Ooops! Christmas is coming!

[Paulclem]

I was wandering around town, minding my own business on Saturday, when I began to notice the glitter of arcade and shop Christmas decorations. I met my wife and daughter, and we had lunch. My wife then declared that she had bought most of the prezzies online for this year.

Thinking about it, considering that I work full time and also help in the allotment shop at weekends, I realised I'd probably only got 6 shopping days left before Christmas.

I decided I'd be getting my stuff online too.

Are you sorted?

[Buckthorn]

I usually have everything bought by December 1st, last year I bought everything online. So far I have bought nothing this year, I intend to do it all online at two am sometime at the end of November/beginning of December.

[Lokasenna]

My local Tesco has been stocking Christmas rubbish for several months now. I don't know why they don't just drape tinsel over the Easter eggs and have done with it...

Seriously, some of the Christmas food they've been stocking goes past its use-by-date months before Christmas! What's the point of having, say, a Christmas-themed stilton that's uneatable by mid-November? The only thing different about it, as far as I can see, is that it costs slightly more than a non-Christmas themed lump of cheese...

I have done no Christmas shopping yet, and what little shopping I will do will be done in December. I find the whole orgy of consumerism deeply distasteful, and the fact that it gets earlier every year worrying. If I put up any decorations this year (and that's a big 'if'), I shall do so on Christmas Eve, and they'll come down on Twelfth Night.

Bah, humbug.

[kiki1982]

:lol: tinsel over the Easter eggs!! haha, that's a good one. I'm starting to wonder why they don't just leave all-year deco on. It would save a lot of time.

But seriously, you've got a point.

When we came to Germany in 2008, everything was pretty disciplined: Christmas deco and goodies came around the start of Advent (together with the Christmas markets) and stayed until about Twelfth Night. I noticed the next year that supermarkets gear up for Christmas subliminally by displaying all the Merci and Ferrero chocolates, because that's what people give to their neighbours or acquaintances and such people (they deserve recognition, but do not need a full-blown present). I think they might be hanging up the deco in the streets about now, but they'll only switch it on around the start of Advent.
However, this year was really the first year that the 'back to school' things were in the local supermarket TOGETHER with the chocolate-coated lebkuchen. Back to school, for those who don't know, is halfway August, which makes it even worse. I don't think the biscuits go off any time soon, but it's just the idea. We weren't out of our summer clothes yet and were sweating in the last of our Indian summer and there were Christmas biscuits with snow-decorated packaging glaring at us from the shelves...

The Germans used to be so disciplined, but it's come here too, it seems.

We have to go shopping earlier for prezzies this year. Last time we did it in the nick of time (24th...) and decorate the Christmas tree too. So much work that we couldn't even think about that.
Shame.

[Aylinn]

We weren't out of our summer clothes yet and were sweating in the last of our Indian summer and there were Christmas biscuits with snow-decorated packaging glaring at us from the shelves...

Wow, Christmas biscuits in the middle of August. :confused5:

Maybe next time they will start to sell them in the middle of June?

Thankfully, I haven't spotted Christmas decoration in supermarkets in Poland. But this thread reminded me that close to my family home there was a shop where they didn't bother removing Christmas decoration for 6 years.

[hannah_arendt]

My local Tesco has been stocking Christmas rubbish for several months now. I don't know why they don't just drape tinsel over the Easter eggs and have done with it...

Seriously, some of the Christmas food they've been stocking goes past its use-by-date months before Christmas! What's the point of having, say, a Christmas-themed stilton that's uneatable by mid-November? The only thing different about it, as far as I can see, is that it costs slightly more than a non-Christmas themed lump of cheese...

I have done no Christmas shopping yet, and what little shopping I will do will be done in December. I find the whole orgy of consumerism deeply distasteful, and the fact that it gets earlier every year worrying. If I put up any decorations this year (and that's a big 'if'), I shall do so on Christmas Eve, and they'll come down on Twelfth Night.

Bah, humbug.

In fact, Christmas decorations don`t have anything in common with Xmas. It doesn`t bother me but I think that we have lost the meaning of this time.

