Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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| Image by Tumisu from Pixabay |
Once again, mystery, drama and intrigue descend upon the hallowed halls of Steve Does Comics, in much the same way that a dread mist descends upon every moor top in this land whenever there is a devil-hound on the prowl.
And that's because no man can know what is to happen next.
No one but one man.
Or possibly, one woman.
Or even one household pet.
Because whomsoever posts tonight's topic for debate, in the comments section below, can know.
Therefore, if you are that person, make sure to do just that and disperse those nightmarish mists of intrigue, in order to allow through the revealing rays of uncanny enlightenment.
Charlie feels like throwing an early log on the fire to warm up heh, heh.
ReplyDeleteDo you truly consider “Last Xmas” by George Michael to be an xmas song?
Also do you have a go-to fast-food place when you need a quick bite? What do you usually get?
"Last Xmas" always recalls feelings of loneliness in my mid-teens. It's definitely an X-mas classic, in spite of that!
ReplyDeleteMy go-to fast food place is the local chippy, but only once or twice a year.
Most fast food places don't go the distance, these days. A few years, and they're gone!
Phillip
I too intended to ask a festive-related question but ignore if you wish...
ReplyDeleteWhat food and drink do you like specially for Christmas?
Our American readers can include Thanksgiving food and drink.
If I'm out doing Christmas shopping in the local mall at Bluewater and need something to eat in a hurry, I don't head for the food court with its long queues and having to wander around with a tray of food searching for a table.
ReplyDeleteNo sir. I head to M&S food, grab a dry roll and a mini wedge of Brie. Then head outside, find an out of the way spot, open up the roll, squidge in the cheese (using the rind so I don't get messy) and munch on it while window shopping.
If not in a hurry, that's a different matter. Fish and chips if it's a Brighton concert, KFC for a Shepherds Bush concert, icy coffee and cake in a coffee shop if out shopping.
Oh, good question from Colin.
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas drink is Baileys & vienetta. Like Baileys & ice but with a slice of vienetta rather than ice. And this is a drink to drink from a glass, not to be confused with vienetta and Baileys, a dessert to serve in a bowl and eat with a spoon.
And for food at Christmas we have a mash family foible. Nobody understands the point of turkey so we don't bother with it and go large on the pigs in blankets instead.
Colin! Tasty question!
ReplyDeleteCharlie’s extended family (20-30 folks) typically have a turkey and a ham, mashed potatoes , sweet potatoes (yams), green beans, salad, and pumpkin pie. Oh yes… cranberries in various forms and gravy are mandatory because, quite honestly, turkey and mashed potatoes are bland… very bland.
For mr. and mrs. Charlie’s immediate family (around 10 of us) we now do a rack of pork roasted in the oven, sauteed potatoes, green beans, salad. And a pumpkin pie or two (organic of course). Mrs. Charlie’s family had never had a rack of pork before but now they prefer it to turkey and ham. Especially once they learned the darker meat next to the bone IS THE BESTEST STUFF EVER!
And for xmas drink: Charlie and wife are pretty limited: french reds, cognac, scotch and/or a French liquor “Gentiane” made from the plant and its flowers. We do keep some lagers, white wine, etc. for company!
ReplyDeleteColin - In the past, Quality Street was a must. Last year, however, with the silver wrappers replaced by kill-joy paper, I boycotted it, to make my displeasure felt!
ReplyDeleteApart from that some cheapo supermarket Xmas cake, chocolate log, or Matchmakers.
Phillip
I certainly consider "Last Christmas" a Christmas song Charlie. My go to fast food is a coffee shop, ideally Pret A Manger ( great albeit expensive sandwiches).
ReplyDeleteChristmas food for me is the traditional Turkey, mash, Brussel Sprouts, carrots etc and for desert trifle. Drink ( although I don't generally drink at home)maybe a wee gin and tonic followed by Roses chocs and a few matchmakers.
Charlie, as you know, I don't really count Last Christmas as a proper Christmas song because it's really just a love song which barely mentions Christmas and could be set at any time of the year by slightly altering a few lyrics and calling it Last Summer, Last Easter, Last April whatever. But it's a catchy song nevertheless and it'll soon reach No.1 in the UK for the fifth year running.
ReplyDeleteI suppose my favourite "fast food" is ready-made sandwiches from Tesco and at this time of year they come with Christmas-themed fillings like turkey & cranberry sauce or turkey & stuffing.
My favourite Christmas food is probably mince pies and I'll be buying a box of them every week from now until the end of December. As for drink, I'm planning on getting a bottle of Scotch for the Christmas period, probably Bell's just because it sounds Christmassy! My parents rarely drank alcohol but at Christmas they made an exception and we had beer and Babycham so I like to keep up that tradition and Christmas wouldn't feel the same for me without some beer and Babycham.
ReplyDeleteFine questions and answers, all! Makes for pleasant, enjoyable reading on this cool November evening.
ReplyDelete"Last Christmas" is also pleasant enough, but it doesn't rank particularly high among my favorite holiday tunes. I would include it in a list of holiday themed music- it does feature some 'jingly' hooks ...
