CHRISTMAS!!

Lucyfur

6 weeks to go

Do you love it or hate it?

Minimalist, classy decorations or tinsel everywhere?

Do you cook or get cooked for? What's the main meal on the day?

Do you enjoy the build up or does it make you want to hibernate?

I love love love the build up. I love buying gifts for people, I get such a buzz from it

My mum comes to my house for Christmas and I do all the cooking. I love it and as it's only for a few people, it's no pressure at all.

As for decs, I love my house looking like a tribe of 3 year olds decorated it

EDIT

Adding this link to a thread in After Hours. Christmas can be a truly horrendous time for some people. Have a read and please add to it any organisations you think may help

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057082164

Ilyana 2.0

I loooove Christmas! My favourite time of year, hands-down

The house is festooned with decorations, a whole mish-mash of stuff collected over the last 20+ years. I love the decorating; the whole run-up to Christmas is the best thing about it. The shops, the music, making the cake, the lights everywhere, getting an outfit sorted, people being at home, the general buzz. Even work is a little more cheerful

Our family has a routine; up early for presents (Dad still insists on making sure Santy's gone first - I'm 22!), fry for breakfast, get the gladrags on, the neighbours come around for Prosecco, some variation of an awesome steak dinner, then a DVD with wine and chocolate. Frickin' love it!

Himself loves Christmas too; he puts up the tree really early every year to p*ss off his housemates :pac:

EDIT: That was awfully excited

I love Christmas, and I love the decorations and the family vibe about it all.

The build-up is the best though, Christmas shopping, streetlights and mall santas, seeing friends, wrapping gifts, making cakes and baking Christmas cookies with xmas movies in the background and getting the tree just so.... I love it all.

Everyone is a little nicer at Christmastime too.

Dolbert

I love Christmas! I usually end up working right up until Christmas Day, so I don't get to enjoy the prep that much. This year I'm off from the 22nd though so I'm pretty happy about that

I'm normally itching to put up the tree but manage to restrain myself until the 8th, we put up a wreath on the front door too. I've never actually had Christmas in my own house though, it's usually either at my folks or his. I'd love to do the dinner, hosting etc. Maybe next year!

Lucyfur

I am beyond useless at wrapping presents. I'd love to be able to get the corners all neat and have my ribbons in perfect ringlets

clairefontaine

I like Holloween better.

Christmas meh.

I put in a big effort for my little one, but even he likes Holloween better. You get to wear a costume.

Lucyfur

Lucyfur wrote: »

I am beyond useless at wrapping presents. I'd love to be able to get the corners all neat and have my ribbons in perfect ringlets

Practise those hospital corners and get a nice sharp sissors for curling the ribbon.

I put waay too much time into wrapping presents, considering they're going to be torn apart in seconds, but I like how they look under the tree!:D

Amirani

I have an annual meet up with some friends I went to school with around Christmas time every year. We keep it pretty traditional with secret santa, Christmas jumpers and festive drinks. We don't always see each other regularly any more, but this event guarantees at least one proper meet up each year.

pampootie

I love Christmas. My boyfriend and I get a gigantic real tree really early and put it up. I love getting all my shopping done early, then I can go into town before Christmas and enjoy all the atmosphere properly, wandering round the market with a hot chocolate, then home to watch Christmas films with hot ports.

This year will be a weird one for me, last year my boyfriend and I decided we didn't want to be apart on Christmas anymore, so he came to my house.... Meaning my turn to go to his this year. I'm looking forward to it but I'll miss my family and I'll miss certain things, most of all the cooking! My brother and I have cooked Christmas dinner together every year since I was 17 and it's turned into a total foodie extravaganza, hours of cooking Christmas Eve and day, and then my poor dad stuck with all the washing up. :pac: But I'm looking forward to being with him on the day, it's lovely!

Lucyfur you have me all festive! I wonder if I've got any port

Lucyfur

Ohh hot port! Yum

I do all the washing up and cleaning too. I love it I have all my little plastic containers ready for leftovers and I clean and wash up as soon as dinner is over.

Then I veg out with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates

My all time favourite Christmas food is The Christmas Night Sandwich.

