Christmas things not worth doing

My mum always did this and I continued - genius. when my children were small I always did a shared present (eg game, wendy house etc) so that one would be wrapped half and half

Gonna echo PPs here. My child isn’t even of the age of appreciating Elf On The Shelf that much but I think that’s an awful invention to add to the parade of things that families have to do in the run up to Christmas. What’s wrong with an advent calendar?! Why is that suddenly not good enough?

The writing of 50 gift tags per child (3). Now they all have their own paper so when they're looking under the tree, eldest has always had Harry Potter, son (only.boy) dinosaurs/avengers/gaming, youngest Frozen/Bluey/LOL.
It must save me a good 2-3 hours each child!

Elf on a shelf, matching Christmas Pyjamas and Christmas Eve boxes are fairly new ‘innovations’. Thankfully, they appeared long after my kids were children. This year, it’s just DH and me (plus dogs and cats) for Christmas Day this year. We’ve decided our Christmas dinner will be home made salmon en croute with potatoes and veg, followed by trifle 🙂

Me and my husband drove to get two snow glow Elsa dolls out of our way. The children were happy on the day but they were hardly played with after.

@angela1952 if the secret santa is £5 get a £2.50 Christmas themed novel from The Works and a chocolate Santa.
Sorted 🧑‍🎄

I am a huge Christmas fan, I love decorating and present buying, and the music and lights etc. But I don't see the point in............

Elf on the shelf - what a load of old nonsense!! When my kids asked why we didn't have an Elf visit, I told them only the naughty kids had elves visit as Santa had to keep an extra close eye on them 😁

Spending it with people you don't like, or driving here, there and everywhere to please everyone except yourselves. Hell no! As soon as our eldest was born we stopped visiting others, those we liked were welcome to join us (and many did) but no fucking way am I spending my favourite day of the year with people I can't stand!

Visiting Santa- most kids I've seen look terrified! It's an expensive way to traumatise children with a cheap toy at the end.

Every ýear I cure a side of salmon. And every year I seem to be the only one who eats it. By new year I'm wondering guiltily if I should throw it out. Then I do. I need to learn how to get past the fish counter in the run up without succumbing. I also buy far too much expensive cheese and no-one has room for it.

Secret santa, elf on the shelf, Christmas pyjamas, inflatables, chocolate advent calendars. Chocolate flavoured Christmas pudding.

But I generally love Christmas - the turkey and trimmings, the pudding, the gifts, cards, the lights, the music (as in carols, not Mariah Carey), the nativities, the Santas, the trees. The busy shops nd expense I could do without but you can'thave the former without.

Some of the ones I've done had been ridiculous, Secret Santa for £5. Or even £10. How on earth can you get something that's anything like a present for that?

Yup. I feel the same 😎

Christmas dinner. I would rather have soup or beans on toast and enjoy the day.

Elf on the Shelf. We only did it because ours (a plushy elf) 'landed' in my Dad's apple tree a few years ago wanting to see DD so we did it for a few years and she (Elfish Presley) has now retired and lives with DD (now 8) permanently.

Xmas markets, always very crowded and just selling hot chocolate and mulled wine. Also xmas cards, why send cards to people you neber see any more. A waste of time and money.

@Makingchocolatecake its so much better writing directly on to the presents,
otherwise tags fall off and you have no idea who the present is for or from!
I do tend to buy sticker labels though as some of our paper is so patterned it’s hard to see where you’ve written but I don’t buy tags on strings anymore.

Putting tags on presents. I just write names on them.

Christmas eve boxes. It's just impatient.

Elf on the shelf- child cctv. No thank you!

Scrooge is in da house! 🙄🙄🙄

I love Christmas and all the traditions; making the dinner, Boxing Day buffets, wrapping gifts (although I have to do them a few at a time in the run up!), filling the next box in the advent calendar every night and reading a Christmassy book every night, but there are a few things I don't do.

Elf on the Shelf- I don't understand the concept. A naughty elf who spies on you to stop you being naughty? And having to deliberately make a mess which you'll have to clean up the next day, not to mention the amount of waste.

Christmas Markets/shopping events- overpriced, freezing cold if outdoor, DD asking for sugary fatty treats the whole way round, the food is overpriced and disappointing, and I've never found any gifts worth buying; none of my friends and relatives will appreciate a £40 handcrafted wooden bowl.
Winter Wonderland- did that once, it was horrible, dirty, crowded and overstimulating.

Matching PJs- I like picking up Christmassy clothes cheaply from Vinted/charity shops and we have Christmas PJs, but the matching ones seem like such a scam. They are so overpriced for rubbish quality. And if we buy ones for all of us this year, next year, DH and I still have pyjamas that fit and have barely been worn but the kids need new ones, so we no longer match and need 4 sets of new pyjamas!

Was on the southbank yesterday… mulled wine at £7.95!

it’s so sickly and barely any alcohol so it’s not for me anyway, but that is extortionate

Well aren't you a happy little peach. 😂
Thankfully it will never stop.

Homemade Christmas cake.
Christmas cards.
Mince pies, unless I've had a joint.

@PlumpHobbit 'Likewise I dont get dressing up smartly Xmas day when you're about to eat a tonne of food.'

I found the answer some years ago, for only £20. I bought a black sequinned skirt with an elasticated waist. Yowzah! Christmassy AND comfy after a huge lunch. One day a year I wear it with a low-neck, long-sleeved black top & a nice necklace. It'll last me forever.

You’ll get some grinch come along and say ‘all of it. We don’t bother anymore.

They are the sensible ones. They can think for themselves instead of carrying on with a charade every year that they've been partaking in all their life because of brainwashing since birth.

That's all Xmas is.
What the hell has it got to do with anyone that they concocted a fair story about a baby being born years ago in a Stable. Even if it did happen, it's never been proved that it was Dec 25th.
It's got nothing to do with our lives today anyway.
It's pathetic.
People would be alot happier if they started thinking for themselves, instead of doing things because its what they have always done.

A new set of PJs is pretty much the only time I get my kids into a matching set, and I do like them in nice new PJs xmas morning. Also, opening stockings in bed together first thing is my favourite bit of the day. I even had fun with the elf last year.

Things I can't be bothered with - xmas TV, baking, in fact any food that isn't a case of bunging it in the oven. I cook healthy meals the rest of the year, frozen roasties and supermarket turkey joint will do.

Oh, it’s not christmas jumpers in themselves.

Just the idea of buying something new, wearing once for ‘Christmas jumper day’ and then chucking/donating. Then doing it again next year.

I know not everyone does that.
If people rewear/wear them a lot then it’s no different to any other item of clothing.. and have no opinion on that.