Pump am y Penwythnos / Friday Five 13/12/2019 5️⃣

[CatrinLliarJones]

Making no apologies for posting these… and yes, they are recycled Christmas questions…

1. Go on, I know you want to, share with us your favourite Carol and your favourite non religious Christmas song.

2. What’s the best festive experience you’ve ever had?

3. Name a gift that you’re excited about giving

4. Talking of gifts, what random item would you like to see under your tree this year (whether it fits or not)

5. Go on, show us your decs.

6. What’s on your Christmas dinner plate?

7. Is it driving you nuts yet?

8. Ban one Christmas song.

9. Share with us a favourite tradition.

10. Bring back a tradition from your childhood.

[HuwJones]

1. Go on, I know you want to, share with us your favourite Carol and your favourite non religious Christmas song.
Coventry Carol - lovely ancient plaintive melody.
“Fairy Tale of New York” with the sadly missed Kirsty McCall and the Pogues
2. What’s the best festive experience you’ve ever had?
Perennial First-footing in Aberdeen. You started around midnight on Hogmanay (31st December) equipped with salt, coal (don’t ask me why) and a bottle of whisky. You then visited random homes (often those of complete strangers) where you were treated with booze and black bun (a sort of Christmas pudding en croute). The First Foot was the first person to visit after midnight on 31st Dec. If he (and it was always a he in those unenlightened days) were tall, dark and handsome, it was a lucky portent for the year. (Needless to say, I was much in demand )
3. Name a gift that you’re excited about giving
Anything to my children and more recently my grandchildren. I love to watch them opening it.
4. Talking of gifts, what random item would you like to see under your tree this year (whether it fits or not)
I’ve got enough “stuff” but I’d loved a day’s helicopter lesson if such a thing exists
5. Go on, show us your decs.
Sorry, I must dec-line
6. What’s on your Christmas dinner plate?
Goose this year. I shall be taking the legs off and confit-ing (brining and cooking slowly in goose fat) them. It will be stuffed with a liver based stuffing and served with prunes in Armagnac.
7. Is it driving you nuts yet?
Not so you’d notice
8. Ban one Christmas song.
Anything by Cliff Richard
9. Share with us a favourite tradition.
Christmas Carol singing.
10. Bring back a tradition from your childhood.
Wassailing - can’t beat a d**n good wassail.
I’m glad to say that Plygain seems to be making its own comeback.

[Camilla_Walker]

1. Go on, I know you want to, share with us your favourite Carol and your favourite non religious Christmas song.
“Süßer die Glocken nie klingen” and “In der Weihnachtsbäckerei”

2. What’s the best festive experience you’ve ever had?
Snow on Christmas Eve!

3. Name a gift that you’re excited about giving
My friend and I cooked red fruit jelly yesterday which we are going to send to our friend in France. She said she missed red fruit jelly and couldn’t find a decent one anywhere so we hope she’ll like it

4. Talking of gifts, what random item would you like to see under your tree this year (whether it fits or not)
A large basket made of basket willow which I could use for carrying picnic supplies or putting away my yarns or fabrics.

5. Go on, show us your decs.
I’m afraid I haven’t put up any decorations yet.

6. What’s on your Christmas dinner plate?
I don’t know. My uncle’s going to cook Christmas dinner and I’m sure it will be delicious.

7. Is it driving you nuts yet?
Surprisingly not.

8. Ban one Christmas song.
“Last Christmas” by Wham!

9. Share with us a favourite tradition.
My dad, my siblings and I visit our close neighbours every year on Christmas Eve, give each of them a small gift and chat for a little while.

10. Bring back a tradition from your childhood.
We used to sing Christmas Carols on each weekend in December, on Christmas Eve before the gift giving and on Christmas Day.
We’re still singing Christmas Carols on Christmas Eve, but not during Advent time.

[CatrinLliarJones]

1. Go on, I know you want to, share with us your favourite Carol and your favourite non religious Christmas song.

I LOVE almost Christmas music of all sorts, traditional, carols, cheesy… you name it, I love it… well apart from Boney.M and Cliff Richard… . So it’s really difficult to choose, but…

O Holy Night by Adolphe Adam
Troika from Lieutenant Kije by Prokofiev
Can Begw by Al Lewis
Most things by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Judy Garland Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, et al…

Ooooooh and I also Love ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’

2. What’s the best festive experience you’ve ever had?

Every Christmas I’ve ever had with Aran and the kids, from school Christmas concerts to unexpected snow flurries, to cosy movie nights by the fire.

3. Name a gift that you’re excited about giving

Something I already gave, because on Thursday we go to see the new Star Wars movie. I can’t for the life of me imagine why he wasn’t as excited as I was…

4. Talking of gifts, what random item would you like to see under your tree this year (whether it fits or not)

I really can’t think of anything I want or need.

5. Go on, show us your dec’s.

6. What’s on your Christmas dinner plate?

Free range turkey and Champagne…

7. Is it driving you nuts yet?

Nope.

8. Ban one Christmas song.

Not a fan of Cliff Richard… and…
Just one?!
I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus
Blue Christmas
The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot
All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

9. Share with us a favourite tradition.

Just the one?

Having a family buffet by candlelight the night local carollers come round
Erecting the tree accompanied by a glass of Port and favourite Christmas music
Going on the Welsh Highland Railway Santa Special Train with the whole family
Making late night sandwiches with the bacon off the back of the turkey on Christmas eve

10. Bring back a tradition from your childhood.

I’ve carried most of them on to the Christmases we have now with our children. but I did love it when my parents invited friends from the village to come on New year’s eve with a plate of something for the buffet and my brother and I were allowed Babychams and Snowballs.