The Oul Christmas time.

OldGoat

So what do you do for the mental season that is Christmas? Do you go and stay with the kids and grandkids or perhaps you invite them all over to your place? Would you get a few close friends around for a bit of a knees up?
Or my favourite, bah humbug the whole thing as a waste of time and effort?

The real question I want to ask though is if there is anyone here going to be alone this christmas?

PM me if you wish. Maybe I could pop around to anyone Dublin based with a mince pie and glass of sherry, just to say hello.

Jellybaby1

OldGoat wrote: »

The real question I want to ask though is if there is anyone here going to be alone this christmas?

PM me if you wish. Maybe I could pop around to anyone Dublin based with a mince pie and glass of sherry, just to say hello.

We eat until we can't move, and snooze beside the fire and miss the films we had sat down to watch! Out into the air for a bit of exercise on St. Stephen's Day and back for more eating and snoozing in the evening. Usually quiet, cosy, and hopefully happy, that's all we want or need. We is simple folks. 'Night John Boy!

P.S. I don't think visitors would be impressed with us so we never have any!

OldGoat

Sounds like most nights of the year - 'cept for that exercising lark.

Rubecula

Since I split up with the harridan, I have spent every Christmas on my own. I sort of look forward to it, so please no coming around and spoiling it for me. :pac:

Seriously Christmas day is the one day every year I look forward to just slobbing out on my own. New Year however I visit my Dad. (He spends Christmas with my sister.)

Mollywolly

Christmas for us is just me, himself and the dog. Far too much food, wine and slobbing out, though we do make an effort to try and walk off the after-effects.

Simple-ness is the order of the day in our house

Jellybaby1

OldGoat wrote: »

......bah humbug the whole thing as a waste of time and effort?

Modern Christmas is just not what it should be about anymore, it's lost its original meaning and been hijacked by Disney and Hollywood and others cashing in. I stopped doing all the rushing around and buying presents for the world and his wife, just a couple for the immediate family and the rest for charity. Maybe I'm a bit 'bah humbug' but I personally would rather it was all over. Enforced jollity never rings true!

The Princess Bride

Rubecula wrote: »

the harridan

Thanks Rubes- am trying to learn a new word every day,and you've provided me with the word of the year so far-will definitely try and use it again.Cheers,and have a wonderful Christmas-ho ho ho:)

Alice1

Well, Santa still has one believer in this house (child of my autumn years) so, we will have the traditional Christmas. Being woken early by high pitched screams is the order of the day....

chucken1

I find it very difficult to explain why I never celebrated Christmas,but I didnt,since I was very young.

When my children were small,because we were'nt in 'the loop' it was easy for us to just carry on, (Santy did arrive btw)but oddly when they hit their t(w)eens they wanted decorations etc. So I (I mean I as I was a lone parent)tried to get into the swing of things but I got caught up in the stress rather than making them happy.
So....we ignored it again for years until last year.

I put ad's up on free sites in January asking for anything Christmassy and people were great. I got a ton of decorations etc that I kept adding to.

I went from nothing to ridiculous re decorating

Presents are not for us. Its a habit I thought they had taken but no...they tend to spoil me and I do love it. When I buy for them,its always something from Boher or Oxfam (chickens,trees,guinea fowl etc)

We choose a country last year to have a themed meal..Scotland and because I love cooking,this was great.

We're voting tomorrow on the country for this year,I feel it will be African cos myself and he-who-is-not-my-husband have talked about out voting the children :pac:

Oddly enough,drink is'nt big in our house at Christmas. We will do odd things like finish last years game of Monopoly.

The Princess Bride

Alice1 wrote: »

Well, Santa still has one believer in this house

Lucky you- I've been made redundant(from my ho ho ho job) as and from a few weeks ago-bit sad but they've still written their letters- more for me than them:o-.....
plus, I'll still get emotional watching RTE news on Christmas eve......not to mention the perfect excuse to have C2H5OH every day for a full week-can't wait!!!!

chucken1

http://www.noradsanta.org/

I presume you know about this Alice?
I discovered it last year,he'll be leaving Christmas eve morning..bright and early :eek:
I love it

Alice1

Not sure if I have that one Chucken. Thank you.

