Do you have any Christmas Predictaments ?

I didnt know what to call this thread as its for Christmas moans, but that sounds a little Humbug doesnt it .... oh well.

You know what its like at this time of year, you get someone who wants to join you for Xmas dinner who you cant stand ... but feel you have to say yes to. You get invited to a party, but hate the host - but again, say yes for an easy life. You buy pressies for people unworthy, but cant not buy one.

This thread is for that kind of thing.


Well - moan time. This year i have bought ALL the christmas pressies, ALL the booze and will be buying ALL the food. Im skint as skint can be, and Mr.B hasnt once put his hand in his pocket. So much so, im going to a birthday party tonight, and am stressing how to afford a bottle of something to take with me :ninja:

But Mr.B got home last night - and he has single handedly organised Christmas Eve / Day for us ... which means more expense.

For the last 13 years we have always gone to his sisters house for Xmas Eve. All the family are there (and Mr.B has a large family) and we used to buy gifts for the kids (who are an unappreciative lot who always hated what i bought them). They in turn used to buy us M&S choccies etc ... which was nice.

But last year, cos we now live in Suffolk and they are in Essex we didnt go. It was such a relief financially. Because the kids are older now, we didnt bother sending presents, and everyone knew we were skint because of the move.

But this year Mr.B has said we will go - without consulting me !! So this means i have to take presents with me, as i know they will buy us something. The only thing i can think of is to buy the family as a whole a tin of Quality Street or something, so that means about £30 (there are 5 families) more i have to spend on presents.

So Xmas Eve will be a complete rush. Basically we are now going to one of his sisters for the day. We will then head off to his other sisters for the party in the evening (all the while dragging the dog with us wherever we go as he will need to stretch his legs etc). Then at about 1am we are going to my parents to spend the night.

So this means that the dog will have to sleep in our bedroom as he frets when left in other peoples houses - so we will get no sleep as he is a pain in the a*se at night and wants permanent loving. We will have to creep around as my parents will be well and truly tucked up in bed. I cant smoke ALL DAY as i STILL havent told my parents i smoke, so i will be pulling my hair out Xmas day (i can sense that i will be taking the dog out on numerous walks).

All in all, im dreading it :bored: I adore Christmas Day with my parents, but i would rather stay home Christmas Eve, get up at 6am Christmas morning and drive to my parents for the day, and then home in the evening. PLUS i know that Mr.B will spend the whole time inviting his family over to our house during the festive holidays and expect me to cook / clean and provide for them all :mad2:

Ask him for some money to reimburse you for the Christmas expenses, then run off with the dog to Centerparcs. :thumbsup:

Ask him for some money to reimburse you for the Christmas expenses, then run off with the dog to Centerparcs. :thumbsup:
Lol ..... cunning plan.

Unfortunately my husband is skint - but he doesnt realise the same applies to me when i have spent probably £500 on pressies / food and drink out of one wage packet.

Aww Bonnie, thats tough on you having to fork out for crissie pressies.
Does Mr B think that they magically appear all wrapped.
We, well I buy all the Xmas presents but it comes out of the joint account.

As for moans, I've got one. I'm off out tonight for my ladies circle Xmas meal and of course Xmas cards are given to each and every one who is there.
It takes us ages to swap cards over and sort them out. (Oh and of course you take a few spare blank cards just in case you've forgotten anyone:laugh: )
I'd rather not bother and just wish everyone a merry Xmas personally instead.

Oh and on the subject of Xmas cards, both my sons at school are in the process of collecting cards from all their classmates. Thats 30 cards each:ohmy: which I then have to buy some for them to recipricate.
Am I being bah humbug in thinking this is a total waste of money/paper etc.
I think I'd rather just put a tenner in a charity pot somewhere and tell everyone that I don't send cards out.

Im with you Andrea - im not a Christmas card kinda gal. I would rather people verbally wished me a merry christmas.

I always worry about friends / colleagues who i see regularly, and wonder whether i should give them a card. I wouldnt normally bother, so if someone gives me a card on Xmas Eve - im stuffed as i havent time to write one out !!!

Hello Andrea,

Lets just hope your childs school haven't gone mad with new rules to ban them. The money would then be wasted.

Maureen
Northern angel

Hello Bonsai,

I think in your heart you have a list of priorities, you need to discuss these in detail with Mr B.

