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Will be a bit different for me this year, Xmas back at my folks, Xmas day cycle/walk between presnt opening and food. Then off to see friends in the evening. No more lying about wasting the holidays!
I've got the option to work 12 hours at double time if I want 🙄
Dibbs ........surely its Triple time?
NOT at work, where I am, for at least the next 2 years 🙁
Wake up, watch usual dross on tv, get bike out go cycling, watch all the unhappy families rowing,see all the dads and sons, in badly fiting jerseys and jeans, they got for christmas, see the kids falling of their bikes and throwing them across the pavements /roads in their temper because they wanted some game.
Then back to the man cave, watch more dross, and think only a year before it all happens again.
Hiking, biking or boarding. It's never happened, and it never will. Christmas reminds why I avoid the family the rest of the year.
Snowdon in (mostly) clear skies in 2007 was pretty good - failing that, spending day with Mrs doing our own thing and then both starting work at 6pm and finishing at 9am the next day for 15 hours at double time.
Not working this year, so as long as the kids have fun and there is port that'll do me.
Breakfast - Skiing - lunch on the hill - skiing - dinner in smart restaurant.
which is what I'll be doing...
In the UK however
Wake
Champagne
Eggs Benedict
Champagne
Presents
Walk
Christmas Dinner ( Pork not Turkey)
Christmas Pudding
Film on DVD
Whisky
Bed
I think you'll tell by the absence of shagging in that list that I'm married...
Same as last year... All the family together, nice breakfast, presents, go sledging, come home, mess around with presents, say **** it, let's go sledging again, go sledging, come home, gigantic meal, then drink and play trivial pursuit and monopoly until delirium strikes and we almost beat up my little brother for cheating, even though with hindsight we were all wrong.
Reality is;
Up early to see the kids open all their presents,then they give me my presents; I always get boxes of maltesers 🙂
Then breakfast; a Cadburys selection box followed by a bacon sandwich (we don't normally eat bacon sandwiches for breakfast)
Then I get dinner ready while kids play with hundreds of new toys.
If any family are coming over they will appear about now. Watch a christmas day film and the Queen at 3 o clock.
Stay up late and eat christmas cake and mince pies i made.
A fantasy christmas would be for me and the kids to be on holiday somewhere cold with proper snow , and have christmas dinner cooked by somebody else and build a snowman and go sledging. would be great to do that on Christmas day rather than in February or whenever it normally snows.
doing anything that doesnt involve being christmassy,
bah humbug
Wake up, rejoice that we have no kids and family in the locality and thus can do wtf we want in a totally selfish way.
Breakfast, bacon sarnies, muesli, mugs of tea.
1 present allowed to be opened
Annual Xmas day MTB ride in the sun with mates
Head home, sit in spa with a glass of fine champagne
Smoked salmon, scallops etc for light lunch
Fire up BBQ, cook unspecified amount of meat and seafood, friends arrive for same thing
Drink far too much
Light outdoor fireplace
Move onto spirits
Play ridiculous party games
Make extravangant boasts of deviant sexual acts later safe in the knowledge I will fall asleep.
Fall asleep.
Maybe not my ideal Christmas but guess it will go like this:
Wake up when its daylight (fingers crossed)
Nice fresh coffee
Watch the daughter open her presents from Santa and wonder when we should tell her "its all a big lie luv"
open my presents
walk the dog
eat eggs benedict and more fresh coffee
get dressed and sit around for ages
walk he dog
eat Christmas dinner
drink wine
drink port eat cheese
nod off
wake up walk the dog
drink
chill
nod off fall asleep
(last four to avoid the dishes)
Ideal -
somewhere remote,
wake up, lounge about for a bit, have something tasty,
go for a morning walk/get some landy cruisin' done
come back, soup, bread and cheese
go boarding
come back, more tasty things, bit of alchomahol,
sit in front of proper fire, melt, have some excellent sex
fall asleep.....
go do family things the day after
Riding. This year it'll be an early one in Sutton Park.
Anyone coming to play?
A good Christmas day would basically be the same as a good holiday day, so- somewhere nice with either one special person or a few mates, good good cooked breakfast, out all day riding/walking/scrambling etc (maybe with a drink for the top of a hill somewhere), back for a good dinner, some drinks, maybe some presents after. If it's somewhere cold, a big fire and some snow.
But that's why I find Christmas a bit annoying TBH, because while it can be like that it usually involves too much driving or train travel and then doing stuff that's a bit more of a duty than a holiday.
With my family having a laugh. We usually go out for a walk with the dog after lunch. Going out for a bike ride would be antisocial.
sue_w
I didn't go with a company but to here....
