What actually happens on Christmas?

We just got wankered all day; made some curry. In 2010 we all got drunk and walked all the way to Westminster from Peckham with stopping in local parks for a piss. Walked with cans of Stella.

it's what jesus would of wanted

@amey it’s a bit late asking us today. Christmas planning starts in September 🙄

Usually 3-5 days of large family meals industrial endurance drinking (but only the good stuff), traveling the country and living out of bags. Massively stressful, expensive and tiring

@Amey don’t change your tradition, introduce junior at the earliest opportunity..

turkey curry would be awesome btw, then youtube nigella lawson if you need to pimp it up

Amey don’t change your tradition, introduce junior at the earliest opportunity..

Kid sounds a little young to be getting pissed already

Tiny roast chicken and over cooked veg sat next to a 20l pan of biriyani. Only tiny children get the shit chicken dinner so when they have to write about it at school they don’t feel left out.

It’s much like Eid but with secret whisky and no one has to get up at 4am to go Regents Park and you get pointless presents instead of cold hard cash.... (1stgenlyfe)

Turkey Curry is good, the Punjabi side of my family do a good masala stuffing

@amey two great examples above.. both know how to pimp up the turkey.

Me? I’m not in charge of cooking tomorrow, however it’ll be defo gluten free, dairy / lactose free, fructose free because of first child dietary complications.. then meat free, fish free, ‘anything that casts a shadow‘ free. Unless my youngest goes flexiterian for the day.

I’m sure it’ll all taste wonderful and booze is compulsory, cos well....

I introduced them to liquor from a young age 🙈

Turkey curry happens on the 27th or 28th at our house, its normally:
Traditional Christmas lunch followed by Christmas buffet featuring cold turkey
Boxing day is often visting family and normally a different roasted meat
27th turkey curry or turkey pie
28th the opposite of the one above
29th hopefully the turkey is done but if not probably cold for lunch

Will also of been many turkey sandwiches
Somewhere in all of this a gammon will of been consumed hot and in the buffet and sandwiches

It’s definately worth having every combo of turkey to reduce waste. These birds ain’t cheap, right? So I suppose that once done, no one wants to think about turkey again for at less 358 days

plenty of gammon around this year ;)

I'm obviously not condoning it but under-age drinking is definitely a Xmas tradition for me. Oops. I'm pretty sure it was late December when I first (a) tried cider, (b) moved from sweet Woodpecker to dry Strongbow, (c) from Strongbow to lager. And getting proper drunk for the first time aged 14 (s0, 23/12/86) on vodka and orange, with the vodka ratio getting stronger each time I lost a game of cards. I threw up on the floor and a board game (Escape from Colditz) before being taken upstairs to bed, and the carpet was still a bit smelly when neighbours came round for drinks and Twiglets on Xmas day morning.

Nice one Jesus!

In normal times, on the 24th...

We gather as many of the clan as possible under one roof, usually at an uncle’s or aunt’s house. Copious amounts of snacks and drinks are provided, with attempts made at meeting everyone’s specific taste on something.

After everyone has settled in, we start the airing of grievances, sometimes in alphabetical, mostly in chronological order. That can take a while but it helps build an appetite.

Then the ‘adults’ sit at one table and the ‘kids’ sit at separate tables to have turkey, ham, cod dinner, but no one can eat until the eldest family member says a blessing. When the adults have finished, everyone exchanges secret Santa gifts. We finish the evening by drawing two names out of a hat to determine who hosts the following year: the one that manages to successfully pin the other one down for 5 seconds does not have to host.

On the 25th everyone gets presents under the pole and each nuclear family has lunch with the other side of their family.

Edit- this is a tv reference and does not reflect standard practices.

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Very few people here ... attend church.

Is that true? Thought lots of people attend church once a year - either midnight mass or Christmas day service.

@amey eating turkey is relatively new as a thing. Personally don't get the point unless you have a lot of mouths to feed on the day - it's expensive, doesn't taste great and you need a massive oven. If you need to roast a dead animal, a big chicken tastes better. Goose is traditional, I've never had it.

There are lots of Christmas foods to be eaten at home with family/relations/friends - mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake etc It's the longest shared holiday time people tend to have - it's common to take the week between Christmas and New year as leave or be given it, so it's a long period of getting together with friends/family. Easier than the rest of the year as you don't need to coordinate leave.

Christmas cards are a way to keep in touch with people you aren't super close to. You don't have to write a whole letter but just say you're thinking of them. It's easier than remembering to send a note at other times.

Presents are exchanged. For lots of people it's a big deal, and bigger purchases might be put off until Christmas.

My family mostly isn't Christian or culturally really into marking christmas but we do it a bit. Small/practical gifts only. My sister is a proper christian so is quite keen on doing it 'properly' and consequently I've been to quite a few Christmas services. She is most likely to cook Christmas dinner, and make soup with the leftover veg and roast potatoes to have in the evening or next day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyk6sXHY9Vg

Damn it, I forgot the Christmas Bonbonbonbons again!

Goose is traditional

Glad someone said this.

If someone gave you turkey any other day of the year you'd feel mugged off. Idk why everyone accepts it on Xmas day.

I'd echo the point about everyone doing it differently. But the basic premise is being nice to people (especially family) and eating and drinking to excess.

Best advice is to watch Saturday kitchen to get a guide on food and choose how you want to do it.

It reminds me a bit of trying to explain pancake day to my Israel mates. "So Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, wandered in the desert, and you eat as many pancakes as you can and try and give up chocolate?"

And how do you explain the chocolate bunnies?

The trees a bit minimal

Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that is why we have the Easter bunny.

What else is there to explain? It all makes perfect sense.

I don't get mad in to it but I don't get how humbug some people are about it. I like how it's a time when most people are off work together and make an effort to see friends/family. Actual xmas day for me is just based around a big lunch with lots of roasted stuff.

What actually happens it people cook and eat WAY too much food, drink too much, spoil kids and spend too much money all because "it's Christmas isn't it?"

The festive period.

Christmas Eve, down the pub with work/mates drink early.Christmas day, a day for family eating and drinkin too much. Boxing Day a ritual of sporting events, doin or watchin and eatin and drinking too much. Christmas week a tradition of parties where strangers meet and drink too much.

New Year; drink too much, then Gym (optional)

yeah boxing day is football and these days rugby league friendlies