Nope. Nothing festive here right now and, if I have my choice, there will not be.
The one concession I might make it to go shoot a jultomte and send the film to a friend. And drink julöl, but that's not exactly christmassy, more like beer that's around at this time of year.
2/10 and falling. I think part of the problem is that it kicks in mid Nov so by the time the 25th comes round I'm full done. It's really not good this year
Whoever it was last year that laid into me on STW for being a dead-eyed, joyless misanthrope after I suggested that Wonderful Life is not Frank Capra's best film really needs to have a read of this thread.
I'm a ****ing ray of sunshine in comparison, I tell you 😆
Funny you should mention that... A few days ago I read a post about which of Die Hard and It's a Wonderful Life is actually more Christmassy. Wait! Found it!
https://imgur.com/gallery/case-closed-tvYFcsj
Which reminds me. I went to my local mini-mart to pick up a parcel and it was legitimately the first place I had been to this year that was playing Christmas music. I was there long enough to grab the parcel and some snacks (less than John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (war is over)") and left before I could be Whammed.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ld8JNXp5Z5k&si=CXRnkkOVKLyMLiyN
Summer Woods - The Naughty List
Yes Summer the Tool cover ace wrote a randy Xmas tune and I love it
6 and rising. Madame rocks up tomorrow, I bet she''s found room in the boot for the crêche nativity thing with baby Jesus to add on Crismas day. Christmas iisn't Christmas without snow and as we have some 6 is the minimum.
At least reading this thread I don't feel miserable with my original 4/10 score 🤣
I will however say I've risen to a comfortable 7/10. This afternoon and 2 working days till a bunch of annual leave, got some rides planned in, big group of us that try to reconvene once a year have been successful at managing to get together this evening so that will be good to see everyone, some of who I've not seen since this time last year. Shopping is all done and everything is wrapped and ready to go. So 2 more busy days then I can relax, enjoy xmas day and get on the bike guilt free a good few times over the period
everything is wrapped and ready to go
same here, at least the parcels for England have gone, just a few more needed for here, so getting there.
nearly cleared the desk, two outstanding jobs I really should try and sort, though no-one now will be there to receive them, it'll just be better for my state of mind to not have to think about them hanging over Christmas and try to switch off from work-mode for a few days...
4/10 for buying presents. My usual local TK Maxx stores are not having quality stocks by comparison to previous years.
8/10 for buying smoked cured gammon, coz I bought two big chunks (plus a beef chunk)!
5/10 for local Christmas market, expensive and the atmosphere is not as busy.
Overall, Christmas this year is a bit slow and unexciting.
It's a bit different when you're retired, you don't have a break to look forward to, it's just another day, the whole thing does feel very low key this year
Feeling pretty un-festive this year. With (luckily a fairly amicable) divorce looming and the stress of sorting out our house/mortgage etc, I can't really be arsed with anything Christmassy! Still making sure the kids have a good time though and all their gifts are sorted at least. It'll probably be the last one we have as a whole family so want to make sure it's a nice one for them.
Still, at least I've got 2 weeks off from now.
Hovering around 4/10. The tree is still in its net and no decorations up yet. Seeing the lovely KAte Rusby tomorrow in Cambridge when I expect the gauge will hit the bumpstop in the red ho-ho-ho zone!
Great Christmas concert by a friends choir last night, and MrsMC and LittleMissMC put the tree up today, so finally getting there.
Working through till Christmas Eve and still need to sort a proper present for MrsMC. Turns out the bangle she liked on the Beaverbrooks TV ad costs nearly £5k. If only I'd not bought that Camino Ti, eh?
"The whole thing is just complete bollocks ".Ossie Osbourne.
I'm currently wearing my Grinch jumper!
Feeling slightly more Christmassy due to Christmas cake intake, but, yeah, no. Instagram post for amusement. You lot like maps don't you, and local things for local people (not that the thing that references is anything to do with this):
STW Towers aren’t feeling Christmassy - this place looks like a funeral parlour! FFS guys at least brighten the background up! 🎄🎄
It's a bit different when you're retired, you don't have a break to look forward to, it's just another day, the whole thing does feel very low key this year
It’s a great time of year to do some volunteering. It’s easier for the religious types to get involved, but there’s opportunities out there for all retired folk to do a few hours, or a few days, helping out others. The oldest couple in our family still “help the old folk” of the village in the run up to Christmas, despite one being their 80s and the other not being far behind.
