The season of consumerist excess (Christmas) is almost upon us

What does everyone anticipating spending this year? I have set myself a budget of £30-40 per person for Christmas presents.

I don't know yet. I'm not gonna do Christmas shopping until after my exams. First one is next Wednesday and I'm not finished until the 16th. I've been studying hard all week for them.

No one has mone this year unless yor the mega rich they say the economy is recovering but for whom

I work full time and live at home like a big saddo so financially I'm not too badly off.

What I wouldn't give to be able to afford to move out though

Bankers and politicians I think. That's why there are so many bloody payday loan adverts on TV. Argh! I'm going down the Apple Store tomorrow. I'll say hi to the one to ones

You can't be too badly off either if you are buying Apple products

I'm not buying any Macs or iToys tomorrow. I'm just going there to renew my commitment to the Cult of Mac so that people don't get the impression I've gone back to the Dark Side I like to wind up the one to ones as well They're the people who signed up for Apple's training service called One to One. It basically lets new Mac owners go to the store for Mac training and learn how to use their new computer. I don't see the point in the classes but some people seem to think they're a good idea. They're sad little people with equally sad little lives

Surely if the interface was intuitive enough, people wouldn't need 'Apple classes'? That must prove that the Apple OS is not intuitive

The Mac OS is intuitive but some people are rather thick in the computing department and the people who do those classes have nothing better to do in their lives

Morning

Morning!

Hey CNBC how's you ?

I'm ok, just back from doing some shopping.

Afternoon guys.

Thought I'd pop in before going out tonight. How are you all?

I'm fed up. I've got my first exam on Wednesday and I wanted to do some study and mum said I was a selfish little brat because I wanted to study rather than put up the Christmas tree lights. She seems to think I should be more interested in Christmas than my exams. Sorry, but my education and future are more important than a stupid Christmas tree! I want to do a Masters next year and I need a 2:1. If I don't get the grades then I don't go on to do the Masters. When I tried to talk to her about college stuff she told me to shut up as she has no interest I feel like crying She also told me I was isolating myself from the family. I'm not, I have my own life too! I'm not a child any more, I'm 23 and a grown woman and I should be able to do my own thing. My degree and future are more important than Christmas and I wish she would see that.

Hello all

Evening!

Evening all i'm starting to get the festive bug decks up tomorrow and i am digging out that Mariah Xmas album

Hope you have an easier time with the decorations than me As you can see from my earlier rant I'm fed up with it all and my mum's attitude towards me wanting to study instead. Why would she think I was selfish for wanting to do well in exams? I've been crying for ages over it.

Has to be Buble in terms of xmas albums for me.

I'm not abifan of Buble but he does suit christmas very well even i must admit

But no for me it has to be the warbles and wails ofd Mariah with worthy mentions to

Wham!- Last Christmas
Kylie- Santa Baby

How can you tolerate Mariah's music? I find she sounds like a set of car tyres screeching up the motorway. Kylie's version of Santa Baby is good but I'm really sick of Wham's one. I'd love to Wham it into the musical scrapheap

Haha she's not that bad and if you can get past the wailing she is actually quite good

And I love LC i genuinely adore it and i am never sick of xmas songs as they ahve such a short window

I won't risk my hearing Well some of them can get a bit boring. I'd love to hear new ones rather than the same old crap every year. I'm just sick of shops and the TV/radio playing the old ones as though they're the only Christmas songs to exist. Woolworths used to be terrible for that!

Thanks for not welcoming me back after by absence, all of you
As proved, no one could care less when I am on here or not