Than you should check out how many of these you can afford. On one income. I trust it is your income that is being frittered away without any consideration of what the new year will bring. If you could seriously budget christmas you would have money for the new year sales. Mr B also needs to contribute for say 10 or 20% of the cost especially if that involves having people round for drinks. It used to be a tradition where visitors landed with a bit of coal and a bottle of spirit or wine. Try if you can to suggest this to your guests. Or don't buy any drink at all, just mixers and tell Mr B to go shopping to get the spirits in.

So far I have posted 37 cards to friends and family a few of them overseas. This is a yearly ritual, which I admit I do not mind as these are people I rarely or never see. Of late however I have taken to sending a personalised letter with those who I know this christmas will not be the same as previous ones, this is due to bereavements and the loss of loved ones. At the bottom of one such letter, where I felt this person to be very much like you, I suggested she should let other people take on some of the responsibility as she has such a large family. Surely they'd understand in view of her sadness. That this year she will have problems coping. Still I then went on to say how ironical I found it that when christmas is all over on the 5th of Jan, (the 12th day of christmas) how all the thank yous are to father christmas or Harry head of household, and poor Mary F - - - - - g Christmas has been forgotten, but it is she who has made all things happen.

Am I right this is you? You really need to put your foot down, you are being taken the loan of.

Maureen
Northern angel

P.S
I bet if I suggested you print this out, you'd be too embarrassed to do so - irregardless of circumstances you do need input both physically and financially.

irregardless of circumstances you do need input both physically and financially.

Thank you for your words. Yes, i do indeed need his help, and i will have to bring this up with Mr.B as i truly need his input. The thing is, i have done all the shopping, what he doesnt understand is that i need to put petrol in my car, and get the weekly food shop - and now ive bought the gifts, the extra essentials are proving hard.

Oh well, im depressing myself here !!!

Thank you for your words. Yes, i do indeed need his help, and i will have to bring this up with Mr.B as i truly need his input. The thing is, i have done all the shopping, what he doesnt understand is that i need to put petrol in my car, and get the weekly food shop - and now ive bought the gifts, the extra essentials are proving hard.

Oh well, im depressing myself here !!!

Hello again Bonsai,

Many people feel down at this time of year, some so much so that the affects don't end until around March. When the weather brightens up.

The most depressing thing about christmas is that for most people its an awful lot of expense just for a few days, and the expense is not always cleared. In other words - I'm speaking here of excessive credit card spending, your worst ever enemy, DEBT.

I am very strict with myself, I simply don't allow myself to have any debt. I do have a store card or so and a credit card, but when it says the minimum payment is due by x date, I actually pay my whole bill 5 days before hand - in cash.There by, not entering the minimum payment hell, which for some is nothing but interest payments. Recently, because I had used a different branch of my bank for payment of my bill, I was charged a late payment fee -which duly rattled my cage. My reaction was an immediate letter to the company and since then; they have refunded the charge with an apology. I should think so too, especially since I was early and couldn't accept the bank error.

In my days as a student, (to many years ago) with a credit card I was forever paying these charges, and then one day I took the scissors to the card and cut it up. My late father told me if you can't pay cash for what you think you need, don't go into debt for it. Do without, and if you can survive without than you have taught yourself the most important lesson in life. That what you thought you needed; in fact, was a luxury, or non essential item.

Enough on debt. I hope you didn't find me to harsh on Mr B. But as you have both been together a long time, I would expect that you would have a routine to working out the weekly shop and all the extras around birthdays and christmas. Although, I do know in the North East a lot of men leave it all up to the women in there lives, even if they have contributed substantially to the espense. It seems to me that Santa Claus must have been a changling, "WOMEN AFTER ALL."

Hope things work out for you.:excl:

Maureen
northern angel

The only thing that pees me off at Christmas is all the PC types telling us that we can't celebrate Christmas to the fullest because we might offend people of other beliefs! :mad2: Sod them I'm doing it anyway and I couldn't give a fig or a fug who I offend!

I really hate writing out christmas cards. At work we have a collection for a local hospice instead of sending them to one another and I much prefer this.

Still have loads to do though as I have a large family and also friends to send to. I started on them last night and gave up after I had written out the ones that needed posting so I will probably be rushing around just before xmas delivering them.

The only thing that pees me off at Christmas is all the PC types telling us that we can't celebrate Christmas to the fullest because we might offend people of other beliefs! :mad2: Sod them I'm doing it anyway and I couldn't give a fig or a fug who I offend!

oh good grief you're not dancing naked round the christmas tree again are you?!

my biggest moan about Christmas is people putting decorations up the last week of November ... surely this is just plain common and shows a distinct lack of breeding!

