Page 2 | If men were left to organise Christmas themselves

Fiddlesticks32 · 2024-11-27T17:42:38+00:00

AIBU to think it would be an absolute disaster? And what would it look like? [wine][halo]

ChessorBuckaroo · 30/11/2024 18:00

Fiddlesticks32 · 27/11/2024 22:55

To clarify - I didn't start this thread as a man bashing exercise. I love men and all my men happen to be helpful and capable. Christmas just isn't really their forte.

Isn't their forte, except for creating almost everything in it.

itsgettingweird · 30/11/2024 17:44

Absolutely fine.

Since my mum died my dad has organised our family Christmas every year, my brother always does most of cooking alongside my dads help and last year we went to my brothers and he booked it all.

Not all men are useless twats.

And I swear half of them act like it because theirs no point putting in a whole Load of effort that's unappreciated because it isn't how the other person would have done it.

Cucumberpickles · 30/11/2024 17:31

Dh does nearly all of it here. Elf on the shelf (I’m amazed he thinks of so many ideas), remembers to get the advent calendars , wraps the presents (which I do buy) sets them all out on Xmas eve and cooks the Xmas dinner etc

SilverChampagne · 30/11/2024 17:28

MyrtleStrumpet · 27/11/2024 17:46

My DH does Christmas apart from the tree and presents for my family. We have a brilliant Christmas every year.

Yes, this; pretty much.
Not all men are like yours, op.

CandyCane457 · 30/11/2024 17:25

Fiddlesticks32 · 30/11/2024 14:17

Can I come to yours for Christmas please? @mathanxiety Looks like you've found a nice balance.

You reminded me of a few more to add to the list:

Wreath making workshops
Baking mince pies and chocolate Yule log
Extra stocking fillers, individually wrapped (including small items like pens)
Secret Santa gifts for colleagues
The dreaded work Christmas party
Movie marathon sleepover
Charity fundraiser event

For those with school aged kids, extras to consider might include:

Practicing lines or music and making costumes for the Nativity play/concert
Gifts for the teachers
Writing Christmas cards for the whole class(es)
Mufti/Christmas jumper/themed day
Christingle and/or carol service at church
Christmas fair
End of term projects
Party/lunch/disco

Some of the activities on these lists might be small or trivial but they still need factoring in and it all adds to the mental load.

I would assume you sort our own colleagues secret Santa and he does his? Or do you have to sort your husbands for him? I just…wouldn’t do that.
Also the works Christmas do being on the list, assuming you work in two different places, what about that is “mental load”? Unless you’re organising it, surely you just turn up? Just curious!

Parker231 · 30/11/2024 17:11

StandingSideBySide · 30/11/2024 17:06

Do you hale / live in Belgium France or Germany

note Sinterklaas and 6th for presents.

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I’m from Belgium. Spent many years in London. Now living in Montreal.

StandingSideBySide · 30/11/2024 17:06

Parker231 · 30/11/2024 17:03

We opened the first day of the advent calendar on 1 December to get the little chocolate and then Sinterklaas on 6 December which was the main present day. Nothing else then until small small stocking presents on Christmas Day. Better tell DT’s they had a deprived childhood!

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Do you hale / live in Belgium France or Germany

note Sinterklaas and 6th for presents.

StandingSideBySide · 30/11/2024 17:03

WearyAuldWumman · 30/11/2024 16:41

I swear that I wasn't being snarky. Honestly - I promise.

Of course you would assume that I have children, given that this is Mumsnet. I come on here for the company. Sorry - I didn't mean to cause upset. (Looking back at my post I can see that the exclamation mark might look a bit snotty. Sorry.)

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No upset.
Good lesson reminder to be more mindful 👍

Parker231 · 30/11/2024 17:03

Hateam · 30/11/2024 16:22

1st December apparently.

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We opened the first day of the advent calendar on 1 December to get the little chocolate and then Sinterklaas on 6 December which was the main present day. Nothing else then until small small stocking presents on Christmas Day. Better tell DT’s they had a deprived childhood!

yoshiblue · 30/11/2024 16:46

I asked my husband this question a couple of years ago. He said 'it would be a bit shit, we would forget things, but everyone would survive!'

