Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[Willow]

Don't wish to open old wounds for people but wondered what has made your Christmases particularly good or bad.

 

As a child Christmas was always wonderful although they all kind of merge looking back. We didn't have much money but my parents always worked hard to give us lots of presents and a good time. My favourite presents were a dolls house my dad made one year when they had no money (I still have it even though I don't have girls), he ran out of time to cut the door into the kitchen from the hall and a farm he made another year they had no money that sadly got passed to a cousin when we grew out of us. I wish we'd kept it

 

My worst Christmases without fail were those spent with my MIL (OH's step mother who thankfully has left his father now). First Christmas after my ES was born (he was 4 months) my MIL was really cross that when my baby cried during dinner I left the table to pick him up There was only the four of us plus baby I stayed at the table for a few minutes but found I was upset sitting there listening to him cry as all I wanted was to cuddle my baby. When MIL got cross about something she could sulk for England.

 

We had a memorable/awful Christmas in Florida with them where they had paid the flights as mortgage rates had doubled so we had no spare money. OH went out earlier with the luggage but I had no holiday time so I joined them later. My MIL had decided I could fly in and make my own way to a hotel and they would come and get me the next day. FIL was being awkward and wouldn't tell me the address of the villa before I came out which made immigration interesting, no luggage and no address for where I was staying I ended up telling OH that if he wasn't there to meet me I was taking the next flight home and putting it on the CC (which frankly would have sunk us financially). He met me OH had packed and he hadn't put in my sandals so all I had was the pair of boots I wore on the flight. We were so poor I was really stressed about how I could afford a pair of cheap sandals. MIL was grumpy all holiday especially when I didn't want to spend days wandering around shopping malls.

 

The previous Christmas we were just as poor but we'd bought a couple of steaks which we cooked on our foreman grill (we didn't have a cooker, just a microwave), bought a little tree and a long roll of cheap red ribbon. Made a few tree decorations from wrapping paper (which we've kept) and had a lovely day just us.

 

Christmas before last my parents were away and FIL was abroad with SIL. Through church I'm friends with a lady in her 80s down the road who has one daughter who is a nurse and was working Christmas day. I didn't really know her husband. Since it was just us I decided to invite my friend and her husband. Coming close to Christmas one of my teen boys said 'Remind me again, why are we having the old people from down the road ?' not in a nasty way just genuinely puzzled. We all had a lovely day It snowed heavily overnight and my friend rang that morning to say the couldn't make it down the road. OH and the teens cleared a path on our drive and cleared a path on theirs and OH drove them the 50yards to and from our house. The boys enjoyed the fun of 'digging the neighbours out'. They were interesting and delightful company and we all found it so much more fun than if it had just been the 4 of us, (my teens agreed). I was a little worried their daughter who I didn't really know would mind that we'd 'taken over' her parents for Christmas but she dropped in the next day to thank us.

 

Last year we spent Christmas in Dubai with OH sister and her family and whilst it was completely different it was fun.

 

This Christmas my parents, two sisters, BIL and nephews plus my FIL are all with us for Christmas. My FIL has had very little contact with my family over the years (his loss) and my mum isn't comfortable with people she doesn't know so I'm slightly worried but looking forward to having a big family Christmas. I just learnt one of my nephews thinks he's taking over my kitchen and cooking Christmas dinner (the nephew that used a doz of my eggs making failed egg custard and threw the whites away ) so methinks a little negotiation and compromise may be needed as I want to cook

[Griffin]

Aside from childhood ones shared with my beloved and dearly departed Nan, the best Christmas was the one before last. Ghastly Father-in-law was away so it was just me, Mr Griffin & our girls at home. We had such a lovely morning together, I remember singing loudly peeling veg to my new Beatles CD and annoying everyone We all declared our Christmas dinner the best ever, we watched the Queen, played lots of board games together and went to bed late, tired, full and happy.

 

The worst? Easy. I had a nervous breakdown over last Christmas & New Year and remember very little of it.

[snowberry]

I just know that the Christmas before last my daughter went to Tunisia with my aunt at Christmas as a treat. I spent the day with the boys. It was a really flat kind of day. I have vowed never to let my 'partner in crime' go away on Christmas Day ever again

[patsylabrador]

My best Christmases as an adult started when I decided to do it in my house with my little family, totally insular and totally relaxed. It's selfish of us and not in the spirit of Christmas but we have lovely times.

Mum & Dad put on fantastic Christmases for us when we were kids and I have bundles of happy memories of those. Very magical memories and I wanted to try and do that for my kids.

I can't think of any bad ones apart from ES being in Afghanistan and I knew my parcel hadn't got to him in time. I'd tried to do Christmas in a shoebox and was upset that it missed him.

