Anyone else looking forward to Christmas even more than usual this year?

[PennyDreadfuI]

Yesterday I went on my first 'proper' day out for about six months to a little market town near me (which I used to visit almost weekly in The Beforetimes). I've been avoiding public transport so even the bus journey was a treat! Anyway loads of the shops had Christmas stuff in and I bought the first mince pies of the year. I'm having one right now with my coffee. Picked up a few gifts, too.

I've also dusted down last year's Christmas notebook and I'm going to make a start on this year's over the weekend.

Today I'm going to binge watch Christmas UK's YouTube channel with all the Christmas ads and tonight I shall have a Bailey's.

DD applied for her usual grotto job yesterday (she's been an elf for a few years now), so that's another festive milestone.

Yes, it's only September and yes, I don't usually start All This until at least late October but oh my GOSH what a shit year it's been, and how ready am I for a little familiarity, comfort and nostalgia. And sparkly stuff.

Christmas will be very different this year - we have a LOT less money, for one thing - but oddly I'm looking forward to it more than I have for years. I thought that I'd have had enough of staying home with the family and eating/drinking too much this year but apparently not!

Anyone else feel the same?

[unicornpower]

I totally know what you mean OP, I haven't bought anything yet but I put up my Christmas lights round my stairs in June to cheer me up and because they're white lights they just look pretty rather than ultra festive. I'm looking forward to the festive cheer and the mulled wine/mince pies etc I went to B&M the other day and they have all their Christmas chocs out already! I think we all need something to look forward to and i can't wait to light our fire and watch hallmark movies all day :D

[ineedaholidaynow]

Will grottos be able to be open?

[Pearsapiece]

I'm with you, op! I bloody love Xmas and strictly is the run up for me! I'm pregnant this year and bought an Xmas maternity top in the sale the other week. I can't wait to wear it! Have been debating watching an Xmas film all week but think I'll hold off until Sunday which is my birthday!

[toomanyplants]

I really am!! Will be our first Christmas in this house and I'm already feeling sooo festive 😃

[Batshitbeautycosmeticsltd]

I can't wait! Almost finished shopping and about to start wrapping.

[crossstitchingnana]

I love Christmas but I feel the opposite. Covid, IMO, will impact somehow. Massively. My parents have become elderly due to lockdown and probably won’t travel, we don’t feel comfortable staying with them. We are facing dh being made redundant and I now work in hospitality. So, no. Christmas will be shit.

[TrickyD]

Yes, I am looking forward to it very much.
DS1’s partner is Brazilian. Last Christmas it was her family’s ‘turn’ so they went to Brazil, and we had a ‘Christmas Day’ here with them in early December.
This year they will be coming to stay with us, and their DS will be three and a half, so he will be starting to enjoy Christmas.
Even though they live locally, our other DS and his kids will stay here on Christmas Eve.
Family all together, lovely.

[beautifulmonument]

I'm dreading it this year. We're in Australia where it's hot and sunny at Christmas which ruins everything and we won't be able to see family. I don't know how we're going to make it christmassy

[pinkpetal2]

I am I've planned this year to make more of an effort and if there's anything going on in town which I doubt, I'll be taking the kids to it.

I feel like with this year it's been bloody horrible and the one thing I do love every year is Christmas. The silliness of it the warmth from being so busy and kids being excited it really makes me feel happy.

So this year i am going to decorate the house even more with my tacky Christmas decs, have more foods we enjoy at Christmas and I might even put my tree up earlier. I am excited already.
I've already started buying presents so I'm half way there. I hope it's a great one this year

[IdblowJonSnow]

Hmm.
Bit early for me although I do start trawling for kids presents from October.

Also who knows what the situation will be by xmas time, can't really plan this year. Hope I'll get to see my parents at some point.

[Bupkis]

My family bloody love Christmas. Dd1 makes a calendar each year where ds can cross of the days. There is always a buzz of excitement when it's 'ok to listen to Christmas music'!

This year it is going to be hard, my mum died suddenly in June, one of the things of hers the girls asked for was a pair of her shoes, because they said seeing her shoes by the front door at Christmas was one of the things they loved. She would always make an enormous fuss of ds, who is 10, with special needs..he absolutely adored her. Also my sister who lives abroad, would normally come over, but they won't be able to come this year, and our usual New Year trip to friends is cancelled too.

However, I am determined to have something warm and lovely and glowy for us, it has been a shite of a year, but I'm hoping we will have a golden Christmas.

[PennyDreadfuI]

@unicornpower we leave lights up all year round - we bought some beautiful twinkly firefly ones last year and they were far too good to out away come January! They've been around the living room window all year. Twinkly lights around an open window in the summer are gorgeous and come autumn they're so cosy.

