Christmas things not worth doing

This is an AI answer to Elf on a Shelf.

The "Elf on the Shelf" tradition was popularized by the 2005 children's book titled "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition," written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. The book tells the story of Santa's scout elf, who visits families during the Christmas season to observe children's behavior and report back to Santa.
The idea of a mischievous elf who watches over children during the holiday season has deeper roots in European folklore, particularly in Scandinavian traditions. Folklore includes various types of elves and spirits that monitor behavior and encourage good conduct, but the specific concept of the "Elf on the Shelf" as a Christmas tradition is largely attributed to Aebersold and Bell.

Hot shops, blaring music, miserable shop assistants.

Mountains of tat

Unrealistic expectations

Then after Christmas, the sales! There wouldn't be as many sales if shops didn't sell crap at high prices.

Then some retailers - Next, that is you, feel they need to open at 5am on BD. Most of their staff who work on BD are their Xmas temps. They were told about this when they were recruited.

Most of the temp workers are students. Majority don't drive or work in retail parks or shopping centres with no little parking for staff. They usually go on buses. None of the buses are running at 4am. Some places have zero PT on BD. Unless a parent drags out bed at 4am to drive them to work, its taxis. Taxis are double (some councils are triple) rate.

I doubt any retailer helps to pay for the cost of taxis. The premium rate is rubbish. My former employer didn't raise the premium pay for working BHs in the 17 years I worked there.

Then on the news (sales are not news items btw) they interview some saddos who have been waiting outside Next since midnight.

Those who go round the shops on BD have never worked in retail and 2. Have no concerns of the staff.

I worked 2-3 BDs as unable to book them off. Yet colleagues who have family all living in the same town and finish their shifts at 1pm booked it off. In all the BDs I worked, got customers saying "Its a disgrace that you are open today". Well, if you think its a disgrace that the store is open on BD, you don't visit the shops on BD then! Its people like you that keep the shops open on BD. If everyone slummed it in PJs - like a thread about Boxing Day is a slumming it day (or other comfy clothing), then retailers will realise not to open. I stay over my parents over Christmas, even though its a 12 min walk. One BD, their kettle broke. I went to mine and picked up my kettle. Then the next day when I was back at work, I bought a kettle.

Panto. Felt I had to take the kids every year but hate them. Especially Aladdin and Jack & the Beanstalk

Oh, playing board games. Trivial Pursuit, Cluedo, Monopoly, Scabble or any other variation. Just never grew up in a family that played them and have never understood the attraction.

I hate elf on a shelf with a passion and absolutely was not doing it end of.

Until DS came home from nursery one day heartbroken that an elf hadn’t visited him, had he done something wrong, all the other kids had one etc.

So now I do it but fucking hate it. I start of all enthusiastic and end up getting into bed on the 18th (usually after the Christmas party) and thinking I’ve not moved the bastard elf!

A curse on the person who invented it!!!!

Easter will always be my favourite holiday: so much lower-maintenance and less labour-intensive and loaded with obligation than Christmas (It's Yule to me, anyway). But I love the period between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve - it's peaceful and undemanding and has a calm energy that I love. Same with Winter Solstice: a day I really treasure as I can now look forward to the gradual return of longer days.

Do do: lots of fairy lights, two heavily decorated trees, greenery and pine cones from the garden, roast turkey, New Year's Eve every year with friends, copious amounts of baileys, advent calendar for DC, fresh-air woodland walk, wreath, early December weekend away in a city that's made for Christmas with beautiful carols being played on the cathedral bells, bit of fizz, crackling wood fire in the burner.

Don't do: cards, sprouts, heavy fruit baked goods, too much landfill (but still manage to generate too much landfill), elves, boxes of any description, insistence upon set 'tradition', Christmas-themed clothing. Christmas films full of saccharine sentimentality, no thanks (but do have a soft spot for the National Lampoons' Christmas Vac and Eight Women, which is brilliant and much too underrated in the UK).

Cannot stand: that it's become a one-day eco-destruction system - the state of all that wrapping paper in the bin makes me want to weep! Another dissenter here on the Christmas market theme and any Christmas 'experience' (for which read muddier than Download festival with less daylight and not nearly as entertaining!).

My friend found an elf - not on a shelf but strung up in a pine tree in the woods. She rescued it in case it traumatised some passing little kiddy. I'd have left the little horror right where it was!

Everyone putting on matching family pyjamas on Christmas Eve, they get worn once and by the time they come out of the wash Christmas is over and they don't fit the DC the following year.

