The turkey’s sizzling in the oven, the roasties are looking good and granddad’s already staked his claim to a front row seat for the bumper Christmas episode of Eastenders… But we reckon there’s more to Christmas than abusing your digestive system, the piles of washing up and the inevitable family quarrels. Here’s our list of things to do while everyone else is embroiled in the more traditional Christmas festivities…
1. Puzzle over this
The less fortunate among you may well be in line for a jigsaw puzzle this Christmas, but we’ve got a suggestion that takes the boring puzzle theme to a totally different level. We suggest that on the 25th you start taking your car apart, every single nut and bolt, counting all the pieces as you go. Then, by Christmas 2014 – you’ll have a puzzle to beat all others putting it all back together again. Start with the four corners first!
2. Toy story
Lego’s an all-time favourite at Christmas, but how about making this totally cool 1962 camper van? It features a fully kitted out interior, engine bay and cabin and even has a fold down bed. We reckon by the time you’ve completed the 1334 piece kit you will have avoided the worst of the yuletide shenanigans.
3. Bug spotter
Be honest, most of Christmas is usually spent sat in front of the box – so ditch the dominos and scrabble and play this fun-fuelled VW-themed game instead. Try naming as many films as you can where a Beetle makes an appearance. We’ll gift you the first one – Woody Allen’s hilarious 1973 film ‘Sleeper’ where futuristic clarinet player Miles Monroe shoves a very early Beetle over a cliff while stating, ”Wow, they really built these things, didn’t they?” The person who names the most films has to eat another mince pie.
4. Plan a project
With 2014 just around the corner, why not spend Christmas day planning a new project? Whether it be a Bay, Beetle or early Golf – there’s no time like now to get looking through the classifieds. And you can bet there will be some bargains on our favourite internet based auction site on the 25th if you’re brave enough to look. For inspiration, check out the awesome build so far by 43 year old James Palmer of a Porsche-themed 1950 split. James got lots of the bits from us, including boot floor, front and rear crossmembers, floorpans, framehead, steering box, bearings, seals and bushes. He started the project back in 1998, and plans on finishing it in two years time. Now that’s quite a few Christmases taken care of!
5. Do the garden
Okay, so it’s not exactly the right time of year for gardening but we think that if you owned something as floral as this bus, it really wouldn’t matter what time of year it was. We’ve seen others with grass as well, so grab the sheers for those. Just imagine the look on your guest’s faces when you suddenly announce while dishing out the Quality Street that you’re off to do the gardening!
6. Make a cake
Forget about the yuletide log, this piece of culinary genius is just what you need to get you into the Christmas spirit. It will also give you the perfect opportunity of getting out your Dub model collection. Just be sure to get the scale right and don’t let the kids nick the Smarties…
Whatever you end up doing on Christmas day, have fun – and Happy Christmas!
Ian