Non-Family Christmas (1 Viewer)

[jane]

Anyone else not got naught to do for the holidays? All this festive cheer is reminding me that I haven't figured out what I'm doing for the exmass this year, and that I'd want to get on it. What do yizzers who don't do family stuff do for it?

I was hoping to have an orphans' Christmas and cook up a big feast with other people who don't have fambly ones, but everyone seems to have other places to go already. And I could take up a friend on an invite for a family Christmas, but as much as I appreciate that sort of thing, it's been about ten years of watching other people celebrate Christmas while I sit in a real or proverbial folding chair, trying really, really hard not to weep into the marzipan because that just isn't cool, and is a little bit ungrateful. It's not that I don't apprecaite the invitations, it's that it's someone else's Christmas tradition, and it's hard not to feel a teensy bit like walking on eggshells.

So ANYWAYS. I was hoping to go to a non-Christian country to get away from Christmas, but seeing as I am dead broke, that's out of the question, at least for this year.

I've tried hiding from it completely, but that sucks worse. I'm kind of tired of being bummed out every Christmas, so I'm determined to start making up my own Christmas tradition. Anyone have any nifty ideas that aren't family-centered?

 

[Zeelander]

What my brother did last year was have a an "opt out clause" for anyone not able to or not wanting to spend Christmas with their families. He lives in France and spent Christmas with his fellow francophiles from across the globe. The venue they chose was the biggest apartment any of them had. Everyone attending chipped in for food and the best cooks cooked without paying anything. His French friends who had always wanted to avoid a family Christmas told their families they were spending Christmas with "orphaned" immigrants and came along too. According to my bro it was the best Christmas ever.

 

[jane]

What my brother did last year was have a an "opt out clause" for anyone not able to or not wanting to spend Christmas with their families. He lives in France and spent Christmas with his fellow francophiles from across the globe. The venue they chose was the biggest apartment any of them had. Everyone attending chipped in for food and the best cooks cooked without paying anything. His French friends who had always wanted to avoid a family Christmas told their families they were spending Christmas with "orphaned" immigrants and came along too. According to my bro it was the best Christmas ever.

This is kind of what I was hoping to do. I sort of figured that I'd put the word out that if any of my mates wanted to opt out of their family Christmases, we would all have a big slumber party and feast here. My house is actually a really nice place for such an event. It's cosy and cluttered and full of treats to eat and goofy stuff to look at, and I have Balderdash.

If I do end up doing a Christmas here (I'd really like to), I am thinking of opening my house up as some kind of Christmas Refuge, like a wet hostel for my mates, where they can come and chill out and eat and drink and giggle. If I had a TV, I'd get someone to bring Singstar, but I don't think my neighbours would thank me for it.

So if I do do this, my house will be the place to come and hide from annoying relatives. It's an easy excuse, too, you just go, "Jane's on her own, so I wanna go make sure she's alright." When really, everyone will be MORE than alright, we'll be whooping it up and stuffing our faces and washing it all down with my famous champagne punch.

That'd be my ideal Christmas, to be honest. Glad it worked for your bro!

The thing is, all my foreign friends here are doing stuff already, and my only other foreign friend who is single and doesn't already have a Christmas tradition, is doing Christmas out of town.

 

[Diddles]

Don't know your situation so its hard for me to suggest anything. A couple of years ago we went up dalkey hill in the morning and had a flask of tea - that was deadly and different! I'd like to do something like that again this year. I actually suggested going out to dollymount and cooking our dinner in our camper van on the beach - that would be brillo, but I don't think the husband is too enthusiastic!

We usually eat dinner on our own and make an open invitiation to all our mates to come over to our gaff to rock out in the evening if they're sick of the whole family thing or don't have any. We do the family visiting thing after stephens day. Always find it weird (and a bit insulting) that we always have to go to them, probably cos we're both the youngest in our families. They never offer to come see us so we have to spend the 27th to the 30th visiting about a million people. Pain in the face when you're supposed to be on your holidays.

I know a couple of people who check into hotels over christmas and have a great time. Have thought about doing that myself, but never get it together to organise anything. It would be nice to go to a hotel in Connemara or Donegal with room service and drink hot whiskeys while looking out to sea, get your dinner served to you, curl up later on the lovely bed and watch the films ..... agggghhh, I should have booked something!!!