[Lokasenna]

In fact, Christmas decorations don`t have anything in common with Xmas. It doesn`t bother me but I think that we have lost the meaning of this time.

Well, that's true. How often do you actually see Christmas associated with the birth of Christ with any real sincerity? Instead we have Santa Claus, who is a vestigal echo of the god Odin - a heathen deity whose dignity has been stripped away by the various PR departments of major brands.

[Helga]

Christmas decorations start very early on the ice, and I believe the post office already has gotten some santa letters, for some reason kids think he lives here. We have 13 Santa Clauses and they all have names their specie is Santa Clause.

I have to admit I got used to early shopping when I had a job and buying everything in December was not good for my purse. I don't have that problem anymore... but I still have gotten most of my shopping done.

In the upbringing of my kid I don't focus that much on Jesus and his part in the holiday, it's a family holiday in my mind. I think it says a lot about how I raise my son what happened in a novelty store once, he pointed to a figurine and said :Hey it's Obi Wan Kenobi! I looked at it and told him it was Jesus.

[PeterL]

You mean that there are people who still haven't switched to celebrating Sol Invictus on the fourth day after the Winter Solstice?

[Scheherazade]

I love Christmas but I don't like shopping during that time. Christmas songs are causing strong physical reactions such as nausea... I truly feel sorry for people who work as sale assistants, having to listen to those "jolly" tunes all day long for weeks.

[JBI]

The only thing I hate more than Christmas is Chinese New Year - all the chaos, the overblown commercial season, the awful traffic, the closing of whole cities, the inconvenience, the annoyance, the shops loaded with ugly crap, the switching of television and radio programs for awful holiday nonsense, the whole vibe just bothers me. I avoid one this year, but Chinese new year is going to plague me at the end of January. At least most Jews don't practice that hideous gift giving thing where you spend too much to buy people gifts they don't like, then you fight a war to return them to buy more stuff you don't need.

A tip for all you serious shoppers - go on December 23rd or 24th before the shops close down, put what you want to buy on hold, wait for boxing day, and pick up your marked down goods without needing to go through the hassle of fighting for the remnants of what the more insane shoppers don't want. No headache, no fighting, just cool, calm shopping. This holiday season, shop with your brain not with your passion!

[Ecurb]

Bah, Humbug to all (most) of you, too!


G.K.Chesterton

There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.

A child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost---how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky's dome.

This world is wild as an old wife's tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall all men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

[liza]

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[JBI]

The above poster posted what? It's being filtered out here because of the censorship.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

The above poster posted what? It's being filtered out here because of the censorship.

It's a video of some broad named Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Over here we have a tradition that started, God knows when maybe 15, 20 years ago, known as "Black Friday" shopping assault.
The Friday after Thanksgiving has evolved into the kick off day for Christmas shopping.
However, this year, the competition is trying to get the upper hand by opening their doors of Thanksgiving day.

Anyhow, here's a video compilation I found of Black Friday stampedes...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dIBL4tYQPI

[qimissung]

I love Christmas. I despise the commercialism we have so crassly descended to. The other day on the radio someone said Wal-Mart was going to make their first Black Friday offering on Thanksgiving Day, which makes me despise them even more. I have never gone shopping on the weekend after Thanksgiving. I usually just ask my sons what they want and get them one or two things. We're kind of a small family, so I don't have to do too much shopping. Last year I got my ex-husband's step-granddaughters a bunch of dresses. They don't live with their mom anymore and I thought that might be something they would like. I did it again in August and their grandma sent me pictures. It did warm the cockles of my heart, I must say.

So, here's my favorite Christmas carol. It's not jolly, I promise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t9j2of0s9k

[mona amon]

Qimi, I love that song too, and always make it a point to be in church the first Sunday in Advent, when we sing it. This is my favourite version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CohbAHsUk2w

We don't give Christmas gifts out here, thank goodness, so that takes most of the stress out, but we have to get new clothes, see that the sari blouses are stitched in time and so on, and bake a lot of fruit cakes to distribute to the neighbours. All part of the fun. :)

[liza]

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[Lokasenna]

As always, Mr Tom Lehrer offers us a song in the finest tradition of the Christmas carol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtZR3lJobjw

Actually, I do rather like carol singing - and usually do make it a point do some. Our neighbouring town has a nice tradition whereby everyone gathers in the town square the night before Christmas Eve to sing carols - my family and I usually go and take part in that.

