We’re highlighting conversations on house prices, Christmas gifts and the latest Star Wars film – no spoilers here, though.
To join in you can click on the links in the comments below to expand and add your thoughts. We’ll continue to highlight more comments worth reading as the day goes on.
Desperate UK homeowners are cutting prices, says Zoopla
Data from website Zoopla that says house prices are being cut by sellers desperate to shift them in a slowing market provoked much discussion on the site on Monday.
‘People are overdoing it and starting at a point where there are no offers’
I think unrealistic seller expectations have a lot to do with it. It has become standard practice to overvalue and expect to be haggled down – but people are overdoing it and starting at a point where there are no offers.
My neighbours had their house on the market for over a year unsold. It was a big stone four bed for £1.3m. At the same time there was a 7 bed house with land and a small lake in the same village for sale at £1.2m. They have now sold – but only after coming down in increments to £900,000.
I see the same pattern all over Oxfordshire. I think sellers often forget that, unless they are selling to a cash buyer, the mortgage lender will be the ultimate arbiter of what the house is worth.
Therebedragons
The childhood gift we always wanted – would it change our lives today?
Many in the comments have enjoyed this feature, in which Guardian readers and writers discuss some of the gifts they never did get for Christmas. Not until now, at least. Here are some of your reactions.
‘My mum decided Trolls were evil’
The one that got away for me was a Troll doll. My mum (who was a devout Christian at the time) somehow decided they were evil. Never found anything else evil, just those. We laugh about it now, and she bought me one a few years ago.
Looking back I don’t know how my parents managed to get me so much, because we never had money. I wasn’t too into fads (apart from the trolls) but still, Christmases (and birthdays) were never a disappointment. Not until I hit the awkward teenage years anyway.
hellopixel
‘Every single year we’d highlight the Clairol Foot Spa in the Argos catalogue’
Me and my younger sister bought Christmas presents for our family from when I was about 8. We’d look through the Argos catalogue looking for our own stuff, but also what we could buy mum and dad.
Every single year we’d highlight the Clairol Foot Spa. But for one reason or another, mostly it’s £34.99 price tag (and thus if we bought that we couldn’t get lots of other luxury items like Elizabeth Duke jewelry, Body Shop soaps, ice cream scoops and Hazelnut Whirls), we never did get them the blue plastic purveyor of clean, relaxed feet.
PizzaRe
When I was anxious and depressed, cycling put me on the road to happiness
Charles Graham-Dixon has written about his experiences with mental health treatments, and finding cycling after a (successful) course of CBT and medication.
‘A form of meditation – simultaneously calming and exhilarating’
Similarly to the author, I took up cycling as a means to get fit and help myself out of depression and anxiety, starting from simply commuting to longer rides out of London.
The benefits to your physical health are obvious (despite the odd unfortunate incident) but my mental health has seen the biggest change.
Cycling became a form of meditation – simultaneously calming and exhilarating. When your mind is going a million miles an hour taking all the information in and you have a heightened awareness of your surroundings, for the duration you can switch off from everything else in life and become a little island of peace in a sea of impatience and aggression.
Darling...
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: discuss with spoilers
No spoilers here, but if you have seen the latest Star Wars tale the Guardian’s film blog is hosting a discussion with your reaction to what worked and what didn’t plotwise. We’ve also published a selection of our readers’ reviews here.
Comments have been edited for length. This article will be updated throughout the day with some of the most interesting ways readers have been participating across the site.