 

[carbide]

This is kind of what I was hoping to do. I sort of figured that I'd put the word out that if any of my mates wanted to opt out of their family Christmases, we would all have a big slumber party and feast here. My house is actually a really nice place for such an event. It's cosy and cluttered and full of treats to eat and goofy stuff to look at, and I have Balderdash.

damn, that sounds pretty perfect.

we're borrowing my aunt's flat in london for christmas, as an experiment (for me) to see whether i'm protesting too much about the usual christmas (seeing 50+ people in one day) being a bit overwhelming and smothering. plans include eating, sleeping, reading, playing the 1982 version of trivial pursuit and dividing the traditional christmas roles between us - i think mr. cookiemonster will get to be the drunk determined to tell everyone what he really feels, while i'll divide my time between falling asleep after dinner and trying to play with every new toy all at once.

 

[jane]

Don't know your situation so its hard for me to suggest anything. A couple of years ago we went up dalkey hill in the morning and had a flask of tea - that was deadly and different! I'd like to do something like that again this year. I actually suggested going out to dollymount and cooking our dinner in our camper van on the beach - that would be brillo, but I don't think the husband is too enthusiastic!

We usually eat dinner on our own and make an open invitiation to all our mates to come over to our gaff to rock out in the evening if they're sick of the whole family thing or don't have any. We do the family visiting thing after stephens day. Always find it weird (and a bit insulting) that we always have to go to them, probably cos we're both the youngest in our families. They never offer to come see us so we have to spend the 27th to the 30th visiting about a million people. Pain in the face when you're supposed to be on your holidays.

I know a couple of people who check into hotels over christmas and have a great time. Have thought about doing that myself, but never get it together to organise anything. It would be nice to go to a hotel in Connemara or Donegal with room service and drink hot whiskeys while looking out to sea, get your dinner served to you, curl up later on the lovely bed and watch the films ..... agggghhh, I should have booked something!!!

Yeah, those are all lovely ideas, but I'm on me ownsome. Not 100% but there's no actual Mr Jane, so I'd be sitting around in me jim-jams being my own best friend. I really should have booked an isolated cabin in the hills, and just taken my laptop and worked on some fiction or something. But I'd have to actually leave Ireland for that anyway -- too totally saturated with Christmas to escape it properly.

I've only had one family Christmas in the last ten years, and, er, it didn't go well, and sorry if that's cryptic, it's just Too Complicated And Irritating For The Interweb. Let's just say I'm always glad when it's over.

I think the camper van on Dollymount strand sounds absolutely deadly, though. Fucking brilliant, and if I were paired off with a fella, I'd steal your idea.

 

[jane]

damn, that sounds pretty perfect.

we're borrowing my aunt's flat in london for christmas, as an experiment (for me) to see whether i'm protesting too much about the usual christmas (seeing 50+ people in one day) being a bit overwhelming and smothering. plans include eating, sleeping, reading, playing the 1982 version of trivial pursuit and dividing the traditional christmas roles between us - i think mr. cookiemonster will get to be the drunk determined to tell everyone what he really feels, while i'll divide my time between falling asleep after dinner and trying to play with every new toy all at once.

Oh no! You're not going to be here? Yizzers were at the top of my list for invitees to Janey's Christmas Wet Hostel. You still are, anyway.

But I do hope you have a brilliant time in London. I suspect you will really enjoy it.

 

[Diddles]

I've only had one family Christmas in the last ten years, and, er, it didn't go well, and sorry if that's cryptic, it's just Too Complicated And Irritating For The Interweb. Let's just say I'm always glad when it's over.

I've had a few of those meself over the years and won't go into it either. When I was first with my husband, he'd go 'home' to his parents on christmas eve and would return on stephens day. I'd generally go to my parents, cook the dinner, leave soon after and spent the rest of the day on my own playing computer games. Strangely enough, I enjoyed myself, because I didn't feel under any pressure or obligation.

I'd genuinely do the hotel thing on my own. I imagine doing it like an Agatha Christie novel and being all mysterious and aloof wile pretending to investigate a murder mystery.

 

[roxy]

It's mad, my family has always been so so very insular on Christmas day since I can remember. And still are. Everyone comes home from abroad and wherever, and the seven of us have always woken up in the house on the morning, we have always done roughly the same routine. No one calls over, and no one really leaves the house til much later, at least 10pm. We just loll and trip over each other and eat and drink and watch fuckloads of tv. That's why the idea of eating Christmas dinner out somewhere seems so foreign and wrong to me.

