Aibu to think the Middle Class have a much nicer Christmas from the run up to the event itself?

I look at people charging around doing ice skating, Christmas markets and crafting sessions and just think more fool you! It all looks tiring and expensive. I'm quite happy at home in the warm with a Baileys.

I like to do lots of activities and stay home with a Baileys.

It’s all very faux as well. We don’t have Christmas markets here like there are in Europe which are properly magical.

I look at people charging around doing ice skating, Christmas markets and crafting sessions and just think more fool you! It all looks tiring and expensive. I'm quite happy at home in the warm with a Baileys.

What are they doing that you're not doing?

Why don't you start doing it?

What counts is whether or not you have a happy family. I wouldn't say we were 'middle-class', but we lived in a wealthy, middle-class area and had loads of presents and food, etc. Christmas Day wasn't always great, however. My father was a very negative, low-energy sort of man, and my grandfather was a damaged, difficult character who'd suddenly yell at my grandmother half way through dinner. He also hated and disapproved of my dad (his son in law), so the day crackled with tension. It never really felt fun – or relaxed and jokey and happy, the way Christmas should.

The most important thing is the character/personality of the people you share Christmas with. If they're cheerful and kind, good conversationalists, etc, it will be a pleasant day. When you've got good people around you, you can have fun in a bedsit with a packet of cards and a couple of bottles of Lambrini. (Well, maybe not a bedsit...let's say a small flat😄.)

I do see your point although would say it’s umc rather than mc. The traditional idea of Christmas with lots of family, loads of food & lots of time off plus space to host will likely be linked to money.

But if you live in a block of council flats (as I used to do), there'll be a rule from the council that you aren't allowed to have anything hung on your front door.

Wreath making is just the latest money-making scheme and is completely overpriced and something you can do cheaply yourself. Why would you pay someone upwards of £50 each to to attach some conifer and a few cinnamon sticks to wire frame yourself? Madness!

Don't think it's got anything to do with middle class v working class, whatever your definition of that may be!

I think it's got more to do with your life stage and working situation, i.e how much time you have to spend together as a family etc.

I got a £15 plain wreath from Dunelm and added some bows I made from cheap Temu ribbon🤣very much working class. You don't need a £120 workshop.

I’m working class, always have been, but I’ve always had great Christmas times. 🤷‍♀️

The 'Middle Class' is a huge generalisation. The term covers much from ordinary, struggling, comfortable to rich. Therefore I don't think what you say is accurate though it may be so for your personal friends. Plenty of people with young families feel the pinch regardless of their social status. I know we did back in the 1980s/90s, money was tight. We did our best and tried to have a good time but it was an anxious time. It's no different now, everyone's income varies tremendously.

Why be concerned about it? You just do what you can for your family and don't worry about others. Comparison is pointless.

Oldies like me can discreetly give a helping hand to younger ones, that's one advantage to getting old :-).

It's got nothing to do with class. It's just money. People who can afford to do lots of nice things - whether they're a builder or a lawyer - do them, regardless of class background.

I don't think it's about class, but how much time you have. Obviously more money means more options and things to splurge on, but there are a lot of free/cheap events a working class family can do.

All the Christmas crafting bollocks, gingerbread houses etc, I've never had time for it. Christmas comes around quick if you work full time.

We don't have traditions in our house really. We just do what we fancy or have time for.

I think if you have money to spend it's always easier but doing events depends on other things as well. Eg my children are teenagers now and I'm enjoying not being stressed out trying to get to all the different events. We have one big family get together and that is it. I would like us to go ice skating between Christmas and new year but I don't know if we will have time as my older teen only has 2 weeks off and wants to spend time with friends etc. I don't think going to the theatre at Christmas is a class thing necessarily but depends on how much money/ time you have.
I don't have any spare cash but I also don't have the time to do lots of events. Xx

I know what you mean. It's not class as such but finances. I've seen Longleat festival of light, then a trip to Lapland then it will be matching pyjamas and expensive gifts and an instagram worthy display of perfect tables and decorations and expensive gifts.
I just can't afford to do things like this, Christmas has always been basic, minimal spending on activities because I just can't afford it.
We had traditions when my children were younger, but they were free things like making cakes or visits to garden centres. The only time we went to a pantomime was when I won tickets in the local paper.

I think the big divide is people with close families Vs those without at Christmas. It's much easier to have a busy, full, happy Christmas if you have lots of close family. You host one day and then probably go to multiple gatherings/ parties/ meals in return. If your more on your own then it takes a lot more effort and money to make that festive feeling.

Isn't that the same all year round and I think it's more related to disposable income than anything else. Our kids are already doing lots of fun xmas stuff at school. I've booked a light trail back in September for us to do in a fortnight. I booked this years panto last December, it's in Edinburgh and is expensive. We've decided that next year we will go to a local panto instead which will be less than half the price for a family of 5. Next year we are going to do a local light show(it's in the town over from us, it's free but they ask that you give a donation to charity). I'm taking 2 of our kids to disney on ice this weekend and we are all going to the Irn bru festival on boxing day. My dh is taking 2 of the kids to a hobbycraft event next weekend.

We would normally do a light trail, panto and the irn bru festival every year but because they are booked at different time throughout the year I don't feel the pinch as I would if they all had to be paid for in the same month. We also don't do much in the way of entertaining specifically over December apart from Christmas day as we are Muslim so no shelling out on toys or gifts either.

It's my WC friends who do all the pre-Christmas nonsense like markets and elf on the shelf. My MC friends dont bother!

Nothing to do with class and everything to do with being organised.

In my experience it’s more w/c people who pay to go to Lapland UK, see the Christmas lights at a stately home, do all kinds of activities. Upper middle class people might do a panto or a visit to a local Grotto, with a church Crib service or Christingle on Christmas Eve.

Congrats, I guess?

Agreed!

I have always enjoyed the week before Christmas more than Christmas itself and I try to book things to make sure that we have lots of fun and interesting things to do.
Rather than presents and stuff which I think if you’ve got to be a bit more careful financially you probably do need to buy some new shoes, jeans coats, hats, gloves, pants iPads, etc as Christmas presents.

Most people do not seem to understand the nativity story.

We have a lovely time. You are totally wrong to claim money does not matter though. We walk around looking at lights people put up. You get the occasional house really decked out, but most are nowhere near as good as paid light trails. That is why people pay for them.
We have already been to a christingle service, a xmas tree festival at a church and are going to a carol service this weekend.
These are all free, which is why we can go to them. They are fun.
But I would LOVE to have the money for us all to go to the Nutcracker. I have been once and loved it. I would love us all to go on a light trail at a stately home. But even though there are always people saying it "ONLY" costs so much, that ONLY is too much. So we do what we can.