Christmas things not worth doing

Good cheese like Lancashire, Wensleydale ruined by adding mincemeat, cranberries and so on. Have the cheese and a bit of the other stuff on the side if you must.

I'm a massive Christmas wanker, and love almost all of it from homemade Christmas cake and mince pies to matching pyjamas to advent boxes to elf on the shelf (no creepy fuckery or reporting to Santa though, that's just weird) to homemade dried orange slices for gift wrapping. Our tree is delivered by an elf every year, we have (tasteful) outdoor lights, and we go on various trips...

But those Christmas markets can 100% do one. Overpriced shite that you browse after spending a squillion quid getting everyone a hot drink and some mediocre food. Never again.

Christmas cards are a waste of money and effort, and we donate to Social Bite and send WhatsApp messages instead.

Secret Santa is invariably a disappointment and I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than shop for a colleague I only half know (although I still take part, I just silently begrudge it)

I love most of it but glitter and sequins especially the type the doesn't say where it's supposed to and gets everywhere else.

There was a glitter clad child in my house last weekend and I'm still finding it everywhere.

Oh I used to love taking them to a proper Pantomime, a small theatre with a cosy feeling, not featuring a load of people off the TV. The Bolton Octagon used to be our favourite, daughter still recalls breaking the wooden spoon when she was called up on the stage to 'help'!

Any kind of mealtime visited by Santa. We've done breakfast with Santa, afternoon tea with Santa and brunch with Santa, all were over priced, over populated and underwhelming.

I like sending and receiving nice presents, doing nice food over say 3 days , putting a tree up and maybe the odd carol concert - not remotely interested in all the peripheries stuff that seems to be part of it these days -

Christmas just makes me sad now, all the magic has gone since my parents died. Adult DD loves it though so I try to make it special for her. DH has always hated Christmas ( he had an unhappy childhood). I've always been the one to choose and buy all gifts, wrap and post or deliver everything.
I'm exhausted by it all. Every year it gets harder. I wish it wasn't so.

@3luckystars I hate all those too- thought it was just me

Christmas markets - Urgh. Haven't been to a good one in decades. They all suck and have the same stalls repeated every 5 vendors.

Manchester one has gone right down hill in the last 15 or so years. It's just dog food, stale chocolate, big granny knickers, wolf fleeces and too many people.

Elf on the shelf - tried it one year. Both ds and I were bored by the third day and we didn't do it again.

Christmas dinner - I used to make a huge meal but Christmas Day is just me, dh and ds so it was pointless making all that food for 3 people. Now we have pizza and a picky tea with lots of sides. We have guests later in the week and go to see people no Boxing Day so will have roast dinners then but for us as a threesome, nah can't be bothered.

I knew I was on the right track when I passed by the same ver' ver' expensive and ornate handbag that I saw on the way in

@70isaLimitNotaTarget I can never find the bloody exit in Selfridges 😂

Matching Christmas pyjamas. They are ridiculous!

We're probably having sandwiches or microwave meals this year. Unless someone else sorts out dinner.

No , it was some Charlotte Tilbury - thankfully it was a case of Get In. Find the Beauty Dept . Find the item. Buy it . Find the Exit .

Not sticking to budget and going into debt.

Spending a lot of money on stamps for Christmas cards (just sending a few this year, giving more in person).

Secret santas! Pointless.

Christmas cake. Chocolate log is better!

I do Elf on the Shelf but in a lazy way. E.g. take the barbie car for a drive with his arm round barbie or reading a book or swinging from a light. He brings the advent calendars, and one day might be found using some new Christmas socks as a sleeping bag. Nothing that takes more than a minute to set up, no big pranks etc.

Yeah, my dad said it will be ‘nice’ to take my three year old into central London to go to Hamleys three days before Christmas. I said it absolutely will not be nice 🤣 we live not fair from London Bridge so have been to see the lights along there and they were very nice, there were stalls etc and it wasn’t crowded.

In a lockdown Christmas, my husband and I went into central London on Christmas Eve. No pubs or shops open, but some takeaway food vans for wine and pizza and no crowds, hardly anyone. I have a picture in front of the fountains at Trafalgar Square and it’s just me and a few pigeons. That was a really nice Christmas Eve and we’ve kept up the tradition of Christmas Eve ‘street pizza’ every year since (not from anywhere in central London though!)

@70isaLimitNotaTarget was it the Jellycat Fish and Chip thing in Selfridges?
I'd possibly brave Oxford St for that 😂

Yes we were going to Selfridges for something

And the huge AppleStore in Regent Street otherwise it would've been a trip round to Lakeside or Bluewater .

@70isaLimitNotaTarget to be honest unless you are going for Selfridges there isn't much in central London that you can't get somewhere else.
The lights are usually pretty but that's it really.

I don't bother with:
-Elf on the Shelf (it looked like it could be quite fun, but my DC are older and I don't have the head space to do it for 3 and a bit weeks).
-matching Xmas PJs.
-Xmas Eve boxes.
-paying to go see the Xmas wonderland/light places. We do a walkabout the streets in town that do Xmas lights.
-buying a turkey. We don't like it and prefer chicken instead :)

I have only (in the past 3/4yrs) learned about buying pre-done stuff like sausage rolls, mince pies, puddings, veg, yorkshire puds and roast potatoes. I grew up doing everything from scratch. This was a revelation to me (particularly as I often work over Xmas) and it's bloody brilliant, as it saves so much time! I do still love cooking and baking things from scratch, but it takes the stress off at Xmas buying in pre-made stuff that can just go straight in oven :)

I’m a grinch too!
hate the commercialism of it all starting in September and the amount of waste it generates. I only buy presents for family children now and for the adults we all go out for a nice meal together instead.
speaking of waste has anyone seen the Netflix documentary “buy now, the shopping conspiracy?
we are filling our planet with absolute shite and Christmas is one of the biggest culprits in my view

Christmas Shopping in London

I always think "Oh it's an easy enough trip to Tottenham Court Road on the Elizabeth Line " ......but there it should end .

DD and I went to London yesterday . Had to walk to Covent Garden from Holburn as the Piccadily Line was not open. Fair enough it's less than 10 minutes .
Covent Garden was heaving .
We went back to Oxford Street , there were two shops she wanted .
The crowds , the umbrellas up , people on their phones (not looking where they're going - grrr ) , the number of times the back of my heels were stepped on, car/taxi drivers getting the hump as people just cross roads like lemmings .

Watch your bag . Watch your step , Watch your eyes /glasses from umbrellas , don;t imagine you'll find a decent toilet .
It was raining and cold but that's by the by .

Some stations were closed (flooding)
And I know it's going to be busy . But people have no bloody manners . I am waiting at the platform , someone comes along and just barges in front of me . I am here y'know

Christmas Shopping is Officially Over Rated

The bloody panto! Well actually I’ve not been since I was a child, but even then I didn’t really want to (would have far rather not had to put a smart dress on and go up to London for a horrible formal high tea and sitting watching some nonsense). I wanted to be outside playing with my ponies and dogs and getting muddy.

As an adult I have no desire to sit in a stuffy theatre full of snotty children with colds to catch their germs. My own children have never been to the panto and don’t seem bothered by my cruel disregard for all things ‘mime 😂

I love Christmas and we have the elves and the homemade advent calendars and the 1st dec boxes and stockings etc, just not a trip out to the pantomime.