British Christmas dinner is actually pretty great, and this is a hill I'm willing to die on. After years of Carn d'olla (the soup is actually okay but the meat has the flavour boiled out of it as part of the process) I'm rebelling and cooking a British dinner for my Catalan family this year.

The only worse Xmas dinner than a UK one that I have had was "Jigg's Dinner" in Northern Newfoundland, which looks similar to that. I love Spain, but so much of their food is fried, brown, or homogenous. You are alone on that hill with a sniper, and a red dot has just appeared on your chest... 😜

Mileage may vary. Pubs, for example, tend to make a poor showing with soggy everything, but my family always did Xmas dinner very well with homemade Yorkshire puddings (at least part of OUR traditions), non-dry turkey and perfectly steamed veg. Most food here is great, but carn d'olla is a letdown.

In Barcelona and Madrid you can, at least, get a range of decent ethnic food. Try and get Thai or Vietnamese food in Bilbao or Sevilla! Living in Sevilla meant eating well and cheaply por la calle, but missing a whole palette of food unless you cook it yourself. There's more to life than Croquetas!

I completely agree, but when you marry into a traditional Catalan family this can prove difficult when it comes to Christmas dinner. 😉 I'm slowly getting my father-in-law into Asian cuisine. It'll happen eventually.

P.s. if you're ever around here and haven't already, try one of the Cal Blay restaurants around Sant Sadurni (Origens is particularly good). They do a take on local food which is to die for and you're almost guaranteed good cava in the area.

Oh @sevillatapas.bsky.social I see you are needed here.

I’ve done a tour with Shawn some years ago! We are lucky in London to have a wide range of food. You really have to go to Lavapies in Madrid to find something similar en España.

John is correct that it's nigh on impossible to find proper Asian food in Sevilla (can't speak for Bilbao) but I disagree that living in Sevilla means eating well and cheaply por la calle (though you can). The food scene here is much more complex - and delicious - than that. When were you here John?

Hemos pasado seis meses en los últimos seis años, por ejemplo desde agosto hasta diciembre el año pasado cuando estaba estudiando (como estudiante muy antiguo) en la US. Claro hay muchos restaurantes de categoría, Palo Cortao queda muy importante para nosotros, pero falta la heterogeneidad que se…

halla en otros países. Me chifla Sevilla y regresaremos cada año. Sin embargo la comida puede ser más variada…

Current ads, yes. This was not always the case (I'm not sure what the year zero for awful was). youtu.be/1m_0ENIw4os?...

I'm Jewish and used to be fine with Christmas and then I had a kid and Christmas became a VERY aggressive part of the never-ending attempt to convert non-Christians, and it's inescapable. Every TV show has a Christmas episode and there's no warning it's coming, everywhere has Christmas displays etc

I'm assuming you don't live in the UK. Christmas exists in almost entirely non-religious way here, Jesus only gets the vaguest of mentions even in kids nativity plays.

I don't, no. But that's the exact issue — it's not presented as religious even though it is, it just makes kids want to participate because it's omnipresent, and there's presents*, and Norman Rockwell-esque TV episodes, and a million other things. * Yes, of course we do presents for Chanukah

If you're in a predominantly Christian country then you're going to have to expect that the culture will reflect that I'm afraid. Part of parenting is explaining to your children why you may do things differently to others.

I'm not suggesting it shouldn't be allowed, I just find it personally annoying

The only thing they want to convert you to is spending ever more money

That part is working

Don't forget also the "war on Christmas" that made it so "you can't say Merry Christmas anymore," which doesn't exist and isn't true and never has been

I think maybe the problem with cranberry sauce is that the British ruined it, rather than that it is intrinsically bad? There are many great renditions in the US, but uk versions are at best mediocre (see also, less seasonally: chunky salsa)

You are absolutely right about LOTR.

My son, sister & mother have birthdays in December and now my partner as well, so I try and fail to ignore Xmas till last one, but getting birthday cards and non Xmas wrapping paper is tricky, plus the cheer required for the entire month is exhausting.

We did this too. My and my brother’s birthdays are both next week. As kids we kept the decs down till they were done. As a parent it became ‘get the decs up for Dad’s birthday’. It’s a lousy time to have a birthday, you can’t get a table for a meal, your stingier relatives give you ‘joint’ pressies.

Complete with you on this. We had a no dec rule till son's birthday, new partners is much closer to Christmas and much harder to enforce...

Now the kids have gone we put the decs up on the last Saturday before Xmas. I like the Xmas break but the 6 week build up gets me down.

Thank you for points 5-6 about presents, exactly what I have been saying for years but you put it much better. For the past few years we've only done presents for under-18s. I'm happy to get birthday presents ONE AT A TIME for adults but the multiple exchanges at Christmas are madness.

Gave up Christmas long ago. Told everyone no presents will be given and prefer not to get even a card. It's bloody lush.

My lovely friend literally copied me into one of this year's xmas ads with glowing praise... can one divorce a friend?

youtu.be/ew6rVcL3Up8?...

This! Every word!

So much truth! My first thought for the pop-up pubs for the cunt buffaloes was “Christmas Markets” - my eyes continue reading and it is the next point made 🤣

And when they aren’t ’Christmas-themed’ ads, they’re bloody perfume ads.

The perfume ads istg are a Russian plot to undo our minds. If I see one more woman screaming at the sky for no godly reason I may go FULL THARN.

And these bloody celebs that I’m supposed to recognise but don’t…

I only just found out one of the screaming women is Dua Lipa. I still wouldn't recognise her in a line-up, unless she actually brought the eagle with her.

They're absolutely batshit. Natalie Portman leaves her wedding and gets into a helicopter. Or slaps someone in the face. Or buries herself in flowers. Johnny Depp buries a necklace in the desert before playing the riff from "Wild Thing". Then calmly walks away before being eaten by wolves.

And the perfume is always awful. Not to mention overpriced and hideously packaged. One of the worst I've come across this yuletide is called 'Good Girl'! - marketed for women not female dogs. Imagine a male aftershave being called 'Good Boy. 🥴😂

…with the smell of wet dog.

The rest of my family loves it. All of it. And I feel such a heel for hating the effin' insincerity of it all. (And the spend, I have to admit!)

I reserve my real utter hatred for the "fəstive" word. Which can do one, and then do one all over again. We now have three trees in our house. Three.

@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com has made me feel almost human again. As if I might once more be part of society. No mean feat, at this time of year! 😃

Why do people put trees in houses?

You've got Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's husband) to thank for that.

He and Victoria popularised the idea of having a tree inside the house and decorating it. Queen Charlotte, German wife of King George III introduced the Christmas tree to Britain in around 1800. German tradition to decorate the tree apparently.