@ineedaholidaynow DD usually works at a grotto at a large shopping centre but they're not having it this year. It's run by a grotto company and this year they're only doing them in smaller venues - the one DD has applied for is in a local garden centre. I've no idea how it'll work - elves and santas in masks sounds a bit strange, and no photos with Santa

[PennyDreadfuI]

We don't have any relatives - usually we feel sad about this at Christmas but this year it's a mixed blessing in some ways. I feel so desperately sad for everyone who's facing the possibility of being apart from loved ones this year

DH might be made redundant before Christmas, and I've lost my income too. Whatever happens though we're still clinging onto the idea of Christmas as a bright spot in all of this - even if it's only a few weeks' respite it'll be wonderful.

[PennyDreadfuI]

@Bupkis I'm so sorry for your loss

My mum loved Christmas (it's where I got my love for it from). She died just before Christmas 15 years ago. We have Christmas traditions that she started when I was a child which we still do every year. It always feels as if she's with us.

[BEE08]

I'm really looking forward to making new traditions worth my little boy who will be 19 months at Christmas.
We do a first of December box and have done for a couple of years with DSD so will contine this, but have decided after reading threads on here to do new pajamas on Christmas eve.
Christmas Eve I was thinking of having something easy so pizza for dinner at lunchtime, then going for a walk around 4pm to see the Christmas lights around where we live, home for picnic tea and watching a christmas film, bath, new pyjamas then putting out the mince pie etc. before bed.
Then Christmas Day, hopefully all being well visiting family.
Has anyone got any traditions or little things they do doing December to make it special.

[Bupkis]

Thankyou @PennyDreadfuI.
I hope you have the best Christmas.

[AuntieMarys]

I enjoy Xmas in my own way. I'm not traditional with the food....never cook a Xmas dinner . We are going out to local Turkish restaurant again at 4pm after a 5 mile walk.
Xmas Eve is my favourite day....lots of afternoon drinking.
Going walking for 3 days from Boxing Day to somewhere isolated and hopefully cold and frosty.
We are in our 60s and can do whatever we want 😆

[thelegohooverer]

Christmas planning is usually my happy place but I just can’t get into it this year.
It’s just fallen in with the generalised planning for a difficult winter this year.

[catherinep80]

Not as much as I usually am. I love Christmas and usually start getting ready in September, but don't even want to think about it yet. We usually go to my parents (along with my brother and sister's families), but at their age (and my grandmother in her late eighties) I doubt it'll be an option this year. So many other things that we love to do leading up to Christmas like panto, weekend away to the Christmas markets etc. won't be happening either :-(

[everythingisginandroses]

Thanks for your lovely positive post, OP I always really look forward to Christmas, maybe even more so this year. Last year my MIL died, she was our last surviving parent. We also lost our beloved cat just before Christmas, so things were a bit subdued. This year we've all been ill (yes, that illness), so it's great to be feeling better and moving on. I dropped back on to this thread last Bank Holiday weekend, and then I remembered "Hey! I do this every year!" The continuity and rituals and planning are really comforting.

[BiddyPop]

I always look forward to it.

DH is used to me being the Christmas nut, and has slowly started to do things and make plans earlier in the autumn than when he first knew me (shopped on Christmas Eve, and might have a list!) - now we will have a conversation in late summer about the generalities of what to get DD, and he may pick up a few things on his travels over the autumn, we start the main chats in early November normally.

But HE has already brought up what some in his work are saying, about putting up lights and decorations in October, as they feel the need for some cheering up. And he has not just mentioned this once, in passing and in fascination, but about 3 times so far - so that means that he thinks its a good idea and wants to do it ourselves as well. As he's in charge of outdoor lights, I suspect we will be doing more than just the 2 plain strings wrapped around 2 specific trees....I'm expecting Amazon packages to start arriving soon!!

It's all very uncertain for me, but I am looking forward to it, and have been working on making presents for extended family the past few months - as a way to relax and unwind for myself, use up materials I already had, and avoid going to shops in the autumn. And making things I think each recipient will like and appreciate - not just tat.

[CloudyVanilla]

I'm so excited for this year! my eldest DC is 5 next week and I think it will be the first Christmas that she really gets it. On top of that I've actually got decent savings and I've found out that due to Covid I'll be working from home til next year so I'll actually be around. I love Christmas anyway but I am particularly excited for this one

[Titsywoo]

Not really. All the things I enjoy about it are likely to be cancelled so it feels like a bit of a write-off.

[summersolstice43]

I hate Christmas every year as my DD only spends half of it with me depending on her dad's shift, it falls on his weekend this year so I will only be able to spend time with her on Christmas morning so I'm really not looking forward to it at all.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

I always love it. I was making Christmassy things all through lockdown - something cheerful to do, though it did feel a bit odd to be knitting snowmen and FCs in March!

As long as we’ll be able to see them, I’m particularly looking forward to spending it with older Gdcs since they’re just at the ages to be super-excited (4 and 5).

I never do any decorations, carols or mince pies until 1st December though - waiting makes them that much more special IMO. The tree (always real) won’t usually go up until at least the 10th, so that it’ll last. Will make first batch of mince pies on 1st Dec. with carols playing and a glass of mulled wine - lovely!
I love the post-Christmas week, too - nice and relaxed, minimal cooking and lots of tasty leftovers to eat up. Decorations never come down until the 6th Jan.