To be hankering after a proper, old-fashioned christmas?

[BaublesandCuntingCarolSingers]

I hate the modern christmasses, with their pink and purple and wrapping papers/baubles. I don't like modern christmas trees, I've seen monstrosities in BLACK and turquoise fgs! What is the meaning of this?!

I would like to see a return to proper christmasses like what we had when we were little. One "big" present if you were lucky, wrapped in proper thin paper and then a few bits that would keep you amused for all of christmas. I wouldn't mind of someone wanted to come carol singing at my house, either. They would be invited in for gluhwein and mince pies. After dinner, everyone sits down to watch a proper christmas film instead of having their faces stuck in their Nintendo WankStain.

Sorry, all of the pink/purple decorations on This Morning have mad me feel a bit stabby.

Disney wrapping paper too. And tags.
You realise someone will be along in a minute to tell us to be grateful we get presents at all?

Where did you get the camp parrot muffin? I'd love a camp parrot for my tree.

Paperchase! It's a sort of shiny blue metallic colour with gems and pink fluff on it - my face was when I saw it. I had to have it!
I could swap a camp parrot for a raven, mayhaps?

Ugh, yes dd has just been sent a present in pooh bear wrapping paper. Nothing Christmassy about it. Just wrong.

I do my best to make sure our Christmasses are like that. Our real tree has decorations I've collected over the years in shades of red and white with some clear glass baubles and some dried fruit type things (orange slices/cinnamon sticks/chillis etc) and some wooden bits and an angel DD made years ago at nursery on the top - it's not all about taste but things that mean something to me as well. I've got lots of lovely smelling tealights and my pride and joy this year, the 24 little fabric stockings I made for DD as an advent calendar strung across the dresser.

In contrast DD has a pink plastic tree covered in sparkly tat in her room and a stack of hideous glittery cards from all her mates, but she loves them and I don't have to look at them too much - it's all about compromise in my book. I do choose my wrapping paper to tastefully co-ordinate with the decorations but DH can be relied upon to ruin the effect with some nasty supermarket stuff he's picked up at the last minute - he does do good presents though so I forgive him.

DD has a stocking full of bits from FC and 1 decent present from us plus whatever she gets from family and friends. I do wrap these in cheap paper because it's ripped off so quickly there's no point using anything special.

I know it's shallow but the sight of my beautiful tree makes me happy all through December - I tend to sit there staring at in when I'm supposed to be watching TV so luckily I don't notice the crap that's usually being shown at this time of year . Likewise the vintage style glasses I bought the other day to use for wine on Christmas Day and make mini trifles of some sort on Boxing Day cheer me up every time I look at them. I'm easily pleased by little things...

I do Christmas exactly like my mum did, minus only the cheesy footballs and After Eights . You don't have to buy into all the nonsense, you know! Our Christmas tree has been decorated by the kids. I agree with you - absolutely hate modern trees or trees that have been 'done' too precisely. Not Christmassy, to me.

I full an old fashioned stocking with bits which 'Father Christmas' (not Santa) puts at the end of their bed, and they have a few big presents under the tree, but not huge piles.

And we definitely always watch Christmas TV together after dinner. It wouldn't be Christmas if we did anything else!

No, no, Mortimer is not for swapsies. I've been looking for a raven ornament, to celebrate his joining of our family. Parrot sounds lovely, I shall invade Paperchase later.

I hate disney pooh bear mas stuff, house near me has lots of pooh xmas stickers on their windows, every christmas!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have red and gold with a few othe bits but they all match lovely.

For years I was in a desperate search for the sort of old-fashioned advent calendar that I had as a child. They were always square, of a night scene of the nativity but beautifully drawn, the night sky was a gorgeous deep blue and they had silver glitte on them. They smelt of glue. I have never managed to find one quite like it but every year I spend ages looking and have got some lovely ones for my DC.

Last year dad was clearing out the attic and found a box of old cards - lo and behold! one of my old advent calendars. It was small and ordinary and crudely coloured. Another illusion shattered like a glass bauble

Orm, try emporium of tat Past Times for such advent calendars. I got one from there this year. It's gorgeous.

My 1970s childhood Christmases were blighted with our gold tinsel tree. 1970s, so you can't say this is a new phenomenon. Although gold was unusual - most were silver or green tinsel (I didn't know anyone who had a real tree, I didn't know you could really get them in real life) - but our tree was one my dad had saved from the window-dressing in the shoe shop he managed.

I've had a real tree ever since I left home.

I got some lovely ones from Orchard Cards this year (way better than anything I had in truth!) but I'll have a look at Past Times. Thanks

We are quite retro in our Christmas here. The dds sewed their own advent calendar (smug mum emoticon). Everything is decorated by the dds so we have rather a lot of hand made paper chains, cut-out snowflakes etc, a tree madly covered in mismatched tinsel. "Traditional" is a polite way of describing it all. I have 3 craft-mad children though, and they like board games too.

We have a Past Times outlet locally. Imagine the tat. Olde Tat.

I have found a site that sells glittery vegetables to hang on Christmas trees, here. I am strangely drawn to the avocado, and there's a box of popcorn for those bunfight moments.

it just isn't a 70s christmas without one of <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=angel+chimes&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUK286&biw=1023&bih=593&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=ujjIJ-Gma5P5KM:&imgrefurl=angelchimes.com/silver.htm&docid=HJYWClAuCEpT-M&imgurl=angelchimes.com/images/silverchimes.jpg&w=1000&h=1000&ei=EKnoTrXdNM7G8QPZtOSJCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=620&vpy=85&dur=3246&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=134&ty=116&sig=100700203862466662479&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=124&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">these.

rofl at the chinese takeaway ornament!

at aStar!

I thought my angel chimes were the height of good taste

For fat fucker's christmas trees the world over.

Stratters, if you carry on through the pages they get even better. Manatee. Skunk. Chainsaw...

i thought angel chimes were the most beautiful, magical thing i'd ever seen Mistletoe. when i was 5

secretly i still want some now, they are what christmas is all about - sweet tinkly music and a complete failure to grasp health and safety implications.

I have two sets, one with reindeer and one with squirrels

OH MY GOOD LORD I NEED ONE OF THESE.

Arf Manny, I was going to post it in the lair for you. Get one, do.

If I manage to get a tree it will be smothered in red glass baubles, silver birds, gold and silver stars, old weird looking Indian style glass baubles from the 70's in every hue, blue tinsel and 100 of Argos's finest multi coloured lights.

Not very natural, or tasteful, but would make me very happy!
Oh, and there will be a family sized tin of Quality St, and Eastenders.
Lovely.

You could do a whole pub themed tree.

Lookit: beer, pickles, crisps, peanuts, and for the full pub night experience the kebab afterwards too.