How will you spend christmas?

[kayze]

Jeany123, I have never heard of those peas either. Maybe they are Northern traditions.

 

[LYN T]

My Husband was born and bred in the Midlands. He loves/loved mushy peas. Me-well just looking at them makes me feel queasy

 

[kayze]

Ah LYN T, finally one I've heard of, my mum eats pease pudding just the smell of it puts me off. Yuck

 

[jeany123]

Oh yes Kayze I just found this in the link that Peggy put on, thank you,
Passion Sunday is also known as Carlin or Carling Sunday in the north-east of England, when carlin peas are eaten,

So it is a NE thing,

 

[kayze]

Thanks for that Jeany123, I love to hear of family and regional traditions.

My husband is from Nothern Ireland, he always loved something called Champ, mashed potatoes with spring onions, even had it on christmas day, I will make him some this christmas too.

When I was a child I remember bell ringers used to walk around playing carols, us kids loved it, really made it feel like christmas.

 

[MrsTerryN]

Having a BBQ with Prawns and Sausages .
Cold drinks.

 

[Scarlett123]

I'm having dinner with John at the Care Home. It's his birthday on Christmas Day. I shall eat a modest lunch, and stay a couple of hours. Then I'll come home, take Billy for a walk, and then visit my daughter's for a few hours, and have Christmas Dinner there too.

Then I shall come home, and watch the TV, with my Baileys, Silk Cut, chocolate truffles, and other little delights, that Billy will help me eat. I'll carve the whole turkey at my daughter's, and bring home the carcass, which I'll use on Boxing Day to make turkey stew.

As there'll only be me to eat it, and it usually makes about 12 portions, I'll be freezing a lot of dinners.

 

[Ann Mac]

I've changed my mind about the cruise, can we invite ourselves to AnnMac's please

Lol - only just seen this - come and welcome x

 

[WILLIAMR]

After all the presents are unwrapped we will be having a smallish breakfast and no doubt my granddaughters will be playing with their presents for an hour or so and with the dogs new toys.
We will then be going to a local hotel for Christmas dinner and we will then take the dogs for a Christmas walk hopefully in the local park.
After we come back there will probably be a bit more play and a bit of food,

We tend to take boxing day as it comes.
If possible we may go for a ride somewhere in the cars and some more dog walking.
We have not booked anywhere for lunch.
If we can not find anywhere we will get some food from a shop and cook something when we get home or I know the local fish and chip shop is an option as well.

William

 

[disi]

Robert and I will go to our son, his wife and 2 daughters. Robert will not take much in, but unfortunately he has never been a big Christmas fan. He would take ages to unwrap presents and when the granddaughters were little they couldn't understand why Grandad was so slow they would be bursting with excitment. They still are one is 21 and the other is 16!

Boxing Day we will go out for a short walk and then they will come to our house. It seems to be a tradition we do this. I love it and have always done. Luckily our son is just like me (a big kid at times!).

 

[Miss Merlot]

Normally my mum does Christmas for the entire family - step-siblings, spouses, significant others, mum-in-law and all! She even for two years prior to my step-siblings' mother's sad early death from breast cancer (an illness my mum herself has fought and won - albeit at a quite heavy cost...) included her too, and that was a big thing considering relations weren't exactly chummy before...

My mum does the most amazing Christmas dinner ever - every year she says she is going to stop making her own cranberry sauce, two different types of stuffing, bread sauce, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, chocolate yule log, homemade gravy (veggie and meat) and just buy it in, but every year she does the home-made stuff! She has managed to outsource the last couple of years so that I bring the stuffings, step-sis the vegetarian option, sister-in-law the pud (notice a female influence here...??), but still does the turkey and all the trimmings!

This year, my mum is still recovering from her operation, so we are going to my step-brother's and his wife's house which is about 90 minutes from us (as opposed to my mum's 50 minutes - an important distinction when driving with dementia!). They have kindly extended the invitation to MIL, who has no recollection of having spent the last several Christmases with my family but is generally happy as long as her wine's topped up and there's someone she can talk at (deliberate use of preposition there), until later in the day when she'll start fretting about when we're leaving / where are we staying overnight etc, and everything falls apart a bit...

Last Christmas was the first she didn't do the tree or decorations in her house, and the first she forgot to buy presents for everyone - even her son. I am guessing that we have one or two Christmases left where spending it with the family is any kind of option.

