Shit Christmas Things.

Sounds perfect. Thanks so much!

Sorry I tried to send you the recipe via pm but wasn't able to.
It's basically quite an improvised recipe so no exact quantities, it's all done by estimation.
I soak the chickpeas over night. I also soak a smallish quantity of Mung beans and a few black beans and white beans with the chickpeas. I love the flavour of Mung beans.
When I make the stew on Christmas eve I boil up the soaked pulses for 10 minutes while I prepare the veg. I chop up about 3 cloves of garlic, an onion, about 3 large carrots and a red pepper. This year I also added a chopped parsnip to the veg.
Then I heat up sesame oil in the base of the large soup pan. Add the veg and saute for a few minutes.
I add two cans of chopped tomatoes and some water. I put in the boiled and rinsed pulses. Add about five large potato chopped into rough pieces.
Then I add a pack of the Sainsbury's chorizo slices - the 34 slice pack. This year I added half a Polish garlic sausage - chopped into rough slices.
Then I add ground black pepper, salt, oregano and basil.
Bring the whole lot to the boil and simmer for about and and a half - until the chicken peas are cooked.
So on Christmas day when we come in from our lunch time / early afternoon walk it just has to be heated up. Served with some nice bread and rioja and followed by profiteroles.

Would you mind sharing the recipe please? Sounds lovely.

That if feels like a marathon so tiring with so much to do

Being on your own.

Boxing day leftovers are shite. Bubble and squeak, cold slices of meat. Get in the bin.

My mum always does a horrendous turkey curry on boxing day. Turkey isn't great the first time around. You cannot improve it by serving it the following day from a slow cooker with a tin of chopped tomatoes, sultanas and whatever spices are knocking about in the cupboard 🤢

My dad always did a goose. He got it from the same local village butchers that everyone got their turkey from. I think most good butchers will do goose if there is a demand for it. I think Goose was once a more traditionally English Christmas bird than turkey.

Can live with an aisle of chocolate eggs in the supermarket! (however ridiculous in January)

Yup, Lindt Bunnies are out, while the Teddies are half price.

Supermarket mince pies.
Mince pies, in general…

Shops have already started putting easter eggs out

SecondClassmyass Every other year would be good although I would respectfully like to suggest every four years like the Olympics.

In bed recovering from flu... why I'm commenting on MN.

I've always preferred Easter to Christmas for many of the reasons outlined above - the weather is better (well, only occasionally horrendous), the evenings are getting brighter, the flowers are coming out and for some reason it has defied the horrific over- commercialization of Christmas. I am not particularly religious myself but do like the way it's stayed a recognisably religious festival, if that makes sense.

Christmas songs everywhere, all the time! Apart from the Pogues every single Christmas song is hideous ear-rot and designed to drive you mad.
Smelly twig/oil combos. I got just got given three and they're utterly bloody thoughtless, pointless and awful. I'm going to hoard them and return to the senders next year.

Our turkey was also fantastic this year. We also had crackers with a game which we enjoyed and are going to play again at new year.

This week is shit though. Made even worse by the death of the high street. Usually I would go sales shopping with my friend and we’d have lunch. It was always one of my favourite traditions. But 2 department stores, M&S and loads of other places have gone rendering it pointless.

@KimberleyClark I agree with all that-wehave what the butcher calls a 'celebration cockerel '( 9lb chicken) for 4 of us and mince pies the same

I don’t mind Christmas but I think celebrating every year is too often 😋
Christmas should be every other year in my ideal world, I would appreciate it more.

I absolutely hate hate hate buying presents, I don’t want to receive them and I don’t want to buy them.
i don’t like turkey lunch but I love turkey sandwiches 🤤
Boxing Day is so boring and unnecessary, never know what to do on that day apart from go on a gloomy walk & end up at the pub.

I honestly think the shittiest thing about Christmas is that it is in midwinter.

Children are tired and ill.
The weather can be rubbish.
The dark days are not good for lots of travelling. My brother and I gave up trying to meet in December when inevitably at least one child had a contagious illness.

I would vote for tying it in with August Bank Holiday myself.

People who actually believe in the religious aspect can of course go to church in December to do that bit, although all the evidence points to it being the wrong time of year anyway.

those crackers sound great! and not much more than better quality normal ones.
I always try to make sure to get the ones with useful, non plastic things in them.I got a mini keyring tape measure in mine, which is going to be useful. things like bottle openers, trolley tokens, little glasses tools (I've already got one of those, and keep it with my sunglasses, because one of the screws often comes a bit loose,and needs tightening up on the go) my mum got nail clippers, and was pleased with that because she can never find a pair when she needs them.
the socks do sound great though, for an adult household. everyone likes getting new socks.

I don’t mind turkey but it’s just pointless if it’s just DH and me as it was this year as DH is only really interested in the legs. We had a chicken, with my home made stuffing. I don’t buy shop mince pies, I buy ready made pastry and mincemeat and bake them at home. So much lighter and less stodgy.

I find B& H hand wash quite nice.

I'm sure Christmas TV used to be pretty good. now it's all repeats. old films, bloody Morcambe and Wise every bloody year! trust me, everyone that wants to see it has seen it. it doesn't need to be on every year!
I used to like when they had an alternative christmas speech on channel 4, like when it was Ali G. and there would usually be a few new release films and some festive classics. it's like Halloween. they used to always have good horror films on, and now you'd think it was any other day.

I love turkey & ours was delicious this year!
I also love mince pies & have found the nicest ones this year to be Aldi Specially selected whiskey infused hand made local mince pies. Served warm with baileys cream

I hate the pressure of enforced extended family jollity & all the travel it entails & now that parents are older it's falling on us to do all the driving or feel guilty leaving them alone.

Anyway that part's done for another year now

I cannot stand 'pigs in blankets'. They're absolutely vile & sausages have no place on a roast dinner in my world.

Also detest sausage meat stuffing also vile overpowering flavor ruining everything it comes close to

No Yorkshire puddings either

I love a European Christmas market as an excuse to have a weekend away somewhere lovely. Just go for an hour or two & then explore the rest of the city. We've been to Budapest, Prague, Lisbon, frankfurt etc & enjoyed them all.

urgh beige party food. I hate it because that's all my PIL have, they talk about it as if it's such a huge treat to basically have Gregg's worst in pastry for breakfast.
No thanks.