Re: The C word
 

Er ... no. There are some skunk that tend not to spray; they are called "rabid":eek: I guess with a skunk it's a lose-lose situation.:rolleyes: You could tell here that she needs to get out on her own a little more, and give her a couple of ferrets and a terrier and point her to the moors. Oh, and if you want to avoid buying her gifts in future; tell her that walking the moors will help her to lose weight then duck:hidewall:

Re: The C word
 

celebrating Christmas is an individual thing. This year our family will be one less......my brother having died earlier in the year. I think about his wife and family(they had only been married for a year - though they had been an item for a lot longer). How are they going to feel during the festive season...pretty rubbish I am sure.
My Ma has been very shaky(healthwise) this year.......so I am thankful that I still have her to think about.
We really have to be thankful for what we have....and I think that sometimes we forget our fortune. A roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, friends and family who, though we might fall out with, we would miss if they were not there.

Christmas needs to be looked at with some perspective, and while you may suffer it, rather than enjoy it....it will pass.
A month from now it will be gone

Re: The C word
 

I've been told to pack the armour away & despite what I want (monging it on the couch, watching crap telly, eating & drinking far too much as is good for me), I'm going to be having a happy Christmas at the Mother in laws down in deepest darkest Bavaria! ;)

Re: The C word
 

I can't have a Christmas Tree ... that's 'cause I have a Pookie and an Emma:



I know you've seen them before; but you haven't seen what they can do to a Christmas Tree.:mad:

One thing that I used to like was getting Christmas cards in the mail ... beats the living crap out of a screen full of dancing bananas in Santa suits. I remember when I used to get so many that I strung them across whole wall. And there were written messages in pen ... and all the words had vowels in them. Last Christmas card I got was from a furniture store where I had bought a couch and chair. Now the couch is full of cats, and there is a dog in the chair with her blankie and towel. Maybe if I whip out today and buy some more furniture, I will get another card.:D

And over here in the bilingual colony we have to deal with not only the "C" word, but also the "N" word.;)

Re: The C word
 

I would much rather have a Pookie and Emma to a Christmas tree Eric..........and if you send me your postal address in a PM I will send you(with pleasure) one of my hand made special cards.....for you to hang up.

Re: The C word
 

Awww ... ta. I'll do that. Hand-made! Even better. Oh, and don't forget the vowels.:D

Re: The C word
 

I think there will be plenty of vowels Eric.

Re: The C word
 

Down there you will be able to build snowmen and go sledging - oh yes, you do sledging all the time:D.
Have a great one DinG, don't overdo my favourite - Apfelkorn and Schlosser Alt chaser:)

Re: The C word
 

Shan't be doing them Barrie, what with Andechs, Aying, Engel, Ettal & Maxlrain (to name a few) all within striking distance of the "Dragons den"......... so many Kloster Braueries & just one of me! :D

Re: The C word
 

I'd happily swap spending time at the in laws for a day in the cemetery M :D.

I dunno,you've got all the stresses of Xmas....cooking the meal,shopping,wrapping pressies,decorating writing (and posting) of the cards.....Is it all worth it for one day of misery? Hmmm,it just seems like a anticlimax.
Perhaps it's old age creeping up on me or the fact I'm forced to wear Christmas jumper that makes me so miserable at Xmas :confused:

Re: The C word
 

They are only stresses if you allow yourself to be stressed.
Planning is the key......and being ready and able to change your plans should this be necessary.
I used to do all of that you mention, plus I did the Christmas shopping for the ward,bought and wrote all the cards, planned and sorted out a buffet for the staff and patients on Christmas day...worked a shift and then came home and did our Christmas dinner.
It is what we do. I do not expect it to be perfect......it just has to be something that will draw family and friends together.......What kind of mouse are you?
'Forced to wear a Christmas jumper'...my heart bleeds purple pee for you.
You are privlileged to have in laws to celebrate with...to have food to eat and a warm jumper on your back...Now, stop whining and shut up!

Re: The C word
 

Ha,Ha, What a cracker, (it's the way you tell em, Marge)

Re: The C word
 

Thank you Taddy....glad it made you smile....and crackers a re the order of the day aren't they ? :D

Re: The C word
 

I stopped sending christmas cards in 1964.

I was pregnant at the time and, with the prospect of having to give up work, that expense was my lowest priority.

If I lost contact with some friends because of it - I didn't miss them - if they took umbrage at not getting a card then they weren't worth having as friends anyway.

Now that I have no religious belief in christianity, I was amused to get a christmas card from one of my carers who is muslim. When I told her I was an atheist we both chuckled at the irony of it.

Too many christmas traditions are observed purely to conform to society's 'norms'.

I don't feel the need to conform.

Re: The C word
 

Screw society's "norms"! ... it's time to lighten up and have a good time with family and friends ... and have a gut busting meal. Even back in the day, who gave a shiite if all you got for presents were an apple and an orange, a sugar pig, and a new penny (which disappeared into the gas meter later in the day;)), there was food on the table and folks to share it with.

On the 25th, we turn a solar corner, and spring is on the way:alright:. All we have to do is shovel and shiver our way through three or four months of winter.:D If having a good old time (even thinking a few positive thoughts after a couple of drinks and tokes) is conformity, conform me in.:dancedog:

By the by ... and completely off topic ... if moose is on your Christmas menu, cook it in the crock pot with onion, garlic, celery root, and mushroom soup.:alright: Did a standing rib roast yesterday, and it was decent. Come to think of it, changing your menu at Christmas might make the holiday seem like less of a "conformity."