What do you hate at Christmas?

[groveller]

I used to hate having to work at Christmas, but that was nothing to the hatered I have now.
I really hate and detest ROUND ROBINS and I don't mean the ones with feathers.
It's the people who send those three page journals of "their" years news. The close relative who tells of their sister who has had a hysterectomy, or their uncle who has piles, always told in the third person. I know who they are, but they're not mentioned by name.
Then there is the summer BBQ when it rained, the shed burned down and the crew of the fire appliance got food poisoning from the sausages they were given as a thank-you for turning out.
They bore you to tears with all the details of their holidays. Cruises, coach trips, journeys to outer space.
As if I care. Tell you what, this year it will be returned marked in red felt pen UNREAD

Happy Christmas everybody! from Mr Grumpy

[glueman]

I love them. They fall into two categories: the perfect lives of a high achieving, successful family, or a litany of operations and mortality. I'm not sure which makes me laugh most. Every year I threaten to send a spoof but you can't out-parody the genuine article.

[IGrahamL]

well 'hate' would be to strong a word but Mr (or Mrs) Grumpy's aggravate a tad, and of course the content of my bank account or lack off
having a bit more of a think ??? Over decorated houses & loads of lights up two months before the event

I like Christmas

[kwackers]

I love them. They fall into two categories: the perfect lives of a high achieving, successful family, or a litany of operations and mortality. I'm not sure which makes me laugh most. Every year I threaten to send a spoof but you can't out-parody the genuine article.

A bit like Friends Reunited on steroids! I was a tad surprised by all the high achieving, happily married ("5th time lucky!") people I went to school with.
I'd had them all down as a group of losers. Just shows how wrong you can be...

[dodger]

Agree with glueman. We wonder whether these writers have friends to talk to or whether this is their substitute.
We've thought again about a spoof - you know, "It's been a good year except for Tony's AIDS, and you know that Brenda's had another kid, her fourth now by 4 different fathers. But never mind, she's celebrating her 18th birthday this week by gettingh smashed every night and her latest boyfriend should be let out in time for christmas and start his rehab....etc"
The thing is, does anyone really bother to read it anyway?? I have this feeling that if we did send one, people would just say "Oh, that's nice"

[Colin63]

As this is a UK forum I can say this without getting into trouble. I really hate the smug custom made 'Happy Holidays' cards I get from friends in the USA. They always feature a ghoulish photo of their children with cutesy Santa Claus hats standing in front of a Christmas tree so lavish in it's foliage and decoration that it puts our puny efforts to shame. Full of in your face niceness and goodwill. Drives me to distraction.
And what makes it worse... Is that I know I'm jealous

[glueman]

I actually like Christmas. Part of it is sentimentality for childhood days when most of our extended family lived within three streets and the oldies were still with us, part of it is a chance to take stock of the old year and look forward to a new one. I've had some great Christmases, some okay ones and a few thoroughly miserable ones.

A memorable bad one was when I hung around my friends flat in London waiting to hear whether I'd got the job I wanted. It was down to the last two of us and I got the call on Christmas Eve at 5 o'clock that I hadn't got it. I was too broke to go home and my partner had gone to see her family for the holiday. I spent most of the week in a damp, cold flat with a small chicken, about three quid and the radio for company.
Another memorably bad Christmas that turned out okay was when a girl friend dumped me, so a friend and I went on a three day bender, whisky, beer, whisky, turkey, whisky, beer. We made Withnail and I look like the WI outing.
The problem is, you rarely get this stuff in round robins. I prefer real life to the sanitised version on Christmas circulars.

[reohn2]

If I hear "jingle bells" one more bl@@dy time I swear I'll jingle all the way to a padded cell!
I've told Mrs R2 I hope i die first coz theres no bu@@er getting any cards from me,what with Robins with there heads cocked to one side freezing to death on snow covered branches,and the three wise(?)men trapsing across the star spangled deserts.The baby Jesus lying in a crib with Donkeys and cows looking longingly on wondering who's been daft enough to put a child in their feed trough ,sheperds and heavenly hosts everywhere its too much for the human mind

Who invented mince pies and that other disgusting pastry Stollen,whats all that about?

PS How am I doin' glum enough? I can go on about the unnecessary felling of fir trees if you like,or the number of people killed by the electrical failure of cheap Chinese Christmas tree lights,what about German Christmas markets cluttering up our city centres,The weather!

PPS Nowt much on the telly either!

[Manx Cat]

Well, bar humbug to you guys!

Are you not interested in other people?

I love getting such letters, especially hand written ones, they are a rare thing these days and I consider them as important as any handmade article or item, but even typed letters, telling me all about their woes, their highs and how friends and family are getting on, to me are something to cherish and to read again and again.

We have family in Canada, and each year we get a letter specially stamped as it travels to us via sled dog, well it travels through part of Canada via sled dog at least, its always the most special letter, although the content is similar to other family catch up mail.

Maybe its a woman thing... why I enjoy such things, and some of you blokes dont...?

Mary

[ferrit worrier]

The preamble to the event, that starts before bonfire night. As if we all don't know what is looming on the horizon. I love having the family round a good natter and make sure the oldies are OK, but why it all has to start mid October I do not know!

I was sat in the reception at work this evening and the number of people leaving work that were going away now for the Christmas holidays was amazing It's going to be quiet at work next week, .... worrying as I've just bought a big box of Thorntons chocolate to raffle for the RNLI ( we do it every year) I just hope there will be enough staff left to participate.

Mrs FW has a way of looking at the preparations if we've got it great, if we havent, we'll do with out. amen to that!

Malc

[Colin63]

Well, bar humbug to you guys!


Maybe its a woman thing... why I enjoy such things, and some of you blokes dont...?

Mary

You girls are so sentimental

[kwackers]

Well, bar humbug to you guys!


Maybe its a woman thing... why I enjoy such things, and some of you blokes dont...?

Mary

You girls are so sentimental

They also don't realise you can print documents in script...

[meic]

No need to send Round Robins as we have already posted everything on the Forum.

[thirdcrank]

I had a colleague who used to say "It's Christmas every day at our house." When asked to explain, it was that at Christmas everybody eats as much as they can, and drinks as much as they can afford "And I do that every day." His father had died very young and, convinced that the same fate awaited him, he seemed determined to make it happen.

[patricktaylor]

I hate it when people I see regularly, or neighbours, hand me their stupid Christmas cards. Good cards are from people you would otherwise lose touch with.