**The Official P&B Christmas 2023 Thread**

[Bob in Denny]

2 hours ago, Alert Mongoose said:

It might take a while but I'll find out where you live, Bob.

I'll hide under them

[velo army]

Cheers for starting this thread.

1. Heading to Norway to visit my sister, BiL and my newly minted nephew (as in, he's 6 months old, he hasn't come into some money afaik). 

2. My sister is a fantastic cook, so it'll be delicious whatever it is. Sadly my mum is in charge of dessert. She's a dreadful cook.

3. I'm loving giving presents and wrapping them fancily. I've still to get my da something. He has interests but I want to get him something representing a shared interest and connection between us. Whisky is, as always, a failsafe.

4. I'll get a jumper from the folks and I'd like to get something from my Sister, but that isn't a cert. My family don't really know me that well, so I'm not expecting much.

5. Movies? I love "joyeux Noel" and the Muppet Christmas Carol. The latter is my very favourite. The Family Man (I think that's its name) starring Nic Cage is a lovely Christmas movie too.

6. O Holy Night, the Celine Dion version, will be getting blasted as will anything by Nat King Cole (steady). Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas makes my heart swell every year. A beautiful tune.

Thin "Feliz Navidad" is marvellous too and quite different.

I absolutely love Christmas carols sung by a choir (yes, and folks dressed up like Eskimos, but that's not important right now) with "in the bleak midwinter" and "hark the herald" being firm favourites.

Edited December 1, 2023 by velo army

[BFTD]

1 hour ago, Hedgecutter said:

I keep reading that as 'Phil Collins & Marilyn Manson'.

What a Xmas duet hit that would be.

Apparently Manson did a cover of In The Air Tonight, which does seem like the kind of popular song he'd deconstruct to annoy the squares.

Considering how controversial musicians have a tendency to end up being cuddly family-friendly mainstream figures, maybe there's still time to see Phil and Brian wearing Christmas sweaters belting out Little Drummer Boy.

[Bairnardo]

Hopefully get a works Xmas do after missing last year's. Not massively arsed it it falls through though. 

Xmas day will likely be spent in my home. Potentially cooking dinner for some guests aswell as my own mob. Usual shit. Its not a dinner that I am particularly fussed for.

First year in my life where I can say with complete honesty that I don't want anything. Its finally reached the "Its just for the kids" stage and the cost of living shit has really made me look at the utter pointlessness of all this mutual gift giving. Get it to f**k. Strip it right back and see if maybe some of the magic can be brought back. 

These days, c***s thinking that Christmas is all about which conglomerate puts out the most emotional TV advert makes me feel sick

 

[GNU_Linux]

Mostly interested in the cheeseboard tbqhwy

[velo army]

21 minutes ago, GNU_Linux said:

Mostly interested in the cheeseboard tbqhwy

Get some baked figs on there to munch with the stilton. 

Game changer.

[Hedgecutter]

Will probably end up being offshore for Xmas this year.  Just the dinner cooked by people who cook for a living suits me down to the ground (or sea in this instance?).

As a non-kid, the over-commercialisation has completely ruined it for me.

[Fullerene]

Always found it strange that in this season of peace and love and good will to everyone that the BBC and ITV would show lots of war movies including Zulu.  

These are not Christmas movies.  No mention of Christmas in them at all.  Totally outrageous.

I will be watching Die Hard (and maybe Die Hard 2 as well).

[ICTChris]

6 hours ago, Chris Partlow said:

It's that time of the year again.  The most wonderful time of the year 

The world's foremost celebration of gluttony and consumerism.

What are you doing this year ?

What's for dinner on the big day ?

What are you gifting your loved ones ?

If you've been a good/boy/girl/non binary person, what are you hoping Santa leaves under the tree for you ?

What Christmas movies will you be watching ?

What Christmas bangers will you have on repeat ?

 

 

1 - Christmas at home with the family 

2 - Turkey

3 - Jewelry for the wife, Harry Potter stuff for the boy

4 - I don't like getting presents so I don't care

5 - Polar Express and Die Hard

6 - Must Be Santa by Bob Dylan

 

[BFTD]

16 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Will probably end up being offshore for Xmas this year.  Just the dinner cooked by people who cook for a living suits me down to the ground (or sea in this instance?).

As a non-kid, the over-commercialisation has completely ruined it for me.

As an increasingly miserable auld b*****d, I find Christmas an excellent time for finding things to complain about. Doing the shopping is a joy right now, as the rush hasn't started but there are plenty of annoyingly saccharine or pandering advertisements and promotions kicking about the supermarkets. Just a wonderful time to seethe impotently about the strawman morons that I imagine seeing all this and making purchases as a result. The fools!

Being GenX, I never knew a time when Christmas wasn't a huge commercial free-for-all, so sadly that particular gripe has always been alien to me. However, I might try and slide into the "kids today are spoiled brats" mindset this year, despite vividly remembering receiving lecturers from duffers about how grateful I should be, having seemingly asked me what I got for Christmas purely to deliver their missive regardless of whether I'd answered "a fleet of luxury cars" or "a harsh, brutal round of corporal punishment, followed by eye-watering sodomy in front of a kennel of puppies being burned alive. Then the Queen's Speech".

[eindhovendee]

I love Christmas and am off for the whole week.

We're going to an Indian restaurant (11 of us) for dinner as mum in law can't be arsed cooking. Back to in laws for sausage rolls, wine and charades, swapping presents.

Have already watched Bad Santa, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Love Actually so going to have to slow up a bit.

I'm with @Alert Mongoose on Mariah Carey but I also love Jona Lewie's song and Last Christmas.

I've been good so expect wine and socks, don't want anything else, won't be getting the missus anything but booked Lucky Cat in Manchester for a meal in January where I can spend £100+ on Gordon Ramsay's overpriced grub. She likes that.

 

[Cosmic Joe]

2 hours ago, velo army said:

Get some baked figs on there to munch with the stilton. 

Game changer.

Stilton on buttered stollen is a winner

[jagfox]

1 hour ago, Fullerene said:

Always found it strange that in this season of peace and love and good will to everyone that the BBC and ITV would show lots of war movies including Zulu.  

These are not Christmas movies.  No mention of Christmas in them at all.  Totally outrageous.

I will be watching Die Hard (and maybe Die Hard 2 as well).

First Blood is another Christmas alternative, m8.

[Fullerene]

41 minutes ago, jagfox said:

First Blood is another Christmas alternative, m8.

Simple Plan, Fargo and Orphan could also have been Christmas films if they had mentioned it a bit in the film.

[Fullerene]

Closer to home, "Anna and the Apocolype" is also a Christmas film.

[jagfox]

2 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

Simple Plan, Fargo and Orphan could also have been Christmas films if they had mentioned it a bit in the film.

I'm sure there is a Christmas tree in First Blood. Lights up yo.

 

[Cosmic Joe]

 

Before Cleese became a fucking snowflake obvs.

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Cosmic Joe

[mathematics]

8 hours ago, Alert Mongoose said:

 

[mathematics]

11 hours ago, mathematics said:

Hope to sneak in a Gremlins at some point.

Mission Accomplished 

[BFTD]

I'll just skip to the end of the "<x> could be a Christmas film" conversation and encourage you all to watch A Serbian Film with your families during this holiday season.

^{(do not watch A Serbian Film)}