So folks - assuming you have Christmas decorations, when do you take them down?
Christmas 2019 - Misc
- Thread starter TastyReuben
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Nothing wrong with a fake tree. Better than killing a perfectly good live tree for a few weeks on display.
My ex-mother in law bought a live tree once. You display it, then plant it in the yard. Guess who got to plant it? Ever dig a hole in Northern Oklahoma in December?
CD
When I was married, we spent New Years Day taking down and boxing up the decorations, and stuffing them back in the attic. Woohoo, good times.
CD
When we have a real tree, 6 Jan (Epiphany). When we have an artificial tree, more like the middle of the month.
Thank you!
Those shoes are actually rubber bottoms and leather uppers, from LL Bean. They're an all-weather work oxford. They'll last forever. 26 years later, I still have them, and I still wear them.
I do have these that I wear from time to time, especially if I'm doing a (rare these days) public musical performance:
rascal
Forum GOD!
First Christmas In Britain Part II:
We'd just settled into our house (that's a whole different story) and were eager to explore and find places in the small market town we'd settled in.
Probably the first week in December, we ventured out to what looked to be the nicest restaurant in town, in a small hotel called (I think) The White Horse. We'd walked by several times before and saw more than one thing on the posted menu that we'd happily eat.
Went it, no reservations, but they managed to fit us in because it was fairly early, but the host did seem a little perturbed, as we got what I interpreted as his, "Americans!
" face. Either way, he found us a very small table back by the kitchen entrance. No problem for us!
Then the waiter came, asked about drinks, and handed us the menu. Oh boy, I've been looking forward to this!
Except...it's not the same menu! What?! Instead, it's just got three set meals on it! What-what?!
That's when the waiter explained, "Well, it's the Christmas menu, in'nit." Ok, didn't know there were separate Christmas menus, but food is food, so we're nothing if not adaptable.
Turns out, what we learned later was that many of the restaurants and pubs rolled out a special Christmas menu at the holidays, and they usually had three set menus, from least expensive to most expensive, and depending on your budget, you might have a vegetable starter, followed by chicken, and finished with some kind of cake, or maybe you'd have oysters and goose and a plum pudding.
We both thought that was a brilliant idea. Special menus for Christmas! Awesome! The biggest problem was that, given a matrix of three starters, three mains, and three desserts, MrsTasty did not want to be limited to what the chef paired up, she naturally wanted the starter from the cheap meal, the main from the middle meal, and the dessert from the expensive meal.
The poor waiter. He was torn between trying to accommodate us, but also not screwing up whatever delicate balance was going on in the kitchen. In the end, we ordered two separate set meals, and my wife just took all the stuff she wanted, leaving me the leftovers (naturally). Sorted!
Food was fantastic, drink was good, the atmosphere was perfect, sitting in a hotel dining room in the middle of England, fire in the room, festive lights, gentle music, it was perfect.
As is sometimes the case, though, we found we couldn't eat quite everything, so we asked for a doggie bag for the leftovers.
"Um...a what?"
"A doggie bag, you know, for the leftovers."
"You want to take what's left home? Um...
"
Then, remembering one of the cultural awareness classes I'd just had, I recalled that a lot of British restaurants did not do doggie bags - whatever you didn't eat, you just left behind, which usually wouldn't be a problem because portions were reasonable.
"Oh, wait! Never mind! It's no problem!"
But, British service is not renowned the world over for nothing, and the waiter wasn't giving up.
"One moment, sir." - and off he went.
In no time, he returned with every morsel of leftover food, wrapped individually in little foil packets, and he had all the packets tucked into one of their metal baking pans, and then that wrapped in foil as well! Unbelievable.
So we took everything home and returned the pan to the hotel the very next day.
Starting the following year, once we knew all the pubs and restaurants did special menus, we booked one or sometimes two a week, all through the season, just because they were so much fun.
We'd just settled into our house (that's a whole different story) and were eager to explore and find places in the small market town we'd settled in.
Probably the first week in December, we ventured out to what looked to be the nicest restaurant in town, in a small hotel called (I think) The White Horse. We'd walked by several times before and saw more than one thing on the posted menu that we'd happily eat.
Went it, no reservations, but they managed to fit us in because it was fairly early, but the host did seem a little perturbed, as we got what I interpreted as his, "Americans!