*homer simpson drool face*

clairefontaine

I'm sorry Lucyfur, but reading this thread, I think I may hate Christmas. It's filling me with dread.

Lucyfur

clairefontaine wrote: »

I'm sorry Lucyfur, but reading this thread, I think I may hate Christmas. It's filling me with dread.

The thread doesn't have to be all joyful Why are you dreading it? I hated Christmas for many, many years

Amirani

Lucyfur wrote: »

My all time favourite Christmas food is The Christmas Night Sandwich.

*homer simpson drool face*

It's all about the brown turkey sandwiches.

pampootie

Lucyfur wrote: »

My all time favourite Christmas food is The Christmas Night Sandwich.

*homer simpson drool face*

Best meal of the year. I've been informed by himself and lots of Corkonians though that the Christmas Eve post pub spiced beef sandwich is up there with it, I'll be investigating this personally this year

clairefontaine

Lucyfur wrote: »

The thread doesn't have to be all joyful Why are you dreading it? I hated Christmas for many, many years

Too domestic.

Lucyfur

NiallSparky wrote: »

It's all about the brown Turkey sandwiches.

*puke*

White turkey, ham, stuffing and stirfried brussels sprouts with salad cream, on white poppy seed bread.

Lucyfur

clairefontaine wrote: »

Too domestic.

Can you make it less so for yourself?

clairefontaine

Lucyfur wrote: »

Can you make it less so for yourself?

No. I'm trapped in tinsel and cinnamon. I have a small child. There is no escape from it.

Just hear those ring ting ting ting aling bells...

Sleigh bells ring...are you listening?

I'll be hearing jingle bells for a month.

Ugh god. Noooooo!!!

Princess Peach

I am Christmas mad! Been posting in the Christmas forum for months now :pac:

I just love the feelings that the build up brings. Love seeing trees and lights and decorations and hearing music. Was only delighted last week when they had carol singers for the brown Thomas window unveiling!

I love picking out presents or making presents. Used to work doing gift wrap so I am an a wrap expert! Love giving someone a present you know they will love.

We have time as a family in the morning and for dinner, then have friends round Christmas night for drinks and board games.

This is my first year not being able to take a whole week off for Christmas so won't get much time with my family, but will be in my house with my boyfriend when we aren't working. Only moved in around Christmas last year so this I my first year being able to do our decorations and shopping and all that

It's hard to put into words how Christmas makes me feel! I used to dread it, was only looking forward to drinking myself blind at every opportunity, and worried about how I would cope with all the food. Now it just makes me so happy and carefree!

Going to see grafton st lights getting turned on tomorrow

Toast4532

I love Christmas, I can't wait for it this year as myself and my boyfriend decided to spend the whole day together this year and normally we only see each other in the morning for presents etc.

I have half of my shopping done already. Just need to get my boyfriend's presents, the rest of my mam's and something small for a friend. That's me sorted then!

I love decorating the place from top to bottom. I love it absolutely drowned in decs, garland on the mantle piece, along the banisters of the stairs, the tree just inside the window, all light up, my lighting & dancing santa, the card holder in the sitting room, the christmas candles all around the place. I have a snowman, a santa and another one mam has can't remember what it is

Lucyfur wrote: »

I am beyond useless at wrapping presents. I'd love to be able to get the corners all neat and have my ribbons in perfect ringlets

I love wrapping presents, although I am awful at wrapping I thoroughly enjoy it and the look on peoples' faces when the open their gifts.

Even my boyfriend has said how dodgy my wrapping is lol

Myself and a friend are planning a day in Dublin December, just a girly day out, dinner etc. We can't wait

Lola92

I hate Christmas up until about this time every year, then I get swept away with the awesomeness

It'll be my third year spending Christmas with my OH, our little girl will be 3 and is getting excited about the whole Santa thing this year. I just love making our own traditions, a mixture of the bits we both loved most during our childhoods. The argument we have every year about real tree vs. fake (REAL!!!). Listening to Christmas music decorating the apartment, watching the Late Late Toy Show. My OH panic shopping every Christmas eve and wrapping the presents together after kiddies are asleep. Eating the cookies and filling up the stockings left for Santa. Waking up early, the smell of Honey roast ham, turkey sandwiches on batch bread. All the movies and terry's chocolate orange.

