Pass the mince pies- Christmas Chat Thread Part Deux

jellybear

I'm cocooning so I feel your pain Jude. Missing my walks big time

Posy

I made hot cross buns and a lemon jelly cheesecake this weekend. I spent Saturday working in the garden- the weather was glorious!
Did some painting, plus I put down compost and lawn seed on the lawn bald patch, and made a fence/mesh concoction to stop the dog digging it up. She is the reason there are bald patches on the lawn in the first place. :rolleyes: :pac:

I also put down some new solar lights I got in Argos a couple of months ago, so the garden is looking fresher.

A lot done, more to do! (DAMN YOU WEEDS)

TRS30

Watched Paddington 2 last night. Randomly came across it when surfing the kids channels. We all sat down to watch it. We watched it before back on one of the days between Christmas and New Years. Bought back some great memories and for some reason made me feel very melancholy and missing Christmas

Loughc

How is everyone surviving now?

Has lockdown boredom set in yet? I've been busier than ever in work, but hoping it will calm down from tomorrow for a bit!

New Home

I swear, if it weren't that I'm worried sick for my elderly family members, I'd sign up for this any day. I'll probably be more upset when I have to go back to work in the actual office (as opposed to be working from home).

DvB

Finding the work day very long working from home, am shattered at the end of each day. Doesnt help that I'm very busy either. Looking forward to turning off the pc tomorrow evening.

Posy

Why can't we have another 4 day weekend, waah!

DenMan

Another beautiful day today, got lots done in the garden! Good to get ahead of the game before the summer growth. Hope everyone is keeping safe. Mind yourself all!

DvB

Posy wrote: »

Why can't we have another 4 day weekend, waah!

Especially as it felt like far more than 4 days, cant speak for anyone else but we were saying it felt like a longer break than that, having decent weather helped too though.

Was only thinking, I was due to have this week off as annual leave to cover the kids easter holidays but ended up not taking them due to being so busy so am thinking of (when the workload eases anyway) of spreading those 4 days across 4 weeks & take 4 Fridays off in a row giving me 4 long weekends. Otherwise when we finally get to go back to something akin to normality I'll have a huge amount of leave to take in a far more condensed period of time.

Bonus is, I wasnt going to use extra leave over christmas this year & take 2 full weeks off but may well end up doing that now & having the entire christmas week off & then not come back until 4th Jan. Silver linings!!

TRS30

DvB wrote: »

Especially as it felt like far more than 4 days, cant speak for anyone else but we were saying it felt like a longer break than that, having decent weather helped too though.

Was only thinking, I was due to have this week off as annual leave to cover the kids easter holidays but ended up not taking them due to being so busy so am thinking of (when the workload eases anyway) of spreading those 4 days across 4 weeks & take 4 Fridays off in a row giving me 4 long weekends. Otherwise when we finally get to go back to something akin to normality I'll have a huge amount of leave to take in a far more condensed period of time.

Bonus is, I wasnt going to use extra leave over christmas this year & take 2 full weeks off but may well end up doing that now & having the entire christmas week off & then not come back until 4th Jan. Silver linings!!

Boss sent an email yesterday asking about annual leave for the rest of the year. Obviously with things being so up in the air no one is fully sure what leave they want/need however the senior bosses are worried about everyone wanting to be off later in the year at the same time. I had the second two weeks of August booked and have kept they for the minute so will see how things are looking mid summer.

Can definitely see myself having enough leave though to be able to take the two weeks at Christmas. So as you said DvB, silver linings and all that. Will take any positives I can at the minute.

DvB

TRS30 wrote: »

Will take any positives I can at the minute.

Or as I say 'Little victories'

iguana

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-uk-scientists-start-mass-producing-vaccines-while-trials-are-still-under-way-11974920

Hopefully some good news. Wouldn't it be amazing? We could have the absolute best Christmas ever if it works out!

Jude13

To ensure we have steady income through the year we require everyone to take at least half their leave by the end of June. Bit of a pain in the bum but that is reality.

Going mad in lock down, need a run, I am eating my way through the house.

