What is it that makes it feel like xmas / yule in your house?

[mandyballantyne]

Great idea, Mrs Dobby!

Might try it out now and see if there are any parts left. I am having I can't be bother day at work today as well us un Christmasy

[nick the grief]

I can't explain why but it really doens't feel lile Christmas is ready to drop in on us.. Argh!!

I've got the pressies bought, but no cards written yet and it just doesn't feel right

Shortie I feel exactly the same this year but I am hoping when I decorate the trees at weekend that finally the feeling of Christmas will emerge.

Tis the same in the Grief house, we can't raise the enthusiasm to be appathetic

[Mrs Dobby]

It doesnt feel like xmas here neither, at work it is dead, and we went shopping in Tesco's expecting it to be mayhem, but it was very quiet, several tills even stood with no-one to serve! No queues, plenty of everything in stock, I know all retailers are having a hard time of it, but I didnt think the supermarkets would be sufferring too!

[beefy]

It doesnt feel like xmas here neither, at work it is dead, and we went shopping in Tesco's expecting it to be mayhem, but it was very quiet, several tills even stood with no-one to serve! No queues, plenty of everything in stock, I know all retailers are having a hard time of it, but I didnt think the supermarkets would be sufferring too!

Its to early yet for the supermarkets ,wait untill C Eve they will be fighting in the isles as if the shops were never going to open again .We used to supply Spar with milk -3 loads /day .2 days before Christmas it went up to 8 loads.Then when you talk to the binmen they tell you that the first collection after Christmas is about 50% food.

[Snadger]

It doesnt feel like xmas here neither, at work it is dead, and we went shopping in Tesco's expecting it to be mayhem, but it was very quiet, several tills even stood with no-one to serve! No queues, plenty of everything in stock, I know all retailers are having a hard time of it, but I didnt think the supermarkets would be sufferring too!

They've all seen the light and are down at the lottie, thats why!

[ChrisB]

I thought it was only me that couldn't get the Christmas spirit going. Went to Bristol last weekend, although there was the compulsory piped music in the shops, not many of them had Christmas decorations/displays.

The weather is too mild to light a roaring fire, maybe like others, when I decorate the tree and put up the decorations things will change.

[budmap]

we fetched the tree today with the kids this always feels like the start of christmas until you get home and remember that i,ve got to go crawling around in the loft trying to find everything so i am typing this with the fairy lights on and with my son watching the grinch happy days

[pigletwillie]

The love and fellowship of family and friends surriunding me on Christmas day.

[nick the grief]

The love and fellowship of family and friends surriunding me on Christmas day.

Yes ....... Thats why I go down the Greenhouse as well

[Alison]

Yes ....... Thats why I go down the Greenhouse as well

Bah humbug!

[eskymo]

Normally for me, Christmas begins in about October when clients get in touch about sorting out virtual ecards with a Christmas theme that they want to send out in December, or they want their websites all Christmassed up....Luckily this year I've not had that many requests for Christmas stuff so I've managed to get to December and not be grumpy about it.

Me and the OH have decided not to celebrate Christmas this year, or ever again if we can help it....and before you all screem bah humbug at me I'll explain.

Neither of us believe in God, or the baby Jesus for that matter, which I think is the real reason for Christmas. But lately over the years, the over commercialisation of Christmas has got worse and it's all gone so over the top and Cosumerisim has taken over.

Last year we saw people literally punching each other and fighting in Asda over the last few turkeys on the shelves - it was insane and the amount of Christmas presents our neice and nephew get is obscene - they're only 4 and 8 and yet they ahve to have about 50 presents each. I can't stand it.

We're going all pagan and going to start celebrating the winter solstice instead as that makes more sense to us...after that the days start getting longer and that to me certainly deserves a celebration as the dark days of December really get me down.

Sorry to ruin all the Christmas joy in this post...

[Mrs Dobby]

Dont worry about ruining xmas joy Eskymo, the whole point of this thread was to see what made folks feel special at this time of year and to share how they celebrate it, as a pagan myself (and I know we have one or three more in the vine membership) we dont celebrate xmas, but Yule, and if by sharing our thoughts and feelings it helps others to get a more rounded knowledge of others and how they celebrate, then that can only be to the benefit of us all!

PS Have to agree with the over commercialisation aspect of it all, not something I enjoy, even though I work in retail myself!

[pigletwillie]

Glad you got the Irony Nick, it went over everybody elses heads.

[Alison]

There's nothing wrong with opting out of the whole commercialisation bit - annoys most of here by the sound of a lot of the threads. The humbug comment was just directed at Nick as it's very apt! We're not religious either and so don't celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense but enjoy taking the advantage of some time off work to spend time with people we care about, really having a bit more time to do simple stuff which we don't often get time to do. Christmas Day afternoon / evening will be spent playing stupid games which one of our guests has brought along or we've made up on the spot, usually a bit silly but great fun. This year I have a treasure hunt planned round the house which should take an hour or so with the only prize being worth just over a pound.

We got very fed up last year with the numerous children which we seem to buy for expecting something fantastic and better each year so decided to buy Oxfam goats etc. We knew the parents would approve but thought that the kids might feel put out (part of the point really) but actually they all turned out to be quite understanding and thought that it was a really good idea. This year OH is getting a loo and my godson some goat manure - he produces enough of his own so it seemed appropriate!

[nick the grief]

What can I say Alison ...... must be a bugger to wrap a goat up Good Idea, we've thought about it loads of times but just never done it.

I have to admit I like to sit at home at christmas as when I was younger I used to go away with my Nan every year & I hated it so now I'm old enough to be a boring old fart, I am

That said, we've decided next year to rent a place big enough for a huge family kneesup (all of Mrs G's aunts, uncles & cousins) about 20 or 30 of us and I'm ooking forward to that. We decided to do this as we only ever get togethr for funerals now so thought we'd break the habit