[Closed] 1st STW Rant

Just like to clear this up - what is "THE TRUE SPIRIT OF XMAS" exactly?

what is "THE TRUE SPIRIT OF XMAS" exactly?

panic buying a couple of days before the 25th December.

It's definitely not Morrisons selling wrapping paper, boxes of chocolates, cards this time of year.
-
How about peace and goodwill to all men, rather than outright consumerism?

Nice STW response there Mr Woppit.

What do we reckon - 4 or 5 pages on Christianity, multi-cultural Britain and how xmas is all the fault of those damn yule-celebrating pagans?

Is it me or are the Xmas cards getting earlier rants, getting earlier every year?

MASSIVE ORGANISATIONS GOAD POOR CONSUMERS INTO BUYING USELESS TATT

Good morning, I'm brewing coffee would you like some? Welcome to capitalism 🙂

what is "THE TRUE SPIRIT OF XMAS" exactly?

Brandy??

Is it me or are the Xmas cards getting earlier rants, getting earlier every year?

yes its just you.

Just like to clear this up - what is "THE TRUE SPIRIT OF XMAS" exactly?

Child sacrifice... I like to stick to the old pagan ways me.

I sympthise with the OP, but this is why I avoid shops, all shops, (except mine and the [not so local] LBS) like the plague. I would just get too cross.

We've still got the joy of Halloween to endure!

All the christmas Stollen and Lebkuchen have been in the shops here for 2 weeks. Even Woolies used to be slow off the mark in comparison.

I'd say its a sure sign of desperation, as the major retailers realise that the days of "oh sod it! Just bung it on the credit card!" are well and truly ancient history.

The same stuff will still be sat on the shelves a week before christmas. All discounted by 50%. I think a few major high street retailers will be presently staring down the barrel of their last ever christmas

NO WONDER WERE IN A MESS WITH CONSUMER SPENDING WHEN MASSIVE ORGANISATIONS GOAD POOR CONSUMERS INTO BUYING USELESS TATT

Which Consumer Spending "MESS" would be solved by companies not selling products to customers ?

I'm not sure I follow what your saying.

I'm sure it would be on the shelves even earlier, but they were full of back to school stuff. Odd that the christmas food is on the shelves before the kiddies halloween costumes.

Use of capitals 9/10
Poor spelling 1/10
Poor grammar 4/10
Incoherence 2/10
Swearing 3/10
For 1st effort C-.Promising but needs more effort.

Use of capitals 9/10
Poor spelling 1/10
Poor grammar 4/10
Incoherence 2/10
Swearing 3/10
For 1st effort C-.Promising but needs more effort.

I actually feel the use of capitals was far to consistent and lacked any sense of randomness, 3/10 being generous.
But the rant as a whole was so much more than the sum of it's parts, as evidenced by the variety and speed of responses. It's created a thread with the potential for total protonic reversal.
Thoroughly engaging content, [i]on so many levels[/i] : A-

For me it lost points after a promising start "I was in morrisons..." oh its gonna be good, the various sizes of food bag, the fact that some product in lots of wrapping is cheaper than some product loose, the quality of staff in the cage they keep the banana people in... but it was the early appearence of christmas, an obvious target and while yes we can all sympathise it is bordering on cliche.

That said once the rant begin it went on for a good while, several lines, a bit of a argument formulated. could have gone on longer. I'd say C+/B-, OP needs a greater belief in their own ranting power.

Maybe you could get a grant from somewhere to develope your ranting further, or go on courses in the evening?

Just like to clear this up - what is "THE TRUE SPIRIT OF XMAS" exactly?

Well, obviously it's gathering together with your friends and family in Christian fellowship to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour*

*sorry druidh

Which Consumer Spending "MESS" would be solved by companies not selling products to customers ?

I'm not sure I follow what your saying.

Not in our house it isn't. Booze, food, greenery, child sacrifice. We celebrate yule, but we call it christmas as that gets us days off work etc.

I quite like celebrating Santa's Birthday as early as possible, but I suppose we should wait 'til Satan has had his on the 31/10. It's a wee bit cheeky otherwise.

Oh oh, forgot about firewroks too! That was the popes birthday, or was it Guido Fawkes...? Oh well, it's all good fun!

Mmm, mulled wine season...

If you're going to rant, you can't start with a polite "Here's my rant" or it's obviously all pre-planned.

this'll upset you - open all year round [url= http://www.btowstore.com/epages/5065.sf ]Christmas Shop[/url]

IMO, it should be law that christmas should not be mentioned until after bon fire night.

Unless maybe if you're organising a christmas holiday or something...

