Christmas already

Just wanted to say how disappointed I am that there have been no grumpy comments for almost a month, come on are we all cheering up, surely not.

Decided I had better start one, Christmas in the shops already, adverts on the telly. What is it with an old man in the moon? and just how are balloons meant to get there? And how can any telescope be that good?

I know its make believe but what is it advertising and why?

Don't even mention Christmas !!!!!! I love it but refuse to think about it until the 1st December. If I go into a shop with Christmas music playing now there is a good chance I will walk back out again.

Is that grumpy enough 

Hi there,

Sorry about that! 

Maybe my moan about "naming" storms should have been in this section!  

Best regards,

Thanks Jaytee, not quiet grumpy enough but getting there I still think we should wait till advent and even that's too early for all that present buying lark. Turned off the radio today when the started "christmas songs". Back to radio 4

Can I join the grumpy club? When I used to work our offices overlooked a department store. From mid November one year from 9.30 am we had Santa singing out jollities all day long. I phoned the shop with hints of what I would do if Santa did not reduce his decibels and start later. Success ..... much to the hilarity of the rest of the office. From then onwards  I was forever Scrooge.

Well done you can wear that title with pride!!

I hate Christmas dinner.

Apart from someone (not me!!) having to slave away for hours on end to prepare mountains of food, it's a totally un-necessary extravagance. You eat far too much and half way through the meal you begin suffer the consequences which last for hours afterwards - then you start on the mince pies for tea. (Nearly forgot to mention all the booze, which does nothing to ease the stomache pain!)

We spent 30 years of Christmasses at the mother in law's, and every year I pleaded with her to put less food in my trough. Always more than enough to feed a small village for at least a week, and of course I was deep in the mire if I didn't finish every scrap. Plus the fact that I hate wasting food, so there was the guilty feeling as well!

Since the Old Bat passed away we have had very simple meals at home for Christmas, and what a relief it is! Last year it was bangers and mustard mash with onion gravy, which has always been a favourite of mine. I think it's going to be one of Paul Hollywood's crusty meat pies with a few chips, peas and sweetcorn this year.

I shall enjoy it far more than pigging out on loads of rich food that will do me no good and make me feel ill! If that what you have to do to "Have a good time" I much prefer to be a miserable git!!

Dave


P.S. Happy Christmas all ( )

Merry Commercemas everyone....

Bah humbug. This year driving miles out of my way en route to Heathrow to visit relatives I find boring and in some cases just obnoxious. Collecting rubbish presents I will leave in the Hotel I didn't need in the first place had I gone direct to the airport. The excess baggage will cost more than the liquorice allsorts and quality street which I do not like anyway and didn't want in the first place.

I escape the UK next week for a couple of months or three to a land where Christmas consists of lots of snow, felling your own tree, REAL reindeers running around the streets and lots of outdoor merryment from all. Skating on the lake and sliding down the mountains.....the TV will not be going on......

Idyllic as long as you have thick thermals.

See you all next Spring or maybe not....in which case there will be a gorgeous Worcester up for sale...

Hi there,

We too take a low profile over Christmas, especially after getting rid of the kids.  (By marriage not by burial under a patio!)

We bring back a tin of genuine Paté de Foie Gras from France every year and then use it to make our own version of Tournedos Rossini with fillet steak and the usual Christmas vegetables.

Here's a recipe ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tournedos_Rossini

.... the problem this year is that No.1 son is coming for Christmas and I'm not wasting fillet steak on him so it will be a Lidl turkey instead; cooked to perfection and then turned into a curry for Boxing Day!

Actually, "Christmas vegetables" brought out a guilty feeling.  Only a dedicated Scrooge would turn his nose up at crispy roast potatoes, honey glazed parsnips and carrots and even sage and onion stuffing; but I have recently found out that I love "just cooked" sprouts.

The guilt comes from the memory of all those years that I complained to my Mum that being made to eat sprouts was a form of child abuse.

Hey ho!!  Visitor for Christmas!  

