How long do you hold out against the tide of Christmas?

[Alain Maréchal]

I thank the internet at this time of year. I went on a tour of the English Heritage Photo Archive in Swindon yesterday and got an idea for a Christmas present for someone - a book, "England Observed", with the marvellous work of the photographer, John Gay, who I had never even heard of before. I ordered it today online. I may well end up keeping it for myself.

Some examples here

John Gay contributed the photographs for John Betjeman's "London's Historic Railway Stations" (John Murray, 1972) now a nostalgiac wallow since most of the things he photographed have either disappeared or are unrecognizable.

I have a vested interest in deferring the Christmas build-up: my birthday falls at the end of November (when a child I could tap into birthdays as well as my saint's day) and I recall "since they fall so close, rather than give you a present for each we have combined them into one big present". By the age of six I was well aware that the cost of that combined present never added up to the cost of two. These things matter to children, and rankle far into maturity (if maturity is the mot juste under the circumstances).

I am assured by American friends that one advantage of Thanksgiving is that doing anything about Christmas before it is a social faux-pas.

[eighthobstruction]

Record all prog' on commercial channels and fast forward through the ad' breaks.....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

This is the worst, and the earliest, I've known it so far.

I agree - the local supermarkets were selling mince pies and Christmas cakes and puddings in September (as soon as they took down their "Back to School" displays that had gone up the week before the Summer Holidays began).

I love Christmas, but avoid the "rush" by buying suitable gifts throughout the year. Trouble is, I frequently end up getting two gifts for someone, having forgotten in August that I'd already got them something I thought they'd love back in February. It's the food shopping the week before Christmas that I find an ordeal.

[Roehre]

Between 10 days and a fortnight before, i.e. between 11 and 15th December we put up the tree. Under no condition outside lights. As soon as the tree stands, I take out the Christmas related CDs (The only exception possibly being the one Bach cantata for Advent 1, this year Dec 1st). They are generally speaking back onto their place on the shelves the day after Twelfth Night.
Mrs R and I are giving each other two little presents (I've bought one for her already), and I've just made the Christmas pudding (so it "ripes" some 5 weeks) for our Christmas meal (whether that will be a lunch or an evening dinner has not been decided yet).

Btw: Though Christmas is the popular date on the Christian Calender (with some strong heathen elements, but soit), it is for a Christian NOT the most important one. That epithet is reserved for Easter.

[Beef Oven!]

Me missus, off-spring and most of the hangers-on that chill-out in chezBeefdwellings are Muslims, so I haven't felt the need to put a tree up in about 25 years. This year I decided that I will. Going to buy a small one about 18 inches tall, max.

It's pathetic, but I'm quite excited. I loved Xmases in the 1970s the best. All that Ronco stuff, Wizzard and Slade! Does anyone still have a 'Buttoneer' or Brushomatic'!!?

Mum is Catholic dad is Protestant, so they always have a tree. We always had a fairy on top, never a star. As a kid, I always thought that stars were half-hearted, and for cheapskates. Hang on, I still do!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Does anyone still have a 'Buttoneer' or Brushomatic'!!?

Not quite - I have a K-tel (the Aldi to Ronco's Sainsbury) "Mini Multi Brush" in its original box. Same sort of thing, and still works brilliantly!

[Beef Oven!]

Not quite - I have a K-tel (the Aldi to Ronco's Sainsbury) "Mini Multi Brush" in its original box. Same sort of thing, and still works brilliantly!

Lol! I may be confusing Ronco with K-tel!

The brush had a sort of velvet head that took fluff etc off if you moved it one way, and released it when you brushed the other way. Same one?

[amateur51]

Lol! I may be confusing Ronco with K-tel!

The brush had a sort of velvet head that took fluff etc off if you moved it one way, and released it when you brushed the other way. Same one?

Oh yes and the electric gizmo for de-pilling acrylic jumpers - scared the cat so had to be put away

[teamsaint]

Oh yes and the electric gizmo for de-pilling acrylic jumpers - scared the cat so had to be put away

poor cat. Where did you store him/her?

[Nick Armstrong]

I may be confusing Ronco with K-tel!

I always did.

Remember the "Buttoneer"? Two prods with a plastic thingy and your button was sewn back on, or something...


EDIT: That was Ronco... http://www.stuffwelove.co.uk/ronco/buttoneer.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN2ttNu3F_M

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Lol! I may be confusing Ronco with K-tel!

The brush had a sort of velvet head that took fluff etc off if you moved it one way, and released it when you brushed the other way. Same one?

Yep - there were two "models": the posh one (which had a handle and a swivelling head so that left-handers could use it, and you didn't have to brush upwards to clean it) and the travel version (the one I have) with no handle, so you have to check where the arrow is to save making extra work for yourself. IIRC, we got it in 1974 - the same year as Mudd's lonely Christmas.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I always did.

Remember the "Buttoneer"? Two prods with a plastic thingy and your button was sewn back on, or something...

... sewn back onto the shirt it had come off - and the vest you were wearing underneath, too. Hours of fun for the whole family

[amateur51]

poor cat. Where did you store him/her?

She had her own cardboard box filled with white polystyrene balls to which she would retreat in extremis

[Nick Armstrong]

Yep - there were two "models": the posh one (which had a handle and a swivelling head so that left-handers could use it, and you didn't have to brush upwards to clean it) and the travel version (the one I have) with no handle, so you have to check where the arrow is to save making extra work for yourself. IIRC, we got it in 1974 - the same year as Mudd's lonely Christmas.

...and you wonder why....?!

[amateur51]

... sewn back onto the shirt it had come off - and the vest you were wearing underneath, too. Hours of fun for the whole family

a moment of abreaction there