[Zoot]

Yes, I know the religious meaning of Christmas, but other than that.
What is Christmas to you?

Christmas is losing to my mother at scrabble because I have a great 6 letter word I've been holding on to for the last 5 turns and haven't managed to fit it in yet and am too stubborn to split it...

Christmas is tearing chunks of just-roasted gammon ham off the bone and not leaving enough for tea

Christmas is planning to go to late night mass with my girlfriend and not actually making it. We will this year, I promise...

Christmas is staying up till gone 1 on Christmas eve peeling sprouts and parsnips, although that won't happen this year cause we're going to my mothers

Christmas is drinking alcohol before 9am - i love liquor coffee...

Christmas is trying so hard not to make an accurate model of a penis and balls out of the plasticine from this stupid board game my sister always brings out at christmas (there's never enough material anyway...)

Christmas is having a huge rant to anyone who listens about how tv soaps kill the atmosphere by always having some huge disaster/murder/unexpected birth/rape/death on Christmas day. WHY??? Life isn't always that * miserable!!!!!

What else?

[MK Chris]

Yes, I know the religious meaning of Christmas, but other than that.

To me there is very little religious about Christmas - certainly nothing that I celebrate - but that's just me; others have their own opinion on that.

Christmas is knowing you've bought someone a great present when you see the smile on their face when they open it. Or, conversely, Christmas is the disappointment when you realise you've bought the wrong thing and the recipient is desperately trying not to show it, though in fairness most people buy presents for are grateful and my mum is only ever upset if we spend too much.

Christmas is making sure no one forgets mum and Steve cooking in the kitchen - like they did when mum and dad were married and dad went off down the pub, leaving mum to cook and clear up after dinner - and everyone lends a hand.

[Zoot]

like they did when mum and dad were married and dad went off down the pub, leaving mum to cook and clear up after dinner - and everyone lends a hand.

Is your dad Jim Royale?

[MK Chris]

Ha, he should have been. It was terrible, every year we had my paternal grandparents round and my dad's sister and her other half and kids. Everyone buggered off to the pub and left mum to do everything.

[Andy B]

Christmas to me is:

My dad leaving home when I was 5.

Never seeing any of my mates on my birthday and rarely being drunk.

Not getting a Blow Job on my birthday until the age of 24!

My mate getting killed by a drink driver.

My other mate killing himself and never knowing why.

And this year worrying about my Dad and my 12 year old sister who as far as I can tell appear to be on the run halfway round the world with apparently no-where to go.

I'm always a bit of a misery guts round this time of year. Can't * stand Christmas.

[Munki Bhoy]

Christmas is reminding my mum about the chip pan fire of '85.

[Yudster]

I'm always a bit of a misery guts round this time of year.

Its ok to be miserable when there's something to be miserable about. It'll be over soon. Hope your dad and your sister are ok.

Christmas is about Advent, and Christingle for the kids, and trying to knock a group of so-so singers into shape to perform a piece on Christmas Eve, and ordering turkey and gammon from the farm, and doing all the cooking and stuff - and being allowed to start drinking at 7am (and not breathing on anyone in church on Christmas morning), and tinsel, and getting out all the tree decorations which go on every year because the kids made them when they were tiny (now we are getting even more), and a real tree which we always decorate with great exuberance and absolutely no sense of style, and every year getting through even MORE tins of Celebrations than we did the year before (I swear they're getting smaller), and always trying to be better organised and always failing, and remembering to get some plain gold or red wrapping paper for Miss Yudster's birthday presents so they are completely separate from her Christmas presents, and still doing a stocking for the older kids even though they are far too grown up for stockings these days, making fudge and special chocolates, seeing how few Christmas cards we can get away with sending, trying to catch The Christmas episodes of all our favourite series which are repeated year after year.......I'd better stop now.

[MK Chris]

I always try to get red and gold wrapping paper (not separate plain ones though, red and gold together) because it tends to look quite nice.

[Andy B]

Ooh I've thought of something good about Christmas:

My best mate likes all the chocolates that I hate, coffee, nuts, coconut etc... And I like all the one's he doesn't like, fudge, strawberry cremes.

Oh and it's not really Christmassy but my mum always makes sure my birthday is not overlooked by hanging up balloons and banners and things and I have Christmas cake and birthday cake. I like cake.

[foot-loose]

Fried egg sandwiches.

[Yudster]

Thinking about the poor and deprived children throughout the uk and the rest of the world and feeling lucky to have been born away from poverty and neglect.

