Unwanted things about Xmas.

[Steamport Southport]

9 hours ago, 33C said:

Why are German Christmas markets a thing anyway?

What's wrong with our own crappy markets?

I loved going into the High Street, in times past, and not once did I crave a mulled lager and a Bratwurst sandwich....

 

Real reason?

 

Because what we think of as Christmas was brought over by the Hanoverians in the early 18th Century!

 

Then the Victorians enhanced it more, mainly Prince Albert and later Charles Dickens. Previous to that it was a devout religious festival.

 

 

Jason

[Pacific231G]

10 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

As I have got older the more I believe Oliver Cromwell had the right idea.

No we don't want puritans (of any faith or none)

Definition -

A puritan is someone who goes through life terrified that somewhere, somebody is happy. 

 

(and we have them in our hobby too!)

Edited November 4, 2023 by Pacific231G

[Reorte]

10 hours ago, 33C said:

Why are German Christmas markets a thing anyway?

What's wrong with our own crappy markets?

I loved going into the High Street, in times past, and not once did I crave a mulled lager and a Bratwurst sandwich....

Guilty pleasure confession - I quite like them.

[Hroth]

7 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Real reason?

 

Because what we think of as Christmas was brought over by the Hanoverians in the early 18th Century!

 

Then the Victorians enhanced it more, mainly Prince Albert and later Charles Dickens. Previous to that it was a devout religious festival.

 

 

Jason

 

There was the devout religious festival, and whatever the peasants got up to to fill in the cold dark days at the end of the year.

 

[Michael Hodgson]

22 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

As I have got older the more I believe Oliver Cromwell had the right idea.

Yes, getting its boiler overhauled at the GCR.

[JJGraphics]

On 04/11/2023 at 13:08, Hroth said:

 

Closing the theatres would also eliminate pantomimes too!

 

If only!

[MJI]

The tat, the enforced jolliness, the you must do this etc etc.

 

Stuff coming from US like elfs.

 

aghhhh.

 

Worst is the forgetting of the importance of birthdays.

[Steamport Southport]

9 minutes ago, MJI said:

The tat, the enforced jolliness, the you must do this etc etc.

 

Stuff coming from US like elfs.

 

aghhhh.

 

Worst is the forgetting of the importance of birthdays.

 

[Martino]

12 hours ago, MJI said:

The tat, the enforced jolliness, the you must do this etc etc.

 

Stuff coming from US like elfs.

 

aghhhh.

 

Worst is the forgetting of the importance of birthdays.

Don’t blame the US.  We hate the little bar stewards too.

[CWJ]

16 hours ago, MJI said:

Worst is the forgetting of the importance of birthdays.

Christmas IS a birthday, isn't it? 🙂

 

While I'm here, another one for the rant list: polar bears and penguins. What have these creatures got to do with a bible story from the Middle East? Come to think of it, what do they have to do with the more recent continental festivities that brought us trees and Father Christmas?

 

Cheers,

 

Will

[Dick Turpin]

33 minutes ago, CWJ said:

Christmas IS a birthday, isn't it? 🙂

Yes - Mithras, and Sol Invictus, might be others too...

[John M Upton]

On 07/11/2023 at 08:24, CWJ said:

While I'm here, another one for the rant list: polar bears and penguins. What have these creatures got to do with a bible story from the Middle East? Come to think of it, what do they have to do with the more recent continental festivities that brought us trees and Father Christmas?

 

Absolutely nothing whatsoever!!  Mind you, I was pointing out plot holes in the whole Christmas story when I was six...

[Coldgunner]

Anyone who has a birthday in December will know how craptacular it can be. Want to organise a get-together to celebrate? Not a chance, either everywhere is full or various xmas parties for people to attend instead. I feel sorry for anyone who has a birthday in and around the 25th, mines not quite so close but close enough still.

 

Also don't get me started on company xmas parties. I don't want to attend, stop bugging me to attend. You're all boring bar-stewards during the day, why would I want to spend time with you voluntarily?

[Legend]

2 hours ago, Coldgunner said:

Anyone who has a birthday in December will know how craptacular it can be. Want to organise a get-together to celebrate? Not a chance, either everywhere is full or various xmas parties for people to attend instead. I feel sorry for anyone who has a birthday in and around the 25th, mines not quite so close but close enough still.

