Hey this time next week

[miasmum]

It will all be over and life can go back to normal

I am not usually a misery, but this year I just can't get into it. I am wrapping presents as I walk out the house with them. I am quite prepared for the fact Luke will sleep all day Christmas day and that for the 5 nights he is home we are going to get no sleep whatsoever as he has turned nocturnal

We have Tim's mum and dad every year, she is getting deafer and he sleeps all day too, wakes up eats dinner then sits back down and falls asleep again.

I end up in the kitchen with a glass of mulled wine or 2, my music on loud, doing the washing up and I can honestly say that is the best bit of Christmas day

[tonicha]

The best thing to do is not to have a christmas MM. Have fish and chips and sxd the turkey, the rubbish tele, the wrapping of pressies and stuff.

We have a few things that look like Christmas things in the lounge, we don't do presents, we have a stroll out on the day and then have something to eat. This year, we're having chicken and prawns on the hot stone

We don't bother with the family, they don't bother us (apart from my daughter and grandson, we maybe have a quick skype with them, maybe not) and that's it - all done.

26th December here is a normal working day, so after one day, that's it, we're all back to normal.

It's been made of far too much over there. The shops here only do Christmas for about 3 weeks and then it's all over. None of this starting in August stuff...sheesh....

[Workingman]

Hey, my mate, these things happen. We have to go with the flow. We love our children, brothers, sisters, mums and dads, no matter what. They will always be part of us, we cannot change that.

Don't feel guilty about your visit to the kitchen for a glass or two, we need our own space and time as well. It is normal. It is not selfish. It's life.

xxx

[tonicha]

Yours is by far the better reply WM, I 'm having a bad day sorry.

Anyone got a stone I can crawl under?

[Lozzles]

Special Christmas hugs coming up...(((((((((Ton)))))))))) (((((((((((((((Shell)))))))))))

This Christmas I have put my dainty little foot down and I'm not cooking I've bought Christmas dinner from COOK for the first time ever. So that will be delivered today and put in the freezer. I'm not baking, just buying stuff in, but not going mad. I am determined to relax this Christmas

[Kaz]

((((((((((((((Shell))))))))))))))))))) (((((((((((((((((((Ton))))))))))))))))))

WM's reply is spot on there xxxx

I can't say I'm looking forward to the day itself either - the nearer the day gets the more I think, and even dream about my parents especially mum. I keep thinking about the minute the phone rang last Christmas morning and my sister told me the news - me with my Bucks Fizz in one hand, silly hat on..............

BUT I'm lucky, I will be spending the day with my lovely M and rwo of my three gorgeous kids and I know they'll be keeping an eye on me.............I have them to make an effort for which really helps

The bit I am looking forward to the most is the Friday and Saturday after Christmas when my sister and family come to stay! We're going to take them down to show them the docks - it's lovely there with all the boats, you can walk round it and there are nice coffee places, and later I'm cooking an un-Christmassy casserole in the slow cooker and we'll have a late night with lots of wine and chat! The Saturday maybe more of the same............My sister is going to her BIL's for the Day and her SIL's for Boxing Day so she won't be at home with all the memories of Christmas Days there with my parents.

Christmas can be hard for many people, for all sorts of reasons (((((((((((((((((((((((((((x)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[miasmum]

I don't have family, only the in laws. My step family sort themselves out, I shan't see them. To be honest my stepsister has moved back here, so my step mum is going there, with my step niece and nephew, that will be lovely. I would love to relax, but I just can't. I don't do any cooking, Tim does it all. He really enjoys it. Makes his own cranberry sauce, etc. I don't know why, no one appreciates it, apart from me. Can't forget about it, Luke wouldn't let us. I hesitate to say I just feel this is all Christmas has been as far back as I look and as far forwards, as life has a habit of saying 'ha you thought that was bad, take this'

[Fugitive]

It's a short mid-week Christmas for people who have to work either side of it and an endless holiday for those who don't. Either way people have high expectations and others are full of dread. We all have our share of good ones and not so good.

We've escaped twice from UK Christmases, once to Egypt with not a Christmas tree in sight and the other to Capetown with hardly a sign of Christmas Tat and both were memorable. Families didn't mind because we all saw each other a lot anyway during the year.

Enjoy your wine, music and the washing up time MM-it'll soon be over.

Lozzles! What a brilliant Cook website and your Christmas menu looks delicious. All their food looks lovely but I am always interested in fat content and sugar and so on in prepared foods and couldn't find any info on their dishes. Do they give that info? If I'd known about this before I would have ordered from them for Christmas lunch and handed it all over to my daughter as she's doing the cooking. Bookmarking that website for future use! Lovely

[miasmum]

Oh Kaz, sorry xxx See now I feel guilty I am just moaning

[Kaz]

No please don't!!! That wasn't my intention I just wanted to say that underneath the outward jollity and Christmas cheer a LOT of people will be dreading the day as much as you.......Fellow feeling, not wanting to make you feel guilty about your feelings which are perfectly understandable (((((((((((((((x)))))))))))))))))))

Loz and Fugi I buy in a lot of prepared food and take all the short cuts I can anyway - I'm not much of a cook and don't enjoy cooking much - so I cheat