Jelly fruit slices

Mince pies. They don't sell them here so I make them myself since I love em.

German bakery in Windsor ? That where The Queen gets her bread ?

Sprouts.

Anxiety with a small touch of depression.

I'm fine during the rest of the year but once Christmas is here I start feeling uncomfortable. Weird.

Fruit cake
Baileys
Sausage rolls

Turkey
Stuffing
Mince pies
Christmas cake
Crackers
Cointreau
Prawn ring

Shouldn't think so, she (or should that be 'we') probably has it handmade by 3 star Michelin chefs at a cost of £50 per loaf, and that's unsliced mind.

The German Bakery does supply the House of Commons though, it says so on their website. Their handmade stollens are delicious and freshly made every day this time of year. I bought one for me and one for my neighbour, and we've both nearly finished them. Supposed to 1000g, but that's nominal, one was 1011g and t'other 1025g.

Chocolate log
Christmas cake
A wreath on the door
A 6 ft tree in the house
Sausage meat (ie not in sausages)
Piccalilli

Port and lemonade
Christmas pud (must keep Mum happy - detest the stuff)
Patience with sister-in-law (witch!!)

- Multiple meats on the table at the same time
- Duck
- Roast Potatos cooked in goose fat
- Buck's Fizz
- decent pudding/desert (we might have soft scoop ice cream or a fruit crumble at various points during the year but at Christmas we get things like roulade, vienetta, chocolate pudding, mince pies and others I've probably forgot)
- brandy butter cream

Christmas cake.
Christmas tree.
Christmas presents.
Christmas pudding.
Christmas party,
Christmas dinner.

Eggnog
Mince pies

I only have mine pies and Christmas pudding in December but in this day and age i don't know if you can buy them at other times.

I feel a certain pressure. I need to stop worrying that people are going to think of me as stingy, I have enough to deal with without worrying about everyone else and I do treat people the whole year round.

Bacon Rolls
Jam on my toast
Chipalatas

Christmas Tree
Christmas presents
Mince pies

The annual whinefest from my mum.
'So-and-so is upset you didn't send them a card again this year.'
Cross me off the damned list then - problem solved.
I haven't seen most of these people moaning to her in decades.

Brussels Sprouts
Chestnut stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Mince pies
Christmas pudding

After Eights
When my mother was alive, a snowball

Toffifee and Ferrero Rocher are my chrismas choccies of choice.

I also only buy crackers, stilton and pate. Oh and pickled beetroot. I love it with cheese on crackers ... but watch your clothes !

Snowballs (the Advocaat based drink)
Mulled Wine
Stollen
Mince Pies
Christmas Pudding
Sticking a fir tree in my living room and watching it slowly die
A 100-or-so figurines of Father Christmas and Reindeer

Lol

I used to get similar sentiments from my mom. I think they feel it makes them look bad when their children don't do what they feel is the right/proper thing to do. Chances are good that 'so-and-so' never mentioned anything to your mum, it was likely your mum who enquired about the card and is using guilt by proxy to make her look good should you give in and send one.

I've long given up on trying to please my mom when it comes to stuff like this. She sends about 40-50 cards every year, basically every person she's ever met in her life, where I send 5 or 6. I don't keep in touch with her side of the family at all. She has a sister and 3 nieces and they all have 2 or 3 kids each. My mom knows all their names and birthdays and sends cards, and I suppose it makes her happy/feel important. I've explained why I don't bother with them but I think she believes I should bend to her wishes anyway. It goes back to when we were younger and I went to the same school as my cousins, only they pretended we never existed because we were poor and didn't live up to their standards. We were never invited over or given a thought, even though we lived less than an hour away. It probably happened because they were afraid of my father, who we were living with at the time as my parents were divorced. Over the years my mom has attended all her nieces weddings (they live a few thousand miles from her), while her sister didn't bother with mine or my other cousin's. So basically I feel like my mom has a relationship with them because she made the effort and I have no relationship with them because my aunt couldn't be arsed or thought we were beneath her socially. I don't feel I've missed out on anything, I don't care much for snobs.

Clean socks and underwear.

Christmas presents