[Chortle Chook]

My early Christmases in Iran were just fantastic - deep snow from which my father made my sister and I igloos (or should it be eglus ) to play in. We had some lovely presents that my parents somehow managed to find, my favourite being a little garden that I could design with tiny plastic flowers including holly hocks. Another was a tweed coat my mother made for my doll

 

I haven't had any disastrous ones but recently I have had a few flat ones. I think Christmas is made by lots of people being jolly together. Ones where it is just OH and me trying to do our best for my mother, who, bless her, has a habit of retreating to bed after the Queen's speach are rather flat even though he has made some lovely roasts with all the trimmings. Damp soggy days also don't help. I'm hoping for a frosty but sunny day for this Christmas

[counturchickens]

Worst was when my mum left my dad on Boxing Day. Less said about that the better!

Best, lots recently, my sis and her Hubbie normally come to us and up to now a fairly adult affair with lots of booze and food. This year will be the first with their new baby. I am guessing it might be the last for a while as they will probably want to have Xmas at home and they don't live locally. I work in distribution so the build up to Christmas is always fraught, but when I get home on Xmas eve I really relax and we have a deliberately relaxed time. We do all the cooking but most of the prep before so can enjoy spending time with each other.

[Olly]

Crumbs, that must have been a tough one, counturchickens.

 

I've got very happy memories of family Christmases when I was little - with a big family ourselves and neighbours coming in, my mother never seemed to get stressed about it although I remember the year she dropped the Christmas pudding - in its basin - on her toe. For some reason which we couldn't understand she was rather grumpy that morning! Another incident in family folklore is the year my father imbibed a bit too much gin at the neighbours' party over the road, and fell into the Christmas tree when he returned home! I loved Christmas as a child, and the Christmas preparations always remind me of many happy memories of my lovely mother.

 

There have been some bad ones, particularly when I was married, but I prefer to forget those. One of my best ones was last year. After years of going to my brother's house I decided to stay at home, and have some elderly guests from my Contact the Elderly tea-party group for Christmas dinner. A friend came to help me cook, we had a really lovely day and in fact it was so good, I'm doing it again this year!

[Snowy]

Thank goodness we can mostly look back to good christmasses!

The year before last was hard - MIL was taken ill so OH had to go and be at her bedside, he stayed christmas eve, christmas day and she passed away on boxing day. Meant I was on my own trying to be cheerful with the 3 sons. I carried on with christmas lunch as planned but OH had invited Mr Grumpy from next door, so he still came over, but boy was it hard work! Last year was good fun - we had a different guest, another gent from the village who was going to be on his own, but what a difference! He brought games and was determined it was going to be fun, and it was - a really lovely day.

No guests planned yet for this year, but that could still change! (luckily Mr Grumpy now has a girlfriend so no longer needs our company )

[redhotchick]

I've had a real variety of Christmas experiences, but never a bad one.

As a child it was always a massive family day, toys, chocolate, TOTP, a fabulous roast dinner and high tea in the evening, usually watching a film on TV. New sleepwear for Christmas Eve, and new clothes for Mass on Christmas Day.

There were a few years when we had a guest, I can't remember them all.

My best Christmas was when I was living overseas but made it home for Christmas Eve, to top it all it snowed whilst I was home. Ironically I now often choose to go away at Christmas time, I've been to Australia, Tanzania, Thailand and Laos for Christmas, some great memories and experiences.

My worst Christmas was when I was in terrible pain on Christmas Eve after having been to the dentist the day before and having to have a part of my jaw bone drilled away! Worst pain ever!

[surfer_chicken]

Best Christmas was probably nearly 6 years ago now. We had my brother and his wife around for Christmas, and when they got home she went into labour. Lovely late gift of my niece arrived on boxing day!

 

 

I wouldn't say I've had a worse Christmas yet, they've all been nice, but I don't think my mum enjoyed the one where I broke my arm on the 23rd while ice-skating as she had to spend all day and night in hospital with me while I had surgery to put it back in place. I still had a wonderful Christmas day though

[chickencam]

I loved my childhood Christmas times, we were very poor but lived on a stately home estate where my dad was head gardener, so we always had a lovely real tree, sometimes it was a bit of an odd shape, unwanted by others, but that made it more special. I loved the smell. My mum and I would always decorate the tree with lovely small old glass baubles on Christmas eve, whilst listening to Carols from Kings on the radio. We would have a fantastic roast, chicken usually with all the trimmings, served on the best china a beautiful Wedgewood set called Ice Rose, with orange juice from lovely wine glasses. The china and glasses were wedding gifts and only used on Christmas day. My parents are not drinkers, but would indulge in a family sized box of chocolates and we would do a large jigsaw together every year which was usually finished on new Years Eve sometimes quite late. It was simple and special just the 3 of us a couple of cats and a log burner. happy days

