The Christmas/Xmas/Hannukah/Saturnalia/BUY OUR STUFF Season

Hello everyone! I hope Christmas wasn't too terrible or difficult for anyone.

Mine was a weird Christmas, but a much-needed different one - it needed to feel different. We had KaraAge and rice! haven't been drunk but probably tipsy most days and plan to be until I'm back to work on the 2nd.

I got three vijdagames! God of War, Super Lucky's Tale and Dragon's Dogma, all of which I look forward to starting some time in March.

Aw, sounds lovely Jim, and just what you need. Let us know about SLT, it sounds like a lot of fun and one I could probably be persuaded towards.

Balladeer wrote:

I know it's not such a big deal for you these days boss: that still makes me a bit sad to read.  Guess I'll go look at plushies on your Instagram to remind myself that you have a better time than the rest of us for the other 364 days.

I felt a little sad going into work on boxing day morning, but realistically I'd probably be more bummed out if I did have the day off while Shen was in America, my family were in the UK and all my friends here in Japan were spending time with their own loved ones.

Balladeer wrote:

Aw, sounds lovely Jim, and just what you need.  Let us know about SLT, it sounds like a lot of fun and one I could probably be persuaded towards.

That happened. It is... a bit of fun.

Anyway: I've had my first mulled wine, my first mince pie, and my first pig in a blanket. Christmas must be coming! Y'all in the mood yet, or is it too early? (I'm getting the feeling that people are bringing the festive cheer forward to try and counteract lockdown a bit.)

I had some bad news from home recently, and combined with some ridiculous hours at work because members of my team keep either leaving the company or getting cancer, the latter half of 2020 has been feeling as crap as everyone kept saying the first half was.

So, I've Christmassed up the apartment a bit. It was nice.

Sorry to read that boss. Hope the ill team members recover, and that it lifts your spirits.

I think we'll be decorating Chez Balla today or tomorrow. Now that I've finished my writing month, it feels like time for some Christmas!

We've got a two-foot Christmas tree! His name is Spikes McGee, he sits on a baking tray, and he's already been in trouble for trying to penetrate The Lady (her words).

As if Christmas this year wasn't going to be rough enough already

I trust everyone's being treated to the same 'fun' virtual Christmas parties I am? Had my first of two office parties today, in which we 'bet' on pre-recorded horse races for charity and everyone talked over everyone else on Webex.

I don't know anybody who's having virtual Christmas parties. There's definitely been no office parties for the teams I've worked with - in schools at least, everybody's more fussed about getting through to Christmas in one piece rather than doing all that 'fun' stuff. 

I finished work for the year back on Monday 14th. In a Level 3 protection area here in Scotland there's not much going on, but I'm happy to have a break and - most importantly - to have got through to Christmas in one piece myself.

I had the weird online Christmas party, made even weirder from the comedy set arranged by Rob Beckett, Ivo Graham and Suzi Ruffell.

Can't argue with the free takeaway on expenses though

Got my tree up and adorned the mantlepiece with various Christmas decorations that I had lying around. It's made Christmas feel a bit more real to me as I can't say I was feeling the festive spirit much until I did that.

Has it helped Jay? I find that as soon as the decorations go up I feel that little bit cheerier, however pathetically dim my fairy lights may be.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

...I'm happy to have a break and - most importantly - to have got through to Christmas in one piece myself.

Well done boss, and I hope my post didn't come across as insensitive. I've got at least one teacher friend who's absolutely howling about how the government's handling schools, so I'm glad you and your colleagues are safe.

Crumpy Andy wrote:

I had the weird online Christmas party, made even weirder from the comedy set arranged by Rob Beckett, Ivo Graham and Suzi Ruffell.

...I'm so confused by this. Rob Beckett? Him off Mock the Week?

It has, yeah. It's nice just sitting with the Christmas lights on and it makes me smile seeing a few snowman and Santas dotted about the room.

