Top Ten for a Top Christmas (Christmas in General)

Member Name: Gendu

Product:	Christmas in General
Date:	05/12/03 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great food, Lots of Presents, Festivities

Disadvantages: Costly

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE AIR...

Ah yes, the time of year when people spend excessive amounts of money and the weather takes a colder turn, yet a magical atmosphere that induces joy, excitement and generousity builds until it climaxes at a single day when people stuff themselves full of food until not even a crane could lift them, to then sit down, open lots of lavish gifts and sit down to watch some good telly. So is this what Christmas is all about??? Well I hope to answer that in this review. There is so much to Christmas and this review takes you through the top 10 things for a top Christmas!

NUMBER 10: ALCOHOL

Lets be honest. Most people will use any excuse for a good booze up and what better a time then the "big guy upstairs'" birthday? A lot of people enjoy drinking but will really go for it at Christmas. Others, who don't usually drink much will make an exception at this time of year. It helps us to relax and really enjoy the day and get into the atmosphere.
Personally, I love nothing better then to start things off with a nice glass of sherry. Then I usually have some white wine with the Christmas dinner and then a glass of bailey's to round off the evening. People also enjoy whiskey, brandy and beer.

NUMBER 9: MUSIC

Christmas is a time for celebration and festivities. This, of course includes music. Firstly, there are the christmas singles brought out by various bands and artists. My favourite will always have to be "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade. But other favourites include "White Christmas" "Mistletoe and Wine" "Wonderful Christmas Time" and many more. Many great compilations are usually available with all of these songs on them.
Of course then you have all the classic Christmas Carols ("The Holly and The Ivy", "We three Kings", "Silent Night", "away in a manger", "Mary had a baby", &
quot;Hark the herald angels sing" just to name a few). I love going to carol concerts at Christmas Time. Not only does it help me to really get into the mood and atmosphere but also helps me to remember the very reason why we celebrate Christmas.

NUMBER 8: IT'S A HOLIDAY!

One of the best bits about Christmas is that it's a holiday! Sometimes overlooked as a benefit of Christmas, I love nothing more then 2 weeks off school. In my mind, the best bit is the holiday before Christmas Day, where you have everything to look forward to! All the decorations and the Christmas Tree are up to help you get in the mood. Obviously many people have to work near Christmas time but still have time off. In my mind, it's a time to forgtet baout work, stresses and worries and let your hair down to have a damn good time!

NUMBER 7: SHOPPING

Christmas wouldn't be the same without Christmas shopping, would it? You may probably be wondering why I have listed this as as benefit, when it involves spending a lot of money. Well there are 2 reasons really. First of all, Christmas is a time of giving! Jesus gave his life for us and so we remember this by giving to others. I love nothing more then picking out great gifts that I know my family and friends will love to receive. At the end of the dasy, Christmas only comes round once a year so I consider it a time to forget about financial needs.
The second thing I love about Christmas shopping is the atmosphere! Doing your Christmas shopping early gets it out the way but if you do it near the time, there is a real magical atmosphere in the air! It's more stimulating then ecstacy and much more healthy. You simply can't beat christmas shopping when it's dark and all the christmas lights are glowing! The air is cold, but the shops with their lavish decorations and quality goods are warm and inviting!

NUMBER 6: DECORATIONS

The best way to get in the Christmas moo
d is with decorations. It's the time of year when people can be tacky and get away with it! Ranging from a small Christmas tree subtly placed in a corner, to a house embellished with flashing lights, tinsel lined walls and dancing Santas - no house should be without decorations to celebrate this time of year! We usually have a small amount of tinsel placed around the house, with a lovely Christmas tree in the corner of our living room. We don't go for the lights on the exterior of our house for two reasons. Firstly, it looks slightly more tacky then a christmas bargain shop and secondly, the electricity bill would be large enough to make Madonna's career look tiny.
However (and yes I admit that this is incredibly sad) we do go on an annual tour in our car of all the houses in the area with a spectacular display of christmas lights and decorations. We do this in the evening and even bring refreshments in the form of sherry and mince pies. We will then sit in the car outside each house for about 5 minutes while we admire the display (and satisfy our appetites). I'm pleased to say that the response is very positive. Many people who have their displays off usually see us watching and switch them on especially!

