Crepeyistmas Time, Camel Toe and Whine...

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Pandering to the uncouth...

Oh NU, you poor thing. What a shame - I really hope you feel a bit better soon.x

BTM, oooh that's good to know about the Lidl version. I have eyed it often.

Beachy, I think ask her. NU, that is grim.

DP's brother today (sigh) so have to be Aggressively Welcoming (another sigh). Backache, crankiness and homicidal urges of last few days at least partially explained by arrival of first period in months. Decided to embark on Ladyjog in manner of Bodyform ad, as (a) it might deal with the backache (b) I had got self into mindset of quite looking forward to it (the park v lovely in mornings - but really, as the late great JCash said what have I become??). Not sure how successful it actually was.

Sorry to hear that NU. Better stay in bed and let yourself recover properly. Hope you'll be well enough for some New Year celebration.

Och NU you poor sausage, what a miserable Christmas for you. I hope when you recover , the family will spoil you a little bit.

I reckon my SS was Mrs S. My clue is the arrondissement 75017.???

Today round two of Christmas chez parents , this time with dsis and family who have just returned from Mont Blanc. Trying to rally the troops but there is much flagging, esp dd who only got home from some ghastly nite club at 4am.

Might tear down the Xmas decor this afternoon. I get so fed up not being able to clean properly. ( given that we have a coal fire and filthy bogging felines) blee

Damn you, Crem, I hoped you would think it was Hatty, what with the Monoprix bag and the wrapping from the shop in Paris. Grrr.

Poor you, NU, what a grim Christmas. Hope you are feeling better soon.

DH wants to go Christmas shopping for his family today. My purse presence is apparently required. So I am ready to go, and he has fallen asleep. DD2 got up all shouty about an hour ago, saying that we should have woken her up, as she has wasted the day. She has now gone back to bed in a huff, rather than come into town with us, to spend her Christmas money that is burning a hole in her pocket.

I am hiding from the frenetic cleaning of dh..... The house smells like a hospital. His family arrive in 34 mins....

All children are also hiding in case they get cleaned or put away

We are in the car, no shouting so far and not much further to go However the sun is at a very annoying angle!

Beachy, ate they that precise/prompt?!

Don't know but that is the cleaning deadline I can't stop sneezing.... Dust being moved around and all that!

They're here, so yes, they are that precise!

I am doing NOTHING today. Except putting together obligatory Lego item. And a trip to the supermarket. And eating left-over sweet items. And perhaps some more of my assignment.

And feeling so sad about Christmas. I used to love it, hanging out with my family, but now it's all so different. Dad's not with it at all, and mum is getting increasingly fractious and forgetful. Bro is mono-syllabic and is very difficult to spend any time with. And sis is running about trying to make everything wonderful for her children, who take her totally for granted and are, I must say, rather ill-mannered. As I never get the chance to just do stuff with my own little family, we haven't established new rituals. So the old ones don't exist any more, and yet nor do the new ones. Feel in limbo.

We are doing open house - mulled wine, more wine, canapés.... Hope someone turns up or we'lol be living on crostini.....

Oh Herbs :(
I am , in away, glad I wasn't home this Christmasfor similar reasons...

Herbs for you.

Our rooms not ready. Not up to your standards Beachy! Got free drinks though

Oh Herbs, I do feel for you. And I know exactly what you mean.
We will have to have an entirely different Christmas next year as dm was really fed up with how things went this year and I think she's more than ready to retire from hosting (and at the moment sounds ready to retire from life). Db's offspring were so unbelievably rude to all and sundry. Dm is giving serious thought to not having them to stay again, but I don't believe she will actually go ahead with that. She just says she is depressed by how ghastly they are (they are certainly a lesson in what happens when parents establish no ground rules and no boundaries and just can't say no). Also, Difficult Cousin has taken massive offence (yet again) to something that dm said concerning him and which he heard via the family grapevine (and this was, I think, my fault. Ooops.) and yesterday he sent dm a 2-page email detailing the many ways in which he thinks she is awful. Dm has undoubted form for being awful, but hasn't done anything particularly dreadful for about a decade and is currently feeling old, decrepit and gloomy. I've emailed Difficult Cousin and told him to take it out on me instead. It will most likely take him a few days to send me a suitably cutting and unpleasant response.
We are scheduled to see his parents next weekend, when they will be staying with dm. I fear there may be more crap to come.