Point being, I've always been fiercely protective of this just the family routine and I've always thought it would be so wrong for anything to break it. But uh, my sister will be spending The Christmas with her brand (spanking) new husband this year so for the first time in my life, it won't be a complete set which won't be cool.... But ah well. Fecks up our Kris Kindle too... stupid marrieds.

 

[jane]

I've had a few of those meself over the years and won't go into it either. When I was first with my husband, he'd go 'home' to his parents on christmas eve and would return on stephens day. I'd generally go to my parents, cook the dinner, leave soon after and spent the rest of the day on my own playing computer games. Strangely enough, I enjoyed myself, because I didn't feel under any pressure or obligation.

I'd genuinely do the hotel thing on my own. I imagine doing it like an Agatha Christie novel and being all mysterious and aloof wile pretending to investigate a murder mystery.

Yeah, the hotel thing does sound kind of cool, but logistically, it would mean getting public transport on Christmas eve and again on Stephen's Day because my licence is expired and I can't rent a car. I think I'd end up in floods of tears if I did that. I've long given up on appearing to be aloof and intriguing. Tried it once, but stupidly brought a really funny book with me, and spent so much time guffawing and snorting that I really detracted from my own mystery.

Taking off on top secret solo adventures is something I used to do as a teenager. I don't think I ever did it on Christmas proper, but I certainly did it around Christmas. I used to just get on a bus (before I was old enough to drive) and head off in any direction and get off somewhere that looked interesting. When I was old enough to drive, I used to just get into my car and do something like, "I'm going to stop wherever I am when I've driven 300 miles" or however many hours or whatever.

 

[Janer]

Couldn't find the fucking ignore button but I too am on my own this xmas, my bird going shopping to NY NY so good they named it twice.

2+2=FOUR?

 

[ITalkShite]

Shut up Janer

 

[Janer]

TOUGH SHIT MICKEY

Mother Nature smiles and cracks a new days dawn
Most people on the earth are sleeping comfortably and warm
Out in the fields and pastures, it's another new day too
One without the war and hatred that is known by me and you
A shriek disturbs the peacefulness; the cat's just killed a mouse
The mother says with feeling as she looks out from the house
It's breakfast time, the clock strikes nine, ham, bacon, one egg or two?
What a shame about that mouse, what's for tea tonight, lamb stew?

Well, there's things to do, so the family divides in separate ways
Father works to earn the keep, he's a butcher and well paid
The daughters go to riding school mother washes up the crap
One son plays with soldiers; the other aggravates the cat
Back out in the fields, a different story's taking place
Foxes cower with their cubs to escape the human race
Rabbits run for life, deer take cover in the trees
The mother sighs with disbelief, then prepares the meat

Think what you're doing the systems set to ruin
The life not the profit we've got to fucking stop it

Because before too long there will nothing left alive
Not a creature on the land or sea, a bird in the sky
They'll be shot, harpooned, eaten and hunted too much
Vivisected by the clever men who prove that there's no such
Thing as a fair world with live and let live
The royal family go hunting what an example to give
To the people they lead and that don't include me
I've seen enough pain and torture of those who can't speak
So I'm gonna speak for them in an all out attack
And if someone tries to whip me, then I will fucking whip them back
Because I have had enough of this madness in those theatres of hell
Enough of them hounding the fox to the kill
Of baby seals being clubbed, their mothers cut up
They satisfy their greed, their wealth's built on blood
Of their slaughterhouse haunting the back of the mind
The gas chamber of the farm life, the end of the line

It's a shame about that mouse!

 

[pete]

we're going to vegas. probably go see penn & teller on the 24th, maybe the beach boys on the 25th, tickets bought for jerry seinfeld on the 26th. ho ho fuckin ho.

 

[Janer]

Gotta say Pete you appear to be older than 35

 

[Diddles]

Ah lads, stop wrecking the thread. This thread is about talking about chrimbo and family and stuff and it's a pain in the mowl for another thread to be hijacked for other purposes, so leave it ok? Don't be bringing the bad stuff here.

 

[pete]

Couldn't find the fucking ignore button

here y'go

 

[nlgbbbblth]

I've never known a Christmas dinner away from my parents' house.

 

[pete]

I've never known a Christmas dinner away from my parents' house.

there's a lot to be said for it.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

there's a lot to be said for it.

familiarity breeds contentment