I myself shall be putting my decs up in the next week or so.

I have a new cat this year and he doesn't seem so much like a feline wrecking ball as the other one so there is even some hope that they will stay in the same place this year!

My other moan is my dad ... he is so bloody hard to buy for! All he ever says he wants is Whiskey and Licquorice Allsorts ... well that's what he's going to get (I think all his children (3 of us) are buying him this actually!) so that should see him through till end of January re: the whiskey!

Chrismas Cards are a huge bug bear of mine - always have been and always will.

Over the years our list crept up and up and up till 2 years ago it was near on 200.

Last year we were poorer than church mice and couldn't afford the cards let alone the postage - so we just didn't - and it was so liberating.

This year I suggested we did the same and only send a few to those who we really didn't ever see, our abroad friends and family. He agreed!!

Until about 5 mins ago when he annouces that I have 5 to write as he has done the rest!!! Well when I say rest he means people who will be offended if we don't send a card and more often than not it is older people who we just don't know [or are freinds of his and my parents]!!

Now to me that is just silly.

And I just get cross about cards!!!:mad2:

oh good grief you're not dancing naked round the christmas tree again are you?!


I do not and never will see a problem with this! :mad2:

If I wanna dance naked around my tree to celebrate Christmas, it's of no concern of yours so go scrub up against a dirty old man!

Hello Dolores,

Oh dolores, don't be a kill joy. I love christmas.

my biggest moan about Christmas is people putting decorations up the last week of November ... surely this is just plain common and shows a distinct lack of breeding!

Oh no, it doesn't?

I myself shall be putting my decs up in the next week or so.

Is that not a bit late?

I have a new cat this year and he doesn't seem so much like a feline wrecking ball as the other one so there is even some hope that they will stay in the same place this year!

I had a new cat last year, my neighbours cat decided to move in on mine and cease the battle for food against its feline flatmates, plus noisy sooner mutt. (Sooner a dog that would sooner pooh inside than out., a Sharon Osbourne mutt)

My other moan is my dad ... he is so bloody hard to buy for! All he ever says he wants is Whiskey and Licquorice Allsorts ... well that's what he's going to get (I think all his children (3 of us) are buying him this actually!) so that should see him through till end of January re: the whiskey!

Ooo, liquirice is a natural laxative in larger amounts. Have you stocked up on loo roll, if dad is coming to lunch?:thumbsup:

Maureen
Northern angel

I do not and never will see a problem with this! :mad2:

If I wanna dance naked around my tree to celebrate Christmas, it's of no concern of yours so go scrub up against a dirty old man!

Hi ya, Coastie.

I say you like braving all weathers, do you not?

If I dared to do the naked frolic around a tree, my boobs will have an even bigger natural lift, and I'd no doubt be joined by someone testing to see if my nipples would turn on an MP3.

Enjoy it Coastie, it only comes once a year.

Maureen
Northern angel:oops:

The only thing that pees me off at Christmas is all the PC types telling us that we can't celebrate Christmas to the fullest because we might offend people of other beliefs! :mad2: Sod them I'm doing it anyway and I couldn't give a fig or a fug who I offend!

Hello Coastie,

I'm tired of these politically correct folks aswell, they can be boring old
f - - - t s.

Sometimes, I think we are being taken the micky out of or taken a loan of. Whichever, is the most appropriate. Afterall, we tend not to dictate to them when it comes to there religious or non religious festivals, instead we tolerate it. Time they realised they're in Britain and as Britains we will do what we feel is right within reason, since when does celebrating christmas infringe upon anyone else's civil liberties?

You know, I am probably one of the most tolerant human beings anyone could ever meet. But years ago in my student days, I had to vacate my flat quietly every Saturday because the prayer times were on the wall and out came all the mats for what seemed like hours on end.Believe you me sitting in my room to listen once was enough, so would be pleased to go out. I also remember buying 2 pork chops which I had tenderised and marinated, and although it was waiting to go in the oven as the oven was not at temperature. One of my shroud wearing flatmates walked in to lecture me about unclean foods and began to clean the surface area with incantations 7 times in succession. I stood stunned and when she disappeared for private prayer, I burst out laughing.

What's wrong with me has age made cynical or what? I still feel the same, what's wrong with christmas cards, birthdays, baa baa black sheep, and blackboards. Nothing. Pardon me F - - k all.

For we all want a figgy pudding!

Maureen
Northern angel:wallbash: