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Post by princessmoose on Nov 9, 2006 22:17:32 GMT
We've decided this year not to buy presents for people at uni, it gets far too expensive, as you say hoxie. Also, if you buy some people a present, one feels sometimes they need to buy presents for a few others too and it's mad! We're just going out for a nice meal instead.
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Post by anacrusis on Nov 9, 2006 23:17:45 GMT
Work's Christmas is not great either - staff give us cards, and I feel embarrassed because I don't do individual ones. We usually make a set for the close family and friends, and I make a big card on the same pattern for work and address it to everyone. But what a hassle. Patients sometimes bring us presents, which I also find embarrassing, though it is touching too. Oh, and the works night out. Yelling across a crowded table with retro seventies disco music blaring out, and trying to make sense of what a totally pi**ed member of staff is slurring about, whilst also eating soggy turkey and melt-in-the-mouth Brussels sprouts and balancing a paper hat on my head. Last year they told us we had to wear bling, and I had to go off and look the word up. I'm always working out how soon I can slip away unnoticed, home to my family and recorders.
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Post by Dulciana on Nov 10, 2006 1:35:09 GMT
I'm sorry I'm so like you! I do enjoy the company of good friends at Christmas, especially the ones who come "home" from far away, but life is too short for the type of thing you describe above. I've decided that this year I'm going to be firm about not going to what I don't want to go to, and make more time to do the type of thing I really do want to do - like walk the dog in the forest with the kids and come home for a hot port and hot chocolate. There are only so many hours in the day, and far too many of them are spent keeping up appearances!
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Post by Oddball on Nov 10, 2006 8:59:24 GMT
Bleurgh, Christmas Day. *shudders* snoring father, drunk auntie, cousins hyper on sweets. Cats. Sneezles.
Food's not bad though, I suppose...
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Post by Dulciana on Nov 10, 2006 10:34:51 GMT
I do like the food......
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Post by kflute on Nov 10, 2006 13:27:40 GMT
This is going to be my first Christmas day away from my parents which is going to be strange all round I think!!! I've decided that I want to spend Christmas Day with my other half and his family this year. I'm moving in with him in January, so we thought it'd be really nice to wake up together in the house. We'll be off down to the Midlands on Boxing Day though, to see my parents
As for Christmas cards, for my family and friends, I make my own Christmas cards. I have about 130 kids that I teach though, so I tend to go and buy big Asda Price pasks or something for that else it'd cost me a fortune!!!
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Post by AnotherPianist on Nov 10, 2006 19:45:13 GMT
This is going to be my first Christmas day away from my parents which is going to be strange all round I think!!! I've decided that I want to spend Christmas Day with my other half and his family this year. I'm moving in with him in January, so we thought it'd be really nice to wake up together in the house. We'll be off down to the Midlands on Boxing Day though, to see my parents Ahh, welcome to the world of trying to spend Christmas in two places at once . YAP and I usually travel between parents on Christmas day (about 40 minutes). This year, however, my parents are going to my brother's house which means it'll be 2 hours drive so we have to pick. I'd rather be at my brother's actually because he has children so it'll be more fun, but YAP's parents are already asking us what we want for dinner (which we usually eat with them).... Sure we'll work it out though, even if it does mean driving on the day; I'm sure the children will get us up early to make up for any lost time .
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Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Nov 11, 2006 13:24:40 GMT
For all those with hyperactive children, be sure to note down the address for the NORAD Tracks Santa website: www.noradsanta.org/ . It shows where Santa is around the world on the lead up to midnight, Christmas Day. I've heard it's a wonderful tool for getting children to bed - 'Look, he's nearly here now, you need to go to bed and go to sleep or he won't come' .
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Post by princessmoose on Nov 11, 2006 14:04:50 GMT
Just done a bit of shopping...Chester is mad busy.
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Post by Dulciana on Nov 17, 2006 1:14:35 GMT
My seven-year old got all the decorations out while I was away at the weekend. My first thought was OMG NO, as I hadn't actually got the spiders' web stuff away yet after Hallowe'en, but he's actually been pretty tasteful about what he's put where, so it's staying. (Good taste runs in the family, obviously...) And I'd forgotten that decorations hide the dust, so that's it until January 5th!
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Post by kerioboe on Nov 17, 2006 14:36:28 GMT
For all those with hyperactive children, be sure to note down the address for the NORAD Tracks Santa website: www.noradsanta.org/ . It shows where Santa is around the world on the lead up to midnight, Christmas Day. I've heard it's a wonderful tool for getting children to bed - 'Look, he's nearly here now, you need to go to bed and go to sleep or he won't come' . Does anyone know what language Father Christmas speaks? My two (who are bilingual English-French) asked me this several years ago. I foolishly said all languages so of course what did they do... They spoke in English to the first Father Christmas they came across in France. They were somewhat upset that he obviously didn't speak or even understand English but then my younger daughter said "Well, you see Mummy that just proves my point - men can't speak English" ;D (I should perhaps add that she had been trying to convince me for the past month or so that only women in France could speak English because her father only speaks French, her nursery school teacher was a man and couldn't speak English and we know another couple with an English wife and a French husband).
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Post by petite joueuse on Nov 17, 2006 15:53:36 GMT
That's lovely, Kerioboe! My two (12 and 10) are just about past the believing stage, though 10 year old declared he was prepared to believe just for one more year! (Worried about sudden short-fall in presents???) When my two were little we spent Christmas in France (with in-laws) and my daughter was AMAZED that Santa knew where she was staying and where to leave the stocking.....but my son was gutted when we returned home and there was no extra stocking waiting for him from the English Santa! Keep up the bi-lingualism - its fun and it really works. My daughter used to come out with "Mummy's got a white car and Papa's got a car blue".
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Post by kerioboe on Nov 17, 2006 19:42:37 GMT
Keep up the bi-lingualism - its fun and it really works. My daughter used to come out with "Mummy's got a white car and Papa's got a car blue". My elder daughter used to come out with mixed utterances like that which used to amuse me. I was waiting quite eagerly for the younger one to do the same but she spoke in complete sentences from the very beginning and never mixed languages. One funny story that you (and anyone else who speaks French) will appreciate. My elder daughter is not always very sure about what is English and what is French. Last year at the end of the school day her younger sister was taking ages to come out of her class so we went in. The children had been cutting out and there were bits of paper all over the floor. My elder daughter looked around and said "Ils ont foutu le bordel ici." The teacher said to her "Ca ne se dit pas." To which my daughter looked very puzzled and said "Ce n'est pas du français? Pourtant mon papa le dit." Sorry about hi-jacking the thread. Back to Christmas...
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Post by princessmoose on Nov 17, 2006 19:44:01 GMT
Our decorations go up on the 1st December....we go a bit mad...well my parents do. I still think Christmas sucks. I like the christmassy songs though .
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Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Nov 17, 2006 21:12:03 GMT
Ils ont foutu le bordel ici. Fascinating, I never knew that 'bordel' was used in a non-literal manner .
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