Any other favourite carols? I'm particularly fond of Gaudete.

[hannah_arendt]

Well, that's true. How often do you actually see Christmas associated with the birth of Christ with any real sincerity? Instead we have Santa Claus, who is a vestigal echo of the god Odin - a heathen deity whose dignity has been stripped away by the various PR departments of major brands.

About Odin, I haven`t heard. However at least, cities are a little bit more colourful here and prettier :)

[valdezmadeline3]

shopping is the main task remaining

[kiki1982]

The above poster posted what? It's being filtered out here because of the censorship.

You talk about censorship... In Germany, we get nothing either because the copyright guys of GEMA think everything is violation of copyright and relish in blocking it, even if it's put online by the artist himself...

Anyway, yes, the spending too much on stuff people don't want... I know that. At least now I do no longer have to get my family of 10 people anything anymore, because since I've been in Germany I can't make it to Belgium anymore... the Bahn is too fickle (they stop riding around 6 o'clock on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve)... OK, if I wanted to, I would be able to go, but Christmas TV on the BBC is too good, hotels in Belgium too expensive and buying 10 presents for a serious amount is just too much for me. They might get an extra month's wages at the end of the year, but as we are independent, we don't. And I never know what to buy anyway (not even for my parents), so that makes things easy. My parents come to us for Christmas every year , receive a slap-up meal (which my father appreciates very much and he doesn't appreciate much so well that he tells you) and then go home again.

After last year's débacle at the Christmas market of Trier (there were so many people you literally couldn't move), we decided to go to Nuremberg again. The first time I saw it in 2011, it had something Dickensian: little wooden stalls with things hanging from their opened up fronts and lit up in the darkness of the square. People weren't rushed, you could move, it's VAST, there is nice atmospheric music and the stuff they sell is so much better than what you get on those further in the west of Germany. AND there is a nice restaurant serving Thai curry. This year I'm hopefully taking a 200EUR budget to blow on tin, wooden and straw deco. And we'll attempt to see the bit of Nazi rally ground we couldn't find last time (as a side note).

I don't do the birth of Jesus thing either. I like to think of it as Jul and the feast of the light coming back, which it was originally, I believe. Reason why before Prince Albert married Victoria and brought the Christmas trees all the way from the Black Forest to decorate the palace with in England, the English used to decorate their houses with holly and other wintery shrubs, holly being the plant of the male Germanic God who stood for light (or that's how much I've remembered from reading up on it). I just don't see what the point is in pretending that the birth of Jesus is at all connected with Jul-trees and Father Christmas.

But on the up, we'll be making our mincepies, Christmas pudding and biscuits again. To eat when we are already feeling sick :D
Do you know, yesterday we saw an advert of German supermarket chain Aldi on ITV advertising German Christmas delights (like cinnamon stars, yum yum yum, really try them!) with the slogan 'Wunderbar'. We laughed our heads off, because you wouldn't have had anything like that a few years ago! And it's reasonable stuff too. What they sell here.

[liza]

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[Ecurb]

I'm not a Christian, but I love the Christmas story, as told in Luke. It's so joyful, especially compared to Easter (the other big Christian festival). When my son was two months old, his mother and I visited my parents. We left our infant with my folks for the day to go to the Chicago Art Institute. Since my son's mom had never been away from my son for a whole day, she (predictably) started lactating whenever she saw pictures of Baby Jesus.

It's a funny story, but one reason the Christmas Story resonates with so many people is that we all think our own children are born to save us from our sins, and to give us eternal life. In fact (in a sense at least) our children DO save us from our sins and give us eternal life. The Christmas story takes these natural parental feelings and makes them both explicit and universal.

[kiki1982]

any comment about my song .. nobody is saying something :nonod:

Sorry, no can do :nonod:. GEMA again.

