Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

What are your plans this year?

I've got 2 weeks off work, just going to have a nice quiet family time. Our eldest is coming home from Uni for a few days over Christmas but has to get back to Brighton cos he's working, and anyway Brighton is a far more fun place to be in party season for a teenager than a small Norfolk village.

Got a couple of parties to go to, and having friends round to join us for Christmas Day lunch. Looking forward to it all.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Nothing decided yet

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

That sounds like a very pleasant festive season Jingsamichty. Nice that you'll be seeing your oldest, even if just for a few days.

We're having scouse's adult sons and their partners for dinner on Christmas Eve.

Going to one of my sister's place at around 10am Christmas morning, we call it 'brunch' but in reality the last straggler usually leaves about 7pm. We all take food, beer and bubbles, most of my family is there so generally around 40 people. All the presents go under the tree and get handed out, so that takes a good 2 hours on its own :lol: I'm looking forward to it too.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

My parents are flying into Vancouver on the 18th, they are staying with my Son in Burnaby until I pick all three of them up on the 21st. Then we are hanging out here in Kamloops until the 2nd. We haven't seen each other in 2 years so I'm looking forward to it.

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We don't have any plans, its just the 2 of us so we don't usually do much of anything.

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I don't know, just checked my calendar and I don't have to work. Possibly ice fishing.

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We're staying put. Elder SD will join us for a few days, as hopefully will her boyfriend. Younger SD is effectively banned due to the grief that she caused last Christmas (and once again since).

We'll be hosting the big meal on the 25th (14 participants) and have managed to lock the date in early enough so that the nieces' husbands can fit their respective family bashes so as not to clash with ours.

This place is already beginning to look like a UPS/Amazon parcel sorting centre, thanks to the family Secret Santa. Stuff just keeps arriving that neither myself nor OH have ordered, OH opens them up and says "that'll be from abc for xyz" then calls abc to tell him or her that the parcel is here, book an appointment to come and wrap/hide it.

The cats are currently feigning indifference, but will come to life once the Christmas tree is in place.

OH will have a couple of out with the girls days, I will have a couple of day trips, one south of Brussels and one up to Den Haag. These will not occur at the same time as OH's outings, as the revamped sound system needs some fine tweaking.

There will be more curry consumed than at any other time of year.

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We're taking the train across Canada to Nova Scotia (and back again) to spend Christmas with our daughter, s-i-l and grandson. We have nothing planned except to spend time with them all. We arrive on the 19th, they all have work or school on the 20th so we might arrange a meet-up with a couple we both knew at university. Apart from that, it will be family time. No idea what we will have to eat on Christmas Day, they like to have different meats!

Then we will leave them in time to catch The Canadian in Toronto for our New Year ........ it will be somewhere between Saskatoon and Jasper this year.

It's now become an annual trip.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

I'll have the usual two weeks off in addition to the other 50 weeks off.

The 6.00 am phone call from my mum seems to have been only a one-off when she forgot the time difference :rofl:
She still gets it wrong but not so badly and now I call her to play safe. :nod:

We may do Love Actually again this year having watched something else on xmas eve in past years.

Also going to check out winter and lights at the zoo. Brrrrrr.

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Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Our 2 sons are coming in from Edmonton for Xmas week, we're doing the zoo's festival of lights, have a grandchild's 5th birthday, Xmas day lunch with our 4 children and 2 grandchildren, spouses etc, Boxing day with some additional friends added into the mix.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Up until today it was turkey for 2, then we were thinking of going out for dinner with another couple, (boys planning without talking to the missuses) but now it's going to the other couples for dinner. So now i have to thi k of gifts for peeps I've never met😨

will be chatting to DD at some point. That will be my highlight.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

I'll go to my son late on Christmas eve, spend Christmas day with him, open stockings and presents and then cook turkey, roast spuds and all the trimmings.. eat it (not forgetting to pull crackers and wear silly hats) and then we'll watch a movie after dinner with a glass of something.. or if he has plans then an early departure for me. Other than that, no plans.


I love hearing of others plans - reminds me of when I was growing up and the house would be filled with relatives and friends and much merriment would be had. I still remember making paper chains to decorate the lounge and picking mistletoe for above the door; small boughs of greenery and holly with red berries to decorate the mantle. Our Christmas tree had glass birds that were candle holders, with tiny candles (similar to birthday candles), the irridescent feathers were quite beautiful. Happy memories :)

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

5 years ago we arrived in Budapest a few days before Christmas to be greeted with truly gruesome weather, having only 1 piece of luggage (everything else not due to arrive from the UK until late January). Unfamiliar with much, especially the language, Christmas was bound to be a limited affair, and it was!

However, a miniature Christmas tree, just 1 small gift each, some DVDs played on our lap top (our TV / internet couldn't be connected until 28th December), great walks admiring the City's decorations (despite being minus 15c), roast chestnuts in the market - & we had one of the best Christmases ever!

No pressures, no impositions, no pita relatives - magic!

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Sounds lovely. We have a little potted pine tree we decorated.

I do wish Vancouver was more decorated for Christmas but its not the most festive city.

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Stick with it, JS! Just have a simple, but enjoyable, Christmas!

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

This is the only significant vacation time I take each year, so I really look forward to it.