Spending on the right stuff like education, NHS, roads etc rather than retailers convincing us Xmas stuff is relevant now

I'm sorry, you have lost me.

Are you saying rather than Christmas Cards and Ferrero Rocher, I should spend my wages on a wages for an extra Teaching Assisant, an MRI machine and a bypass for the village ???

(I think you may have got "consumer spending" and "government spending" mixed up ??)

The Premier Inn in Guildford has a Christmas tree up and decorated in the restaurant - all the Premier Inns will have now

Threads like this are the reason I still browse STW. I think a "best of the forum" Christmas book would be ace

Not so much as a sprig of holly goes up in our house until Dec 21st. That is the winter soltice. You can't celebrate the passing of a day until that day has passed... stand to reason doesn't it. You don't celebrate your birthday 4 months before it happens, We don't celebrate easter in January, we don't go trick or treating in July and we don't go on our summer holidays February. Harvest festival isn't in June and we don't put the winter bloody olympics on in September. Midweek movies is on Sunday out of anticipation and you don't tweet #ff on Wednesday cos it wouldn't make any bloody sense. But christmas for some reason lasts 4 bloody months and its only a 12 days festival, as a result most people have taken everything down before new year. That's like the last four days of the olympics taknig place while builder START DISMANTLING THE Statium AROUND THEM!!!!!!!!!!! It's like Everyone going home at half time in the FA cup final. Or only playing the first 3 levels of a computer game because you spent so long waiting for it to come out. its madness, a deranged desire to live permanently live in the future at cost of the present and I FOR ONE REFUSE TO PLAY ALONG!!!

#bit more like that would be my advice...

MASSIVE ORGANISATIONS GOAD POOR CONSUMERS INTO BUYING USELESS TATT

/\ Now that's how you rant AA+

'm sorry, you have lost me.

Are you saying rather than Christmas Cards and Ferrero Rocher, I should spend my wages on a wages for an extra Teaching Assisant, an MRI machine and a bypass for the village ???

(I think you may have got "consumer spending" and "government spending" mixed up ??)

But surely this means that someone is actually buying that crap this early? Supermarkets wouldn't use valuable retail space to showcase something that doesn't sell, right?

Nope - don't think so,

I do.

The money in my pocket, is not going to build roads/hospitals/schools until I spend it on something.

Then the TAX on those purchases goes into the government funds.

Then Government Spending builds Hospitals/School/Roads etc.

.
The other upside of me spending my money, is that it provides employment, so other people can earn money and do the same.

.
If we all stopped buying things, the "merry-go-round" stops.

Mr Woppit - Member
Just like to clear this up - what is "THE TRUE SPIRIT OF XMAS" exactly?

Unity, helping each other out, putting differences to one side, celebrating family and friends, plus the religious aspects which I suppose encompasses those things.

Why dont you boycott that isle?

Im sorry but due to ministerial pressure on the watchdog

all grades awarded for rants are being downgraded by one full grade

xmas will proceed ahead as normal- an orgy of overindulgence, greed and capitalism- whinging about it wont change anything

wrong! They tell you what they think you want and then sell it to you

All the christmas Stollen and Lebkuchen have been in the shops here for 2 weeks.

I have no problem with this as both products are awesome, especially Lebkuchen, nomnomnom...

No problem with them selling the tat early, you don't have to buy it. However the Christmas Music in shops is what annoys me as it becomes an unavoidable aural assault, unless I shop with my iPod on which seems a bit rude.

I am the biggest fan of Christmas. Which as a 25 year old guy is a bit lame.

Me and my fiance bought our first house this year so I cant wait to do all the christmassy stuff in our own home this year, decorate it, have friends and family over etc.

But I refuse to accept it before mid-November at the earliest. When there is still Haloween and Bonfire night to look forward to its not acceptable to play christmas songs in shops and have decorations up. I can accept that they might want to sell some stuff though which is ok as many people will need to spread the cost.

However the Christmas Music in shops is what annoys me as it becomes an unavoidable aural assault

Aye, this is true. One thing always gets me a bit annoyed about Christmas is the pap that the secular musicians churn out. You can't beat the old Christian Christmas Carols IMO, but when Wham, Wizzard et al start getting put on a loop I just "feel the urge to kill rising".

I was totally converted on chirstmas music to 'early' or medeival christmas music. Much jollier than carols and often pretty bawdy / funny too. Fantastic stuff. Better than carols IMO

"Oh god this song is boring"
OH God This Song Is Boring
OH GOD THIS SONG IS BORING AND WE'VE SIX. MORE. TO Gooooooooo."

panic buying a couple of days before the 25th December.