Beruthiel

The French celebrate on Christmas Eve. So on that night, as the hubby is a froggie, I'll be cooking up my usual seven course meal with accompanying wines for him and my daughter.
It is a meal we all looking forward to as I pull out all the stops.
By the end of it, we'll be fit to burst and more than a bit merry.

Christmas day will be spent recovering and eating left overs while watching a few films.
Will go down the boonies to see parents and sisters on the 27th.

OldGoat

I love doing christmas the same way. Do the big dinner on the eve and then spend the entire day in a dressing gown just picking bits and pieces from the fridge as required.
Stress free day - the way it should be.
On Stevens day we alternate with close friends, we go to theirs, the following year they come to ours. It's a big noisy buffet of all their leftovers and ours and hoards of kids making way too much noise while we 'adults' get tanked (again). Thankfully it's their turn this year. Yay!

Spread

Most people get only two days off here ....... Christmas Day dinner of turkey etc., then Boxing Day for leftovers. And you cannot say Happy Christmas, it's got to be Happy Holiday. This will be my first violation ......... apart from two speeding warnings .

Jellybaby1

Spread wrote: »

Most people get only two days off here ....... Christmas Day dinner of turkey etc., then Boxing Day for leftovers. And you cannot say Happy Christmas, it's got to be Happy Holiday. This will be my first violation ......... apart from two speeding warnings .

I suppose they think 'Christmas' would insult those who are not (Christian) believers. What a travesity! But having said that there are a lot of Irish/British etc., unbelievers who still are ok with 'Happy Christmas'. Hope we never have to drop that here. It would really make me angry.

GreyEagle

Christmas Eve is big in our house with the grandchildren sitting around listening to yours truly reading ‘The Night Before Christmas’. Lots of spiced beef, mulled wine etc. Our GCs are on the cusp of belief/non belief in Mr C so we have to thread warily this year. Christmas Day we decamp to one of our children’s houses for ‘The Full Christmas’, hopefully peaceful.

GreyEagle

I did here of a shopping centre in South East Asia where the staff made a special effort to decorate the place for Christmas to make all their western visitors feel welcome. But they got their myths & legends mixed up and erected a crucified Santa!

Spread

GreyEagle wrote: »

I did here of a shopping centre in South East Asia where the staff made a special effort to decorate the place for Christmas to make all their western visitors feel welcome. But they got their myths & legends mixed up and erected a crucified Santa!

I've heard of Christ on a bike ........... but Santa on a cross? Sounds urban legend to me. Unless they stuck him up with velcro

looksee

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/cross.asp

Seems to be a kind of Chinese (Japanese) Whispers sort of thing.

golden virginia

Lets face it - isn't the Turkey a crucified santa. My sister knit the two little santa hats to go on the Turks legs!I like Longinus, was the one who stuck the skewer in his side and declared santa dead! **I'm definitely going home for this years christmas.

I forgot to explain that we had turkeys at home. They're lovely and good''., not like the geese - they were wicked!

Rubecula

Sheep noises and stripey mints.

oh yes

Bah. Humbug

Bearhunter

Rubecula wrote: »

Sheep noises and stripey mints.

oh yes

Bah. Humbug

Hear, hear. As an aside, I had a mate who used to give people in the pub individually wrapped humbugs on Chrsitmas Eve. Very few people got it...

OldGoat

Mrs.Goat bought me a bag of humbugs over the weekend. They don't taste like humbugs anymore. All sweets are now bland. Bring back artifical flavourings and colourings.

JuliusCaesar

I'll be cooking this year. For 12. Including a couple of special diets. I don't care - I prepare a lot on Christmas Eve, and then the roasting really doesn't require attention. The house then divides between those who watch TV at top volume for the deaf amongst us, and the ones who go off and play board games (me).

Then a forced march in Wicklow for anyone I can still influence on Stephen's Day. The rest of the time is my own, with no real meals, just picking at leftovers.

Everyone knows what I want but I never get it. So I've given up on the presents stuff. If I can't get it in the local Euro shop, you're not getting a present. (Well, maybe a packet of Cheddar.)

Spread

OldGoat wrote: »

Mrs.Goat bought me a bag of humbugs over the weekend. They don't taste like humbugs anymore. All sweets are now bland. Bring back artifical flavourings and colourings.

She should have bought you the bah humbugs.These bulls eyes are guaranteed to have you running to the dentist by New Year's Day

chucken1

Alice1 wrote: »

Not sure if I have that one Chucken. Thank you.

Heres another one for you

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home

Jellybaby1

Thought I'd revive this thread with the season that's in it, etc., etc.

If there is anyone around please tell me what pressie I can buy for an 'oul fella. Last year himself and meself decided not to buy each other pressies, (1) because neither of us need anything (2) neither of us know what to buy the other (3) any gadget for himself will produce questions of 'such a model would have been a better choice' or 'where did you buy it' or 'it's cheaper on such a website' and the item gets put away and never reappears again. I kept to the deal, and he didn't, as he produced DVDs for me and he got zilch from me making me feel like a twat. Now I could be wrong but it looks like this might happen again but I have no idea what 'oul.......'oul.......geezers want (keep it clean if at all possible please).

CrowdedHouse

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

If there is anyone around please tell me what pressie I can buy for an 'oul fella.

If he uses those multi blade contraptions (or hasn't a beard) how about this

http://www.shaving.ie/products/The-Basic-Essentials-Safety-Razor-Starter-Kit.html

OldGoat

OldGoat wrote: »

The real question I want to ask though is if there is anyone here going to be alone this christmas?

PM me if you wish. Maybe I could pop around to anyone Dublin based with a mince pie and glass of sherry, just to say hello.

Just putting this bit of the OP out again. Still holds true.

Alice1

Very kind of you Old Goat.

The child of my autumn years still believes in Santa so I daresay we shall have the dawn screeching again this year.

This Christmas will be a bit different for me though, cos it's the first one since my Mam died.

looksee

Goodness, the child of my autumn years is 25, it must have been an early autumn (40)

Rubecula

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Thought I'd revive this thread with the season that's in it, etc., etc.

If there is anyone around please tell me what pressie I can buy for an 'oul fella. Last year himself and meself decided not to buy each other pressies, (1) because neither of us need anything (2) neither of us know what to buy the other (3) any gadget for himself will produce questions of 'such a model would have been a better choice' or 'where did you buy it' or 'it's cheaper on such a website' and the item gets put away and never reappears again. I kept to the deal, and he didn't, as he produced DVDs for me and he got zilch from me making me feel like a twat. Now I could be wrong but it looks like this might happen again but I have no idea what 'oul.......'oul.......geezers want (keep it clean if at all possible please).

GHow about a Dremel. Every man can find a use for one.

Jellybaby1

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

If he uses those multi blade contraptions (or hasn't a beard) how about this

http://www.shaving.ie/products/The-Basic-Essentials-Safety-Razor-Starter-Kit.html

Thanks but he's got all that gunk already!

Rubecula wrote: »

GHow about a Dremel. Every man can find a use for one.

Thanks Rube. But he's not a DIY enthusiast at all at all!

Y'see my problem now?

Rubecula

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Thanks Rube. But he's not a DIY enthusiast at all at all!

Y'see my problem now?

Well you could get him one and he may get interested, or like a kiddy ... play with the box

But what sort of things does he actually like? I am sure if we knew a little about his interests we could come up with something. For instance, does he like astronomy? Or science? or paleontology (you could buy him a fossil for example) I am sure that between us we can come up with something hon. If he likes dancing girls OldGoat could probably come up with an idea. ... Maybe even do a show for him Seriously we have enough agility in our old minds to come up with something between us I am sure.

Mollywolly

Jellybaby, this might be a silly question, but does he have a mobile phone? Why not consider getting him a good case for it?

I got a gorgeous one for my OH off ebay, leather and all, didn't cost much either (we're on a tight budget this year!). If you want more info let me know and I'll pm you the details.

OldGoat

Airfix model and a set of modelers scalpels. No man can resist.

Jellybaby1

Gosh I really appreciate the effort you are putting into this for me. Himself is into music and he buys CD's galore. I would have to go through about a thousand CD and DVDs to make sure I don't buy something he already has. I just can't keep up with it. He is also a part-time Twitcher so I bought him a pair of binoculars some years ago, knowing they weren't going to be right, and sure enough he bought a better pair for himself.