So the plan is to pick MIL up, drive to step-brother's, stay for Christmas Dinner and then head home mid-afternoonish to save on strain on her and us. I am most worried about the drive, but once there she'll be happy enough - I hope!!!

 

[withy]

Oh we used to call them steepy peas as well, I wonder if it's a northern thing,
This just reminded me of carlin peas we used to have on Carlin Sunday the Sunday before Palm Sunday, they were similar to steepy peas but black and didn't go as mushy,
We used to have them with vinegar and salt on, I can still remember the taste now, I have never heard of them for years, Can anyone else remember them or have even heard of them?

Sorry Kayze to change the subject I just suddenly thought of them,

They sound like the Black peas we had on bonfire night (Lancashire) in a cup with salt and vinegar. brings back lots of happy memories.

 

[Eleonora]

I think I'm going to ignore Christmas this year.
Of course I'll buy prezzies for our daughter, her husband and their two girls. They look in on us once a month.

But as I haven't heard from our two sons this year, I think I'll give them a miss. I'm just fed up with posting off generous presents on their birthdays and Christmas, but just getting a card in return. (If they remember)
Our oldest son is now forty nine, and the younger one is forty four - it's time to say, 'Enough's enough.'
My dear husband is in the later stages of dementia; is doubly incontinent, blind, epileptic and unable to walk. He spends most of his day asleep - so there's not a lot of point in me trying to be festive.
So this year, it's no tree, no tinsel. Just we two and a nice meal.

 

[malc]

all 3 trees are up along with the rest of the decs,wife scored 13 on memory test,life's rubbish but we'll have a christmas to remember even if it kills me,up yours alzheimer's!!!!

 

[Witzend]

We've always had Mil come to us for Christmas - all but twice, in the 22 years we have been married, so in that respect, its the same as always . . .

But, looking back to last Christmas, the first after she moved in, I know the deterioration then made it seem like hard work, and she has got so much worse since However, she can still feed herself, and she sure enjoys her food and my kids are really good - they won't get upset if Nana has forgotten who they are, or that its Christmas, even - so even if it is hard work, I am going to just try and make it as 'normal' as possible, because I have no idea what the Christmas afterwards will bring - So that means everyone up at the crack of dawn to open pressies in their jammies, croissents and chocolate brioche for breakfast (along with the immeadiately opened selection boxes ), the dog going absolutely bonkers and his pressies having to be rationed out or he will open everyone elses, people snacking through the day on home made mince pies and Christmas cake, and a massive Christmas dinner, at around 4pm, with home made tiger bread and red onion stuffing, roasted leeks, pigs in blankets and turkey for the meat eaters, roasted sweet potatoes, ordinary spuds, carrots and parsnips, caullieflower and the obligatory sprouts (tossed in hot butter and black pepper!) - and believe it or not, Mil's absolute favourite - mushy peas (she always swore they were a traditional part of an Irish Xmas lunch). Then Christmas knickerbocker glory and trifle for pudding.

And then everyone snuggles down on the sofa to watch a film - and we all fall asleep!

I am absolutely determined that the kids and Mil and OH will enjoy a great Xmas, dementia or flipping not being added to the mix!

Ann Mac, your dog sounds like our friends' old dogs. At one point they had 3 and they used to get SO excited over presents. They often stayed with us at Christmas and the dogs would be very interested in everyone else's presents, too - would watch avidly when anything was being opened. By contrast our own dog never showed any interest at all - I don't think she was especially thick, bless her, but she never seemed to connect those wrapped up things with the treats that later came out of them.

My sister's dog must have been able to smell his own presents, since he would sit by the Christmas tree, 'guarding' his own, but never tried to open them until he was allowed.

I don't know what we'll be doing for Christmas, except visiting my mother in the CH in the morning. Both daughters are now 'partnered' and living with said partners, and I am bending over backwards NOT to make them feel obliged to come to us, or for them to feel bad or guilty if they don't. If they would like to, fine, otherwise it could well just be me and OH, but there will still be a small turkey to pick at afterwards and make lots of stews/curries etc. out of. Plus the statutory piece of lovely glazed gammon.

In the past we have often had a houseful - once it was 9 humans and the 3 above dogs, all staying over, which was lovely albeit a bit of a squash, but I won't altogether mind if it's quiet this year. I know daughters will be over at some point before N Year to help to eat up all the leftovers! (If OH has left any, that is...)