The 1000's of homeless people living on our streets that'll be praying their christmas wishes will come true and they'll have a warm shelter for the night.

Remembering how well off I am to have good friends and family supporting me when things get tough.

To take the time to think about the things I do have and not the things I don't.

That material things in life mean nothing but the thought behind them everything.

Christmas is a time for reflection and forgiveness. To remember the ones who aren't with us anymore, and to appreciate the ones that are, to the full.

The most saddest time of the year, no doubt.

You mean for the rest of the year you don't think about that stuff? Surely all that is the stuff that's there all the time - every day is a day to spend at least some time reflecting on tragedy, and despair, and want, including Christmas. I think the point about Zoot's question was what does Christmas mean to you which makes it different to the rest of the year.

[S4B]

Bloody hard work!

err......

That's it!

[MK Chris]

Bloody hard work!

err......

That's it!

You do make me laugh how you like to make out that you're overly busy and no one else works as hard as you.

Some do... they just don't shout about it at the tops of their voices.

[S4B]

Topher, you work in retail management over the Christmas period and you will understand exactly what hard work is. Until then shut the * up!

Sometimes you * me off beyond belief!

[MK Chris]

I'm not saying it's not hard work - I'm just saying there are people who work just as hard as you, but just keep their heads down and get on with it.

[S4B]

It is good to release the pressure at some point, even if it's just one line on a stupid Christmas thread on a stupid forum. Other people maybe have other ways to release it. I can't moan about it anywhere else so I do it here. Problem with that?!

[Sunny So Cal]

I've a problem with the (unintended, I'm sure) insults to both Zooty and Chris Harris:

a stupid Christmas thread on a stupid forum

Tut tut.

As for Zoot's original question, Christmas is being the neighbourhood Christmas light decorator and having traffic stop in front of my house to admire my lights, putting up my porcelain Christmas village inside my house and letting my boy play with it, hauling out my huge toy soldiers and nutcrackers, videotaping my boys decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts with the prettiest satin bows and real jingle bells and then watching the lights on the tree sparkle off the bells, snuggling with my boys on Christmas Eve, singing Christmas songs, eating sweets, staying up to 1AM stuffing Christmas stockings and most importantly telling everyone that's special to me how much I love them.

[MK Chris]

Problem with that?!

Only that it's not just Christmas that you do it and after the 786th time it gets quite tedious.

[Boboff]

Chappers Chappers, DAVE DAVE!!!!

Now that never gets Tedious!

[S4B]

Problem with that?!

Only that it's not just Christmas that you do it and after the 786th time it gets quite tedious.

RIGHT!!! You find me 786 times and I'll send you a book of your choice!

[MK Chris]

Did you need me to put '* not an actual figure, just what it feels like' at the bottom?

[S4B]

Yep I did!

[Yudster]

I know - I'm very good at reading between the lines.

[Boboff]

You mean for the rest of the year you don't think about that stuff? Surely all that is the stuff that's there all the time - every day is a day to spend at least some time reflecting on tragedy, and despair, and want, including Christmas. I think the point about Zoot's question was what does Christmas mean to you which makes it different to the rest of the year.

Just because the feeling intensifies during december doesn't mean I have no empathy or compassion for the other 11 months you pedantic little so and so. you have to read between the lines to see what xmas 'means to me' It's not that hard.

Hmm, why is Beadle trying to show a "softer" side? Not one mention of anyones masturbatory habits, or questionable parentage ?

I Like it !

Christmas to me is:

My dad leaving home when I was 5.

Never seeing any of my mates on my birthday and rarely being drunk.

Not getting a Blow Job on my birthday until the age of 24!

My mate getting killed by a drink driver.

My other mate killing himself and never knowing why.

And this year worrying about my Dad and my 12 year old sister who as far as I can tell appear to be on the run halfway round the world with apparently no-where to go.

I'm always a bit of a misery guts round this time of year. Can't * stand Christmas.

You could get through to the Finals of X-factor with that Story, I know I cried.

I hope the father thing resolves itself.

My friends wife has just been told she has to go in for a biopsy on a lump in her brain, sometime in the next two weeks, with a 1 year old grandson, it's not looking like it's going to be a great Christmas for them either.

Fried egg sandwiches.

Bubble & Squeek with fried eggs pickled onions and cold meat ! Yum!

[Yudster]

Hmm, why is Beadle trying to show a "softer" side?

Like he said, read between the lines - its not diffcult.