There are some things I miss about my Christmas with my parents and siblings, but I try to get as many of them in as possible in the weeks running up to Christmas like: Walking down Grafton Street with my Mum drinking butlers hot chocolate looking at the lights, the Brown Thomas window, The Gaeity Panto, The Christmas party with all my cousins.

Posy

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!

Lucyfur wrote: »

I am beyond useless at wrapping presents. I'd love to be able to get the corners all neat and have my ribbons in perfect ringlets

I feel your pain.

>_>

<_<

Neyite

I love Christmas.

Our workplace shuts down all Christmas, so I'm guaranteed to be off, which is great.

I love the tasteful Good Housekeeping type of decorations, but to be fair to me, its just a tree and a garland on the front door really that I bother with, and though wrapping presents is a PITA, I love having perfectly wrapped gifts under the tree. The wrapping paper has to match my matched baubles on the tree.

And I change the colour scheme of said baubles every couple of years. :o

Apart from my fussiness on that, I think Christmas is mainly about good food and good company. I've also worked about 5 Christmas day shifts in past jobs and enjoyed it.

Last year Santa came here for the first time. Much confusion on a little face. Dont know if he will understand it this year either, as he is still a bit too young, but its all a bit of fun.

Ilyana 2.0

I'm not gonna lie, I do miss the Santa days a little bit! I would have stayed up all night waiting for him if I was let :pac:

I accidentally found one of my Christmas presents this morning though :P

Neyite

Ilyana 2.0 wrote: »

I accidentally found one of my Christmas presents this morning though :P

That would never happen to me. Probably because himself only ever shops on Christmas Eve around about 4pm for it (sorry retail staff, he is one of those customers. )

Ilyana 2.0

Neyite wrote: »

That would never happen to me. Probably because himself only ever shops on Christmas Eve around about 4pm for it (sorry retail staff, he is one of those customers. )

Ha, to be fair, half the country are those kind of customers!

I'm living at home so I found it in my mum's room. She's terribly organised for Christmas every year; I wish it would rub off on me

clappyhappy

I love Christmas. We were young when our parents died and as there is 4 of us we always felt a bit lost at Christmas, no home as such to go to and not getting to see each other till after Christmas.
A few years ago we decided, as we are all married now with kids, to meet up each Christmas morning. We live within a 5 mile radius of each other. We take it in turns. so once every 4 years we host it in our house.
We meet up about a month before Christmas to do Kris Kringle. We write out what we would like to value of €150. Then on Christmas morning we give our gift and it's great as I would then get what I want and it's a decent gift with that value. We only buy for our godchildren and thankfully each child has one of us as a godparent. Have a fabulous breakfast, some cocktail, mulled wine, lovely chat. Then we are all home by 1pm to spend day with our own family and have dinner and relax for the day.
We have a new nephew this Christmas and another due in january, so family is getting bigger all the time.

Means so much to spend those few hours with my sisters and brother, and their families. Great for all the kids to see each other also. Love love love it.

pwurple

Love it. Mainly because I get to see my brothers. They are scattered all over the globe, but they all make it home for christmas every year. It's great.

rainbow kirby

Working retail at Christmas for years when I was younger pretty much killed the season for me, unfortunately. Trying to get some joy in it back but its a slow process!

I'm also not a fan of very in-your-face decorations - ours will be relatively minimalist.

Haven't started shopping at all yet - moving house in late November and that's seriously gobbling up money. Will need to start soon though - my bro lives in NZ and last posting dates are quite early for things to get there.

Myself and my OH are flying back to Dublin on 21 Dec, we'll stay in Dublin for a few days before he goes to Limerick for a family Christmas and I go to my parents' place for a rather epic turkey feast. I'll have to help out more than usual at home this year because my mum is recovering from major surgery. We've got our 2nd anniversary and my best mate from college's 30th over the holidays too, my poor liver...

I do love the Christmas Day run though, nice to see everyone looking so happy and work up a bit of an appetite too!

WesternNight

I love Christmas. I always loved the idea of a big family Christmas, but my family is tiny so it's usually very low key.

My mam used to always make the dinner, but I've done it the last few years. I don't get quite as stressed out doing it!