" face. Either way, he found us a very small table back by the kitchen entrance. No problem for us!Then the waiter came, asked about drinks, and handed us the menu. Oh boy, I've been looking forward to this!
Except...it's not the same menu! What?! Instead, it's just got three set meals on it! What-what?!
That's when the waiter explained, "Well, it's the Christmas menu, in'nit." Ok, didn't know there were separate Christmas menus, but food is food, so we're nothing if not adaptable.
Turns out, what we learned later was that many of the restaurants and pubs rolled out a special Christmas menu at the holidays, and they usually had three set menus, from least expensive to most expensive, and depending on your budget, you might have a vegetable starter, followed by chicken, and finished with some kind of cake, or maybe you'd have oysters and goose and a plum pudding.
We both thought that was a brilliant idea. Special menus for Christmas! Awesome! The biggest problem was that, given a matrix of three starters, three mains, and three desserts, MrsTasty did not want to be limited to what the chef paired up, she naturally wanted the starter from the cheap meal, the main from the middle meal, and the dessert from the expensive meal.
The poor waiter. He was torn between trying to accommodate us, but also not screwing up whatever delicate balance was going on in the kitchen. In the end, we ordered two separate set meals, and my wife just took all the stuff she wanted, leaving me the leftovers (naturally). Sorted!
Food was fantastic, drink was good, the atmosphere was perfect, sitting in a hotel dining room in the middle of England, fire in the room, festive lights, gentle music, it was perfect.
As is sometimes the case, though, we found we couldn't eat quite everything, so we asked for a doggie bag for the leftovers.
"Um...a what?"
"A doggie bag, you know, for the leftovers."
"You want to take what's left home? Um...
"Then, remembering one of the cultural awareness classes I'd just had, I recalled that a lot of British restaurants did not do doggie bags - whatever you didn't eat, you just left behind, which usually wouldn't be a problem because portions were reasonable.
"Oh, wait! Never mind! It's no problem!"
But, British service is not renowned the world over for nothing, and the waiter wasn't giving up.
"One moment, sir." - and off he went.
In no time, he returned with every morsel of leftover food, wrapped individually in little foil packets, and he had all the packets tucked into one of their metal baking pans, and then that wrapped in foil as well! Unbelievable.
So we took everything home and returned the pan to the hotel the very next day.
Starting the following year, once we knew all the pubs and restaurants did special menus, we booked one or sometimes two a week, all through the season, just because they were so much fun.
So you really have them up for just over a week. That is quite a short time really. Nowadays I don't do much decorationg for Christmas. When the kids were little I used to use old fashioned crepe paper streamers around the room and we'd make paper chains from the little coloured paper strips. Its gratifying to note that they are still on sale today.
That's precisely why we get them up early and leave them up for a while...we want to enjoy them!
MrsDangermouse
Guru
Although our decorations don't go up before 1st December I'm starting to get myself organised......I've got some nice big oranges ready to slice up and put in the dehydrator to make tree decorations (usually I forget to do this beforehand so the oranges don't go on the tree until its been up a week or so). I checked our wine shelves in the garage over the weekend and found we still have a few bottles of glühwein left over from last year 
I know it wouldn't be difficult to make it ourselves but I actually quite like the Lidl version, plus its much easier to dump a bottle (or two) in the slow cooker and then get on with the decorating fun! 
I think I'm going to have to hold off making the gingerbread tree decorations though - this year's souvenirs from our trip to the Cologne Christmas markets are going to be pretty pastry cutters so it'd be nice to use them.
I actually quite like the delayed gratification of this time of year......you know the fun is on its way, just a couple of weeks to go, and you want to get started on it, but not quite yet. It just makes it all a little bit extra special once it all starts
Our town turns its Christmas lights on the last Wednesday of November....to me that's when it all starts properly.
I know it wouldn't be difficult to make it ourselves but I actually quite like the Lidl version, plus its much easier to dump a bottle (or two) in the slow cooker and then get on with the decorating fun! I think I'm going to have to hold off making the gingerbread tree decorations though - this year's souvenirs from our trip to the Cologne Christmas markets are going to be pretty pastry cutters so it'd be nice to use them.
I actually quite like the delayed gratification of this time of year......you know the fun is on its way, just a couple of weeks to go, and you want to get started on it, but not quite yet. It just makes it all a little bit extra special once it all starts
Our town turns its Christmas lights on the last Wednesday of November....to me that's when it all starts properly.
