those who are homeless and lonely this time of year and hope that those who are surrounded by people who love them and are warm, dry and well fed are able to get some enjoyment out of it.
At the moment 0.5/10 Still at work till Friday and work is busy at the moment, so fairly knackered and drained. However on Sunday it'll rocket up to 10/10 we catch the Eurotunnel first thing. A couple of days in Belgium, then a nice quiet few days over Christmas in Paris. Just the two of us with nothing to do other than we've got tickets to go up the Arc de Triumph on Christmas morning. Then just a few days of wandering, drinking wine and eating basic but good food. Looking forward to the break.
The dog however is not phased.
She will be once you get the Christmas clothing on her and the antlers/bells!
You underestimate how chilled this hound can be. 🤣
Struggling here - we've both had a bit of the lurgy getting us down, and EpicJnr home from uni w bad tonsillitis and antibiotics and trips to A&E so that has rather taken the wind out of everyone's' sails. Pretending not to watch the news as that is too sh1te.
We have a tree waiting in the garden, and a shopping delivery on teh 22nd, so hopefully we'll feel a little more festive over the next few days.
It's very much not a religious thing for us, but a chance to spend some time with family and enjoy a fun day with good food, wine and friends popping round late afternoon for some silly games.
5/10, which is probably an improvement on recent years. My workplace has been both toxic and batshit mental since the start of COVID and the run in to Christmas has invariably been rough as guts - basically an exercise in trying to shield my team from burn-out. As a result , Christmas itself has just felt like yet another pain-in-the-arse thing to do. Thankfully, this year has been much more civilised, since the management figure behind the aforementioned chaos/toxicity has finally ****ed-up badly enough to get booted out of the picture. Office atmosphere is vastly improved.
Family are mostly well: parents still healthy; daughter doing well in school. OT having a slight midlife crisis: if she were a man, she'd be driving a Porsche and dating a 22-year-old. I've had my best year on the bike to date in terms of the volume and quality of riding (and that Summer). Lots to be grateful for.
World events do intrude a bit, despite my endeavouring to practice Radical Apathy. Generally able to focus on what I can control, but there does seem to be a real confluence of malevolent forces at work.
Tree is up and looking pretty. Just trying not to take the piss with the mince pies and cheese. Looking forward to seeing some pals over Christmas, whom I love dearly and don't see often enough. Regrettably it'll be a dry one for me, as I'm on terbinafine for a nail infection. Keeping it sexy over here...
Christmas comes but once a year - from September till December.
But for me, the thing that starts it feeling magical is closing the curtains on Christmas Eve.