NU, I am really sorry to hear you've been so poorly and very much hope you will be back on form for some family time soon.

We are about to go round to neighbours for drinks and snacks. As we have just had a rather substantial lunch, I am not sure how many snacks I will be able to fit in and I really need to start on my assignments tomorrow, so can't have more than a glass or two either. Famous last words...

BTM, sorry the Secret Satan wasn't very secret. BD, were you responsible for my lovely prezzie?

Stropps, I don't care - it was lovely (and I haven't eaten it all yet!)
Your poor mum. Maybe you could invite just her to yours next year?

I must be feeling better - am up and opened all my SS parcels (which are still as intriguing to me as before they were opened). The nearest I get to an ethnic shop is Morrison's in Newcastle which has lots of interesting things but my spices etc look so interesting and I love the ideas card. Thank you so much to whoever (I have several ideas on who sent them but am probably very wrong).

DH has gone to the football match with DS (well wrapped up as it is sooo cold).

Herbs, so sorry to hear about your family problems - it will be easier next year, but I suggest that you have a good think in the coming months to see how you can change things for the better for your little family. We stopped travelling for Christmas when it became impossible to travel comfortably in the car to mDDad's home. Then it was a case that whoever wanted to come to us, could. We started all our own habits and traditions, some of which DD still does.

I hope everyone enjoys the remaining festivities < ponders whether or not to have first drink of the season > and then realises that with minimal food for last six days it's probably not a good idea.

Herbs, I've felt like that for the last six or seven years, partly because DH's serious illnesses blighted several Christmases running, partly because my sisters' problems added to the sadness and anxiety.

DD's an only child so I always thought I should get her together with her cousins. Now, though, what she really wants is to be at home with us (and I did give her a choice!). We've had our best Christmas for ages. A good tree, a nice lunch, modest presents, playing with the dog and Dr Who keeps us all happy.

We'll have a few days away over New Year but we've taken a cottage some distance from my sisters, so we won't be on top of them.

NU glad to hear you're picking up.

I've been on a baking jag, making cakes to take to friends (who appreciate them). Out to dinner tonight. DD has started revising for her mocks, though not too strenuously as far as I can see

Thank you for sympathies. I know Christmas can be pretty much hell for a lot of people, with family dynamics, the reversion to teenage selves, and the force-feeding of the image of the perfect family, with everyone gathering together next to a roaring fire in their comedy jerseys.

There's a German name for grief of what used to be, isn't there. I think I've got that.

I am also having to do my assignment, and can't remember a blasted thing about what I was writing about. My brain has been reset to factory settings.

I should be bashing out a short story but my brian is on rewind.

Weltschmerz , isn't that it Herbs.
Sadness for the world.

Lol mrs S. I read too much crime not to guess whodunit . Thankyou very much for the gift btw

NU - so sorry you've been so unwell, glad you're feeling better today, keep taking it easy though, don't throw yourself right back in until you're properly better. January's bad enough without a trailing lurgy getting you down.

MI - not me for your SSatan...

Herbs - sorry Christmas was hard, you have a lot of people to deal with and esp with dp losing his dad this year, it was always going to be rough at times. Is there any way you can do at least Christmas morning in your own place next year, and start some of your own traditions, and then just see relatives for lunch? Or would that go down like a lead mince pie? We had friends over for turkey curry lunch today and they both have parent problems - one has just moved his mother with Alzheimers into a home because his 92 yr old dad, who is fit and well, just can't look after any more and the other's mum lives 150 miles away and is just refusing to engage with the world any more, even though she is quite young for a granny. Both situations are so sad, and sadder still at Christmas.

I am just about to go and watch a Bond film (not a particularly good one, but I can read the paper at the same time). Right, I can hear the ds1 & 2 squabbling, so I'd better go or thing light escalate and disturb my leisure time.

Poor Brian, MI.

I am an only child and have been looking sourly at my cousins and their extended families having a lovely Christmas with lots of people, like ours used to be.