 

[Ann Mac]

Ann Mac, your dog sounds like our friends' old dogs. At one point they had 3 and they used to get SO excited over presents. They often stayed with us at Christmas and the dogs would be very interested in everyone else's presents, too - would watch avidly when anything was being opened. By contrast our own dog never showed any interest at all - I don't think she was especially thick, bless her, but she never seemed to connect those wrapped up things with the treats that later came out of them.

My sister's dog must have been able to smell his own presents, since he would sit by the Christmas tree, 'guarding' his own, but never tried to open them until he was allowed.

He's always been the same - and in fact, I think he gets worse as he gets older! We HAVE to make sure we have at least 12 - 14 small pressies for him, and we have to give them out at suitable intervals, or he will get stuck into someone/anyone else's! And he makes more mess than all our kids put together !

I actually filmed him, a couple of Christmasses ago

http://youtu.be/xRmpR21VRtM

Not sure how I will handle it when the kids have their own homes and we don't have them for Christmas. The cooking, to cover all the 'family food' traditions alone keeps me busy for 3 days before the 25th, and I know I will end Xmas day absolutely shattered, and thinking I'd love it all to be a bit quieter - I suspect in reality, I wont like it when they are all grown up, and it actually is a bit less hectic

 

[DianeW]

That brought back lovely memories for me - doggie presents.

My previous dog (as does this dog too)..... Had to have his own presents from all the family, he loved the soft latex type toys.

Anyways, all presents wrapped up and around tree, and when we came home one day, Benjie has searched through, found and opened all of his own presents.... Bits of Christmas paper all over lounge, and all we heard on opening front door was squeak squeek squeek....so funny.

I wouldn't mind there were chocolates and sweets wrapped under tree too..... But no all Benjie wanted was his own squeekies - bless him.

 

[AnoviceinN1]

@ AnnMac: your Christmas sounds wonderful and I loved your video!
at DianeW and Benjie, too!

Confession time: I used to buy a present for my guinea-pig , who sadly passed away two Christmasses ago. His favourite was one of those living herb pots you can buy in the supermarkets, ideally parsley or basil. Except that, being an indoor guinea-pig, he couldn't understand why the parsley or basil was stuck in the soil!

This is all getting away from the subject of this forum, but I just wanted to say that I did enjoy your Christmas tales!

 

[Witzend]

He's always been the same - and in fact, I think he gets worse as he gets older! We HAVE to make sure we have at least 12 - 14 small pressies for him, and we have to give them out at suitable intervals, or he will get stuck into someone/anyone else's! And he makes more mess than all our kids put together !

I actually filmed him, a couple of Christmasses ago

http://youtu.be/xRmpR21VRtM

Not sure how I will handle it when the kids have their own homes and we don't have them for Christmas. The cooking, to cover all the 'family food' traditions alone keeps me busy for 3 days before the 25th, and I know I will end Xmas day absolutely shattered, and thinking I'd love it all to be a bit quieter - I suspect in reality, I wont like it when they are all grown up, and it actually is a bit less hectic

I loved Busta and his prezzies!

One Christmas when all the doggies were with us I bought a thoroughly vulgar and tasteless Christmas 'bra' from BHS - the 'nipple' bits were those squeaky rolled up paper things that zoom out. There was a squeezy thing that you held behind your back to make them pop out. Well, it was absolutely hilarious to see Hamish's (visiting Westie) reaction - every time I zoomed them out with attendant squeaks, he would leap up and try to kill them. Everyone was in stitches. I think OH did film him, but Lord knows whether he's still got it.

As you will deduce, Christmas is very upmarket in our house! ;-)

 

[Witzend]

@ AnnMac: your Christmas sounds wonderful and I loved your video!
at DianeW and Benjie, too!

Confession time: I used to buy a present for my guinea-pig , who sadly passed away two Christmasses ago. His favourite was one of those living herb pots you can buy in the supermarkets, ideally parsley or basil. Except that, being an indoor guinea-pig, he couldn't understand why the parsley or basil was stuck in the soil!

This is all getting away from the subject of this forum, but I just wanted to say that I did enjoy your Christmas tales!

Entirely normal IMO to buy presents for all pets - our younger daughter used to buy something for her goldfish. Though I think it was probably some sort of live foodie treat like daphnia, so a mite difficult to wrap up...