The best Christmas party Brummies have been to
The time is fast approaching where we get to have a bit of a break from the daily grind and spend some time with our loved ones. Nothing beats a good old knees up so I'm out here today on the streets of the city centre to hear about people's favourite Christmas parties.
Transcript
00:00 Best Christmas party ever is always my house.
00:04 And I have perhaps about 13, 14 people over.
00:09 And we just have a lot of fun.
00:12 It's a big family do.
00:14 New Year's a different matter.
00:16 The best one we've ever been is the Blues Brothers.
00:20 And that was, had that, that had the wow factor.
00:24 Well, decades ago I would have said Wild Ones,
00:27 but no, the family party with Marion is the most generic.
00:31 Best of the lot.
00:32 I guess family and friends.
00:33 And we do invite, without being charitable,
00:37 we do invite the odd person who doesn't have anywhere to go.
00:41 Friends, perhaps friends of friends.
00:43 So it's good to have a big table at Christmas.
00:47 I think the best Christmas party I've ever been to
00:50 was when I was staying with my grandparents
00:52 and we went to go visit my Uncle Stephen in London.
00:55 We got to go watch the big light switch on.
00:57 And although I had to look after my little baby cousin,
01:00 it was so cool getting to hang out with all the grownups
01:03 and actually getting to participate
01:06 in the Christmas party and the festivities
01:08 and all of the traditions that usually you wouldn't have been
01:11 allowed to participate in.
01:14 I think that a lot of it is we love spending time
01:17 around our families.
01:18 And Christmas is one of those few occasions
01:20 where families are able to come together.
01:23 It may have strayed from the original roots
01:26 within Christianity and paganism,
01:28 but it is still something where we can gather together
01:31 and celebrate our lives,
01:34 rather than worrying about what will happen
01:37 the next time that we see each other.
01:38 It's something that we all hold dear in a tradition,
01:43 even if we can't remember the roots of why it started.
01:46 - Right, well, I don't celebrate Christmas myself,
01:50 but I do love the festive season, all the lights
01:52 and sort of the environment and everything,
01:54 sort of everyone coming together.
01:56 I do find it interesting how it's sort of strayed
01:59 from its religious founding.
02:01 It's become much more of a sort of secular festivity
02:04 as opposed to a Christian one.
02:06 But I certainly respect its heritage
02:08 and the fact that it has cemented itself as a holiday
02:10 in sort of the Western culture.
02:12 - Christmas is a time you spend with your family, isn't it?
02:16 It's your best parties at your home
02:18 and with your loved ones and stuff.
02:19 And some people haven't got that.
02:21 And I do feel for them, don't get me wrong.
02:24 Some people are alone for Christmas
02:25 and it's horrible for them.
02:28 They're stuck in a pub on their own
02:30 or they're stuck in a hostel on their own
02:31 or they're stuck in some, where they've helped each other.
02:34 Christmas is meant to be your one time of year
02:36 where people share love and have joy.
02:39 Some people, they've got that.
02:41 Some people will never understand it.
02:43 They won't understand what it's like
02:45 for someone to be alone on Christmas.
02:47 I mean, Christmas, for me, I could be alone.
02:49 I've had a couple of Christmases alone
02:51 where I've had to work and stuff like that.
02:52 You know, and I did nights.
02:54 - It's all about the company.
02:55 It's all who you spend it with.
02:57 You know, everyone's in high spirit.
02:59 So you don't really want anyone
03:00 who's sat there being miserable
03:01 because Christmas is all about the good times.