It’s that time of year again when the nights are long, the heating bill is through the roof and there’s a Christmas jumper-clad student around every corner. We all know the generic, modern-day meaning of Christmas: a time for friends and family, eating too much, drinking too much, receiving cards from multiple people who you otherwise have no contact with all year long and generally being merry. As December draws in and the term comes to a close, we’ve been asking around to find out what the people of Durham think Christmas is really all about…
– ‘Bucks Fizz with breakfast.’ Ellie, student
– ‘Christmas means my mum is going to be blasting the Michael Bublé album on repeat literally all day, but I’m onto a winner this year because I’ve got her his 2016 calendar.’ John, student
– ‘Starbucks red cups. Need I say more?’ Olivia, student
– ‘Christmas means a bit of peace and quiet in Durham for once.’ Phil, local
– ‘Well for the past few years it’s meant being hungover, sneaking out for fags behind my mum’s back and just generally trying to get through the day.’ Sam, student
– ‘It means New Year’s. Which means regret.’ Isabel, student
– ‘Overpriced taxis.’ Greg, local
– ‘I don’t mean to be a complete cliché but Christmas is all about the family and the food.’ Jessica, student
– ‘It’s the only time of year knitwear in excess is socially acceptable.’ Nick, student
– ‘The BBC re-running childhood classics on TV. Like Toy Story.’ Ben, student
– ‘Forced national merriment.’ Bill, local
– ‘Getting to see your boss absolutely off it at the work’s do.’ Helen, local
– ‘It’s a controversial one, but it’s the only time I get to eat Brussel sprouts and I actually love them.’ George, student
– ‘Advent calendars mean it’s the only time of year I actually know what day we’re on.’ Charlie, student
– ‘Christmas is the only time of year where you can slip alcohol into literally any food and pass it off as seasoning.’ Carol, local
– ‘So many pairs of socks.’ Dean, student
– ‘Christmas means over-excited younger siblings waking you up at 7 am, which is a bit of a shock to the system when you’re a humanities student.’ Sophie, student
– ‘Well I’m on driving this year to pick up the in-laws, so it means sobriety.’ Peter, local
– ‘All the food.’ Leah, student
– ‘It means crying for several days during New Year’s because the jeans you bought before Christmas no longer fit.’ Catherine, student
Thank you so much to everyone mentioned for sharing their true ideas of the meaning of Christmas. Have a good one!