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That's a nice idea. I've never done that.
MrsDangermouse
Guru
I started doing it a few years ago and really love the way they go almost like stained glass.
I'm not a very good photographer, but this was our tree last year once it was finally completed with oranges and gingerbread biscuits:
I think you inadvertently posted the first tree pic of the season (even if it is last year's tree)!
Ok, time for another Christmas story, and this is going to read like a Hallmark movie (minus the romance). Beware...sappy story ahead:
Christmas Eve, 1986. It was my first Christmas away from home, not that that mattered, since my family, though Christian, didn't celebrate Christmas. I was 20 years old and just coming up on my first anniversary in the US Air Force.
I was stationed in upstate NY, single, and as is usually the case for young single folks new to the military, I'd been more or less adopted by my supervisor Don, his wife Karen, and their three kids Donna, Kane, and Claire.
When Don realized I wasn't going home for Christmas, he did the natural thing and invited me over.
"Nah, don't worry about it, it's not a big deal, I didn't grow up with Christmas, so it's just a day off for me. Thanks, though."
Don being Don, that was good enough for him, and he never mentioned it again.
On the night of Christmas Eve, I'd eaten fairly early at the dining hall, the base was 2/3rds empty, it seemed, and virtually no one was in the dorm. I watched a little TV, played some guitar, and finally just got bored, so out into the weather I went. It wasn't snowing, but it was still nasty because it was cold and windy, so it may as well have been snowing, what with the wind whipping all the already-fallen snow around.
Trudged over to the BX...closed of course, but I was hoping the little snack bar was open. Nope.
Over to the Airman's Club...that'll be open, and they have pizza. Nope.
I walked around and around, getting colder and colder, and finally, at last, the one place that was still open - the bowling alley grill. Yes!
The bowling alley grill was famous for two things - 75cent Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys and SPAM fried rice, and even though I was the only customer there, they had a batch of rice ready, so that's what I had (and a PBR).
I was about halfway through my second beer when the door opened, helped generously by a gust of wind. Turned around to look, and who was it but my boss Don.
"Rube, you idiot! What're you doing here?"
"It's the only place open."
"Yeah, no sh!t. Listen, as soon as Karen found out I didn't make you promise to come over for Christmas, she made me come get you, and you weren't at the dorm, so I knew this was the only other place open on base. You gotta come back with me, or Karen will kick my ass. Geez, Rube, the kids are crying and everything."
So I finished my beer, piled in Don's LeBaron (haha!), and home we went...
...where we proceeded to get absolutely blotto. We drank every drop of booze in the house and drunk-talked all night. Don had gotten one of those giant gift boxes of sausages and cheeses and canned ham. It was huge, it covered his whole dining room table just about...we ate every bit of it. At one point, I had his kids laughing because the only thing we didn't eat was this tin of smoked oysters. Don was retching at the thought of them, and I told the kids, "I'll bet I can get your dad to eat one of those."
Sure enough, I waited a little bit, opened the can, poured them out on a plate and said, "Hey, Don, we missed something here! It looks like peeled grapes in syrup! C'mon!"
Yep...he fell for it. The kids thought that was the funniest thing ever. He popped one is his mouth, then immediately went into some kind of weird seizure/dance at the first taste of it, the whole time saying, "You're a real sonuvab*tch, Rube, a real sonuvab*tch!"
So we kept drinking, Karen finally went to bed, the kids went to bed, and about 3AM or so, we got the brilliant idea to put together Claire's metal merry-go-round thingy - a big backyard playground item with maybe six seats on it, about the size of a small car.
"Oh, she'll love seeing it put together!"
So we slid the table against the wall, cleared a spot, and dumped out all 10,497 pieces of this thing - literally hundreds of screws and connectors and little bolts and washers and stuff - and we were so drunk and tired and full of bad sausages and cheese we could barely stand, but we put that damn thing together, yessir.
We finally passed out just in time to be woken by the kids running downstairs, and yes, Claire absolutely flipped over her playground toy. As soon as she ran up to it and touched it, though, it collapsed in a big heap and she started wailing. Great...
Karen was none to pleased that her dining room had been turned into a playground with a broken merry-go-round in the middle, since she had a buttload of cooking to get to, so we had to clear that away and promise Claire we'd get it all figured out, which we kind of sort of did, though that thing never did work right.