 

My OH had a quiet Christmas day with his parents and little brother and then a huge family get together on Boxing day at his nan's. he always had lots of presents but hated being dragged away fro them on Boxing day. We usually spent Christmas just with us and the children apart from on one occasion we stayed in his Nan's house close to his parents because she was away and spent the day with my inlaws, the children were very small and loved it, and one year we had my grandad and my Uncle over, but the children said not again please and we usually do boxing day with them but it will only be my uncle this year R.I.P Grandad.

 

We have had some lovely christmas times with our children over the years, and this year will be good with ED back from uni after her first term MY OH goes a bit OTT with the presents though, I would keep it much more simple. He does love to give though and is like a big kid, usually grumpy by Boxing day though and last year he had awful toothache from Boxing day until some fragments of bone worked their way out of his gum in January, we think from some dental work done years ago.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

As a child we had quite a few Christmases in the Far East but I honestly can't remember much about them .

 

From 13 onwards, Christmas was in Edinburgh with my family - only 4 of us and no friends and neighbours (my mum isn't a people person ) so they were uneventful. Not horrible but not exactly memorable.

 

Once we had kids, I enjoyed Christmas much more although we then had to go either to my parents (which wasn't particularly fun as she doesn't like kids much) or my in-laws which was much nicer.

 

This year we're at home on our own (but I have invited my mum who may not come as she's currently not speaking to me ). I'm looking forward to it as ES will be home from Uni .

 

Worst Christmas - the one where my mum was so vile to me on Christmas morning at my dad's nursing home that we became estranged for about 2 years. I then had to go home and serve Christmas lunch to the in-laws with a false smile on my face .

[AJuff]

Christmas as a child was wonderful, very simple as we didn't have much money.

 

Worst Christmas ever was splitting up with a boyfriend a week before the big day because he found out I'd slept with another man! Big lesson learned here!

 

Worst/Best Christmas combined was my sister coming all the way to Aberdeenshire to stay with us for Christmas. My baby was due in January but I fell over putting veg peelings into the compost bin and went into labour at midnight on Christmas Eve. My sister and I roared with laughter at the thought that we almost went to the midnight service! 5am off to Aberdeen 25 miles away, spent all day in labour, not allowed to eat, OH sat and ate Christmas dinner beside me! My sister cooked and ate alone! Baby Claudia arrived 2am Boxing Day! I came home to open my presents and eat cold turkey!

 

Best Christmases are now just with my dear family:) with a head chorister in the family we have to be at home and I wouldn't have it any other way:)

[Chortle Chook]

Something that seems to run throughout this thread is what a happy Christmas can be had on a slim budget. It really is the spirit that matters rather than the shopping. I love that

[yvonne]

Never been a huge fan of Xmas as I'm an only child of older parents, so it was always fairly quiet compared to many people, however, the absolute low point (which I could even laugh at at the time) was a few years ago at my elderly mother's house when my dog threw up on the pillow next to my head but I still preferred to stay in bed rather than face the horror of a tense Xmas Day with my mother and OH. Roll on New Year I say.

[Cooks]

As children we had very little, i remember my presents consisting of a nightie, knickers and a present of whatever my parents could afford, one year I got a doll will a wonky eye that my mum got cheap, I loved her.

 

Those days we had a large family Christmas dinner with my Nana and Grandad, cousins uncle, aunties etc. They were fun times and I remember enjoying them greatly.

 

As I got older Christmases were not as enjoyable until I met my hubby and we bought our house together, we varied from Christmas days alone to inviting family over and to be honest we still do this, however I prefer to spend the day with hubby and the boys and I am more relaxed this way.

 

Best Christmas was being heavily pregnant with Oldest DS, I had mahoooosive cravings for roast dinners throughout my pregnancy so I cooked a full Christmas Dinner for us, (there is no way I was missing that!) I couldn't see my feet mind you! I then went into labour the next morning and DS was born on 27th, my Grandad's birthday, RIP Grandad.