[Buckthorn]

My Christmas shopping starts tomorrow. Can't wait:(

Regarding Christmas music, I have always thought this was a great cover of the Paul McCartney song by Tom McRae:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCVi5Tn2SJc

[Buckthorn]

I made a big dent in the shopping, about half done now. I'm glad I started earlyish as the queues weren't too bad and most people seemed to be friendly and in a good mood.
My sister has been in the early stages of labour for 2 days so I ventured into the Disney Shop to get some ideas for presents for the baby, I ended up spending £64 on presents for him/her.

[qimissung]

Qimi, I love that song too, and always make it a point to be in church the first Sunday in Advent, when we sing it. This is my favourite version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CohbAHsUk2w

We don't give Christmas gifts out here, thank goodness, so that takes most of the stress out, but we have to get new clothes, see that the sari blouses are stitched in time and so on, and bake a lot of fruit cakes to distribute to the neighbours. All part of the fun. :)


The idea of Christmas gifts is symbolic anyway-or should be. I always think about making something to give to the neighbors, but I never do.

[kiki1982]

Oh here it's expected!

Well, they are nice people, really. They look after the cats and the plants whenever we go on holiday. And we can use the neighbour's building material like big spirit levels and things quite often... I was quite surprised the first Christmas we had here, receiving gifts from neighbours. It had never crossed my mind before. In Belgium you say hello to each other in the best case, you don't give them chocolate.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I hate the commercialism of it too. It all stresses me even though Mrs N takes most of the weight out of buying things, it still is annoying. I spent one hour on Amazon this morning ordering things in a list, stressing over what battery charger to get because of all the batteries that gets eaten at this time. Spent an age looking over various pros and cons of battery chargers just to save the usual running to the corner shop to buy batteries to fill up some annoying plastic thing. In the end I spent £30 on two battery chargers which included four batteries each though an eight hour charge, so will need to some batteries anyway! This was deemed the better alternative than spending £45 on battery chargers that take an hour. And so on and so on with each ridiculous thing, such as we are 2p off of the free delivery on £25 for book people so need another book from there for free postage. Or the fiasco of searching for wii remotes and trying to find the best cheap alternative to the originals, as they are £30 each and apparently we need three? So comparing endless reviews. Also trying to work out which whisky to buy or find the best deals on beer and wine and so on and on. What a load of nonsense. Just give me the two weeks off work and I'm done. Back to chess...

[Paulclem]

I've been online too. Not stressful compared to traipsing round shops. The good thing about online is that you can get everything you want, and then wander round the shops, getting the odd thing that you might see, but which is not essential.

[Emil Miller]

I hate the commercialism of it too. It all stresses me even though Mrs N takes most of the weight out of buying things, it still is annoying. Also trying to work out which whisky to buy or find the best deals on beer and wine and so on and on. What a load of nonsense. Just give me the two weeks off work and I'm done. Back to chess...


Nobody, not even Scrooge, dislikes Christmas as much as I do. A free spirit hates ritual where one is expected to conform to a ridiculous charade in which Christmas day isn't even the day that Christ was born but a date taken from a pre-christianity festival for a Roman god. I would be more in tune with it were it altered to the original date, which I think is some time in September. I thought about holidaying in Berlin this Christmas but the Germans insist on celebrating Christmas day to the full, which means virtually a complete shut down. The last time I spent Christmas day in Berlin, I went into the communist zone which, as one might expect, didn't quite die on Christmas day even though it was a holiday.

I'm partial to Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey but, just now, I have a half-bottle of Teachers Highland Cream which is excellent. i don't go for the single malts that are expensive and reminiscent of gnarled and parsimonious old Scotsmen drinking a thimbleful before hanging up their bagpipes and going to bed.
if you haven't tried it already, l recommend Armagnac brandy, which is earthier than cognac and slightly more expensive due to its cachet as a niche brandy. If you are cooking for the holiday period, you might try a good claret like St.Emilion or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the vintage supermarket selection; they are infinitely more agreeable than the average table wine.

Glad you have become more interested in chess, as i have similarly decided to reduce time on the computer in favour of the piano under the tuition of a new teacher.