About 3/10, not helped by our lovely but puppy-naughty, 10-month-old German wirehaired pointer who has declared open season on anything remotely decorative and below six feet in elevation ensuring that our house has all the warm, festive ambience of a remote, cheerless bothy. Then again I've never been particularly festive to begin with. I'm not big on frenzied consumption of consumer goods, rich foods and getting ritually sloshed. But I do love the gentle calm outside on Christmas Day morning in particular, a gentle bike ride, run or walk, maybe a quiet pint and free mince pie at one of our local-ish pubs then home for a lazy afternoon evening.
I also have a curious weakness for really awful, cliched, second-rate Christmas movies with their 'not quite beautiful' lead characters and utterly predictable plot lines. Ask me again on Christmas morning and it may have upped as far as six or seven out of ten. Maybe more if the pup tolerates the tinsel I'm planning on tucking into his collar for the morning walk. Higher still if it snows 🙂
Is Kelvin John Major?
Solid 7 now the Christmas stalls have invaded the pedestrian area. Not that I'm into cold oysters, hot wine or Christmas tat, one T-shirt caught my eye though - consumerism, real Christmas spirit.
Not paruicually. Just found out im loosing my job of 18 years
Shit, sorry to hear that.
STW Towers aren’t feeling Christmassy - this place looks like a funeral parlour! FFS guys at least brighten the background up!
That costs money and they now have shareholders to keep happy! 😉
If only I'd not bought that Camino Ti, eh?
something, something, something . . no to a ride! Fill in your own words as necessary!
Well I just did a Santa run in Chesterfield bought a few bits from the Christmas market and now having a beer, so feeling more christamsy. Saw a bunch of guys in Santa costumes riding MTBs through town, so complete Santa overload today. So I'd say 7/10
Well, I've finished work now. Just need to wrap a few presents and drop off niece and nephew's but I can't be bothered to go out in the traffic.
SIL has invited us round for Xmas day - I'm driving as daughter wants to go to her boyfriends that night, and it also gives us an easy 'escape'. SIL said no need to bring anything.
Told my wife to phone her and check if she want's any help. BIL doesn't do cooking - SIL even if working late, has to go home to make his tea !
So, wife phones up. Oh can you sort out a dessert ! Oh there isn't anything in to drink other than half a bottle of Elderflower cordial. Oh can you come round on Christmas Eve to help prep (it's just a roast dinner).
I expected the 'drink' issue as BIL is a tight arse - you won't get offered anything, so we've always taken soft drinks and booze. We did Christmas a couple of years ago, and we did the lot, drink everything ! We'll be taking Champagne, Guinness Zero and soft drinks, oh and deserts of course. Might even take the Mokka pot and coffee round !
Seeing the lovely KAte Rusby tomorrow in Cambridge when I expect the gauge will hit the bumpstop in the red ho-ho-ho zone!
I wonder if you know how unreconstructed 20thC man that sounds. 😀
"The whole thing is just complete bollocks ".Ossie Osbourne.
Always the paragon of wisdom. Sorry, did I say always? I meant never - never the paragon of wisdom. In fact if Ozzy said something then the opposite is probably the best course.
Fairly Christmassy! A few jars watching Birmingham woman tonk Durham 3-0 at St Andrews, a few more meeting up with footy friends in the bar after, taxi over to Halesowen for a big band Christmas spectacular in the evening. A great day, quiet day at work today, now I'm right in the mood to marzipan the cake. 🙂
Just found out the MIL is arriving on Christmas eve - need to go a buy some strong Belgium beer so I can cope with her madness
Just 1/2 day more pretending to work then off till 5th Jan, had first Xmas event at a neighbours down the street yesterday, so the season is beginning to dawn on me, Mrs dB has been ill for a while so planned to take it easy this year anyway, still working on getting her to go away at Xmas, maybe 2026 will be the year...
Having just had surgery on a disc in my back 2 days ago, I'm feeling 1/10. Mrs is having to do everything and any thought of running/biking looks a very long way off. Bah humbug
Delivering joy to all! One of our island posties just posted this - this has to be dealt with by 3 posties, plus there will be about 30 sackfuls of letters and packets inside. We had three days of no ferries last week due to storms, plus one of the posties quit. There is no sorting office here - it just has to be piled-up on the street before being put in the back of a van in some semblance of order in the hope you can find it when you get there. Thankfully it wasn’t raining today.
I think if I lived on Mull and was expecting a delivery I’d end up doing a drive by and rustle through that lot myself @dovebiker.
And in answer to the original question, not in the slightest. Moved house last week for the first time in about a decade and downsized quite considerably. Hence lots of things still in boxes in the garage and no tree or decorations up. The best we’ve managed is a few cards up in the kitchen and a pile of presents in the front room.
