If men were left to organise Christmas themselves

If DH had his way it would be those dated trimming things hanging from the ceiling, horrible flashing coloured lights on the tree, too many presents and he'd absolutely cook a roast dinner no problem. I'm the one who tries to keep clutter and tat down to a bare minimum!

Why is it a sad thread?? Many, many men who pull their weight and could easily handle Christmas on their own if needed.

This is a sad thread isn't it? So many men not pulling their weight, including my own DP. He'll do what I ask him to do, but all the brainwork and planning is mine and mine alone

There would be no tree no decorations no food in etc! DH doesn’t really celebrate Christmas-

As I was overseas, DH organised last year. There were no decorations. Literally, none. Presents were shop bought hampers at great expense (4 times our usual budget) for extended family. No cards were sent (I usually send about 60).

I arrived home in a very stressed state from overwork, to a very ordinary house and no sense of the season. And an empty fridge.

This year, I am making him come to me. I have bought tree decorations and will buy a tree next week. I brought my garland from home so will put that on my balcony (as I have no stairs). I have bought half the presents and will get the rest in the next few weeks. I have my cards bought and will write those soon. I have some festive treats bought and I will have a full fridge when they arrive. (Dd is also coming from uni in a different city).

Once was enough for a lifetime!

I think my Dh would be fine but, because I love cooking, he might struggle a bit with timings first time around. He's (undiagnosed) adhd and autistic so he'd probably hyper focus on food, maybe to the detriment of other things, but I don't think that would matter. When he cooks he likes to try out new recipes and would enjoy that and I'd probably have a great time eating it.

Love that this thread is 90% positive. Just reminding myself of the last few years where my energizer bunny DH starts getting ready for Xmas.

Me: are the decorations and tree in the spare room or attic?
DH: I'll have a look.
Me: no rush, just can't remember...

10 minutes later every single Xmas box is at the end of the living room. From there, it's all systems go and the tree is going up as are all the lights, DDs tree for their room, outside lights, festive displays, singing Homer, Xmas Carol statue and so on. Like a proper kid he is. He won't chill until it's done. I love it 😀

Stereotype alert.

DH always cook the Christmas dinner anyway.

But if he was to organise the whole "event" it would be loads cheaper as he wouldn't buy as many pressies for our son, or our families.
Not as many decorations, trees and inflatables.
I don't think he would think to book any pantomimes and meet Santa and days out

But he would cope and it would be nice, just not as "Christmassy" as when I organise it,

actually i think my husband would put on quite a good christmas showing - he does all the cooking 😂 i do all the decorations. Presents tho - he would be not so great at that, he would probably do a decent job at putting up the tree but there would absolutely be no theme and it would be a mish mash of baubles. Gahhh that alone fills me with horror 😂 There would defo be good wine and cheese too.

😢

We would have all the things required for a huge roast dinner, the pudding, cream, etc. Very few other fancy food bits, probably no things like Baileys or Pimms but plenty of wine and beer.
The tree and house decorations would be basic and the dressed mantlepiece wouldn't happen, because it wouldn't occur to him.
The table wouldn't be dressed up, runners and centre piece and that.
The masses of candles and greenery that we have to celebrate the Solstice wouldn't happen, because it wouldn't cross his mind.
i think presents would happen. Christmas cards definitely wouldn't; we squabble about doing them every year.

Find if my DH was doing it, if it had been my Dad it would have been cancelled as he hated Christmas.

The food, drink and presents for me and the cat would be fantastic.

Presents for the rest of the family would be a disaster 🤣.

It's an interesting question -
I think the first-year dinner would be made from M&S, he'd then try eating out, and then a very simple roast dinner before declaring the whole thing a nonsense and just have champagne, prawn cocktail (maybe), charcuterie, olives, bread and a very large cheese board. The house would be a tip - unless he had employed a cleaner.

I'm in the same position - first Christmas without him. (I've been on your storm threads under another name).
He was very good at presents, and wrapped them beautifully. The Christmas dinner was wonderful - shopped for and cooked by him - and he knew how to set fire to the pudding. The table always looked gorgeous. He had nice music playing. We went for Christmas day walks and looked at all the trees in the windows in the local area. He had supplies of chocolate and nuts and good wine all around. He was good when neighbours popped in for a drink. He delighted the kids and made me feel special. He celebrated the Winter turn of the year with walks in the woods or the park. It was low-key but lovely.
This year we're going away because I honestly don't know how else to deal with it.
Sorry - I know it was meant to be lighthearted but it just caught me unawares.
Not all men are useless - and sometimes their way is better.

Mine would have bought the bigger house we want, purely to fit in a bigger tree. The present piles would be bigger and we’d have even more outings.

Other than that, the fundamental elements would be the same and it would still be amazing.

oh and every present would be beautifully wrapped because I can’t wrap for shit 😂

My husband would do a fantastic Christmas Dinner (he's cooked for his family for Easter before) but wrapping and cleaning the house wouldn't be as good. I'm realising now he would probably have a much happier time because he'd only do what he wanted and not things he felt like he should do.

Hm 🤔

No tree, no presents, no decorations and no lunch. Pot noodle at about 3pm and hours of boring crap about how Christmas has been commercialised. He's on a one man mission to decommercialise Christmas through non participation

There would be 3x more chocolate and 10x the alcohol. The food would be plentiful and good - but we'd all be pissed by 2pm and forget to cook so dinner would be ready maybe 10pm. There would be a tree, possibly without lights, but it would be decorated, at least. We would play games then go to the park for a drunken stumble to clear our heads.

Actually... it sounds a good plan.

We would eat and drink well and no money would be wasted on over the top gifts. I’m learning from my DH and do less and less every year and nobody complains.

Fine here my DH is the one that cooks I'm the useless one when it comes to cooking hate it.
He always cooks and has always done our Christmas dinner.
Only thing he would find stressful is buying the kids presents I get all that sorted a few months before Christmas so I think he would end up rushing around last minute or struggle to remember everything our young children have mentioned.

Also I set up the decs and tree another thing he would hate doing 😂 but I don't think it would be awful if it was left to him.

It's not "some women", its "Mumsnet women".

The organisation comment is hilarious. If we take away the fact almost everything we use/enjoy at Christmas was created by men, they have organised the biggest sports events (FiFA World Cup by Jules Rimet, Olympics by Pierre de Coubertin), the biggest music events (Live Aid by Geldof and Ure, Glastonbury by Michael Eavis), but men cannot organise a family Christmas? My dad definitely put up the tree and the decorations, and also did the role of you know who, while mum cooked the meal. Oh but could men cook a roastie? I dunno I mean every Michelin chef is a woman afterall, yes?

DH would do it, but he'd only think about it on Xmas eve, so we'd end up with whatever was left at the supermarket. He'd also put off gifts until I did it, or told him what to buy, as he 'has no idea', apparently.

He is very capable & heads up the organisation of an annual fundraising concert for his hobby group - which is all male. It just has to be something he is interested in.

So men ARE capable, they just have to be motivated.

It would be fine, but quite last minute. The tree would absolutely not be up before Dec 20th.