[Willow]

Oh dear, this Christmas is shaping up to not go well. I rang my sister to clarify that my nephew wasn't taking control and discovered that he had already ordered the meat (including a non FR turkey crown ) and he had no intention of allowing my OH and I to do anything in the kitchen. When I'd originally invited them and been turned down my sister had said he wanted to cook Christmas dinner and I'd said he could cook at my house as in help cook. She turned down the invite and it was only quite a while later that they changed their minds because my parents and other sister decided they would like to come to me for dinner. I must admit I didn't give who would do what too much more thought, assumed my nephew would help and when he said he'd like to do a beef wellington agreed that would be nice but we'd still do a turkey as well as not everyone liked the same degree of cook on their beef (he knows my mum likes beef extremely well done and his mum likes barely seared so there is no way of doing it to please everyone). And it wasn't until my mum said 'you know xxx thinks he's doing all the cooking' and I said 'no he isn't are you sure he's not winding you up' that I thought he might want to have more control than I was quite comfortable with.

 

I rang my sister this morning (rang once or twice before but didn't have time to talk for long) and discovered she'd told him he could do the whole Christmas dinner as that was the only condition he was having dinner at our house. She tried to make me feel bad about the fact he's worked the last few Christmas's and not been able to cook dinner. She seemed to feel that because she'd already told him he could do all the cooking for Christmas I was being unreasonable in not backing down and agreeing that 'Yes even though I like cooking and she knows I like cooking and had been looking forward to doing family Christmas dinner in my newly finished kitchen for the first time several family members had accepted my invitation I was happy to let my nephew who crashes around taking no care of pans etc take control of my kitchen and not allow me even to buy the meat myself so I know it's free range or enter my kitchen'. I didn't put it like this to her exactly just tried to explain she'd misunderstood and all I'd ever meant and understood was that he would be helping.

 

Is it me ? does anyone else think it is rude to accept an invitation for Christmas dinner because you don't have the space at your home but to assume that you can turn up and take over the kitchen and exclude the hosts ?

 

I'm so upset about this, I was so looking forward to a family Christmas where we worked together to make a nice meal. My two sons are really looking forward to having a big family group but she has said if I don't let my nephew do everything they aren't coming and she put the phone down on me.

 

I may have to give in for the sake of an illusion of family harmony (it would only be an illusion if they blackmail me like this) but I'm also really nervous of him trashing some of my equipment, he's very rough and just thinks it's funny if something breaks. Cooking is my hobby really so I do spend money to get good pans etc. My OH likes cooking as well so it doesn't seem fair on him either.

[sage]

Patricia

If I was you .It would be my house my rules, if you don't like it don't come. Why should he spoil Christmas for you.

Let him help but the moment he takes over kick him out the kitchen.

 

Sage

[patsylabrador]

I think you have to say no. It's not easy but sometimes it is the right thing.

[Cinnamon]

I agree - your house,your kitchen,your rules!

 

My worst Christmas was just a few years ago,when I invited my Dad & also my Sister & her boyfriend over & they accepted.

Then in the middle of December my Brother also invited them,so they all decided to go there instead....they claimed to have forgotten about my invitation,but dads life totally revolves around my Brother so......

Nice,eh?

 

I vowed to never,never ever invite them again,but actually relented last year & they all did come to me,& it was one of the best Christmases we have had. My Brother was on holiday

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I agree, you get to decide who cooks in your kitchen, not them . I can understand you wanting to do it, as it's a new kitchen (especially if he's likely to wreck your stuff ).

 

If they really do refuse to come if you say he can't cook the whole thing, then they are being pretty petty and you're better off without them .

 

Having said that, is it likely to cause a family feud which will run and run ? If you think it might, perhaps let him come and cook but tell him to bring his own pots and pans and stick your oar in at every opportunity .

 

Is he some kind of fabulous cook, that he demands to use other people's kitchens ?

[Egluntyne]

Gosh. Why do thy think he is such a whizz in the kitchen when he can't cook a basic egg custard without ruining a dozen eggs?

[Lavenders_Blue]

Goodness me

I think after the egg custard incident there is no way I'd be letting him within 100 miles of my kitchen, especially with non-FR Turkey. Definitely your house, your rules.

[Looney]

Eek If they'll only come if he can cook then it hardly gives you the warm, fuzzy feeling that they are coming to spend time with family does it? I would be tempted to speak to your nephew directly and cut out the middlemen (women). I can imagine an awkward conversation but it may be that he is a lot braver and more demanding when the message is being passed on by someone else rather than by himself? Good luck x

[bluekarin]

Eek If they'll only come if he can cook then it hardly gives you the warm, fuzzy feeling that they are coming to spend time with family does it? I would be tempted to speak to your nephew directly and cut out the middlemen (women). I can imagine an awkward conversation but it may be that he is a lot braver and more demanding when the message is being passed on by someone else rather than by himself? Good luck x

 

I was going to suggest you speak to him too. Maybe a suggestion of him cooking the beef as you have already bought a turkey so you'll do that bit. Emphasise that you have been looking forward to cooking in your new kitchen and I hope you understand. Good luck!