Christmas things not worth doing

Well now you are going to have to find out why they walked out on the IL's, and come back and tell us, aren't you?
😉

Christmas lights/decorations on a house that can be seen from space. I know some people do it for charity but others just seem to stick up every light and inflatable going. It’s like living next to Blackpool illuminations from October until January round here. I dread to think of the bills!

I would genuinely get rid of Christmas ‘experiences’ and things like Christmas Eve boxes. It’s mostly an excuse for shops to sell more tat but people feel the pressure and succumb. It’s mainly just for show on social media anyway.

Pigs in blankets are staying though 😊

Switch off social media/TV ads, figure out what makes you and your family/friends happy and do that. Try not to destroy the planet or your finances in the process. It's ALL optional and I feel sad about all this commercial pressure on those who can't afford it.

Christmas light shows/walks at NT places & the like. Expensive, cold, usually wet trudges that lack any magic. I loathe them ( can you tell 🤣). Not doing anything but panto, films, games, chocolate & turkey sandwiches this year and I can’t wait!

Christmas Eve boxes
Elf on the Shelf
Pigs in blankets

Elf on the shelf - no
Christmas Eve boxes - no

Going anywhere for Christmas. Staying put is nicer, especially with small children.
Christmas cards.
Bah humbug to a certain local radio station whose non-stop Christmas music playlist kicked off on 1 November. They rotate the same nine songs every day for two months.
Stocking stuffers. (Tat).

The dratted Elf on the shelf.
Wrapping presents from Santa.
Panto.
Visit to Santa.
Office shindig.

Yule log. There, I said it. Yule log never tastes as good as it looks. I’d rather have a normal chocolate Swiss roll.

Making Christmas cake. The supermarket ones are perfectly good.
City centre Christmas markets. I enjoyed the Birmingham one the first time it happened. Maybe the second time too, even though I recognised that many of the stallholders sounded no more German than I do. Then I saw identical biscuits and sweets on sale at a fraction of the price in Aldi. I'd still turn up for a Christmas market showcasing local craftspeople, though.
Lebkuchen.
Matching pyjamas and Christmas Eve boxes.
Whamageddon.
Turkey dinners. I don't want my parents to die, but I'm going to mark the first Christmas Day without them by having something other than sodding turkey for dinner.

My children had grown up by the time Elf on the Shelf became a thing. I think I might have been one of those irritating mothers who pushed the boat out regarding elvish shenanigans. And DH and I have a set of glow in the dark Christmas bedlinen.

Oh - and Christmas lights, especially those that flash, they hurt my eyes. Can't stop everyone else doing those tho!

I don't really like crackers - but my mum loved them and this will be the first Christmas without her.
Christmas markets - forget that idea.

Turkey (not the country)

Lapland

Elf on the shelf

The stall holders get charged a fortune to have a pitch on Xmas markets ( obviously make good money doing it)
But who is buying the spinning wind chimes and those bloody log reindeer ?

Ditto the one in Birmingham. I wonder how long they will continue to be a thing - although Birmingham Council says it brings in 5 million visitors and is rated as best in country so I suppose it will go on for a good few years yet. Goodness knows why, most of the stalls are selling either metre long hot dogs, hot chocolate with Baileys, Lager, iced doughnuts or spiced nuts. People who visit must be very disappointed at the prices and the lack of variety.

Elf on the shelf. Haven't met a parent yet who hasn't regretted starting it.

Well you've met one now. I don't regret it at all. 🤷‍♀️

Elf on the shelf. Haven't met a parent yet who hasn't regretted starting it.
Christmas markets are generally expensive crap and sooo crowded.
Christmas Eve box - I mean just, why?
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland - now I haven't been but hear it's way overhyped.
Masses of gifts - totally unnecessary and d they really need it all?

Things to keep:
Creating a shoebox gift package to donate for a child the same age as your own
Watching a Christmas movie/tv show a night in December
Advent calendar- not chocolate ones but those lovely old fashioned Victorian/German ones with little pics.
Stockings for your pets with a couple treats and a toy (let the kids pick out what to put inside).
Sending cards - controversial but I love sending and receiving. Cost a bomb to mail though so generally sent to people I will not be seeing with a bit of a catch up inside.
Pic of kids in front of the tree - this will be treasured in years to come. They do not need to be wearing matching pjs!
Traditional dinner - gosh my kids would be so upset if we deviated from the usual Christmas menu ( I would be too).

It freezes brilliantly in slices that I used to eat straight from the freezer on maternity leave, I have them with a mug of tea for the rest of the spring/summer til I make the next one. Nigel’s recipe is best. Sack off most everything else but I freeze the cake!

Those Christmas markets. Used to be genuine stallholders coming from various European countries just for these. I remember going to one in Leeds and some of the market stallholders' English was poor and I spoke to them in what little German I knew. They came from Frankfurt and only set up stalls in 2-3 places, Now its crap and a rip off.

Friend doesn't go to them now as her DS wanted some sweets - £11 for a small bag of sweets.

I don’t feed my uneaten home-made boozy Xmas cake to the birds any more. I’ll never forget the year that paralytic squirrels started falling off walls and out of our tree.

Christmas markets. They used to be good but now are just stalls and stalls of tat. Who the hell is buying clocks with a staffies face on, or all those wolf fleeces.

Got 8 Xmas jumpers/sweaters plus two t-shirts. I wore these in December at work as we were allowed to. I refuse to get rid of them. They are kept in two vac sealed bags in the loft - and put in the drawer where my shorts and summer trousers go.

Most colleagues wore them as its cold in the store. Though we needed jumpers in Nov, Jan, Feb, March and April!

Christmas markets in Manchester. About 12-15 years ago they were lovely. Now it’s the same tat on repeat (there are maybe six different types of stalls and they just repeat the same stuff), the queues are huge, full of pickpockets, no where warm to sit, and it’s about twenty quid for a sausage in a bun and a beer.

Im a Christmas lover but just can’t face the local markets anymore. They don’t feel festive at all.

Oh dear, I've got tickets for Kew .....

Christmas light trails with teens. Actually, most activities with teens. Much better to instead make sure that they have regular meet ups with friends in the diary and then there is a much higher chance that they will be a nice human when at home with you.
Big group meet ups, particularly involving children. Much better to do it in the summer when they can go outside and play football (or you can go outside and they can stay inside and game). Also, rather than buy meaningless gifts for the children of these friends, just agree that on the day they can all have the biggest ice cream there is and something from the gift shop.