Anyone fancy doing a little teeny rant sub-rant on the topic of X-Mas v. Chirstmas?

Mantastic - Member
Why dont you boycott that isle?

thread closed

It's not a truly spontaneous rant.

It's to considered and preplanned.... marked down.

I'm hoping it'll put more people off shopping at supermarkets and going into their local independent shops before they all disappear.

6/10 for rantabliltiy.

and going into their local independent shops before they all disappear.

Do they have mince pies for me to purchase now then?

Jamie - Member

and going into their local independent shops before they all disappear.

Do they have mince pies for me to purchase now then?

Yeh, chances are they'll be out of date by Christmas tho'.

Yeh, chances are they'll be out of date by Christmas tho'.

Not if I give 'em to this guy:

[img] [/img]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Park_(Mr._Christmas)

Do they have mince pies for me to purchase now then?

where as you live down south where all you do is mince
FinishedTFY

Don't get me started on Christmas already

DOH !

Too late 😥

( wanders off into dark corner )

It's nearly Easter, isn't it?

If you don't buy your x**s stuff now come decemebr it'll be too late as those same aisles will be selling suntan lotion, flip-flops, and all thos holiday gadgets that you never knew you needed...

And don't get me started on piped x**s music... Piped music at any time is unnacceptable but the aural assualt is even worse in the season of forced festivity.

I did once try to buy tinsel in December. Its actually not possible.

Not only that but when asked the shop assistant I got looks like I was some kind of insane morom being deliberately difficult.

I did once try to buy tinsel in December. Its actually not possible.
Not only that but when asked the shop assistant I got looks like I was some kind of insane morom being deliberately difficult.

Were you in a Greengrocers ?

Round here anywhere that sells Christmas Decorations etc sell them right through new year and have sales to get rid of what's left. I always buy stuff like that after Christmas.

(I know it's not "STW cool" but I actually like Christmas, and don't feel "forced" or duped into into anything. I just enjoy it. But realise that's not the done thing round here.)

I've not spotted any x**s pop-up shops yet but I'm sure that there must be...

Retailers will tell you the stock is there because theres a demand, if they knew we'd all rather be buying bbqs and sunloungers just now thats what would be on the shelves

Plenty of us can quite happily ignore christmas until its looming over us (either because we're not that bothered about it or its not something we need to put a lot of effort or planning into). But for some people its a big deal in the sense that they enjoy it, and its a big deal in the sense that its a big undertaking on a small budget.

Not everyone can afford to have a quick trolly dash on christmas eve, it takes weeks of small purchases. Personally I don't have a big family or friends network to entertain so christmas is quick and easy but for some its quite a big social event and quite a big undertaking.

...it takes weeks of small purchases

You sound like Lady PMJ. 😉

(I know it's not "STW cool" but I actually like Christmas, and don't feel "forced" or duped into into anything. I just enjoy it.

Ah, but you make that cool by going on about how it's really a pagan midwinter festival and should be a bacchanalian fun fest and you don't have any Christian imagery in your house.

Lady PMJ

PimpMistressJazz?

Ah, but you make that cool by going on about how it's really a pagan midwinter festival and should be a bacchanalian fun fest and you don't have any Christian imagery in your house.

I was doing that before I came here, its how I was brought up... I love christmas [Yule] but only celebrate it at Christmas, not before.

I was doing that before I came here, its how I was brought up... I love christmas [Yule] but only celebrate it at Christmas, not before.

Just because shops are selling Christmas things, doesn't mean anyone is forcing you to celebrate Christmas early.

There is a shop in the shopping centre that only sells suitcases, but nobody is forcing me to go on holiday when I don't want to 🙄

I think the rant was worthy of a B-; it was reasonably incoherent but I do agree was let down by the cynical announcement that it was coming. It lacked sufficient unintelligible spellings and would have benefitted form more crazed grammar, but ceratinly had good use of unnecessary capitals.

As a first effort reasonably promising - well done. Some more additional and unintelligible follow up in subsequent threads would help too.

B-.

Just because shops are selling Christmas things, doesn't mean anyone is forcing you to celebrate Christmas early.

No, and since my Xmas is infact more greenery, lots of holly etc and not just tinsel/shiney tat everywhere it does feel different to what's been going on everywhere else for the 2 (or 3 these days) months, but it does result in it feeling a little tired and 'done' by the time I start celebrating it. It shouldn't, i know. But it does.

I'm sure you will cope.

PimpMistressJazz?

😆

I'll call her that tonight and see what the reaction is.

Christmas spirit you say?

I know some of you can't wait...

http://www.keydellnurseries.co.uk/christmas.html