PLEASE TELL ME HONESTLY...

[NanaNina]

Now that the Christmas ads have started appearing on TV I am finding myself wondering the same thing as I do every year. Are there real families who sit in a perfectly cosy, tidy large room with a lovely Christmas tree in the corner, with a couple smiling happily at each other (maybe Christmas eve) and the snow falling softly outside......And the one on Christmas morning with 2 sweet kids in fluffy dressing gowns who are enraptured by their presents and a smiling mum and dad. Later the turkey is carried to the table by a woman with beautiful hair, lovely make up and dress, (no sign of being hot and harrassed by cooking the Christmas dinner) to the grateful cries of the rest of the family. DO they exist?? If you are one of them Please Tell Me. Thanks

Oy - less of the you!

Go and help me with ideas for my dp instead then. Thread in the Christmas topic. I am STUCK.

Hahaha at fellatio typing in the sark

I like your drinking schedule. Sometimes I can only tell what time it is on Christmas day by what type of glass I am holding.

I love snowballs. I put on about half a stone each Christmas just drinking snowballs.

I will look out for the winter pimms. I feel I should try

1960s is a period. I would do a mad men Christmas. Yay. They are constantly pissed.

Yes, this is me.
But drunk.

As long as DP's parents aren't here there's bo hostility either.

In all fairness, we ARE pretty much like this.

Pimms can be found here. I like the apple juice idea, but I do add some soda water for a bit of fizz. Slices of orange and some berries in the glass too.

I've found it interesting that so many MNs are talking of loads of alcohol at Christmas - is it just at christmas or is this all year round. I'm not criticising you understand, am just a bit surprised. I am in the minority amongst family and friends cus I don't drink alcohol (no real reason, other than I don't like the taste of it ) and friends love it cus it means I can always drive when we go out anywhere. Fellatio - are you still standing at the end of the day! Or maybe lying in a hammock as you are luckily living in the sun.

i know what you mean nana. i can go without it too. but, i do like a glass or two of something sometimes. and its never nicer than at christmas time for some reason. but absolutely each to their own.

I feel I've been ticked off now. Yes, still standing fine thanks, and yes, pretty much a serial user of alcohol on a daily basis, although my usual drinking schedule amounts to one or two glasses of red wine in the evenings. No liver failure yet.

I admit that my obession with talking about drink may lead you to think that I am a total nightmare drunkard, but in truth I rarely drink to excess and rarely drink enough to have my judgement or behaviour noticably impaired in any way - and if I did it would be highly unlikely to happen on Christmas Day. (my record on NYE however, is another matter, but we'll draw a polite veil over that one.)

I've just realised I do have an alarming habit of mentioning that I like a drink though. Even my profile mentions gin. Have to analyse why now....perhaps I'm one of these loserish people who wants everyone to think she's a wild, crazy, laugh a minute, living life on the edge with a 'devil may care' attititude.

Couldn't be further from the truth!

oops sorry fellatio if ive upset you, i really wasnt talking about anyone in particular on here at all, was just commenting on the whole drink culture at christmas in general. like i said, i always have a drink here and there and def at christmas. i just dont drink as much as i used to cause i hate the hangovers now. getting old.
for example, me and my husband went out for dinner last night, just for a few hours, husband was driving. i had a cocktail before dinner and 2 large white wines throughout the meal. this morning, i have a headache. pathetic. but ill be fine in half an hour or so after a couple of coffees and painkillers.

No, I'm not upset.

great :o

Oh Fellatio - i was not meaning to be judgemental in any, way, shape or form, but I can see why you might think that. It's difficult on the internet isn;t it, cus we tap away and tone of voice and eye contact are lost. You really really don't have to justify yourself to me or anyone else.

What's NYE btw?

Interesting that you have noticed that you post about booze quite a lot. One thing is certain you are not a loser -if you were you wouldn't have this insight into how you might want to project yourself. To be honest I wish I could drink because I worry I am seen as a "party pooper" and a bit odd, as alcohol accompanies almost all our celebtrations of sadness (eg funeral) I can suffer a migraine with half a glass of white wine! I once read that alcohol is broken down in 2 stages in the body and people who can't tolerate alcohol, have an enyzime missing in the 2nd stage.

I remember a close friend telling me a few years ago that she didn't want to give up smoking because she thought people who smoked were interesting! She did give up shortly though.

I've noticed one of my DILs posting a lot on FB about booze quite a lot and she really doesn't drink a lot, think she likes the idea of it, and maybe she thinks it makes her seem more of a "wild child" - anyway what does it matter. This is meant to be a light hearted thread, so please believe me I wasn't judging you. I have spent 30 years of my working life with people who are usually judged in a very negative way by people who don't understand what it's like to be one of the most disadvantaged impoverished people in our society.

Tbh I think it is a bit foolish to read everything people write on here quite so literally.
If I say I love eating a mountain of chocolate on Christmas day would that be an admission of an eating disorder or hyperbole in the context of a jolly thread.

I drink a glass of champagne with breakfast. Probably two glasses of wine with lunch. I may have a snowball or two in the evening.

As a rule I only drink at weekends and rarely more than two glasses of wine.

I am sure the people posting about wrecked houses and fights are exaggerating a tad too.

Fwiw my childhood could not have been more impoverished but we didn't fight, lunch was lovely and we laughed all day. So I just have the Christmases of my childhood in a slightly prettier location and with better presents.

Oh don't worry NanaNina, I am not losing any sleep over it, honestly.
But thank you for taking the time to worry about my feelings - you sound very nice, both you and mrsm.

Now, where did I put that absinthe?

"Now, where did I put that absinthe?"

I am not sure but then I am pretty pissed.....

I did the stay at home without extended family christmas before... It was shit, christmas is about family.

My in my head how it should be christmas (and how it will be this year) is, dc wake up early but not to early (yeah right) croissants brioche naice fruit and bucksfizz in bed with stockings. Opening some of the prezzies then getting dressed. We do make a effort, dc get new clothes to wear on day, I always buy a christmas outfit. Off to mums for lunch where there will be Mum and her DP my DS and her DP my DP DSS and her 2 LOs DSB and DB and maternal GP. Plus aunties and uncles and step family pop in all through out the day.

We don't go quite as far as LaQueen but card games alcohol and lots of laughing and chatting do go on all day. Lots of food my maternal grandmother is german so she brings homemade stollen and slow gin and chutneys and weird delicacies and delights. I do love my nap in front of fools and horses lets not forget the nap!

Boxing day everyone comes to me but not the whole day. This is DP side as well, since hes the youngest of 9 (his poor worn bout mother) and he's Jamaican its very very hectic but chilled out same time. Then its a big pot of curry goat and his DM most amazing cake. Its like a traditional xmas cake without the fruit. So potent feels you could get drunk on cake alone! My nan will be spending most the day with us since grandad died earlier this year.

No. Not here it isn't like that. I seem to end up cooking parts of Christmas dinner on Christmas eve as I can't be faffed to wait any longer, and I'm worried about things going off (or going wrong) plus no one wants to eat the whole works all at once anyway.

I avoid our relatives at all costs. Apart from my parents who are Ok, and it distracts the kids for a bit.

We make it theway we want it though tbh, it's usually pretty cool. Just not like the ads iykwim.