Alis Grave Nil

Sunday 21 December 2014

Madness!

Yesterday, 20 December, on our way to the outskirts of Hull via the A63, there was traffic queuing on the inside lane from the Humber Bridge to the next slip road and beyond. Do you know why?  They were queuing up to get to the Sainsbury's supermarket.  Can you believe people sit in their cars in a mile long queue waiting to get to a grocery shop?  Further along at another slip road, more queues, this time for a large Asda store.  What is this madness that takes over people at Christmas?  It's only one day of the year and the shops are all open again on Boxing Day. Nobody is going to starve.

I am quite sickened by all the greed and over consumption.  Usually I love the run up to Christmas and I normally have Michael Buble's Christmas CD playing on a loop in the house and in the car when I go out but this year I am a bit p***d off with it all.  Christmas stuff in the shops and being advertised on TV from October, disgusting Black Friday greed, hearing about people spending upwards of £300 each on small children who will not know what they have at the end of the day, or who gave it to them. I even heard about one young mother who is buying an ipad for a 5 year old because he decided to add it to his very long list at the last minute. The icing on the cake for me this year was seeing Cadbury's Crème Eggs being sold at the beginning of December.  Bloody Easter eggs!!

Don't get me wrong, I have always loved Christmas but on reaching the age I am at now, I'm just not sure I believe the Jesus story any more. 

Anyway, wishing you a very Happy Winter Solstice.  Let's welcome the sun back and look forward to spring.

Joyeux Noel!  See you on the flip side, as they say.
 
 

16 comments:

  1. Agree with everything you say.

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  2. Well, from one grumpy old woman who has been called a miserable bitch (by a friend several years ago because I chose to be on my own when my husband was in the Falklands, rather than spend time with people I didn't want to), I heartily concur my dear!
    The greed just really pees me off. The materialism. The ridiculous amounts the country as a whole is supposed to be spending over the Christmas period. If everyone pooled their money and gave it to the NHS instead..... this year I donated several large bags of food to the food bank in town, since we don't 'do' Christmas. No longer have children who want anything to do with us, close friends hundreds of miles away, it is a time of year when we just pretend the shops are shut for the duration, pull up the drawbridge and settle down to the simple things in life... new book, new Christmas themed jigsaw, nice food but nothing extravagant. I have no intention of shopping now until next week. We have village shops where I can buy fresh bread, milk and veggies tomorrow and that's me done.
    Yesterday we brought holly into the house, it being the Winter Solstice as you will know, and today I mooched around the garden in a gale force wind, cutting some of the various different hollies and other ivies, plus some conifer offcuts, a bit of fennel and some rosemary, stuck it all in a jug with the holly, and there you go. Little leaves that were the trimmings have gone into a stemmed type of trifle bowl, with a white candle in the middle. My nod to the festive season ends here!
    Have a good one,however you spend it.
    x

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    1. Hi Edwina. I wish you lived closer - we have so much in common!! I would have done the same as you if I knew of a food bank near us. My sister did the same and bought a trolley load for her local food bank.

      We will still have a nice meal with all the trimmings but like you, I have everything I need in my freezer and can get milk etc from local shops. We just light the log burner, eat when we want and just have a nice quiet day. Most of my family are in Scotland and I do see them during the year but just not at Christmas.

      Hope you have a lovely day Edwina.

      Love from Carol

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    2. Just out of curiosity, do you live anywhere near Cave Road? If you don't want to reply publicly, edmlawson@gmail.com will find me....

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  3. It's almost as though we have to put Christmas greed blinkers on to try and shut out all the hype and nonsense. I am determined to enjoy the season this year at my own pace and for the right reasons. I do hope you have a lovely Christmas and health and happiness to you for 2015.

    Jean
    x

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    1. I know what you mean, Jean. I almost feel like running away to a corner of the planet where nobody celebrates Christmas.

      Hope you have a lovely day too.

      Carol

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  4. Just got back from the "Lidl" on Chesterfield Road where I used my trolley like a battering ram to push other shoppers out of the way to get to what I needed. After all, their Christmases aren't half as important as ours. One guy pushed in front of me near the brussel sprouts so I hurled a butternut squash at his head and then total chaos broke out. Some of the "Lidl" staff rushed out of the stock room section to intervene. I managed to trip the store manager up and he tumbled into the fresh bread section sending ciabatta rolls flying like snowballs. I slinked away and had a tug of war with an Iraqi woman for the last turkey in the shop. Naturally, I won as she sat sobbing on the floor holding a broken bottle of asti spumanti. I sprinted for the checkout as police squad cars with flashing lights screeched into the car park. Needless to say I was one of the shoppers who avoided arrest. Merry Christmas Everyone!

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    1. You've given me a good laugh YP. I especially liked the butternut squash action! Happy Christmas to you and Shirley and may you enjoy your tug of war turkey even more after the struggle you had to get it.

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  5. I dont in the least bit feel Christmassy this year. not one bit. Maybe it is because I no longer work and only go shopping every 3 weeks...?

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    1. Lucky you Sol, only going shopping every 3 weeks!! I need to get more organised. Have a good Christmas day, whatever you are doing.

      Carol

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  6. I agree with you completely about the Christmas Consumption Craziness and steer clear of the shops as much as possible this time of the year. I've made a lot of the gifts we're giving because we made a decision several years ago not to get swept up in the insanity of consumerism and to think more about what we're giving. It makes me feel better about the whole thing anyway :o)
    Wishing you a peaceful time and a Happy Christmas. Your blog has brought me many chuckles this year- keep up the good work! x

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    1. That's a lovely idea to make gifts and I'm sure people appreciate them more when they are hand made. Thanks for your kind comment. So glad I gave you a wee laugh now and again. I have enjoyed your blog as well CT, although I don't have a Scooby Doo about moths but I like your funny family stories and your crafty stuff.

      Wishing you a very Happy Christmas.

      Carol

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  7. Happy New Year Carol and Family x

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