Made to feel at home, everyone relaxes and becomes really really friendly.
most likely it'll be just me and my folks. I'll be heading up north. first xmas as a singleton in 6 years, so all going to be a bit weird, and I imagine not the happiest.
I'm taking my bike, though. 🙂
Last years was probably the most perfect I've had. My family (inc 3 girls), inlaws and sisters family - total of 15 with another 2 added after lunch.
Fires/stoves lit in all the rooms, kids playing Wii in one room, olds alseep in another room and us sat around the table from 2:30 until midnight eating, drinking, chatting and playing games. Fairly pissed. Absolutely brilliant 🙂
Only thing that was missing was dad 😥
a 12 hour ****-a-thon
Right now I'd happily pack the bike and a lightweight bag and b*gger off to cycle from one end of Spain to the other over the xmas holidays. Stepson one isn't talking to me, stepson two is being a monster and my mother in law's constant incessant talking is matched only by her high maintenence needs.
The thought of an xmas day spent alone with a couple of San Miguels and a pretty landscape seems to appeal.
Going out for a bike ride would be antisocial.
That's me summed up then!
But I did ask if anyone wanted to come along 😉
My plan is to get a ride in before pub with chums* 12-2, then family din-dins.
*Rob can't believe he wrote "chums". What a ****
9ish - nice bit of smoaked salmon and champagne breakfast
2/3ish - Christmas lunch with the family over,
4/5ish - kick family out... evening time is me time.
Thanks ianpinder - it looks fab!
jimbobrighton - last year was my first Christmas as a 'singleton' after 16 years. Quite a difficult time, spent it with family which wasn't great - lots of stress, rows etc (not implying that would be the case for you - your family are probably lovely!). Can't face that again this year, would rather spend Christmas on my own (as my friends are all 'family-orientated'), going for a ride or hiking in the mountains. But some of this thread has been quite inspiring, and shows that there are lots of fun things out there to do. So I'm now tempted to make it more of a positive experience by heading off somewhere 🙂
I think you'll tell by the absence of shagging in that list that I'm married...
Maybe this is the year?
As usual,with the wife & kids,with some visiting of the inlaws 'n stuff.Loved it when the kids were younger & how excited they all got,but now as they get older, it's even better enjoying a beer or two with the lads & having a grown up laugh...Think they just like the free beer though.......... 😯
When I was younger I spent the day cuffing one off, got to 9 before I gave up.
Now it's a bit different, spend the day with my family chilling
@ Sue W .
As a long term ( permanent ) singleton I would rather go skiing at Chrimbo than stay at home .
Keep an eye on the Neilson ski solo chatroom . There are always threads looking for single people to make up rooms in chalets . Chrimbo in the Alps is the best .
If you really want to get away look on Snowheads Solos V Groups for the same . Worth keeping an eye on if you want to get away later in the year .
Can seem like a Big Brother Abroad holiday with 20 odd strangers meeting for the first time at Gatwick, but its only 6 days , plus Facebook makes for a good 'hidden' online meeting place.
Just an idea , if you are dreading Chrimbo home alone , so to speak .
last year was pretty cool. breakfast and a bit of a cuddle 😳 in bed, bountious lunch cooked by my mum, rolled (literally) to gf's mum and dad for tea where gf's mum was pissed so was pretty funny and nice (for a change) and walked back to mine to fall asleep on the sofa.
more of the same this year I hope
singletrackmind - thanks! I'm still at times adjusting to a different life, and Christmas is one of those odd times where everyone seems to be with their family / OH etc. Will definately check out the ski chatrooms you mentioned - be good to turn it into a really positive experience. (And don't have the slightest problem spending my holiday with a group of people I've never met before - did it in the summer for 2 weeks mountaineering in the alps and had loads of fun!)
Excited kids, noise, good food & lots of cups of tea. As long as the day starts with a pre-dawn run it will be a good one.
Love boxing day when whole family gets together.
Where I work its normal pay on xmas day and boxing day with a day in lieu if your unlucky and are on shift.
An ideal xmas would be spend with my grandparents (both departed) and the rest of the family like we used to when i was a nipper.
Since then ive not been a big fan, even with my own kids i still dont get excited.
I'd like to work for a homeless project, but the wife would kill me, its shes not happy that im doing it on xmas eve.
Another thing I would like to is get away in a cottage in the lakes or wales with a nice log fire and plenty of walking.
It was great fun when my kids were small, a long time ago! But my first Xmas as a singleton was great - I refused to cook/entertain anybody, went off for a day's bike ride in one of my fave areas. Took a picnic and a flask of coffee, enjoying quiet trails! Bliss. 8)
Liberating, oh yes.