Bah humbug! A retreat for those lacking in Xmas spirit

[myglaren]

Can't count, underestimated the number of bunches of flowers needed, had to go for more then ended up with a surfeit.
Mixed up the gin and cognac for youngest daughter and youngest son.
Overestimated the number of bottles of wine needed.

A huge success as usual

[CitroJim]

I went to Tesco this morning... It, compared to a week ago, was deserted

They were having a clearance sale of calendars; clearly, their days are numbered...

I'll get my coat....

[mickthemaverick]

I think you'll need your passport too after that!!

[CitroJim]

I think you'll need your passport too after that!!

It's expired so you're stuck with me

[mickthemaverick]

Well if your passport is out of date, you'd better go back to Tescos and ger it 365!!

[Stickyfinger]

We had a goose for Christmas this year.
Well, actually it was a turkey that thought it was a goose.
It was trans-gander....

[CitroJim]

We are had a goose for Christmas this year.
Well, actually it was a turkey that thought it was a goose.
It was trans-gander....

[PaulC5]

Christmas cannot be far away now, last week we got a Ringtons Christmas hamper leaflet with our tea and biscuits delivery. Their biscuits are decent and quickly eaten.

[CitroJim]

Christmas cannot be far away now, last week we got a Ringtons Christmas hamper leaflet with our tea and biscuits delivery.

That's just too soon!

[Richard_C]

Early last week I went to our local garden centre for some winter bedding plants. But it's not a garden centre now, all the useful stuff like axes, shovels and rat poison has been moved to a small shed-like area with a lean to roof bit for plants, the rest of the huge retail space is full of Christmas plastic, jolly christmas music playing, cafe advertsing mince pies.

Thursday saw me kneeling on the floor in the homewares section of M&S to explore the bottom shelf. I was buying a pair of wine glasses to replace a damaged one. It was a long search in the store, normal eye level stock crunched in to a tiny area because the normal displays have been replaced by - guess what - Christmas tat. Back in the last century there was a convention that retailers didn't start "selling Christmas" until after Remembrance Day, you knew it was safe to go out unbothered by happy christmas dirges and stuffed festive antlers. Not any more, and much like the first snowdrops, first daffodils etc., it gets earlier every year. This isn't the one off ironic store like the one in New Hampshire which has Christmas stock all year round and used to open 24/7, this is everywhere.

It's still October, weeks of this stuff still to come, so for at least the next 10 weeks my normal "slightly grumpy" dial is firmly turned to "very grumpy". Happy Christmas everybody. Ho Ho AAAArgh. Too soon ???

[myglaren]

Haven't seen any of that around here but then the time I spend in shops is brief and infrequent.
Mid December is early enough for that crap

[CitroJim]

My main reason for visiting a garden centre these days is mainly for my elder granddaughter - they often have good play parks and soft play for toddlers and usually a decent café although a bit pricey sometimes...

I must go to a proper one as soon as I can as I want to get some more soft fruit plants and apple trees for the garden...

[Expertamateur]

It is much the same here in rural France. Simple food shopping is a nightmare at the moment. You think you know where everything is in your usual supermarket, then one day (in November) they have moved everything. Now the wine section takes up four aisles and the beer section is full of fizz from every mini brewery on the planet (at crazy prices). The sweets and chocolate section is doubled in size and true to form, the price of the Quality Street tins of mixed chocs has become smaller and the price has been doubled. Finding a bag of four or a loaf of sliced wholemeal becomes a search for the holy grail. Yes, I hate Xmas and all the excessive pigging out and maxxing out of credit cards that goes with it.

[myglaren]

I have been today, no problems apart from the usual; don't know what I want but manage to forget half of what I went for anyway.
Veg going for £0.05p/kg here at the minute. Didn't buy any.

Probably go again on Christmas Eve as I have found in the past that it is usually very quiet then and the prices are slashed.

[CitroJim]

Yes, I hate Xmas and all the excessive pigging out and maxxing out of credit cards that goes with it.

If it wasn't for my children, grandchildren and parkrun*, I'd have nothing to do with it and likely go away to my favourite seaside spot and hide away for the duration...

Happily, all my pre-Christmas is now done with just the grandchildren's presents to wrap - a job for Christmas eve. The big children's presents need no wrapping, being virtual

And one last trip to Tesco on Monday morning. I'll be there the moment the doors open.

* We have special parkruns on both Christmas Day and New Year's Day Apart from seeing the children and grandchildren, the best bit of the festive season by far...