being, as i am, both childless and curmudgeonly, it is apt indeed for me not to celebrate xmas in the trad style. i am too old to go “home” and traveling at this time of year is a MARE have you not noticed?
there is a reason we stay in and decorate the cave with bits of tree and hoard food.
anyway, what i do know is that it’s a wasted opportunity, to treat it as if it were just like any other day, and not celebrating in any way is just asking to end up in A&E with suicidal ideations having marinaded too long in self pity. i am guessing that xmas day is like a saturday night on steroids in the emergency room – all the drunk miserable angry people you could wish for, if you like that sort of thing, as well as season based burn and cut victims. and children who swallowed a train set.
so, back on topic, i am planning to follow the ‘jews go to the cinema day’ of yore. only, at home, and with lovefilm and chinese ready meals. i am so glad that i visited LA at christmas time, one year, and was advised of the cinema/chinese food option. it appealed to me immediately and became a no brainer for this year’s festivities.
not that i wish you a horrid time of it, were i to be plugged in to a satisfactory full bells and whistles experience i dare say i would be into it, but this year is one for the construction of a viewing pit, all the popcorn we can eat, and back to back film viewing.
so far, i plan to watch tiny furniture, last train home, kissing jessica stein, Banlieue 13 (+ sequel if good), and tinker, tailor, soldier, spy. that ought to more or less cover it, though i am still open to suggestions, especially of a funny/foreign/murdery persuasion.
also, though, i do like visitors, and am perfectly happy to have seasonably damaged visitors who need to escape from their own festivities or simply failed to arrange to do anything. this tends to lead to quite a long and fairly unpredictable festive season, but i am not against it. in the past this low key open house has made for pleasing meetings of friends. better not say more in case i hex it.
so yeah, enjoy your running around if you are doing it. and if it gets a bit stressful think of me chilling out, and know there is an alternative.
Elaine Axten - Writer 
I enjoyed Kissing Jessica Stein. The film, I mean. I never met her, let alone kissed her.
yes, it was recommended to me, and the yootoob trailer looked better than your average light romantic comedy.
i won’t pretend to have kissed her until i have at least watched the film.
I never knew of that word usage for MARE before. Thanks.
I certainly will be going to movies too, plus a dinner with some friends, and an LJ visit from cobaltika from LJ (texas). Her daughter lives in SF and she’s coming for a short visit. We’re going to go photo exploring w/ a few other LJers. I’m looking forward to that.
PS. I’ve never been to London…
well then, you must!
i like ‘mare’. i don’t think i have ever said it aloud. not sure where it started, either.
Mare St?
it’s a phrase waiting to happen. you have to get working if you want it in next year’s OED.
very common in my experience, short for nightmare, usually written ‘mare, with the apostrophe taking the place of night, although I’ve far more frequently heard it said than seen it written. My familiarity with it as a term spans decades and the continent (in that I remember it used in middle school and people still use it now, and that I don’t recall living in a particular place where it *wasn’t* in use) so I’m not sure if it is a regional thing that has just crosscarried extensively or if it is a decade thing (like 80s vernacular or something) that has just continued or what.
aha, i do think it is american in origin – and your experience tends to back this up. i can’t remember when i heard it, though it’s not been often, but i remember a time *before* i heard it, and i think it’s only been around the uk for the past 20 years tops, and i am not sure it made it out of london, but that could reflect my decrease in traveling as well as an abrupt end to teaching young people – of which, i don’t think any used it, but then they were a really specific demographic, being mainly bangladeshi teens, who had plenty of their own slang going on. i can quite see it being used by fairly posh white girls, but that might just be my own imagination.
I see I must resub to your feed. I realized at some point today I hadnt seen anything from you in a bit and got worried, then found out I missed a post. *whew*.
My husband and I will be trading stockings on Yule; then we will be seeing my dad/brother/nephew on Eve (because when there is a child, it is appropriate to have it be all about them. I am ok with that). Christmas Day will be quiet – we will go see his mom, then come home and either go to a movie (probably Sherlock Holmes) or watch Hogfather – that is our seasonal viewing. Dinner will be pasta. Oh, and we will be babysitting and additional 5 ferrets. Whee!
how odd!
someone who usually reads at fb also said she hadn’t seen this post – i will have to check when i crosspost, though it’s not as simple as the dw/lj cross, that happens, if it is going to at all, pretty well immediately.
teething trouble!
that sounds like a very manageable couple of days in general, well done – though i can’t speak for the ferrets!
I realized at some point today I hadnt seen anything from you in a bit and got worried, then found out I missed a post. *whew*.
Ditto.
I was thinking more of the origin. Definitely works as a phrase. . . .
Like totally Mare Street, dissin’ me and ting, but then like it all goes amazebobs cos o’dotha ting, yeh knowhatimsayin’ blud!
i do see where you are going with this, and i think your example should certainly submit that to urban dictionary… being as you are also showcasing amazebobs, but you do know it’s short for nightmare? english being your second language and all! (buahahahaha!)
Shame glitter letters doesn’t count as a language, eh ;P
hm, i may have to see about that… i could use seeming to have more languages… does american english count as a second language? i can, after all, say “laundromat”.
My idea of the perfect Christmas is to spend it alone eating cold sandwiches and watching scary movies on Netflix. Call me Ms. Grinch. I thought I might just have that this year as my daughter was planning to spend the day with her boyfriend. I was beyond thrilled for about two minutes and then the Universe treated me to an extended visit from my special friend and the appearance of my long-distance son. Daughter showed up as well. Full house and I’ve been cooking and washing dishes for the past week and a half. No cold sandwiches and not one Netflix movie. Oh, and Ratty is greatly annoyed because I haven’t had much time for him. *sigh*
well, i can recommend it. what you need to do is either give yourself an unchristmas day or else there’s still time to schedule a movies and cold cuts for new years. since xmas day went so well in our house, i am planning a similar styling for NYE. if i can get to a suitable shop i think new years is more cheesy than chocolatey, and in any case i have rather done chocolate. and maybe some indian instead of the chinese we had. the formula works, though, and we have films lined up and ready to go.