NUMBER 5: TV

At Christmas time, all the TV channels seem to make a real effort to put on some excellent viewing for us! With the greatest films of all time, carol concerts and the legendary Queens speech, noone should be without their Radio Times for Christmas! Infact this year, the BBC have bought rights to over 100 new films, including "Pirates of the Caribbean". Other favourites include "The Muppets Christmas Carol" and "Scrooged" (a hilarious and brilliantly entertaining modern day version of Scrooge). In our house, we often browse ahead through the TV guide at Christmas time at write up a schedule of what to watch each day. We never tape any of the films though, since part of the appeal is
watching these films at this time of year.

NUMBER 4: FAMILY + FRIENDS

One big part of the magic of Christmas is sharing it with others! Christmas brings family and friends together to enjoy a day of festivities! Firstly, it allows people to have a big turkey to share with everyone. Also having family and frinds round means that you can all open presents together (and thank each other most gratefully for the gift that you really didn't want at all). Also it means that you can enjoy playing games together (what Christmas day would be complete without a good game of Charades?). Christmas is about sharing, giving, laughing and having a good time and having family and friends makes it all the better!

NUMBER 3: FOOD

Oh yes! Food is high up in my top 10 and deservedly so! So where do I begin??? Well firstly there's the Christmas Lunch and I NEVER hold back here! Large slices of Turkey or goose with sprouts, peas, carrots, potatoes, yorkshire puddings and of course, pigs in blankets! (small cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon). This is beautifully accompanied by gravy and cranberry sauce! You really need all the trimmings here. After a lovely lunch, it's onto dessert. The traditional dessert is Christmas Pudding. We always keep to tradition and pour brandy over the top to set it alight. With the liquer burned off and the brief inferno concluded, it's large helpings all round, usually with cream or brandy butter. Mmmmmm! For those who aren't so keen on Christmas Pudding, there is always Sherry Trifle or Christmas Cake. Or you can do what I do and have all three (yes, I'm greedy).
Of course after lunch, the food fest isn't over! Later in the evening, there's the lavish buffet to look forward to with left overs from the dinner, as well as a vast array of other saliva-inducing appetisers. These include Mince Pies (a definite must-have!) and Christmas Cake. Ok, so I've made myself incredibly hungry now s
o I will have to end here.

NUMBER 2: PRESENTS

Ok we're nearly there now! But rolling in at number 2 is one of my favourite parts of Christmas day - presents! We all love receiving gifts but in my opinion there are two main types of present. Firstly, there are the big gifts that you choose for yourself and are usually bought by close family members. These are great ebcause you know you'll love what you're getting! The only bad thing is that you have to wait for the big day to receive it (and this proves to be more difficult then it is for Jordan to create a singing career).
the second type of gift is those that are wrapped up. these are brilliant because they're a complete surprise! Sometimes you may be disappointed but I am often delighted by what I get (but then I'm easy to please). Having torn off all the paper excitedly, I love closely examining and testing each gift. On my Christmas list for this year is a new car! (It'll fit in the sleigh won't it?).

NUMBER 1: JESUS

Ok we're here! This is the big one! At number 1 for christmas, it's the number one guy: Jesus! Infact he is the very reason that we celebrate Christmas. Without him, Christmas is just a gluttenous food binge and unnecessary spending spree. But WITH him, it's the big party of the year!!! Jesus was born with one purpose: to die. By suffering a cruel death, he could pay the price for our sin so that we can have eternal life and not be doomed to death from the moment we tell our mum or dad to "shut up". We always attend church on Christmas day to remember our saviour and reason for all the festivities. So this Christmas, remember the big guy's birthday and big-up the Jesus!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

So to finish off, I would like to say a BIG thankyou for reading this review. I hope you enjoyed it and a big well done to those who didn't abandon it to rush to the fridge after reading number 3.
I hope you found the review helpful and all thats left to say is I hope you have a great Christmas!!!

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