Re: The C word
 

Great post, Guinness. As you say, seize the day and enjoy it. Be thankful that you can, however and with whomever you spend it. Especially love the bits about your Gran.

With our family, like so many others these days, because of their busy lifestyles (work, socially, etc., etc.) and distances involved we find it extremely difficult to all get together at the one time, so when the opportunity arises we make the most of it.

Even so, this Christmas my oldest son and his wife and family won’t be spending the day with the rest of us, mainly because of distance and other arrangements. However, I know we’ll be speaking to them on the day and will be seeing them just prior.

Re: The C word
 

Be careful what you wish for, AccyE.
One day, when you're old( or if you're really lucky, not so old) you might be looking forward to a Christmas with no family, no friends, no presents, no Christmas meal.
Just a nice quiet day, watching rubbish on TV(which you can't hear properly) with a ready meal on your knee.
Millions do.
I'm sure they enjoy it as much as you will.

Re: The C word
 

Yes it is sad that people are forced to spend Christmas alone when they don't want to.

I wonder which is worse. Spending Christmas alone or spending Christmas trapped in loveless relationships with people you can't bear the sight of? There must be millions of those.

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Both of those situations are equally bad.
My thoughts go out to those older folk who have family, but are left on their own.
My mum is 88 and I beg and plead with her to spend the day with us, but she won't.
So we take a Christmas feast to her.
She prefers to spend her day quietly.....and once we have delivered her (hot) meal we are 'dismissed'.

I know that these days there are a few logistical reasons why she won't come to us.She can't get upstairs in our house, and we have no downstairs lavvy.
I told her that himself would give her a piggy back to the lav.
This caused much hilarity......and she said that he might not get her there in time.

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Nice one Mr.Happy! If it's so cold & loveless why bother staying together up to & including Christmas if it's only going to compound your misery?

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Quite simple really, why be miserable alone when you can make sure someone else's Christmas is made more miserable by your presence?

It's the evil joy of sharing.

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That's the million dollar question in many cases, Mr DinG. Why DO some people stay together? Fear? Finance? Feeling of entrapment? Lack of ability to see an alternative?

Whatever it is, it happens.

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In your list you forgot these options, cowardice, lack of gumption, selfishness. Now I ain't no marriage guidance leech, social worker or communities & diversity wastrel, but to my mind people should get a backbone & if there's something that irks you do something about it!

I don't do sympathy for the miserable (usually self inflicted in most cases) because it's a wasted cause & just makes the "Victim" wallow even longer in their mire of self pity, short,sharp & brutal cures most ills, believe me I've applied it & had it applied on occasion, (working in a military welfare office for a few years certainly opens your eyes) so in the parlance ... " you need to man up & grow a pair mate!"

And to come back to topic, the incident rate was noticeably higher around Christmas time, fuelled by alcohol, monetary concerns & being under each others feet for longer than is comfortable, now if youse can manage your relationship under these circumstances good on yer, you've a good sound marraige/ partnership, but if you can't ....... well one or the other needs to pull the cord & bail! Niceties/hostilities blame can be sorted after the dust settles, but in the long term everyone will be the better for it.

Oh & Merry Christmas! (if that's at all possible after you pishing on this particular bonfire)

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Can't really argue against any of that. Let's hope all those who it applies to "man up and grow a pair"......

....oh and a very Merry Christmas to you too Mr DinG.

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Beats the living shiite out of the snot rags I used to get from my great aunt Jane. All I want this year is a tree I can smoke.:D

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Salmon, Cheese, any part of a Pig, Duck, Chicken in fact all sorts of food taste epic when smoked. A Tree? When that's smoked all you get is charcoal...

Ah, you need the charcoal so you can have a barbie with the rest of the smoked stuff.

Enjoy.

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Actually I do have a bit of a Christmas grouch, but it’s not about the spirit of Christmas or anything like that, it’s about how many Father Christmases there are in shops and malls. They’re everywhere! Telling little kids who ask ‘why so many’ that they are all the real bloke’s helpers is one way of getting round it but then it’s supposed to be his elves who help him not umpteen clones.

For instance, at a local shopping centre the other day there was a Father C in the mall then a few metres away there was another in one of the stores. They probably have their coffee break together.

By the way, I know one bloke who has played Father C for so many years that he actually thinks he is THE one. Has grown a long bushy beard and bleaches it white! Has this all year round. He even ‘ho, ho, ho’s’ when he laughs. When my friend says she’s just seen Father Christmas and it’s only the middle of the year I know exactly who she’s referring to.

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are these father christmas's daughters ? :D:D:D:D

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Ha! Ha! Ha!