 

Also don't get me started on company xmas parties. I don't want to attend, stop bugging me to attend. You're all boring bar-stewards during the day, why would I want to spend time with you voluntarily?

 

Try having a birthday early January when everybody's partied out the decorations are down and the moneys all gone !

 

Craptacular is my word of the day !

Edited November 15, 2023 by Legend

[MJI]

2 hours ago, Coldgunner said:

Anyone who has a birthday in December will know how craptacular it can be. Want to organise a get-together to celebrate? Not a chance, either everywhere is full or various xmas parties for people to attend instead. I feel sorry for anyone who has a birthday in and around the 25th, mines not quite so close but close enough still.

 

Also don't get me started on company xmas parties. I don't want to attend, stop bugging me to attend. You're all boring bar-stewards during the day, why would I want to spend time with you voluntarily?

I hate it, but then it can get lost among the madness, which does take off pressure.

[J. S. Bach]

I always enjoyed our office Christmas parties (and any others that we could contrive to hold!!), we often got to eat real Jamaican foods (not the commercialized restaurant crud) and occasionally some Haitian foods (again, the real stuff).

[Southernman46]

The lack of mainline train services on Boxing Day because apparently nobody's travelling or working (again for the 4th year in a row 😤) and on my birthday on the 28th 🙄 again !  Beggaring Annual Leave coverline 😤

[kevinlms]

22 hours ago, Coldgunner said:

 

Also don't get me started on company xmas parties. I don't want to attend, stop bugging me to attend. You're all boring bar-stewards during the day, why would I want to spend time with you voluntarily?

Didn't mind the work xmas parties myself. Usually a good selection of food. As for hanging around chatting and seeing the effects of 'discussions' - no thanks, I'm out!  I remember someone throwing his lunch at someone who ducked - the stain was still there on the wall years later!

 

A long time ago (late 70s), one of the blokes went pub crawling afterwards and killed 2 passengers in his car, (wrapped his big V8 around a tram pole) and told first responders that he didn't want the police called! Of course he didn't!!!!!!!!!!!

[Legend]

17 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

I always enjoyed our office Christmas parties (and any others that we could contrive to hold!!), we often got to eat real Jamaican foods (not the commercialized restaurant crud) and occasionally some Haitian foods (again, the real stuff).

 

Did you work at No10 ?

[J. S. Bach]

????

 

 

EDIT: 18dec23, The relay just tripped!

Edited December 18, 2023 by J. S. Bach

[Talltim]

On 31/10/2023 at 20:31, Tony_S said:

Which ones aren’t made up?

November 5th?

[Nick C]

On 03/11/2023 at 19:28, CWJ said:

If I could pick one pet hate it would be feeling obliged to buy gifts even when you can't find a particularly good one. I wish it was socially acceptable to only buy someone a Christmas present when you find something they'll really love. So you wouldn't get a gift from me every year, but when you did it would be a corker.

Nothing wrong with that IMHO. Always better to get something you want rather than some tat that'll just get returned or passed on afterwards. 

 

On 03/11/2023 at 20:09, CWJ said:

I once went to a genuine German Christmas market in Dusseldorf. Imagine my delight on discovering it was selling EXACTLY the same stuff as in Manchester. They did a very good sausage though.

I saw a survey recently of the best European Christmas markets - none of the top 5 were in Germany! Poland, Lithuania and Hungary all came out ahead.

 

On 15/11/2023 at 09:22, Coldgunner said:

Also don't get me started on company xmas parties. I don't want to attend, stop bugging me to attend. 

Especially the "whole company" type ones - I don't mind a meal with my team/department, but why would I want to socialise with people from marketing or accounts whom I don't ever come into contact with for the rest of the year...

[Reorte]

I've never gone to the whole company one (and they've not had one since Covid), but I usually enjoy the team one. A bit early this year though. The same day Northern have announced strikes :(

[PaulCheffus]

On 07/11/2023 at 08:58, Dick Turpin said:

Yes - Mithras, and Sol Invictus, might be others too...

Hi

 

It was also my grandfathers birthday.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[CWJ]

Working with younger colleagues is a privilege, and one of the best aspects of my job, but there are downsides.  My team's Christmas do this year is at - wait for it - an escape room.

 

I mean, come on.  If I wanted to try and find my way out of a bafflingly unfamiliar space I'd put on a blindfold and walk into the middle of Marks & Spencers.

 

Cheers,

 

Will