Molly, your idea is of interest but although the childer want me to buy a mobile phone for him as he doesn't have one, he has always said he won't use one so I'm hovering on that one at the minute. Maybe it could be the gadget that might capture his interest though I very much doubt it as he has fought hard against it.

OG, I bought him an Airfix model many years ago. It never made it out of the box.

Tell me is a Wii any good? You need space to play those physical games yes? Another suggestion from one of the childer is a game for the Playstation called Buzz, anyone know anything about it? He's kinda into puzzle-y things and quiz-y things, but not jigsaw puzzles.

I don't think I will be allowing any dancing girls in the house this Christmas, 'cept me!!

Rubecula

If he is into his music how about something like this?

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=1&gs_ri=hp&tok=q088tvRegw5VaLfMypj1tw&cp=10&gs_id=12&xhr=t&q=record+player&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355325884,d.d2k&bpcl=39967673&biw=1153&bih=865&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8176636546751009548&sa=X&ei=qXnLUJfLJc-KhQewz4CICg&sqi=2&ved=0CGcQ8wIwAg

Jellybaby1

I know I'm not just looking at a mere record player there. That looks really nice, and would be a contender but for the fact that we have a super duper outfit already. But you have got me thinking ...... hmmm.... mmmm. Can you still get a video recorder, one that would transfer all his old videos onto DVDs? I'm off to Mr. Google, but I don't really know what it's called. Mebbe it will turn up. If anyone knows, just ring my bell please!

Rubecula

Is this what you are looking for?

http://www.vhstodvdconverter.net/vhs-to-computer-converter.htm

Jellybaby1

That looks real dandy Rube. Problem is, our Video player has died! Now I'm feeling Glumm! If I can get a hold of a player, the problem could be sorted. I'll ask around our friends.

muffler

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

That looks real dandy Rube. Problem is, our Video player has died! Now I'm feeling Glumm! If I can get a hold of a player, the problem could be sorted. I'll ask around our friends.

The VCR's are hard to get nowadays and there is a limited number of VCR to DVD converters on the market and what is there isn't exactly cheap. You could always ask one of the shops in the "talk to" forums - Currys/PC World or Richersounds.

You mentioned that he likes music so what about a gift voucher from one of the music stores? Just a thought.

Mollywolly

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Tell me is a Wii any good? You need space to play those physical games yes? Another suggestion from one of the childer is a game for the Playstation called Buzz, anyone know anything about it? He's kinda into puzzle-y things and quiz-y things, but not jigsaw puzzles.

Wii's are good as long as you use them! OH got one a couple of years back and I think we've only used it a handful of times. It sits under the telly and I can't tell you how many times I've threatened to throw it up on ebay but HE can't bear to part with it....keeps saying, "oi, I'll use that one day"!

However, I can highly recommend the ipod touch. If your OH is into puzzles and quizzes, there are loads of apps that would tickle his fancy. I'm always playing games on mine, or reading, or listening to music, etc., it's very versatile and I don't know what I"d do without it. Depending on your budget though, it might be a bit expensive

Rubecula

Are E- Readers any good? I know about the Kindle of course but what about the others?

Rubecula

Some christmas presents for our illustrious leader OldGoat

First a Burlesque Goat:



and secondly a Young OldGoat in his disco days, from the oul family album hidden in Nurse's drawers:

http://cdn2.holytaco.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2010/OXFAM%20Goat.jpg

Happy festivities folks ... Hope you all have a wonderful time, and thank you for a wonderful fun filled year on O&O. (((hugs)))

OldGoat

Rubecula wrote: »

Some christmas presents for our illustrious leader OldGoat

Chucken

Awwww, I found some rare footage of OG as a baba


(you can decide which one he is )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IuRzJRrRpQ

Jellybaby1

Rubecula wrote: »

Some christmas presents for our illustrious leader OldGoat

OG Illustrious? Naw. More of a luminous hue I'd say!

Jellybaby1

While I'm on, I just want to wish everyone a Very Happy, Healthy and Blessed Christmas, and a Wonderful 2013, all year long!

Luv
Jelly

looksee

Ould christmas? My younger sister got a scooter for Christmas when she was about 5. She scooted round the table (in a very tiny living room), fell off, landed with her knee across the scooter and cut it quite badly. Very grumpy doctor had to be called out to stitch it, not at all impressed at having his Christmas morning disturbed!