The best part...they asked the kids what they liked best of all their gifts, and Donna, who was about seven or eight and had a schoolgirl crush on me, said her favorite thing was that Reuben came over and made me promise to marry her when she grew up.
Christmas Eve, 1986. It was my first Christmas away from home, not that that mattered, since my family, though Christian, didn't celebrate Christmas. I was 20 years old and just coming up on my first anniversary in the US Air Force.
I was stationed in upstate NY, single, and as is usually the case for young single folks new to the military, I'd been more or less adopted by my supervisor Don, his wife Karen, and their three kids Donna, Kane, and Claire.
When Don realized I wasn't going home for Christmas, he did the natural thing and invited me over.
"Nah, don't worry about it, it's not a big deal, I didn't grow up with Christmas, so it's just a day off for me. Thanks, though."
Don being Don, that was good enough for him, and he never mentioned it again.
On the night of Christmas Eve, I'd eaten fairly early at the dining hall, the base was 2/3rds empty, it seemed, and virtually no one was in the dorm. I watched a little TV, played some guitar, and finally just got bored, so out into the weather I went. It wasn't snowing, but it was still nasty because it was cold and windy, so it may as well have been snowing, what with the wind whipping all the already-fallen snow around.
Trudged over to the BX...closed of course, but I was hoping the little snack bar was open. Nope.
Over to the Airman's Club...that'll be open, and they have pizza. Nope.
I walked around and around, getting colder and colder, and finally, at last, the one place that was still open - the bowling alley grill. Yes!
The bowling alley grill was famous for two things - 75cent Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys and SPAM fried rice, and even though I was the only customer there, they had a batch of rice ready, so that's what I had (and a PBR).
I was about halfway through my second beer when the door opened, helped generously by a gust of wind. Turned around to look, and who was it but my boss Don.
"Rube, you idiot! What're you doing here?"
"It's the only place open."
"Yeah, no sh!t. Listen, as soon as Karen found out I didn't make you promise to come over for Christmas, she made me come get you, and you weren't at the dorm, so I knew this was the only other place open on base. You gotta come back with me, or Karen will kick my ass. Geez, Rube, the kids are crying and everything."
So I finished my beer, piled in Don's LeBaron (haha!), and home we went...
...where we proceeded to get absolutely blotto. We drank every drop of booze in the house and drunk-talked all night. Don had gotten one of those giant gift boxes of sausages and cheeses and canned ham. It was huge, it covered his whole dining room table just about...we ate every bit of it. At one point, I had his kids laughing because the only thing we didn't eat was this tin of smoked oysters. Don was retching at the thought of them, and I told the kids, "I'll bet I can get your dad to eat one of those."
Sure enough, I waited a little bit, opened the can, poured them out on a plate and said, "Hey, Don, we missed something here! It looks like peeled grapes in syrup! C'mon!"
Yep...he fell for it. The kids thought that was the funniest thing ever. He popped one is his mouth, then immediately went into some kind of weird seizure/dance at the first taste of it, the whole time saying, "You're a real sonuvab*tch, Rube, a real sonuvab*tch!"
So we kept drinking, Karen finally went to bed, the kids went to bed, and about 3AM or so, we got the brilliant idea to put together Claire's metal merry-go-round thingy - a big backyard playground item with maybe six seats on it, about the size of a small car.
"Oh, she'll love seeing it put together!"
So we slid the table against the wall, cleared a spot, and dumped out all 10,497 pieces of this thing - literally hundreds of screws and connectors and little bolts and washers and stuff - and we were so drunk and tired and full of bad sausages and cheese we could barely stand, but we put that damn thing together, yessir.
We finally passed out just in time to be woken by the kids running downstairs, and yes, Claire absolutely flipped over her playground toy. As soon as she ran up to it and touched it, though, it collapsed in a big heap and she started wailing. Great...
Karen was none to pleased that her dining room had been turned into a playground with a broken merry-go-round in the middle, since she had a buttload of cooking to get to, so we had to clear that away and promise Claire we'd get it all figured out, which we kind of sort of did, though that thing never did work right.
The best part...they asked the kids what they liked best of all their gifts, and Donna, who was about seven or eight and had a schoolgirl crush on me, said her favorite thing was that Reuben came over and made me promise to marry her when she grew up.