The pyjama thing. You're so right about the blokes. And I`'ve got to say that I always wonder about the underwear aspect of people who wear pyjamas as a fashion choice. I mean, are they pyjamas that you might theoretically have slept in, in which case does dad spend Christmas morning with his bits flopping about? Or is there a full set of supportive underthings beneath the sportive cartoon penguins or whatever? If so, why wear PJs? Why not just wear clothes? Ditto mum and a bra? Old person, so I find these questions quite thought provoking.
Elf on the Shelf ought to be banned as an offence against aesthetic sensibility.

Yes the price of stamps is mad now so I'm thinking of cutting back this year on cards too.

Christmas jumpers - I do not own one, they are disgusting. Likewise I dont get dressing up smartly Xmas day when you're about to eat a tonne of food. I couldn't be in pj's all day but love a pair of joggers. We have to go to OH family again, so will be expected to be smart...

Christmas films, so corny

The nauseating adverts of happy families. I can’t believe they haven’t got the memo. You never see frazzled mothers, narc parents, kids smoking weed and rubbish dry food. The peddling of perfect Christmas which should be consigned to the same sack of shit as women ‘having it all’ shorthand for exploitation.

I'm currently pregnant and have always said I will NOT be doing elf on the shelf, I think the elf itself is hideous. I survived back when it wasn't a thing so the Hobbitlett can survive without the bloody thing too 😂

Likewise Christmas Eve boxes/north pole breakfast/matching pyjamas. No. I feel it will take away some of the magic of waiting for santa as well, if they're getting so many other incentives etc throughout the month. Again I survived without 😂

I'd happily forgoe Christmas dinner

The other thing I consider a waste of time, but DH insists on having, is putting the Christmas tree up. It looks nice for about 2 days til the cats make the baubles into toys and I get so sick of crawling on my hands and knees retrieving the bloody things I just shove them back on any old way, and after boxing day I want to get stuff tidied up and clean the lounge before going back to work, and its just in the way and I want it gone. We don't even put presents under it as the cats will probably decide to investigate them

Think the Christmas creep is making the day a left down

Advent calendars for adults especially beauty products ones. All those plastic containers for the bin/ recycling process and the waste- what are the chances of 24 random products suiting somebody.

I also hate extortionate advent calendars for children. My nephew had a Pokémon cards advent calendar one year that cost £55. Ridiculous.

It's one fucking day
Bloody hate it
Glad my kids are grown up
All the stupid build up and adverts just to think on the 26th it's all over
Thank god 😂

Oh Lord I have twice won a family photo shoot in a raffle. The first we were made to bounce on space hoppers and lay down on our bellies with our chins in our hands grinning as we stuck our feet in the air. We looked like a bunch of total idiots and I didn’t even pick a free photo.

The second one was a forest walk and was much nicer but probably because I had a sty on my eye so we just had pictures taken of the kids.

Never again.

Argh the bloody elf.

Im divorced from my kids’ dad and he’s just broken up with his partner. They used to do the elf which I liked as the kids wouldn’t miss out but I didn’t need to bother. This year they’re so sad about the split I feel I need to do it..

I have to confess we have a photo of the four of us in matching jumpers, but we won them in a competition and the photo happened when we saw an opportunity on a family walk. It’s terribly cheesy and the kids hate it 😂

This sounds lovely, sounds like you’ve got it right!

There used to be while ‘Wolof’ threads on here years ago. I once spotted a stag fleece in the wild. Worn with shorts

Traditional dinner - gosh my kids would be so upset if we deviated from the usual Christmas menu ( I would be too).

Mine too @mondaytosunday

When they were early teens I asked what could make Christmas special, now that ‘santa’ wasn't such a thing. They asked for candles on the table and to get dressed up. So our Christmas meal is later in the day so that we can have candles on the table.

The Christmas meal has always been a special part of the day, music on, everyone helping. From being children, my DS’s had jobs each, one makes the cranberry sauce, the other shapes, flours and bakes the sausage meat balls.

They help with the greenery for the table and of course the candles.

We often eat and have table games ( musical crackers are fab for a laugh) It is a very special time in the day.

Oh I’d like to add Christmas cake/Christmas pud or any variation thereof (Xmas cake ice cream?). I really don’t enjoy fruity boozy flavours or marzipan so none of it appeals to me. And after a full Christmas meal it appeals even less!

Doing a gingerbread house. Those things never stay together, look shit and then sit on the side for weeks while they go stale before you can bring yourself to lob it in the bin. I don’t even like the taste of gingerbread. I’ve still bought one to do with the kids tho.

oh god, I absolutely hate secret Santa as well. Hate it. Luckily at an age now where I’m not afraid to say no, don’t involve me.

OMG! The Xmas Eve boxes. Had customers running into my work asking if we sold any of these as card shop sold out.

My friend reuses the same box - her DD doesn't realise this.

Could they just use a Xmas gift bag instead?