Bah-flippin- Humbug

[BrideXIII]

Watch it Bride, I might take you up on that if the teenagers drive me bobbins. My cakes are awful though

no problem, apple dumplins are on the xmas menu, and clafloutie

[FionaH]

claf what?

[nelliegemini]

no problem, apple dumplins are on the xmas menu, and clafloutie

clafloutie aaaarrghhhh drools

[BrideXIII]

clafloutie aaaarrghhhh drools

you like?

with white choclate lumps, and creme fraiche.............now you can drool, but bring raspberry couli to go with, although i tend to do it with caramalised pears

[FionaH]

I just googled it, sounds scrummy!

[BrideXIII]

I just googled it, sounds scrummy!

tastes better, we use JO's recipe, rocks my world, liqued chocolate in the middle....gets no better

[lynda66]

i'm so glad my parents moved to spain ...... i can now choose when i go to see them ..... and being skint has worked really well for the last 2 years lol

[bobleponge]

Bride
I was never a fan of xmas except for when my nippers turned up. I always tried to get them something that they "really" wanted, but it was always the last thing they saw in the shop that day. To see my kids face's on xmas day was worth all the work that I did throughout the year.
Nowadays xmas for me is just another day. I generally work as my oppo's normally have young kids so I let them stay home to share it with their families.
I too hate the commercialism of it all, and always have to be honest, although was a slave to it when kids were young as I said.
New year is the one for me, this year I shall again be working xmas day, but then travelling home on 27/28 and home in time for the parties with friends. I have very little family, apart from my children so friends are very very important. The whole season is what you make it, and what other people do to help you make it.

[Two_Sheds]

Scrabble! try playing it with a Christmas theme .....bonus points for any word with a Christmas connection.

I love Scrabble

* toddles over to eBay and finds this:

[Snadger]

I love Scrabble

* toddles over to eBay and finds this:

I have a shortcut to 'scrabout' (computer scrabble) on my computer screen dekktop!
Whenever I get a bit cheesed off with surfing the net or with you lot moaning, I have myself a little game! Usually get trashed off the pooter tho!

[Two_Sheds]

I have a shortcut to 'scrabout' (computer scrabble) on my computer screen dekktop!

I just looked for that: it's not free though, and doesn't work with Vista.

[jackie j]

I love christmas and for the last couple of years have been able to afford it without getting into debt but we dont go mad. With a large family and getting larger as the boys have girlfriends and I have one grandson its becoming more expensive. this year I have bought some silly little presents that cost less than a pound that I know the boys will love, it will bring back memories of when they were little. Christmas day will be spent with my OH me and our daughter, the in laws who are just the best and probably one of my sons ( if he doesnt come here he will be left to look after his grandparents cos his dad and uncle cant be bothered ). Boxing day will be quite unless I take up my nieces offer to go to hers for tea / supper, there will be about 11 of us. Then on the saturday my sons are coming over to us so there will be 11 of us again but after lunch, one son will be working till 5pm and possibly one of the girlfriends will be working, It will be very noisy but great fun.

[Flummery]

Well I love it and I chose to ignore the bits I know I would loathe. I find it better for my equilibrium to ignore the crassness and commercialism than to get angry and lose my cool. I am a regular church-goer so Christmas has its original meaning for me - simplicity and poverty and love were the signs in the stable. No tinsel!
Many - probably most - people are not overtly religious these days but just about everyone is spiritual in the widest sense. It's important that during the 'dead days' when there's little light and sun and lots of signs of death around us that we remind ourselves that we have each other and we have a future. That's what the Christmas celebrations should be about I think. Enjoying fellowship as PW says, and looking to the new growth of spring. It's not a coincidence that it's a midwinter feast. We all need cheering up!

It's an awful time to lose close family and friends, but then, what isn't? If we go for the commercialism and glitter we see the contrast more and it feels worse. If we go for the family and fellowship and love aspect, our dead are still with us. We can still celebrate them and their lives and what they meant to us.

Happy Whatever-you-believe- to one and all!

[pipscariad]

Well I love it and I chose to ignore the bits I know I would loathe. I find it better for my equilibrium to ignore the crassness and commercialism than to get angry and lose my cool. I am a regular church-goer so Christmas has its original meaning for me - simplicity and poverty and love were the signs in the stable. No tinsel!
Many - probably most - people are not overtly religious these days but just about everyone is spiritual in the widest sense. It's important that during the 'dead days' when there's little light and sun and lots of signs of death around us that we remind ourselves that we have each other and we have a future. That's what the Christmas celebrations should be about I think. Enjoying fellowship as PW says, and looking to the new growth of spring. It's not a coincidence that it's a midwinter feast. We all need cheering up!

It's an awful time to lose close family and friends, but then, what isn't? If we go for the commercialism and glitter we see the contrast more and it feels worse. If we go for the family and fellowship and love aspect, our dead are still with us. We can still celebrate them and their lives and what they meant to us.

Happy Whatever-you-believe- to one and all!

Oh Flum, that's so well put, lovely! Brought a tear to my eye!

[lainey lou]

Same here Bephlam - Snowdrop's Pa is terminal, no idea how long but not loong is what we are told - however SD has bought him the FULL set of ALL EVER Dad's Army on DVD and told him he has to view them all - he could be 'here' some time

Nice one SD! Laughter is so important.