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

This has nothing to do with class or money - the events themselves may be affected by the amount of money available that is all . Traditions don’t have to cost a lot it’s just making the time .

@WinterFollies because that is precisely what OP means even if they haven't said so. Generally MC type jobs are likely to be higher responsibility and more WFH to get the job done and they are more likely to have moved away from family so dont have that support network and more likely to need to factor in travel over the festive period. They are likely to have had their children later as would their parents so may be doing child and elder care at the same time.

We are WC (or the new Technical Middle if you go off the BBC calculator). Certainly low income compared to MN average but have a good amount of disposable income due to lifestyle choices, live close to family and I and they became parents in our early 20s so everyone is in good health.

We have a lovely Christmastime, it doest have to be all insta worthy trips to Lapland. My DD would hate the hustle and bustle of London to see the lights etc.

Yes, they do, and they’re great. (Though when I lived in London, I regularly attended the ROH in the cheap seats wearing whatever I’d been wearing at work that day so dress code not an issue, though some people do dress up.) Maybe the film relays are better for ballet, in fact, as I sometimes find the opera closeups disconcerting. You don’t want to be distracted by Madama Butterfly’s fillings.

Christmas is what you make of it. I think you are basically confusing Instagram pictures with having a nice Christmas season - they are not the same. Stayed photos at places with high price points are no fun if you are worn out, kids playing up and you are worrying about your credit card bill. It's an illusion of fun.

Make cookies at home, flask of hot chocolate (real cocoa made with milk and cocoa powder plus sweeten to taste), walk around the decorated houses, trip to the local church for christingle and/or nine lessons and carols, keep Christmas dinner simple, don't be afraid to cheat (bisto thank you!). Yes you need a minimum amount to be able to do just this but it's not about throwing money around to pretend you are united in matching pyjamas!

It's interesting you should say that, because I do think that there's even a class distinction with wreaths and wreath making.
Having not paid any particular attention to wreaths for decades( never had one before), this year I was asked if I'd like to go to a workshop which I recently attended. It was a lovely event run by a local florist in her extremely beautiful very large home, home made canapes, glass of wine etc, all component parts of the wreath natural and sustainable etc, and we all made beautiful wreaths.
Cost £70 each, without exception all the participants were extremely middle class, seemingly charming women( as far as could be detected by accent, clothes, conversation topics etc). Obviously the workshop was open to anyone who could pay for it but it was interesting that the participants were all of a type.
There was at one point a discussion about wreaths and doors and disparaging comments were made about fake foliage wreaths with baubles, pompoms, flashing lights etc( I agreed with this), these types of wreaths are clearly thought to be more working class.

We've been to an ornament making session at the community centre, the school fair, wreath making at a local urban garden project, the community Christmas fair, an apple cider and carols day at the local city farm, Christmas carols at church, and Christmas parties at different clubs/groups we are part of.

All apart from the city farm were free, and they were all lovely.

Why does it have to be a '£120 wreath making session' or the Nutcracker to be festive?

Money certainly makes life easier. But you don’t need a lot of money to make a house feel festive. If you live rurally or near commons/heaths in a city - you can pick holly & Ivy for free. Candles don’t cost much. Nor do Scandinavian style paper stars. Homemade Christmas decorations are great. Carol concerts in churches a generally free. If you live in London walking around the lights in central London is free.

I realise I am commenting on one small aspect of this discussion, but...just to say, for those who are interested, the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera House live stream some of their performances at cinemas.

DD and I watched Cinderella yesterday evening for £25 - saw close up detail we wouldnt be able to get except in the priciest of seats, and no dress code.

I think having money does tend to make having fun easier. [But money and class are not that linked now]

I do think working class are much more likely to be working on Christmas day for instance.

I do think there is a vague working class, middle class and upper-class 'cultures' in england still but they are much more jumbled than historically.

I actually think christmas is more unifying than a lot of things that have class hang-up. School kids do nativities, towns have light switch ons, villages have pantos, people go to midnight mass after the pub and christmas dinner is fairly similar in most houses, works have christmas parties.

If I was going to grab a difference I'd say more presents in working class.

It's mainly money and time not 'class'.

The real message of Xmas is -

Hope

Hope is free

Going out to events and entertaining - my Christmas from hell. It’s nothing to do with class. People like different things. Everything from pj and movie style Christmas to entertaining implausible numbers of people over several weeks.

Kill me now if I ever had to endure either of these things!

I did enjoy chopping down a big holly bush and loads of overgrown trees at my elderly parents. We all kept saying oh these would make a lovely wreath for another family🤣

The best Christmases I ever had involved a worn out tree, a pile of cheap tinsel, homemade mince pies and a boozy night at the pub. Probably with the snowman cartoon as well

I am no where near middle class and we have lovely run up traditions, a lot are completely free or for a small donation either put on by the local church, library or council.

We have a light parade for example via the church where one week the children design and make lanterns to carry through the street and a few weeks later they walk the streets with said lanterns.

Christmas carol concerts again via the church.

We are not a church going family but this is put on for all of the community.

Many smaller theatres will put on pantomimes for families for less than £20 for a family of 4.

I've noticed these threads go deeper than that, a person working an office job on minimum wage is middle class and a tradesmen could earn twice as much. Posters claim it's the mindset or something middle class take their kids to the Oprah and theater so therefore they're more cultured and better.
Weird thing is these threads always have people saying the most snobby stuff but disguising it as feeling sorry for people.

Like just enjoy the Christmas month damn

I'm solidly middle-class. Don't have anything like a jam-packed schedule or anything pre-Christmas other than Advent calendars.

We are doing a light trail but that's actually for DD's birthday and we probably wouldn't do it just for Christmas.

I’m a working class person with money myself, and an opera-lover, so I’m all about widening participation in things traditionally considered ‘not for the likes of us’, but ‘family wreath-making’ doesn’t involve any cultural capital at all. It has no aura of exclusiveness, no perceived need for pre-knowledge, no dress code etc.

Why are you assuming WC = poor?

This^
of course you are not unreasonable. Yes, you can have great time with a bit of money but much better time with more money and much less great time without money.

But they are far less likely to do it @OnlySlightly

There is still a big difference in "culture capital" between working class people with money and middle class people with money.

I think WC people are often more likely to still be working over Christmas.

Isn't this the same as everything in life? People who have money do the things they want to, people who don't have money unfortunately can't.

That’s having available money, not social class. Nothing stopping an affluent working-class family going to The Nutcracker or wreath-making.

We have plenty of money and the only Christmas-related things we’ve done so far have been free.