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What is it that's said? You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family.
My brother's girlfriend spent the last 2 christmases with us, and this has made us understand that playing boardgames, insanely competitively, until 4am is not normal behaviour. First year she had a crying fit after a huge argument about the rules of monopoly (rules are IMPORTANT damnit!), this year she just said no, I'm not playing thankyou, you're all mental.
What is it that's said? You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family.
True, but there's also "Blood is thicker than water". Mind you, whoever said that probably forgot about ice...
To be fair they are lovely, but
The thermostat is never below 30
Every radiator is cranked up fully
Every light in a room on, lamps and ceiling
No music in the house ever
Sometimes I wonder if we'd all better off not treating Xmas as a family occasion at all and just spending it on our own
We've done this for years. Just the 2 of us, 3 now, with Ted the dog.
It had just got to the point where Christmas Day was spent driving all over. We don't have kids so it was kind of expected we'd travel to family that do cos 'its all about the kids' which is kind of fair enough. However, when you have worked your nads off and could really do with relaxing, to spend the day travelling around, only to spend time mostly sitting with folk (my side of things) who were too engrossed in playstation etc to really notice we were around got a touch erm, tedious....
Routine now - get up, relaxed brekkie, presents, ring round important folk, walk the dog, meet friends in pub, couple of beers, home (light fire, if appropriate) enjoy Christmas lunch over the rest of the day, sleep.
We do catch up with family but on an 'as and when' basis - no pressure for anyone to roll out 'the perfect Christmas meal' for everyone.
b r - MemberBREAD SAUCE. WTF. I thought they were having a laugh when they told me what the funny looking white sauce with cloves stuck in it was? I mean, Bread....Sauce????
Showing your age I'm afraid, standard Christmas Dinner staple for those of us over 40.
Standard for me too and I'm 33!
Not the in-laws, who are generally great, but my own M :
Constant weather updates.
All sorts of crap information, which must be absolute gospel as 'they' say so, whoever the **** 'they' are.
Reminding us every five minutes to give the dog his medication, like we've been doing perfectly happily every day for the last six years without needing reminding.
Constant questions about what time we're going to do this and what time we're going to do that. Usually not even today but three days hence.
Absolute silence required required during *insert name of garbage soap opera here* or Downton Abbey, but talks endlessley over the top of anything worthwhile that we're trying to watch.
Hurrumph.
She would also like her own special song to walk down the aisle to.
Since when has the mother of the bride walked down the aisle?
Moe - MemberWhat is it that's said? You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family.
But you can choose to import your woman from overseas, therefore maintaining a healthy distance between yourself and the in-laws. 8)
How about Trick of the Witch by Poly Styrene?
Good tune that....
She would also like her own special song to walk down the aisle to.
What about this?
or this...
Can I suggest Sir Cliff's Devil Woman.
I remember hearing on a local radio station once, a mother requesting a tune for her daughters wedding ...... 'Band of Gold'! Being charitable I thought charitably, she had obviously not listened to the lyrics .... or had she? I wonder if the presenter even realised what he was doing and did he get any flack?!
Straying off topic a bit!