Tempy wrote:Haven't been able to find a small, natural tree, which is upsetting Ev a bit. Grumble.
Yossarian wrote:How small are you talking? I’ve got a mini Christmas tree that’s about 2ft high, including the pot it’s growing in. Got it from Waitrose.Tempy wrote:Haven't been able to find a small, natural tree, which is upsetting Ev a bit. Grumble.
acemuzzy wrote:For us, first Christmas without my wife's mum. It's gonna be tough. Kids will help for sure, but I know there are gonna be tough moments for the missus, and we kinda want it over already. Meh.
davyK wrote:Being the age I am (55), my formative years meant me being fed a certain image of an idyllic Christmas that was described by TV ads at the time. It was an upper middle class version of Christmas with immaculate homes, snow, beautifully wrapped gifts under an enormous Christmas tree etc. Christmas cards back then were more religious or heavily influenced by the Dickensian Christmas with glowing windows in idyllic scenes.
The 6 of us in a 3 bedroomed terrace weren't going to get that. This gave me the idea of a dream Christmas that real life would never equate to. But it didn't matter - my Christmases as a kid were great. Mainly because that gen of adults in my family were really closely knit and my mother being very much the glue. Christmas was also the only time we got more desirable presents - our birthdays tended to be low key - enjoyable but not gift heavy. So there was a lot riding on Christmases re toys/games for the year ahead. So I'm cursed with a mix of the idea of a recreation of a hybrid of those two sets of expectations.
I've also noticed (maybe this is an incorrect perception) but the Biblical references now seem lost on the current gen (+/- 1). While I classify myself a hopeful agnostic I have no beliefs or faith but what it did was ground the holiday and give a reason for it. But I am very familiar with the Christmas Story and a little part of me plays it out in my mind even though if it did happen, it's placed by scholars closer to September with the festival moved to a pagan one to ease recruitment. So singing carols in school etc. all added to general feeling around that time of year.
Up until a few years ago I used to hit a wall after Christmas. Whether that was because of yet another failure to match expectation or not I don't know. But I don't get that now thankfully. It may be because they come around at an increasingly alarming rate now.
RedDave2 wrote:Found this quite relatable and interesting because my family was the same in so many regards. With this in mind, I try to recreate that type of Christmas and not so much the advertised version (not that there is anything wrong with that). It's tricky with a polish wife but last year we seemed to find the perfect balance of each of our family traditions and this year we look to be good for the same. Definitely feel less is more with Xmas, stretching it beyond 2 weeks is quantity over qualityblah blah
n0face wrote:I've got to somehow smuggle a drum kit into the house and hide it until Christmas Eve, then silently assemble it in the middle of the night. I think this is my biggest Christmas challenge yet
davyK wrote:We do like getting hammered which is perhaps the only common ground with the Germans, Polish, Swedes etc that we really have. Our blend of Saxony, Celt, Norman and Viking has a lot to answer for. But we don't need Christmas for that.
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