:hee:

the early bird catches the Monday night tickets

He annoyed me on Jonathon Ross last night with the stupid people he brought with him so maybe it is not a bad thing :hee:

also just been on GETMEIN and the tickets are already on sale for extortionate prices, 8 tickets per person was far too much and just gave the touts a money spinner :idc:

Got 2 now for 28 Sept, they had added more dates when I went back in 102.00 :hehe:

not loving that Peter is giving the tight scots cheaper tix :hmph:

Radio 2 just played their first Christmas Song

Radio 2 :fan: who listens to that LOL

Listening figures for every week?, roughly the entire population of Holland

:smug:

I think I am right in saying that valued member Ashley is the first to go with a Christmas avatar

Markets Starting: Bath, Bury St Edmunds, Carlisle, London/Clapham Common

yes i agree with you on this, Ashley really seems a Christmas Princess, i am perched what iconic avatar she'll come up with

31 DAYS

a month till Christmas, ooh so exciting :flutter:

This thread has about as much of an edge as a bloody circle, useless!

Josy close this sham of a thread

:hee:

:nono:

Incorrect this long running and valuable thread has been a boon to many of the more mature members of Tibb. It may not be to the taste of the glue-sniffing squad (ie the younger members :hee:) but it will be excellent reference material as they grow in their Tibb journey

and the reason there isnt a lot of Boots stuff is that its overpriced

:hmph:


(hows the new dog?)

LAST POST: Tomorrow is the last posting day for International Standard HM Forces Mail to Operational BFPOs.

what a valuable resource LT, i would never have known that had you not posted

:douf:

oh my gosh, be careful don't let this go to your head :joker:

The early Christmas gift many of us now buy
 

Advent calendars used to be a cheap way to count down to Christmas with a seasonal picture or chocolate treat, but behind the doors you can now find everything from expensive whisky to fancy face cream. Are they a rip-off that represents the ever-growing commercialism of Christmas, or just a harmless bit of festive fun?

"Christmas isn't like it used to be," is a familiar refrain. Yet even putting the rose-tinted spectacles aside, one element of the festive period - advent calendars - really have come a long way.

There has long been a tradition in some Christian denominations to mark off the days of Advent, from lighting candles to the calendar's austere origins in 19th Century Germany when 24 chalk lines were rubbed off doors.

But counting down to a festival marking the birth of Jesus has changed, from finding cheap chocolate behind the door of a pretty picture - a style popularised in the 1990s - to an extravagant present-filled bonanza boasting everything from pork scratchings to posh toiletries.

These bumper versions vary wildly in price, ranging from £10,000 for a rare whisky version, to a rather more modest cheese offering for £8 from Asda.

https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/...2d2ef6e040.jpg


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42107580

When i was a lad we had pretty little pictures, and that was good enough for us ... none of this commercialised crap :smug:

I like the old German tradition of 24 chalk marks on your front door

https://www.kerststadvalkenburg.nl/w...Valkenburg.jpg

Christmas Parade 2017 here in holland, 10th december, and 18th december it will be broadcast on our dutch telly :hee:

http://static1.q-music.vmmacdn.be/jo...0/_aku9006.jpg

Christmas Parade in Belgium :love:

I don't think they were a thing in Ireland when I was young, or maybe my Ma and Pa couldn't afford them, anyway I think they have got to stupid levels now, I would always buy my kids an advent calendar (chocolate) but they always forgot to open doors so they were a bit of a waste for them as well :idc:

When my kids were little, my sister in law lived in Austria and would go to all the German markets in Germany, she brought back the most amazing advent calendar made up of little hessian sacks on a rope, with the dates on the front with Xmas trees etc, full of sweets and goodies, we used it every year until our daughter took it home with her a couple of years ago.
I have seen poor imitations that have caught on over here but they aren't a patch on ours.