If we (Mrs. Redartz and I) are out and about, and need a bit of fast food, we often hit McDonalds (for a fish sandwich) or Sonic (for a burger and raspberry lemonade). Sadly these eating places are as pricey now as finer sit-down restaurants once were (of course, they are painfully more expensive too).
Turning to holiday food: for Thanksgiving, it would be the green bean casserole and the pumpkin pie. As Charlie noted, turkey and potatoes can be pretty bland. Especially when you have deadened taste as I do (no sense of smell, so food flavors suffer as well).
During Christmastime, a nice ham is appreciated. But Christmas brings out the sweet tooth- I go binge crazy for my wife's Christmas sugar cookies. Easily eat four or five (with a cold glass of milk). Evenings, a nice cup of hot tea with peppermint...
I can’t really separate Last Christmas the song from its video, which is obviously very Christmassy. Upon release I found it a bit soppy and lightweight, but I’ve come to appreciate George Michael as a songwriter and performer, more as the decades pass. So Last Christmas is both Christmassy and pretty good.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Britain and the US, the Christmas period in Brisbane is stinking hot, and so the most anticipated goodies are chilled, fresh seafood. The standard Aussie Christmas Day menu has to include prawns and oysters washed down with super cold lager (or a glass of bubbles for the ladies). Despite having had as many hot Christmases as cold, it still feels wrong to me to have blinding sun-light on Christmas morning. And, of course, Doctor Who isn’t on until midnight.
DW
Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie!
ReplyDeleteAnd to my friends across the pond, best wishes.
D.W. -
An Australian Christmas dinner doesn't sound too bad!
Up here in South Dakota, things are polar right now....
M.P.
‘Last Christmas’ is a Christmas song without a doubt. It’s about Christmas, it came out at Christmas, and it gets played every Christmas. Case closed!*
ReplyDeleteChristmas drink for me is generally Buck’s Fizz on Christmas morning, and then wine throughout the day. This year, however, I have resolved not to drink throughout the day as it makes me too sleepy and sluggish. Dark rums like Captain Morgan or Lambs reminds me of Christmas - the taste takes me right back to when I first tried it in December 1989.
For food my wife and I are sometimes treated to a traditional Scandinavian Christmas feast of salmon and other regional delicacies by friends, a few days before Xmas. Then we ourselves usually cook roast beef and all the trimmings. This year will be chicken, though, as we want a slightly different Xmas this year.
My pit-stop food is, unashamedly, Greggs. I frequently visit several areas of London in a day, scouring the charity shops for CDs. When I need sustenance I’ll have a Greggs sausage roll, a ring doughnut and a Coke. And then a £1 coffee (weekly code from phone provider) from Caffè Nero.
*This year I have recently been really enjoying ‘See My Baby Jive’ by Wizzard. It came up on shuffle in the summer. It sounds exactly like ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’, but you can play it all year round. It’s great.
Tesco is selling 750ml bottles of mulled wine for only £3.50 so I bought one this morning - only at Christmas is it considered normal to drink hot wine!
ReplyDeleteI also bought a Stollen loaf, a Ginster's festive roll (a sausage roll with added cranberries) and a 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola featuring Santa on the label - all year I've been boycotting Coca-Cola in protest at Trump's tariffs but I'll make an exception for Christmas.
Matthew- how is your luck at finding interesting cds at the thrift stores? I spend as much time hunting cds as I do comics. Noticing that the prices on those cds are getting higher and it's getting tougher to find the Good Stuff. The cd revival seems real to me...
ReplyDeleteMy luck is pretty consistently good on the charity CD front. I find there’s only a handful of shops that are starting to take the mickey with pricing.
DeleteRedartz -
There are certain areas I target that are always bountiful. Ealing and Streatham are great; and living in North London, Crouch End is nearby and is nearly always rewarding.
Weird placement of your name there, Red. Sorry.
DeleteCharlie, SLEIGH RIDE by The Ronettes has entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at #37.
ReplyDeleteCharlie and Colin , thanks for the topics.
ReplyDeleteI consider Last Christmas to be a Christmas song. Mostly because it has the word "Christmas" in its title. I even regard Frankie Goes to Hollywood's The Power of Love to be a Christmas song, even though it has nothing to do with Christmas. As far as I'm concerned, if a song evokes Christmas for me, that makes it a Christmas song.
I think I too shall go for mince pies as my favourite Christmas food, for the simple reason that I can't think of anything else that I would only ever eat exclusively at Christmas.
Mince Pies are what to you UK gents?
ReplyDeleteCharles:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.asda.com/groceries/christmas/christmas-bakery-mince-pies/mince-pies
Phillip
Thanks PHILLIP! I was curious if your MINCE PIES had meat in them. I guess ole Charles was thinking of your meat pies at sporting events.
ReplyDeleteCharlie - Housewives/mothers used to (maybe some still do) make their own. This is the stuff they put in them (of course, in the old days, they'd make that from scratch, too! ) :
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254915940?srsltid=AfmBOopYJjIk3F-tEIg2LRNbUvV3bWmdKceRcn-_u_drtvKo-h2baeAY
Phillip