Benvolio wrote: Fri Dec 26, 2025 18:00
Happy Christmas and St Stephen's Day!
I had a lovely day yesterday, walked through some of the nicest parts of London and then had a delicious Christmas dinner in the pub. I had trepidation that quality would be mediocre but actually it was fantastic. Though the bill of £100 per person is a lot, I actually think it was money well spent considering the quality. The pub was as close a stand-in for being at home with family as one could ask for. Back in Ireland, pubs are all closed on Christmas day so this phenomenon is non-existent there!
Sadly today I am now in work so the Christmas merriment has abruptly ended. But at least this is the exception where I live. My friend who is currently working in America tells me the 26th is just a normal day of work over there. How awful!
That's an expensive trip to the pub, but if you were happy with your experience, I can imagine it was money well spent! And yes, unfortunately here in America, the day after Christmas is usually just another work day, as is with any holiday here. I don't like that anymore than the next guy. At least I'm in the off season at my job, so it's not an issue.
troublesomekeen wrote: Wed Dec 31, 2025 6:30
It was a Christmas to remember, the mountain with only one run open and all the Thanksgiving snow depleted. And then, on the horizon, the Christmas miracle storm turned into a white Christmas of disaster. For three days it was shoveling, tire chains, spinning, skidding,
and then came the power outages. Up the mountainside a wire came down off the poles before my very eyes, accompanied by a brief, loud, buzzing boom. Only today wha there any repair efforts. What a battle!
Hearing your story, I am both jealous and grateful that I didn't have to experience that. It was a (mostly) green Christmas by me, after having snow for most of December. Christmas Day without power sounds horrible, and that fact that you had to wait days for it to come back on is BS.
As for myself, I had a good Christmas. Throughout the month I did volunteer work at a Christmas event, and the staff at the venue said they'd be interested in selling my art, which I'm really excited for. Also, I went to a Krampus festival, which was held in a brewery district that looked like a level in Wolfenstein, with all the taverns and pubs open. I got an Irish coffee, and got to play some bar games in a speakeasy with some guys who were in the area for work. On Christmas Day, I had Christmas dinner with my parents, consisting of prime rib, twice baked potatoes, baked bread, and a nice salad. However, my main celebration was the day after, driving up to my cousin's house for Christmas dinner, which was excellent. I also got to see my cousin in New York for the first time in 6 years, and I had a good time catching up with him, and sharing stories about our creative endeavors. I also got some nice goodies for Christmas like good quality Italian food, chocolates, home made Christmas cookies, and a new bluetooth speaker. I still haven't done all my gift exchanges either. With some of my friends, that might not happen until March. but it's a nice way to have a taste of the Holiday later on.
Anyway, Hope you all had a good Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS PCKF!!! 
