Yes, it’s that time of year! Time for the Northants Nutters to get together for Christmas. This year, we’re one down on our complement – Richard – had double-booked himself, so that left: Nicki, Geoff & Rhonda, Paul & Sue and us two. With sit-down planned for 12.30, Nicki arrived well ahead of the Nutter majority to lend a hand with preparations. In truth, Ann was already ahead of the game, with most of the veg prepared, the table laid, and the wine and fizz filling up the fridge! With me relegated to ‘music choices’, there was little more to do apart from enjoy the smugness that comes with being well-prepared! 👍
With everyone on time, the first priority was (obviously) DRINKS together with a good natter.
Helpfully, everyone had done their bit on the food side – Rhonda on Mince Pies (and Christmas Crackers); Sue on Stuffings – two types – plus After-Dinner Mints, and finally Nicki and Rhonda on Desserts. With our responsibilities fulfilled, we all took our seats sporting novelty Christmas glasses to complete the Christmas ‘Nutty’ look 😮😮
The bird of choice today (Ann excluded) featured the return of Roast Turkey. I think that’s about my THIRD Turkey meal in less than two weeks – and that suited me perfectly! Courtesy of M&S this year, we’d opted for a Boneless Crown to make the carving easier – and it didn’t disappoint!
Well, that was super-delicious!! We all agreed the main course had been a hit and even after my THIRD Turkey treat since the festive eating season began 😉, I could have still eaten more! 👍
Dessert followed, and with Nicki and Rhonda taking charge, you couldn’t really go wrong. And so, supported by a Christmas Pudding (Thanks, Mr. Sainsbury – we could tell the difference), and the girls’ Mince Pies AND Pavlova, we were spoilt for choice! As a final flourish, I even managed to flambé the Pudding without the need for a fire extinguisher!
With the phrase: ‘the diet starts in January’ echoing (albeit in our heads), most of us had a portion of everything! 😋😋😋😋😋😋
After Lunch, what else, but Christmas games and a Mint of five!? With Ann’s ‘legendary’ 2024 Charade performance of ‘Squid Game’ still in our minds 12 months later, we entered into the spirit, using the Christmas Cracker suggestions as our subject matter. Actually, quality-wise, the cracker contents ‘punched well above their weight’, with plenty of variety and originality across three categories: ‘Who Are You?’/’Riddles’/Charades. But it’s fair to say, although the Riddles were mostly straightforward (“I am a ball, but don’t bounce” – answer: a snowball), the one that got us ALL scratching our heads was: “If your auntie’s brother is not your uncle, what relation is he to you?” (answer: “your dad”) – Yikes! That was a toughy!! 🥴
The “Who am I?” section proved slightly more challenging, where the choice of either acting it out or being questioned by our friends served perfectly to prepare us for the Charades Round that followed. But before the Charades, I re-ran an abbreviated version the Quiz from Trish’s Christmas Do last night, and we seemed to breeze through that! 😉. Smart people, us Nutters! 👍👍
Charades was, as expected, hilarious! One of those times where we laughed so much, it hurt – in a good way! As performers and when it came to guessing, collectively, us Nutters did very well – especially Nicki, who, in addition to her legendary ‘Galley Management’ skills, proved that you’d definitely want her on your next Pub Quiz team! 👍😊. Ann’s unique interpretation of Donald Duck was to leave us entertained and in need of therapy in equal measure 😅🤣😂😅🤣😂!
With the Charades over, a (very pleasant) surprise followed…
What a nice thought! Paul & Sue bought us all a very special gift each. A tree ornament with our names on it as our alter-egos. Brilliant and brilliantly original – thanks both! 😍😍
‘Whoosh!’– that was the sound of the afternoon passing! After a brief discussion about where and how we might spend time together NEXT year – it was all over. At just after 5.30, we said our goodbyes, leaving us to simply empty the dishwasher (for the third time today) and polish off the ironing of the serviettes and tablecloth – Ahh, the life of being a retiree, it’s so varied! 😉
By 5.30, it was all over for another year. We’d had a great time, the food was excellent, the Charades hurt our ribs, but most of all, it was great to be with our Nutty friends!
Just before 6.45, with the chores done, it was ‘feet up’ for a spot of TV – an episode of Foyle’s War and then for me, the highlight of the evening: the 1972 re-edit of the Doctor Who story: ‘The Sea Devils’ on BBC4. The new series: ‘The War Between the Land and Sea‘ on BBC 1 ‘from the world of Doctor Who’ can wait until tomorrow!
9.15pm: Night-night! 😴😴🥱
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
Comments