Many years ago my Father died on the 19th December. Not so many years ago my Mother died on the 23rd. You would think that Christmas would be a hard time for me, but not at all. I still remember the wonderful Christmases we had as a (relatively poor) family. My parents really pulled out all the stops to make it special for us.

I have a vivid memory of my mother taking me to bed on Christmas eve, I guess I was about 4 or 5, and opening the bedroom window telling me we might be able to hear Santas Sleigh delivering toys to other children. Sure enough, a minute later I heard Sleigh Bells in the distance. I was so excited I almost peed myself. Of course, many years later I realised it was just my father round the side of the house doing it for my benefit. They must have had so much fun planning and doing that!

It occurred to me in the shower last night that, if I'd stayed with my ex, it would have been our silver wedding anniversary on Dec 26th. My grandparents' anniversary was also Dec 26th and my parents' was Dec 27th because Christmas was often the only time when everyone was off work.

I remember one of the last Christmases we had with my dad before he went down the long hard road of vascular dementia. We have Christmas Dinner in the early evening and the BBC had Titanic on TV as the blockbuster film of the season. As it was about three quarters through, I asked dad if he wanted me to pause dinner so he could see it all and he replied "ach no, we all ken how it ends".

He was from Belfast (ironically Titanic Town, he worked at Harland and Wolff in his youth) and had lived in Scotland since the end of WW2, he would say things in all seriousness not realising they were funny. Another one was holding up his reading glasses and saying "I just wear these for safety you know", none of us had a clue what that meant We still laugh about it and he's been dead for 14 years now.

I also remember my mother shoving the turkey in the oven with a kitchen chair against the oven door on Christmas Eve at bedtime and leaving it there all night, happy days!

Tom

"Candelgate" not stopping. Here's all you need! Ban kitsch forever!

Real live candle holders for your real? tree

Get them at Manor. But be quick-they are selling like hot cakes.
https://www.manor.ch/de/p/p0-6035870...kaAoyDEALw_wcB


Thats one Xmas we will never forget!

I'll be coming to CH (first time in over 4 years!) in late November. Will there be any Xmas markets on yet? I'll be in ZH and the Leventina.

https://www.zuerich.com/de/besuchen/...hnachtsmaerkte

Well theres nothing better than the Santa Claus motiv toilette paper. To have your bum wiped by Santa!

Anyone know where I can pick up a traditional Xmas ham?

LOOOOOOOL

I don't know anyone apart from my grandparents who used real candles in their Christmas tree..... When I was a child those classic Christmas tree light bulbs were the norm.

Things that I have in mind for Christmas

- keep it simple. No need to cook or buy too much food that will go to waste because it's simply too much

- no need to go over the board with Christmas gifts, lose time and money for things we (basically) already have

- as a result of being wiser and more thoughtful, increase the amount that we normally donate to a couple of charities. I came to the conclusion that there's no better feeling than knowing you made someone's life a bit happier. Or easier. Even for a day.

Well, I'm still in the process of moving here and getting my affairs in order, so come December I'll have a few Xmas ornaments around, but not a tree this year (that's a lot of work!). Also I've never had real candles in the tree - that sounds borderline pyromaniac!!

I will be spending Xmas at home, in Lisbon, not in Zuerich. But before I go, I will attend a shit load of xmas fairs and drink my share of glühwein

Traditions: food coma between the 24 and 28th/29th.
Mostly on turkey, apple/celery pure and tons of Portuguese Christmas sweets (fatias douradas, coscorões, azevias, bolo-rei, sopa dourada, and so on ).

Food coma, I like the way you put it. I guess I'm trying to avoid that.

For us it's not turkey (actually we eat turkey only in two Christmas dishes), it's pork, pork and some more pork.

Because we're mavericks, we've abandoned most traditions from all three of our cultures. Samichlaus brings nuts and mandarins in early December, we observe Advent, and we do church and presents on Christmas Day, but apart from that we do it our way: a delicious cold plate of fruit, cheese and meat for lunch, maybe a walk in the afternoon. No big blow out, no listening to Brenda on the radio, no daft paper hats or crackers. It will never be Birmingham in 1977 ever again, so why try to recreate it?

Traditions are all fake anyway.

We do chinoise/bourguignonne (one pot of each) on the 24th, relax and leftovers on the 25th.

Tom

That's the most unpleasant, tasteless thing about spending Christmas here. We try and avoid it.

Still, each to their own.

We do fondeu

Turkey crown. Joint of roast beef. Loads of veggies. Two buckets of gravy. Stuff and roll.

Is that the cooking technique or the state of the guests at the end..?