I should get 2 weeks off, but my clients may change that.

Lots of eating, drinking and spending time with the family - fantastic time of the year.

I may be persuaded to get out an acoustic guitar and play something that everyone can sing, particularly if they have had a few drinks. Fun time all around!

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One of the few I am not working so a plus. Usually I have jobs where I work Christmas.

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:rofl:


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...fc7a30df7b.gif

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Bells from egg cartons and silver paper. Pipe cleaner figures. Tree branches painted white and sparkle added. Dates. Clementines. Nuts.

Immediate family at dinner - which was lunch time :lol: - with the rellies arriving for Christmas tea after xmas TOTP. Christmas pud which I didn't like but had a portion in case there was a threepenny bit in it.

So many seated at the table that there was an old fashioned pasting board (hinged down the length so when folded it was more like a plank but sturdy) covered with a blanket and placed between chairs for all the kids to sit on.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Hanging around in Toronto which will be quiet and boring. I will venture up to one of the local snow hills to board a couple of days to pass the time.

I don't half miss getting pissed in a pub on Christmas Eve.

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It's not the city that never sleeps at Christmas?

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Nice memories Bristol :) We made bells out of the silver tops of milk bottles and paper chains cut from magazines. One 'main present' and a couple of little ones. Roast chicken for Christmas lunch, a huge luxury then. How things have changed, beef was so cheap then that it was an everyday meal. I always hoped I'd get the threepenny bit :D

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Probably nothing that exciting but fishing, crabbing and pawning but whatever I do I plan on staying as drunk as possible throughout the time.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

But there's lots of decorations around!

Look for information on which houses and streets are decorated.

Go down to the Christmas Market ............ you have to pay to go inside, but you can walk around outside for free.

Go to the hotels, especially ones that are having the Christmas tree competitions.

Go to Stanley Park or Queen Elizabeth Park, free ............. VanDusen has great decorations, but you have to pay to enter

You have to get out and look around to see them, but Vancouver certainly is not an undecorated city by any means!

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Everything shut by 5 ish on Christmas Eve- even Hooters.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Yeah I am with you James.....Christmas Eve...and everything is shut at 5!! WTF??? the pubs are packed on Christmas Eve in the UK!
Christmas Eve would be pretty low key if it wasn't for a knees up at a friends house.... its usually a good one.

I would have thought something would have stayed open in a city like TO biggest city in Canada?

On an unrelated note....any recomnendations for a good live music bar in TO? something that plays the usual classic rock/pop kind of stuff?

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Try The Keg - they are usually open til 10 - I've gone there for the past 3 years.. and many ethnic restaurants are too.

The Keg only closes on Christmas Day. :) https://kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

I don't know TO's music scene but Timothy's in Etobicote I am told has some good bands as does Rock n Docs in Mississauga.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

That could be the downside to it though.

I lived in what was once a small village but is now more like a town - 11,000+ population. Two pubs opposite each other, another 50 yards up a side street and another 50 yards up the road from the two opposite each other.

Loads of people would call in at all four on xmas eve meaning glasses got used at three or four times the rate as usual. There may not have been a glass ready for you - not only more used than usual but the packed pub meant collection of used glasses slowed down too.

If you were staying at the same pub for the night you had to guard your glass from when you emptied it to the next round. Then fight your way to the bar and back again, but with your hands full, it's hard to get through the crowd and you might only have half a pint left.

And that ignores the likelihood that at some point you'd have silly string in your beer.

After a few xmas eves like that the joy dissipates somewhat. Or it's miserable gitness. :lol:

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

The Rex.

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What happened with Jeff's place? Did it get re-invented?

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Thanks Siouxie, I will bear those in mind, but I am meeting someone downtown on this occasion.

Thanks, I hadn't heard of that place....is that downtown?

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Its all about training Bristol.... buy the barmaid couple of drinks at begining of the night, you don't suffer from the ceasing to exist at the bar then, then learning to carry multiple pints while activating your force field around you to prevent any flayling arms spilling,pints, or go up in twos to the bar, that helps with all the above..... however when you get older, it does become less fun....and miserable gitness starts to set in....still a great atmosphere though....it beats tumble weed blowing down the street at 5pm! :rofl:

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Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

Just got in from a chilly night out at the Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas market) - hundreds of stalls all along the river and around the central church area, every second hut is a gluhwein hut! It's so popular, absolutely heaving! You simply can't imagine 80% of the population of a Canadian town going out for an evening wander between 6-9pm having a few drinks and a wurst (sausage) on a weekday night.

God how I love Europe.

Re: Who's doing what for Christmas?
 

It is the two week shutdown here in New Zealand when most families go away camping and the like. MrBEVS however will be on-call. He is most years.
So we will be home in the heat for Christmas but may spend a few hours at the beach weather permitting.
Not sure on food atm. We have some really good friends who will come over for the day. They are ping-pongers who returned to N from the UK 2 years ago but are now once again looking to return back to the UK. Long story.
I may still buy a turkey although they are stringy affairs here really. The weather isn't that good for a Xmas roast but I still may go with that.

Other than that it will be quiet ( bit boring) as always. NZ doesn't tend to do evenings or festivities as such. Most all shuts down & bed by 9pm is de-rigeur. ZZzz.