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Original poster

Christmas Decorations

70 replies

Manolinette · 04/12/2020 17:09

In our village we always have a bit of light-hearted fun with decorations. There is a statue in the village square and it gets decorated with a different but topical theme each year, think Harry Potter, Women’s Institute, etc. It’s one of those where everyone wakes up and no body knows who does it. A bit ‘Banksy’ like. This year it is our turn to host the Christmas Eve mince pies and punch, which is also topical themed but obviously we can’t do that now only virtually by Zoom. I was going to have on the side and in the punch bowl, some small round oranges and Brussels’ sprouts with cloves pushed in to make it look like a Coronavirus. Do you think this is in bad taste or do you think it’s a bit of humour and we all need a bit of a laugh now?

OP posts:
Raera · 04/12/2020 17:39

@hollyandkit

What's the statue going to be??
I want to know too!!
FAQs · 04/12/2020 17:39

How do you know they haven’t lost anyway?

I’ve lost two relatives to COVID and my who we are on hello and first names terms won’t know.

I saw a potter do COVID vases in the shape of the virus and thought it was also bad taste.

It’s more than that though, people have lost incomes or had reduced incomes, not seen relatives, lost holidays, weddings, exams, it’s impacted everyone some way or another so it would be nice for it not to form part of Christmas, but I say that recognising I’m prob a bit sensitive to it.

Original poster
Manolinette · 04/12/2020 17:40

@Orangedaisy
We would normally do it outside with some gazebos on the village green. That's how it always is, nothing to do with Covid. However as we cannot this year, we all go on Zoom and I 'serve' the guests who take the punch from their own tables. If they want to follow me they make punch as I do. It's a bit like Masterchef when I give them the ingredients and tell them they have to make a recipe. Only it is cocktails and they just follow me. Then we drink together. I am going to do it with a Nigella 'twist' Wink but I think it needs to be a different theme now. Panic!

OP posts:
FAQs · 04/12/2020 17:40

*my neighbours

LadyAcony · 04/12/2020 17:40

[quote Orangedaisy]@LadyAcony ok I stand down. Had a bad day![/quote]
Hope your weekend is better @Orangedaisy Smile

SchrodingersImmigrant · 04/12/2020 17:40

I have a feeling the statue is somewhat unrelated to the event, it was just to demonstrate there are some mishief spirits in the village and they have some sense of humour?

Bluntness100 · 04/12/2020 17:41

It’s in bad taste, and you can’t possibly know that no one in the village has not lost anyone to Covid, nor can you know if peoooe are suffering mentally, habe lost their jobs or know people who have.

There are many ways to make something fun, pretending you’ve Covid in your home isn’t one of them.

LadyAcony · 04/12/2020 17:42

I really want to know the statue idea now!

Undies1990 · 04/12/2020 17:45

On your Zoom call, why don't you construct a Christmas tree shape out of a pile of toilet rolls? That's a bit more light hearted than your virus oranges.

Janaih · 04/12/2020 17:47

I think it's quite funny but I dont think they will be obviously covid. They will just look like christingles.

Original poster
Manolinette · 04/12/2020 17:48

Statue..Well in the past we had different themes. We had - and this was the funniest - Elon Musk holding a Christmas Tree with a hundred mock car keys for electric Tesla cars. The men tried to do Greta pushing the 2016 carrot haired Trump off the plinth, but it is hard to do Greta (in many ways). That was in 2018.

This year it is a frontline worker, with a mask (but not NHS). Or was as I think we really need to rethink our approach.

OP posts:
Carlislemumof4 · 04/12/2020 17:48

What a depressing way to spend Christmas Eve!

TheRubyRedshoes · 04/12/2020 17:50

Op I wouldn't have minded but I don't like the look of the virus.

Of course people are going to be ultra sensitive though so it's best to be diplomatic.

Simplyunacceptable · 04/12/2020 17:50

Yeah, bad taste. Over 60k deaths in the U.K. alone, over a million worldwide. It’s not really a laughing matter.

Bluntness100 · 04/12/2020 17:53

There are so many lovely ways to do it though, lots of lights, Xmas music, a funny raffle, anything. To take peoples minds off of what could have been a difficult time for them. But Brussels sprouts, oranges and cloves, I’d just think you were a bit of a twat.

But then I don’t think the statue things are funny either, is that also you doing them?

DappledThings · 04/12/2020 17:55

I probably wouldn't gave realised what they were meant to represent. If I did I would probably find it quite funny but I'm clearly out of step.with the majority opinion.

Original poster
Manolinette · 04/12/2020 17:55

@Bluntness100
Not me personally, but other villagers so a 'yes' I am part of it.
I get what people are saying.

As it happens we are meeting outside now to talk this over. At 6pm. I will reflect but I know what I need to say.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 04/12/2020 17:57

This year it is a frontline worker, with a mask (but not NHS)

Why? Don’t you think a lot of folks have suffered and Xmas should be a time to forget and have fun, who in gods name thinks a great big reminder like this is a good thing and then a bloody fake corona virus.

Peoole have lots their jobs, been unable to see their loved ones, kids missed out on education, not to mention the sickness, fear, anxiety, and mental health impacts people have had, from being unable to see loved ones, to missing their social lives and feeling isolated, or even trying to work from home and home school at rhe same time.

If there’s one thing cmas shouldn’t be, is an opportunity to rub their faces in it for a laugh.

WorraLiberty · 04/12/2020 17:57

Meh! You know the audience you'll be playing to OP.

But honestly, I can't see 'oranges and Brussels’ sprouts with cloves pushed in' looking anything like Coronavirus so it's quite likely you'll have to explain it.

Original poster
Manolinette · 04/12/2020 18:02

I know we need to change it. Im going to talk to them now.
Sorry.....bear with me back later.

OP posts:
SlippersForFlippers · 04/12/2020 18:17

Can't believe anyone thought this was a good idea!

Original poster
Manolinette · 04/12/2020 19:36

Thank you everyone. We just met up on the green.
The plans are now altered so I am off the hook with the punch and stuff. We are having baked potatoes instead.

The statue is not getting dressed-up. The garage are going to loosen the plinth and we are tipping it up so it hangs down off the edge about 120 degrees and we are going to celebrate 2020 for all it was, would become and is.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 04/12/2020 20:17

I don’t really understand why the statue will be hanging off the plinth?

DappledThings · 04/12/2020 20:20

@Bluntness100

I don’t really understand why the statue will be hanging off the plinth?
Me either. The whole thing is quite weird. So it's meant to be all kind of spontaneous and secret (OP says people wake up and don't know who has decorated the statue in that year's theme) but then there are also public meetings to plan it.

It screams the horror that is "organised fun" to me.

TinySongstress · 04/12/2020 22:32

This is very 'Royston Vasey'.