I'd better start planning 'cos I do all the cooking (and those who have eaten Helen's cooking will understand why)!!  

Best regards,

OK Groundhog all sounds lovely but who said you should enjoy yourself at Christmas. The real meaning seems to have disappeared to be replaced with the selling of as much, c**p, sorry, rubbish as a store can push out.

If turkey is that good, why do we eat it on only one day of the year?

A generous portion of Haggis stuffed chicken, neeps and tatties for our dinner, trifle for pud, then a layer of after eight mint to finish me of for the afternoon.
Is it to early to wish everyone a Merry Christmas .
Boaby

Hi

Bobskate wrote: From then onwards  I was forever Scrooge.

It seems to me that Mr Scrooge attained a level of grumpiness to which we should all aspire!

I’ve always thought that the story of Mr Scrooge is misinterpreted. Surely it was supposed to be critical of a man that stuck to his principles all his life and then abandoned them at the last minute because it was expedient to do so.

Whatever, doesn’t the story of “A Christmas Carol” represent good modern business practice (apart from the last bit off course)?

Brod

My son has just presented me with a large heavy cardboard box which contains 24 bottles of beer. The top of the box has 24 knock out discs numbered 1 to 24.  The idear is to punch out the appropriate disc and withdraw a bottle - in fact a beer advent calender.  Therefore Christmas for me will start on !st December.

What, nothing for the 25th !!!!

And now it is dawdle season....typically, just back from the shops (hateful task) go up an escalator and the dodderers in front step off the top and just stop dead, whilst deciding which way to go. What am I supposed to do push them out of the way or jump off the escalator onto their backs. Brainless idjits.

Why park the trolley sideways whilst doing a forensic inspection on two identical corn flake packets. Why block the aisle chatting to the rest of the coach party and just generally getting in my way.

Why stand at the checkout for five minutes then when you are ready to pay spend another five looking for your flaming credit card.

Don't the ordinary public know I have the right of way.

Excellent grumpy post that one groundhog

groundhog wrote:And now it is dawdle season....typically, just back from the shops (hateful task) go up an escalator and the dodderers in front step off the top and just stop dead, whilst deciding which way to go. What am I supposed to do push them out of the way or jump off the escalator onto their backs. Brainless idjits.

Why park the trolley sideways whilst doing a forensic inspection on two identical corn flake packets. Why block the aisle chatting to the rest of the coach party and just generally getting in my way.

Why stand at the checkout for five minutes then when you are ready to pay spend another five looking for your flaming credit card.

Don't the ordinary public know I have the right of way.

     

Like it.

Now all you have to do is to hope that you live long enough to do the same ... 

... and if challenged, always remember to ask "Do you know how old I am?"  

Reminds me of the doctor asking an elderly patient in a care home "Do you know who I am"

"No dear but if you ask matron she will tell you".

As we have started talking about oldies I was in hospital a couple of months ago and apparently a check on altziemers symptons for patients was routine.  I was asked to count down from 20.
I replied 20,19,18,17,16,15,14,king, queen,jack,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,ace.  The nurse was not amused.

Superb summary Groundhog. It's not just Falmouth. Sainsbury's in Selsdon is just the same. Can you add to that pensioners who shop at the weekend despite the fact they have  Monday to Friday to do all their shopping. Oh except me that is. I must shop any day for any items I forgot.

And why is it that if I go to shop in school time there are hundreds of children milling around, surely they can't all be ill?

Crisp, I was hoping for a quite afternoon. Please don't get me going on the subject. Completely agree. When I was at school, although true that was in sepia, not even black and white, on the rare occasions anyone bunked off it was a big thing. I recall we also had truant officers. You'll be talking about bus queues when school is out soon.......thought must say when I was in Dartmouth recently the pupils were very well behaved.

Having been in teaching I find it amazing that so many "unwell " children seem to be running, shouting, and whinging around the shops.

I must say that in general I find children lovely although I can never eat a whole one at one sitting!!!

And now Black Friday another american import we could do without. How's organising their thanksgiving meal?