# christmas



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Well I’ve agreed to host a party 

A pie party 

All friends and family 

The house is big

But is it big enough ?

Friends, family 

My kids, their kids, alberts brothers wives and children

And their grandchildren too

And all have accepted the invitation

I guess I’ll be cooking pies 

But the shock of Alberts bowel cancer, and the knowledge of our nieces bowel cancer 

Made us realise 

Time is short 

And we have those we love around us now 

And I swore never ever to do another huge party 

And last year I didn’t 

This year

It seems I will

Sandra


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I have just booked our Christmas Dinner at a hotel we used for two years running and loved it. 
I did it to stop my wife having to shop, prepare, cook, serve. consume, clear up and wash up. Being considerate as I am.
So she said "I will just have to do it all Boxing Day"...………………………………. just can't please some people.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Love it 

Christmas Day

Just the four of us 

Lamb because young Albert only likes lamb 

And me I couldn’t care les

If he wants lamb

It’s good enough for me

I’ll cook a turkey 

Well you have too don’t you ?

But I’m happy to eat it later 

Sandra


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

raynipper said:


> I have just booked our Christmas Dinner at a hotel we used for two years running and loved it.
> I did it to stop my wife having to shop, prepare, cook, serve. consume, clear up and wash up. Being considerate as I am.
> So she said "I will just have to do it all Boxing Day"...………………………………. just can't please some people.
> 
> Ray.


Get the apron on Ray and surprise her.

Terry


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I'm a lousy cook Terry. I can feed myself but cooking is an art I have never mastered. I do a packet from the freezer and into the microwave with no washing up. To me thats efficiency.

Ray.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Pie party sounds a good idea. Perhaps guests could all bring one?

Ray, Boxing Day is not as pressured, I don't think, than Christmas Day for the cook. We always used to go out but then others wanted to join us and they moaned about silly things and spoilt it. We now share the duties with our daughter. It is her turn this year. Phew! I don't mind cooking but hate entertaining.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

raynipper said:


> I'm a lousy cook Terry. I can feed myself but cooking is an art I have never mastered. I do a packet from the freezer and into the microwave with no washing up. To me thats efficiency.
> 
> Ray.


And what's wrong with a boiled egg and toast dippers for Christmas lunch ?

The egg of course, represents chicken and the toast all the veggie bits, the butter is the fat content, if you put it on thickly enough.

Job's a good'un, problem solved, everyone will be happy and relieved (except Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, Ocado, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Coop and any others I've overlooked).


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Pat, Boxing Day is to me leftovers and bubble & Squeak. Less pressure as I tend to get anxious before any big event which spoils it for me and probably my wife.
Little annoyances can get blown out of all proportion in the height or discussion and can cause festering for ages. 

I like to see and analyse the menu well beforehand and my wife hates to know. Leaving her choice until the waiter is hovering. We are both Geminis but so different in many ways. She likes dressing up and I hate it. She likes a crowd round the table and I like a select few. 
Yes Dave, eggs anyway with toast and for a real treat crumpets.!

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Our Christmas Day will be very low key this year

An evening meal, people can pop in and out informally during the day as they wish , I won’t be cooking till evening, when basically it’s a lamb roast dinner, which I’ll enjoy cooking and eating 

We could go to family for Christmas lunch but I’d rather relax at home , pop to the pub at dinner time to meet up for an hour or so with whoever gets there without worrying about the meal 

Christmas Eve I’ll cook the turkey and a ham ready for butties over the festive season, watch TV and relax 

Tins of chocolate assortments, boxes of chocolate biscuits, that’s the grandkids sorted when they drop in 

My busy time will be Fri/ Saturday and I shall be well rested by then 

Sandra


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

The days of 20 + forChristmas dinner are over now

But memories remain 

Some not so good as families get together and air their grievances 

Always we will have the mashed potatoes incident 

A small bowl of mashed potatoes 

Left over from Christmas Eve , for young Albert , who only likes mashed potatoes 

Who in the eyes of his cousin he was too mean to share 

Disrupted the whole meal as he walked out upset 

And yesterday she said, you remember that incident, I was right wasn’t I ?

Well no 

But the young are so sure of their righteousness 

The party this year, far to many people to air any grievances 

Sandra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Oh no! Another family with a mashed potato problem 
In our house my mother had to make mashed potato for one brother and boiled or roast for the other. One would only eat margarine and the other would only eat butter. Me? I just had to eat what was put in front of me


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Yep

Families and Christmas 

Fortunately our Friday meals allowed tensions to be relieved on a weekly basis

There will always be tensions, petty jealousies to overcome as long as there are families 

But all in all

Thank goodness for them 

Young and old 

Sandra


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

Blimey! We must be right swanky in our house - we ALL have BOTH mash and roast tatties with our Christmas dinner. 😋🤣


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

We have new potatoes and roast potatoes Roger 

Or did have 

Just our Christmas meal was for so many people, a pan of buttered new potatoes was easier in the scheme of things 

For our Christmas pie party where numbers will be in the thirties, and some love mashed potato 

I’ll do ......

Buttered new potatoes >

Sod them, have more pie, the fish pies will have mashed potato on them :wink2:

And someone somewhere will have a complaint , I have no doubt, even if it’s a complaint from years ago, as families do :surprise:

But with so many people I won’t know about it

The house is big but maybe not big enough to negotiate a path back to me 0

Sandra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

I can't bear it if people complain  I have not entertained for about 25 years, ever since my brother and sister in law came to Sunday dinner. One asked if I had salted the potatoes and the other asked me if I always cooked the meat "that way". It was all perfectly edible. My sister in law never has a meal anywhere without complaining. I did have them over for Christmas once. She walked in the door and I asked her what she would like to drink (she always drank gin and I had bought some in, as well as various other spirits etc etc) She asked for something like Dubonet and lemon which I have never known her to drink before or since. When I apologised, and listed all the other options on offer, she huffed and puffed and said how much she wanted her first choice! I felt like I had ruined her Christmas 
I used to have my mum and, of course, I now have my daughter who has been brought up to be grateful for any food at all , every other Christmas.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Drinks we don’t do pat

Bring your own 

Stems back years 

When everyone came to us 

Well we had far to many kids for them to invite us 

I always remember alberts dad buying us an aluminium tea pot for Christmas because of the number of kids ???