WearyAuldWumman · 30/11/2024 16:42

Corinthiana · 30/11/2024 16:14

A special Father Christmas North Pole feast!

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bites tongue

Do you eat Penguin biscuits? (Aye - I know: they're from the South Pole.)

WearyAuldWumman · 30/11/2024 16:41

StandingSideBySide · 30/11/2024 16:16

Well that one came back to bite me
note to self….never assume anything.
apologies for my sweeping assumption.

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I swear that I wasn't being snarky. Honestly - I promise.

Of course you would assume that I have children, given that this is Mumsnet. I come on here for the company. Sorry - I didn't mean to cause upset. (Looking back at my post I can see that the exclamation mark might look a bit snotty. Sorry.)

saraclara · 30/11/2024 16:28

My late husband loved Christmas and all the preparation for it.

If he was to have done it without my input, we wouldn't have been able to move for decorations. The presents would maybe not have been wrapped so neatly, but there'd be loads of them. And he'd have made a perfectly decent Christmas dinner.

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/11/2024 16:27

Parker231 · 30/11/2024 16:18

Surely that’s Christmas Day and not a separate day?

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DH is doing it tomorrow because that’s when the elf comes. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

OrwellianTimes · 30/11/2024 16:24

It would be fine. He’d cook an amazingly done meal, maybe forget to do fancy breakfast, gifts might not be what I’d choose, but he’d do alright.

StripyHorse · 30/11/2024 16:23

I think the only thing that wouldn't happen in my house is the Christmas cards for everyone apart from immediate family.

Hateam · 30/11/2024 16:22

Parker231 · 30/11/2024 16:18

Surely that’s Christmas Day and not a separate day?

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1st December apparently.

BigFatLiar · 30/11/2024 16:22

I'm glad things like elf on the shelf wasn't a thing when ours were little.

As an aside there was a Sabrina the Teenage Witch with a Christmas theme. One of the aunts commented on the song 'he sees you when your sleeping, he knows if you're awake' that it just sounded creepy.

Parker231 · 30/11/2024 16:18

Corinthiana · 30/11/2024 16:14

A special Father Christmas North Pole feast!

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Surely that’s Christmas Day and not a separate day?

StandingSideBySide · 30/11/2024 16:16

WearyAuldWumman · 30/11/2024 16:10

I would definitely have done that if I'd had children!

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Well that one came back to bite me
note to self….never assume anything.
apologies for my sweeping assumption.

Corinthiana · 30/11/2024 16:14

BackForABit · 30/11/2024 16:08

What's a polar breakfast?

A special Father Christmas North Pole feast!

coffeesaveslives · 30/11/2024 16:13

Corinthiana · 30/11/2024 15:56

Same with my parents! In our stockings we got an apple, a satsuma and 10p. We got other gifts as well, but they maintained that tradition.

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My mum always put a satsuma in my stocking too - I never ate it and just returned it to the fruit bowl in the morning

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/11/2024 16:11

gannett · 30/11/2024 16:09

Almost no woman I know gives a fuck either.

I'm waiting (in vain, I think) for the OP to acknowledge that she hasn't found some grand faultline between the sexes.

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My DH is the one running around all giddy excited to do DS’s North Pole breakfast tomorrow and introduce him to the elf.

I’m the one who doesn’t give a fuck. 😂

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 30/11/2024 16:11

My abiding memory of childhood Christmases (which were lovely and everything) is my mother being in the kitchen from about 6am and popping her head around the door to watch us open our presents, then straight back in again. I always wondered what the hell she was doing in there, because Christmas dinner was just a posh roast. AND my dad used to help out a lot (he'd done National Service was was very domesticated, they learned to cook, clean, darn socks and iron) and I assume Mum just sat in the kitchen out of the way, drinking sherry.

WearyAuldWumman · 30/11/2024 16:10

StandingSideBySide · 30/11/2024 15:59

@WearyAuldWumman and @Corinthiana do you put oranges in your kids stockings
I always have, it’s become a bit of a joke.

As a child I never got a stocking though, it wasn’t something my parents grew up with. Much like me with Christmas Eve boxes I suppose

Edited

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I would definitely have done that if I'd had children!