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.

I am mightily disappointed with the Italians. No pizza ornament.

I dream of a modern christmas - my dearest wish is to slob out after xmas dinner and watch mindless blockbusters and xmas specials. But oh no. My family are anti-telly and only have a tiny screen that needs specialist intervention from my stepdad to wheel out and switch on. And my gran looks tearful if anybody watches anything apart from her soaps.

Boxing day, much the same, only at inlaws who love telly, cinema sized screen, help yourself - as long as it's sport.

Day after boxing day - my telly, my sofa, my rules. Don't even try to move omy arse off that sofa :)

I love that cheap, thin wrapping paper. Presents, especially soft ones like clothes, feel so much nicer in that than in horrible, stiff, fancy stuff.

I agree. I LOVE thin wrapping paper.

The best paper EVER was the paper that mum wrapped my Sindy house up in in 1984: one huge sheet with a picture of a traditional Father Christmas on it. It was amazing.

There is a pizza box one Stratters.

Yup- we will be having an old-fashioned Griswald family Christmas.

Real tree, dropping needles everywhere, covered head to toe in every decoration we have amassed over the years (including the ones the dc made at nursery- tasteful!) None of this colour-coordinated stuff for us (but lots of memories- each decoration is special to me in some way!)

We have our wooden-door advent calendar on the go.

Looking forward to the stress of trying to make up the kids toys in the small hours of Christmas morning, and leaving all the wrapping until the last minute.

Ah, Christmas!

I love the Chinese take-away box decoration! The manitee is also fab. Not sure about the pink baseball cap with 'Princess' written in diamantes, though, that's a setp too far, even for me

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.

Pouts

If you do find a raven ornament, please let me know where, I'd love one. OH is getting a Poe 'The Raven' t-shirt this year, it's not at all tacky, I promise! We have got a toy one from the Tower called Thor, mind you. I also have a green cat called Loki

Ohh yes Baubles - we had pressies wrapped in paper like this and like this. Strangely my MIL still finds this sort of stuff to wrap the girls' presents in!

Did you catch the "Christmas Then and Now" thread? Full of nostalgia.

And anything except red, green and gold is Just Wrong.

I will, I would love a raven ornament, but the best I've found so far is a glittery black one with a long tail. It just Won't Do.

Sidge that paper is gorgeous. Can you still buy stuff like that?

Oh, I need that wrapping paper!

I must find that thread! I will enjoy it!

stratters

Look a little like toucans though..

This might be a bit gothy for you, Stratters, though considering what I hear about your haunted house on a leyline, familiars selection of pets and other evidence perhaps not.

Surely tasteful Christmas trees, with their handmade ornaments only in traditional shades, are for people who try a bit hard?

I think of Christmas as my chance to turn our usually neutral coloured house into a clashing colourfest.

Or this?

I rather want one of these too.

Oh God, my decorations aren't handmade! They're all bought, like. They are just proper christmassy colours. It's the colours.

Our tree is totally smothered in everything the dc like, including all the rubbish they have made over the years. Dd has entirely wrapped the bannisters in tinsel and then tied bows all over them and we have Christmas animatronics on every available surface. This year's is a particularly lovely pogoing reindeer. We also have a reindeer head that sings on the wall. It's fabulous.

And we have an upside town tree that hangs from the ceiling upstairs and has a gold explosion coming off its end and a really odd nativity scene a friend bought us on purpose.

Hully's house sounds like christmas through the Looking Glass.

Oh hell, mine aren't tasteful. Very random, mostly stuff the DDs took a shine to. There's a pink flamingo somewhere, bought in Florida one holiday, a fair amount of Disney ones, and an exceptionally ugly angel at the top. Plus some knitted stuff from my Mum (thanks Mum), and handmade offerings from the DDs.

I want Hully's singing reindeer head. I want it baaad. :(

Oh it's marvellous. We also have a fat furry green tree that lights up and sings and wobbles. And this year Dd has covered the windows in things of horror yet beauty.

I think mincepie and hully are calling us shallow.

Sarah it is SO COOL. It is like a proper head with antlers and it moves and sings on a motion sensor. It sings, Santa's lying underneath the sleigh.

Hully, this is good news. Reminiscent of an '80s christmas where yuletide tat was in abundance. They were the years.