I do the tree as well, that was always my thing. I love decorating And my dad's thing is untangling the lights he swore blind he put away all rolled up neat the year before

It's not even Christmas itself that I love, it's the build up to it. People tend to be a little bit kinder and friendlier and there's just a lovely vibe around.

Lucyfur

Yup, it's the build up to it for me too. I have a small family too, and regularly have dinner with my mum, so that's not a big deal.

I think this'll be our last year for Santy

I like Christmas! More the atmosphere about the place than the day itself. Our family aren't really a big Christmas family..so there is never really a big deal made of it!

My Mother works most Christmas days so we usually have dinner in the evening. I buy presents for like, 2 or 3 people. Myself and my siblings don't even get each other presents We just always thought it was strange to get each other presents for some bizzaro reason..thought it would change as we got older but meh!

Will probably be working this year on Christmas day, not sure though. Wouldn't be too bothered if I was..

Gotta get a real tree at home though! :P

Neyite

WesternNight wrote: »

My mam used to always make the dinner, but I've done it the last few years. I don't get quite as stressed out doing it!

We do a part each. Someone does meat, another does veggies, another dessert, or starter and so on. Usually we prep it in our own houses and bring it on the morning to cook. Works really well and the work is shared.

Legs.Eleven

Fooking love it. It means going home to spend two weeks with family and old friends. Sometimes one or both of my siblings living in the States visits which makes is even more special (not this year though). I've bought my tickets to fly home already and I'm really looking forward to just being in my family's company and feeling safe and content.

Looking forward to heading out with old friends (although there will be less of this year with the influx of babies) and catching up as well.


This year my salary is more stable so pressie buying won't be too much of a stress except for choosing them. Usually I'm broke this time of year as I only get paid for hours I work. Got a new job that pays holidays, so really delighted about that.

Love Christmas and always have. Christmas = family for me and lucky for me, I get on very well with all of them.

javagal

Christmas has been getting crap for us over the past few years. It was just turning into a reason to drink. But now we have an 18month old and literally every time she sees a Christmas tree in a shop she proclaims 'wow nice'
Can't wait to see her little face when she gets up Christmas morning.

My Christmases as a kid used to be opening one present Christmas eve, selection boxes for breakfast, play with our toys and then visit our cousins who lived around the corner.
Then we would have dinner, mam would light the fire and we would watch Harry potter with just candles and Christmas tree lights on.

My husband's Christmases generally meant his parents getting drunk, don't want that for my daughter so trying to keep more of my traditions!

cabledude

For all the Xmas lovers here - Bliss music channel on SKY channel 376 has turned to full on Xmas mode and has changed to Blissmas. 24/7 festive music. Enjoy!!

SarahBeep!

I'm so excited to go home!! I love Christmas. This is my first non retail Christmas so I'm going to enjoy not working at all over Christmas.

I'm getting the ferry late the night of the 20th so get home early enough on the 21st. That's the night for 12 pubs!! Can't wait to see my friends. Over the last year or two I've really felt Christmas is all about family and being together. As long as I get fed Christmas Day I wouldn't mind if there was no presents!

My grandparents used to come to each of our houses on Christmas Day but about ten years ago my granny had a stroke so doesn't drive and now we all pick a time to go to hers at. She has about a hundred singing Santa things, my cousins and I used love them as kids haha

You know what I'm most excited about? Decorating my classroom!!!

Catari Jaguar

I disliked Christmas because there's so much tension and fighting and I feel claustrophobic stuck with only my immediate family. No buses, no escape. Mam decided to cancel Christmas, a strike really... so for past two years they have gone to my aunt's family for Christmas. Last year I stayed home with my fiance and his family came and I cooked dinner for them. Relatively stress free. Everything has changed now though, this will be the first Christmas since my brother passed away in March. I don't know what we will do, I don't even know what to suggest.

sammyjo90

I look forward to two things on xmas day, My sister and I have a tradition of taking the dogs for a walk while dinner is cooking and walking down the road with a can of bulmers! Been doing it for the last 6 years! the second thing is the dinner, I'm the same as Sarah, as long as I get fed im happy! I do not look forward to around 6 o clock when everyone but me is asleep!!