My kids who never ever behaved out of line 

And all our Christmas money , saved with great difficulty was blown on drinks for that one day

And now

Well yes I could afford it 

But I ain’t going too 

The Christmas spirit only goes so far these days 

Bring your own and you won’t be disappointed 

Hide it, drink it, do your own thing 

I’m just here to feed you 

And feed you I will

You’d better believe it 

Sandra


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Adding up the numbers

It’s nearer 50

Oh well more pies 

And I’ll throw in a few quiche 

Desserts other than apple pies I don’t do

People are invited to bring their own 

With the proviso 

You take it home if it isn’t eaten 

The last thing I need is a houseful of uneaten desserts 

I wouldn’t touch them

Albert would munch steadily through them

Sandra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

I think 50 might be better than 5 for me. I could get lost and no one would notice me having a nervous breakdown in the corner


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Pat. My wife likes the more the merrier but more than six with my hearing causes serious conversational difficulties. We have six for lunch today and it's OK.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Now pat 

Why would you need to have a nervous breakdown 

5 guests you are stuck with :wink2:

50? Well you can’t be everywhere at once 

It’s a self service do , all I need to do is ensure the pies are all hot, or cold as the case may be 

The veg are in slow cookers , mushy peas, garden peas and buttered corn 

The kids will probably not lift their heads from their mobile phones 

Hot dogs will be available for them if they don’t want pie , ok not healthy but I’m their grandma, aunty etc not their mum :grin2:

And people will mill around in different combinations 

We will light the log fire in the garden so people can wander out there, it’s only small but beautifully formed 0

I’ll make a sign to say

All complaints should be addressed to your Grandad, dad, uncle, brother , friend 

It’s his fault >

sandra


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Ps

And when you are a grandma, soon 

You will want everything that’s healthy for them 

But if you provide chocolate biscuits? Hot dogs ? , chips ?

Well it’s not every day is it 

You can afford to spoil them 

Although I miss that now

The originals are adults 

And now there are 8 others + 2 

And everything has to be seen to fair 

But I know nothing is ever fair 

Unless your grandkids are cloned

I recon that sign 

If I’d known about grandkids , I’d have had them first , and skipped the kids 

Has greater truth than we know 

Sandra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Now Sandra  If you had been brought up by my mum you would be like me. She was from the East End of London where they compete over who has the cleanest door knocker or the prettiest lace curtains. When we had guests the tension in the house was palpable in case they should find a speck of dust or that we had run out of their favourite tipple. My mum would say that she would not be able to hold her head up amongst her friends or relatives if they found the slightest thing not to their liking. Those emotions, daft though they are, do not leave you.

Funnily enough I used to host the whole of my daughter's primary school class for her Birthday as it was near the end of the summer term. I met one of her class mates recently who told me that she still remembers them as the best parties of all! I refused to give out party bags but just gave the kids loads of food and loads of freedom (we had four acres) along with pony rides and hugs from goats. I remember Chris dressing up in a huge lion outfit, one year, and our German Shepherd nearly killing him when he charged through the door growling at all the assembled kids!

I suppose that kids don't judge.......


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Actually Pat

People don’t either 

If I had a pound for all the complaints our kids make 

I’d be rich 

But the truth is, they are still here , able to complain 

And I am here able to ignore them 

And me 

Well like you I am me 

I married completely lost, what the hell was a family ?

Children’s homes don’t prepare you for life 

You never counted 

But you count Pat just as I count 

And 50+ people will turn up to our Christmas reunion, party 

And they don’t need too 

I’m guessing they want to 

And if they didn’t

Why are they here ?

Sandra


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

patp said:


> Now Sandra  If you had been brought up by my mum you would be like me. She was from the East End of London where they compete over who has the cleanest door knocker or the prettiest lace curtains. When we had guests the tension in the house was palpable in case they should find a speck of dust or that we had run out of their favourite tipple. My mum would say that she would not be able to hold her head up amongst her friends or relatives if they found the slightest thing not to their liking. Those emotions, daft though they are, do not leave you. .


I have just been through that today Pat. Everting has to be just tickety boo for the guests who hardly notice. As long as I pour and my wife serves up plates everyone goes away happy. I was told it was too hot and two guests went outside to cool down. But apart from that all was delicious.

Ray.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Ah, now, my rational brain agrees with both of you. My emotional brain, however, feels much more differently. And very powerful it is too.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Our problem (or my wifes) is one of the ladies is a Egon Ronet award winner twice. So although they don't really compete it's kinda necessary to at least impress.
Our friends are sorta wine snobs but my satisfaction is proudly announcing that a wine they say they like is €2 from Lidl.

Ray.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I’m a lost cause

I never compete 

I really don’t care to

I cook a meal, confident it’s good 

And if it isn’t perfect Or doesn’t impress ?

Well don’t come back if our relationship depends on that 

My time is running out anyway 

And I ain’t going to spend it trying to be perfect in the eyes of others 

I’m old, I’m going to wear purple 

And bask in the fact 

My grandkids who know nothing think I almost am 

Told you Pat, chips, hot dogs and chocolate biscuits swings it >

Sandra


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