The OH cut my hair yesterday, which turned out great.

freshpopcorn

We're into the 240's!

Posy

Woop, 249 days to go!

Littlehorny

Hi All. You'll never guess what Christmas movie was on E4 last night!?!

Jude13

Die Hard? (runs away)

DvB

Littlehorny wrote: »

Hi All. You'll never guess what Christmas movie was on E4 last night!?!

The weekly showing of Home Alone perchance?

TRS30

DvB wrote: »

The weekly showing of Home Alone perchance?

Would nearly be willing to put my mortgage on it been this!

TRS30

Posy wrote: »

Woop, 249 days to go!

I know Was just looking at the countdown thread and couldn't believe the 250 is in the rear view mirror already!

DvB

TRS30 wrote: »

Would nearly be willing to put my mortgage on it been this!

Seems to be on weekly at this stage anyway.

When browsing online over the weekend saw Polar Express & Elf appear also... methinks the lockdown has brought out the Christmas craving in a few people.

TRS30

DvB wrote: »

Seems to be on weekly at this stage anyway.

When browsing online over the weekend saw Polar Express & Elf appear also... methinks the lockdown has brought out the Christmas craving in a few people.

As we said previously, silver linings and all that!

DvB

TRS30 wrote: »

As we said previously, silver linings and all that!

& here's another one, the Mrs told me over the weekend she'd never seen 'Santa Claus, The Movie' ... I thought everone of our vintage had seen it, so was a tad surprised. SO I had a quick check & its on my Christmas movie playlist so told her that we'd push it to the top of the queue (well, other than before 'The Nightmare before christmas', thats ALWAYS the played first, just after Halloween) for our Christmas build up movie nights...

Added Klaus to it as well the other day, great little film that.

Loughc

Posy wrote: »

Woop, 249 days to go!

When life settles back into the normal grind we will be almost half way though the year! Coronavirus has certainly provided a distraction to the non-festive months.

Jude13

We watched the first two episodes of 'The Movies That Made Us' on TV last night and the second esposide was about Home Alone. It was excellent, loads of unknown facts. Also, I never knew Chris Columbus was the original director of Christmas Vacation. Well worth a watch.

DvB

Jude13 wrote: »

We watched the first two episodes of 'The Movies That Made Us' on TV last night and the second esposide was about Home Alone. It was excellent, loads of unknown facts. Also, I never knew Chris Columbus was the original director of Christmas Vacation. Well worth a watch.

Saw that Home Alone episode before, as you say loads of trivia, really enjoyed it.

jellybear

jellybear wrote: »

I was watching a programme earlier and during the break, an Eason Christmas ad came on about finding the perfect gift...I actually said, out loud, "Ah here, that's way too early!"....it was a programme I'd recorded last November and was only getting around to watching now

It happened again...this time it was for 'Tayto Christmas Party Boxes'...I raised an eyebrow and then laughed at my stupidity!

freshpopcorn

189 days to Halloween guys.
It might be a bit different this year. Everyone might be wearing masks.

TRS30

freshpopcorn wrote: »

189 days to Halloween guys.
It might be a bit different this year. Everyone might be wearing masks.

Makes you wonder, assuming there is no wide spread vaccine before Christmas, what do you guys think could be different for the Christmas period?? i.e. staying 2 meters from Santa

DvB

TRS30 wrote: »

Makes you wonder, assuming there is no wide spread vaccine before Christmas, what do you guys think could be different for the Christmas period?? i.e. staying 2 meters from Santa

I think if we keep the transmission rate low & by default the numbers requiring access to ICU low then we'll see a close enough return to normality by then. The pubs and large gatherings being the ongoing casualties.

Hopefully in that time treatment(s) will be identified that work better allowing the additional time it may take for a vaccine to be developed, which may never in reality. We cant stay in this economic slumber forever so at some stage a managed return, but living with the virus, will be required. We have to work on the basis therer may never be a vaccine, then if we do find one its a bonus.

BTW, dont go near the covid19 forum... its the 100% oposite to this one, the infighting & sniping is outrageous. Not a happy place at all.