What does Christmas mean to you…
Mick – Looking forward to Charlotte, aged six months, enjoying tearing wrapping paper and taking pictures of her in her Christmas Pudding outfit!
Chez – Looking at all the houses lit up, love the lights, decorations, catching up with friends and family, and Maltesers in a box!
Noel – As my name suggests, I’m all about Christmas… food, festivities, films, I love it all. This year, I get to add ‘family’ to that list of ‘f’ words too, as it’ll be my first December 25th as a dad. That said, new baby or not, by 8pm on the day I’ll be on the couch, with a large whiskey watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Marvelous.
Lisa – Going back home, spending a lot of time in pyjamas eating cheese and watching The Great Escape for the millionth time because my Granddad insists it’s too good to not watch again. Also this year involves a festive day in York with my best friends eating and drinking prosecco
Bully – Christmas is playing with Lego
Stephen Emsall – Christmas to me is filled with glee, as there are many things to enjoy including the tree. But really the key things that do amuse are presents, food, media parties and booze
Luke - Eat, drink and be merry, come along with me, step into Christmas the admission’s free
Stacey Wheeler – Christmas to me is glitter, sparkly lights, Christmas jumpers and family. And the occasional beverage of course!
Angela Shore – Christmas to me is getting together with my family
Kole – For me it’s a time for the family to totally reconnect, a time to reflect on the past year and how I lived it and looking forward to the year ahead. A time to give time to and share things with those who need it and as the name suggests a time to acknowledge the good news of Christ
Charlie – Pork pie, cheese, G&T and bickering with my brother – not necessarily in that order!
John John – Christmas for me is time with the family, Christmas movie marathons, nights out at the Christmas Markets and grazing on Christmas Day left overs
Kim – Christmas time = Mistletoe and wine
Ben – Being a climbing frame for my nephews and nieces
Martin S – For me it’s getting together with friends on Christmas Eve for all day merry making and nursing a hangover for most of Christmas Day
Nola – Spending quality time with my family and those close to me, creating new traditions with my children (this year it is the Elf on the Shelf!) and going to panto!
Dan A – My Christmas is time spent with my parents and my nan who will unwrap her presents as carefully as possible so she doesn’t rip the paper. After which she will put the present back in so she can take it home. Never really understood that
Nat G – Carrots for the reindeer, mince pie for Father Christmas, waking up early, wrapping paper everywhere, emergency chairs, pigs in blankets, the fight for the crispiest parsnips, the best roasties in the world, eating too much and then eating some more, trifle, tiredness. Then waking up and doing it ALL again on Boxing day. Brilliant
Elaine – Anticipation, tapping and un-wrapping, watching telly with a full belly, Coronation Street and Eastenders , tinsel and lights, children and bedlam, booze then a big long snooze!
Helen G – The Santa Special steam train with sherry and pressies for the boys. Family fun and G&T
Matt H – Biggest meal of the year. One meal at the in-laws and another at my parents, giggidy
Natalie Green- Nostalgic childhood memories and also not getting my Mr Frosty for the 5,9898989554312431243th year running!
Matt Barr – An excuse to listen to schmaltzy, musically dubious, classics like Cary Grant’s Christmas Lullaby and John Denver’s Alfie the Christmas Tree. Also, our Uni reunion, where we annually discover how little our turkey cooking skills have improved through the years and I get to beat very clever people at board games, 95 per cent of the time
Chris W – The time when every day is a Sunday roast day spent getting merry with the family watching the same films that are on TV every year. The Grinch,
Home Alone or an abstract version of Scrooge generally make an appearance on TV at a point when I’m too full to reach for the remote to change the channel
Kelly – spending quality time with my family and seeing the kids’ excitement on Christmas morning. Admiring my husband’s enthusiasm for cooking Christmas Dinner whilst I have a glass of wine! Having a massive buffet and board games with my mum and dad on Boxing Day
Rob SJ – Spending time with your loved ones and being grateful for good friends, fine wine and making it through another year
Heywood – Seething resentment and a desire to be back in the office. I like O’ Little Town of Bethlehem though
Lucy A – Getting together with all the family (mum, dad, sister, two sets of grandparents, six pairs of aunties and uncles and 15 cousins). Watching as many festive films as humanly possible whilst scoffing down Terry’s Chocolate Orange is an essential ritual
Louise – Seeing family and friends, eating, drinking and being generally merry!
Emily – Getting together with family, hiding in the living room with my dad after both us of getting kicked out of the kitchen and Christmas Eve in the village pub with childhood friends!
Helen P- Normally it means getting together with family and friends over board games, mulled wine and plenty of cheese but this year it’s about flying south
for the winter (well 2 weeks anyway) and visiting Borneo and Singapore
Kara J – Catching up with old school friends, having a good old family get together, fighting over the best roast potatoes and my mum’s famous Yorkshire puddings, watching festive films, the traditional Christmas day walk round the village and enjoying lots of laughter
Claire Hagger – Love watching the excitement build with my four-year old as she counts down the number of days to Christmas on her advent calendar! Decorating the tree, wrapping presents and spending time with family and friends
Pricey – Over indulgence, particularly Mrs King’s Pork Pie – the finest in all Christendom.
Chris G – The look on the kids face when they go downstairs and see the presents under the tree. That and drinking early and not feeling bad about it at all!