Balladeer wrote:

Crumpy Andy wrote:

I had the weird online Christmas party, made even weirder from the comedy set arranged by Rob Beckett, Ivo Graham and Suzi Ruffell.

...I'm so confused by this.  Rob Beckett?  Him off Mock the Week?

Yeah, it was so weird seeing our big boss trying to out banter comedians. One of the most surreal things I've ever seen

Good Lord. Was your big boss thoroughly humiliated?

I've put the Ghost Trick keyrings I got as a present earlier in the year up on Spike McGee as baubles.  They work very well.  The cat's at the top of the tree, as is right and proper in every cat's view.


On a much less happy note, it looks like my Christmas plans might have a wrench thrown into them at the last minute. There's a strong argument that London ought to have gone into 'Tier 4' ages ago, but to have it happen now, and when we've not seen anyone in person for over a month... It's genuinely gutting.

I think you could argue either way about Tier 4 lockdown for a whole load of social, economic and health reasons. I also think you could defend temporarily relaxing the rules for Christmas as much as you can locking everybody down. What's indefensible is the unreal amount of fannying about by the Government and the casual change of mind when most of the UK are bawhair away from embarking on their plans. Fuck right off.

I'm gutted for everybody. 

I think my Christmas plans are still intact as I'm in an extended household with my Mum's, so I'm still grand there. One thing that will be tough is not getting to see my brother on Christmas - he's through in Glasgow with his partner who has cystic fibrosis, so they made the decision not to travel through for her safety even prior to the new lockdown rules coming into place. My sister's also gutted as her boyfriend was due to come over for Christmas as well, but that's not happening either.

I'm mostly unimpacted though, so I can count myself lucky in that regard, but I'm gutted for anyone who finds their plans scuppered by this eleventh hour change.

I don't think you guys wanna know what I'm up to. I'm starting to feel bad now.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

What's indefensible is the unreal amount of fannying about by the Government and the casual change of mind when most of the UK are bawhair away from embarking on their plans. Fuck right off.

Absolutely this. The only reason we've got this new 'superstrain' in the first place is because the inconsistent messaging and lack of desire to do anything impactful from this shower of shit have meant that we've not had any worthwhile protective measures since... probably spring. Even now the fact that Cummings got away scot free with his trip to Barnard Castle makes me wonder why I should bother doing a damn thing they say.

I really hope nobody else's plans are too badly stuffed, and you all get to see someone you care about this Christmas.

I'll not be seeing anybody since I don't live anywhere near my family, and neither does Kelly. There had been some plans for gift exchanges but nobody wants to do a 6 hour round trip on Christmas day (and rightly so).

So it'll all be virtual stuff this year. Maybe things will be better in Spring. Hope you all stay safe anyways.

The tier fannying is absolute bollocks through and through. Literally the only thing I give the government any credit for is pre-emptively ordering loads of vaccines from numerous providers. All this on the precipice of a no deal brexit too. Christ!

At least COVID shutting down the ports is going to give us a little taster of that to whet our appetites. Mmm, rationing!

THIS IS NOT PARODY

Every single member of the UK's Conservative Party should be dragged into the streets and killed.

Yeah, it certainly sucks - I know doing the mega-lockdown earlier wouldn't have helped anyone who was going to be lone, but all of a sudden there are ~twice as many Christmas Dinners needed, so the food situation was/is bollocksed.

On a different note (sorry, I haven't been here for 8 days) we had our office charity quiz thing last week, which was quite good, except on our team was a new guy (who I've never communicated with before now and never seen in real life) who kept Googling the answers, is if we were all going to be on board with him cheating. I don't get that - it's just a bit of fun, and we don't have that sort of competitive attitude at our company.

I believe my Christmas hasn't changed much as I think I'm in Tier 1 and so is my Uncle's, with three households as well in total. Unless that's all changed since as well, the only real thing my Dad is ill still meaning can only eat a few things along with some days barely getting out bed, if he's having a bad day might be a flying visit to my uncles.