[Volya]

I love Christmas. It is a time of merry-making, family, love and happiness. I cannot understand why people dislike it :/ Ignore the commercialism and do not let it ruin a wonderful holiday for you :)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Nobody, not even Scrooge, dislikes Christmas as much as I do. A free spirit hates ritual where one is expected to conform to a ridiculous charade in which Christmas day isn't even the day that Christ was born but a date taken from a pre-christianity festival for a Roman god. I would be more in tune with it were it altered to the original date, which I think is some time in September. I thought about holidaying in Berlin this Christmas but the Germans insist on celebrating Christmas day to the full, which means virtually a complete shut down. The last time I spent Christmas day in Berlin, I went into the communist zone which, as one might expect, didn't quite die on Christmas day even though it was a holiday.

I'm partial to Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey but, just now, I have a half-bottle of Teachers Highland Cream which is excellent. i don't go for the single malts that are expensive and reminiscent of gnarled and parsimonious old Scotsmen drinking a thimbleful before hanging up their bagpipes and going to bed.
if you haven't tried it already, l recommend Armagnac brandy, which is earthier than cognac and slightly more expensive due to its cachet as a niche brandy. If you are cooking for the holiday period, you might try a good claret like St.Emilion or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the vintage supermarket selection; they are infinitely more agreeable than the average table wine.

Glad you have become more interested in chess, as i have similarly decided to reduce time on the computer in favour of the piano under the tuition of a new teacher.

I'm not keen on brandy. I do usually have a little whisky at Christmas but had two bottles last year and it took me too long to drink it, so might not bother with it this year. I am going to get one or two mid range French red wine, Bordeaux or something, maybe one bottle of champagne and several cases of San Miguel which is what I am drinking at the moment, also maybe the odd Belgian if I can get it, though not going crazy. That over two weeks is not much.

Yes I am spending a lot of time with my chess. I joined a local club but was not impressed so left, but have a strong online group where I can play, learn and analyse. (Chess clubs in this country outside of London are pretty poor in comparison to many on the continent.) Also reading lots and studying in general. Slowly getting better but improvement is a long journey requiring a lot of time and continual building up of experience. Glad you have redoubled your efforts on the piano too.

[Scheherazade]

I love Christmas. It is a time of merry-making, family, love and happiness. I cannot understand why people dislike it :/ Ignore the commercialism and do not let it ruin a wonderful holiday for you :)I can tell you are not the one who has to shop, prepare, cook and clear up (not to mention to pay) for that "merry-making"!

:D

[Volya]

I can tell you are not the one who has to shop, prepare, cook and clear up (not to mention to pay) for that "merry-making"!

:D

Yes I suppose that is true :lol:

[kiki1982]

Or the one who is 'blessed' with well-meaning, but sadly boring and unintelligent family who don't see how good BBC X-mas TV is and prefer watching the millionth repeat of one series or another... Or even worse, who express their political opinions warped by slightly racist ideas, at which point you go to the toilet to count to ten...
It's true, I feel appreciated every time I go, but we have nothing much in common. That's the problem.
That doesn't include my parents, but I tell you, one day is really enough.

I always used to look forward to Christmas, also as a young adult, but it was always a kind of soufflé-left-too-long outside the oven-thing. It just rose and rose and rose, and then pffffffffff, out comes the air.

[*Classic*Charm*]

I can tell you are not the one who has to shop, prepare, cook and clear up (not to mention to pay) for that "merry-making"!

:D

I love all of these things. Seriously. I love buying gifts for my loved ones. Thinking about how long I've known them, and all the stuff we've done together, and what they like, and how I can most bring a smile to their faces with a gift. I love Christmas as an excuse to buy things for others and make donations to charities. I don't shop early- I like to go out in the thick of the holiday bustle. I make all our table centre-pieces out of fresh greenery, I decorate the tree. I love Christmas movies and music. My mother and I bake together and do the cooking together. I love setting the dinner table for 30 or so people, and spending time with my family and friends. I love all of it.



Or even worse, who express their political opinions warped by slightly racist ideas, at which point you go to the toilet to count to ten...

Ha, there's some of that. But it's my father, so I'm used to doing that daily. He's the epitome of a grinch.

[synodbio]

This Christmas am planning for cookie decorating party for kids, with some sugar cookies, icing, and food coloring -- and of course, the unmatchable power of kids imaginations.