SarahBeep!

I love my after dinner nap then going back for more!!

TommieBoy

I haven't celebrated Christmas in a few years - I LOOOOOVE IT! Although, I doubt it will be much fun without someone to celebrate it with... But I shall try anyway

XxMCRxBabyxX

I think Christmas is starting to hit me. I've just realised that I won't be home for the Toy Show and I'm actually tempted to cancel plans so that I can be. Sky+ on a Saturday just isn't the same!

Ilyana 2.0

I missed baking the cake yesterday, usually my Dad and my sister and I all help out. Still a bit sad about that!

Snoopy1

I hate it.
Im usually working all over Christmas. Ive no family over here, and by the time i finish on Christmas day, theres no point going round someones house, so i'll be on my own.
I do like seeing all the houses lit up though

Dortilolma

Love it! Love it!
Just bought a new house and even though we're broke I'm damn well getting and putting up decorations!
Can't afford presents this year but I'll still be doing the mince pies and the hot port and mulled wine!

Malari

I love Christmas so much! I love the food, the wine, the atmosphere, the presents (I mean for other people ), seeing my siblings for the first time in ages! I think I get as excited now as I did when I was a child :pac:

Princess Peach

Ilyana 2.0 wrote: »

I missed baking the cake yesterday, usually my Dad and my sister and I all help out. Still a bit sad about that!

Me too! We have a tradition too that anyone in the house at the time has to give it a stir for luck. Visiting friends always found that a bit funny!

I am excited this year cause in 10 days I'm going to the Christmas markets in Cologne

beks101

I wouldn't say I'm "Christmas mad' or anything, it's been years since I've felt that "magic" I once got as a kid on Christmas morning, but I think living abroad has given me a fresh perspective on its importance in terms of making time for your family and friends.

For my first year in Canada, we had just arrived a couple of months earlier so fundage was fairly low all round and we decided to do a "Canadian Christmas". First time for all of us to be away from the family home over the festive season, but we made it our own. Everyone got assigned a "dish" (I was on "Christmas cupcake duty" !), we exchanged presents, played games, got drunk, watched Christmassy movies, went for a walk in the snow (which was about three feet thick), got more drunk, ate way way way too much and crashed out.

It was a wonderful, magical time which I'll never forget, but it also hammered home how important it is as a family time, and since then I've made an effort every year to get home no matter what my circumstances. That's what Christmas is really about in my household - Dad gets up early and makes a big fry up, we all get up in our own time and open presents, walk the prom, sit around watching silly movies and we all pitch in for the big turkey dinner.

A few years ago Christmas became a really, really difficult time for me though, as I was struggling with an eating disorder and being stuck in a house loaded with enough food to feed an army, taunting me on every corner, was just more than I could handle. I remember one year I ended up going back to college early despite having reams of time off, just because I couldn't handle it. So that's something I always think about every year - the thousands of people who actively dread it because it brings them face to face with these complex, torturous food issues at a time of year where food is probably most prominent as a social connection.

Princess Peach

beks101 wrote: »

A few years ago Christmas became a really, really difficult time for me though, as I was struggling with an eating disorder and being stuck in a house loaded with enough food to feed an army, taunting me on every corner, was just more than I could handle. I remember one year I ended up going back to college early despite having reams of time off, just because I couldn't handle it. So that's something I always think about every year - the thousands of people who actively dread it because it brings them face to face with these complex, torturous food issues at a time of year where food is probably most prominent as a social connection.

Last year I was determined to keep my Christmas dinner down for the first time in many years, which meant not stuffing myself to the point of feeling sick. A few people actually gave me slack for having smaller portions than the norm of stack your plate till it can fit no more!

I just thought they probably have more issues than they think if they care how much I eat :pac:

McChubbin

I ate a whole Christmas pudding to myself the other day. I regret nothing.
Granted, it was a MINI-pudding but still...:P

Femme_Fatale

Christmas is the one time of year I find it hard to be single. Other than that though, I like it. I don't love it as much as I used to, but I do really like it. I love getting together with family, with friends I don't see much throughout the year, having time off work, the movies on TV, the nights out, and of course the food and drink. Oh and the presents.

Not too shabby a time at all, in fairness.