To feel like there's so much pressure to make Christmas magical?

ive never done elf on the shelf, I've just done nice Christmas pyjamas , baking that sort of thing. We do go to see Santa but honestly i don't think it is all that and will maybe do one or two more years of it.
im a mum of 7 & 4 year old and recently come to the realisation i want to spend more on big experiences and trips away rather than spreading our money out over weekend days out all the time spending £50 / £100 a time! That's what they will remember really!
I used to over buy throughout the year constantly , not for social media I think maybe to keep them 'busy' I read something the other day that keeping them entertained all the time is probably actually more damaging and too fast paced! Sounds about right

Not unreasonable exactly, but this is capitalism and consumerism at work doing what they do best. It’s all becoming culturally saturated to the point where we are quickly reaching the glass ceiling, capitalism can only pull so many new things out of the hat…It’s all become an absolute circus. I saw an fb post from the range earlier - they’re already pushing plastic easter tat like the consumption dealers are 😆

A positive of being a grumpy sociologist is that I find lots of morbid humour in those type of posts 😆

How was your Christmas OP?

I agree with the PPs and corporations and brands should really just call the holiday for what it actually is for the vast majority:

💫✨ Festival of Consumption ✨💫

but it's a bit too revealing and then you might catch on...so they just keep calling it Christmas in the hope you'll play along

Well a thought is dont parent by social media? A new fangled concept it seems and cant beleive people cant work it out for themselves yet here we are

If somonw ia mature enough to be a parent why are they not mature nor intelligent enough to do things their own way and not the way social media tells them?

A loving home is something money can't buy.
Happy Christmas.

I've been thinking about this today as our Christmas day has been a much simpler affair than usual and I've wondering whether it was "flat" as a result. But my youngest is four. I just want him to feel loved, warm and safe at the end of the day. He saw his grandparents, he opened presents, we played together. I'm disabled and chronically ill so we're not able to do a lot of the big ticket events you see on Insta etc but hopefully it's enough.

Or spend more ..magical usually has a price tag.

I’ve given up on social media and I think anyone who posts on Christmas Day will stop by this time next year. I see less and less people sharing on the likes of fb and instagram. The bubble is about to burst. Get ahead of the curve and stop looking and definitely stop posting online.

Its all stupid bloody commercialism that has nothing to do with Christmas, its designed to part you from money you dont have. The only Christmases I loved were those with my grandparents in the 1960's. I got things like an orange etch a sketch some pretty cards and a book of children's poems and I was thrilled with those. Christmas dinner was at 1pm and then we opened our gifts. We always went to church and at some point out for a walk.
There is nothing about christmas I Iove now. Its all about spending a ton of money and nothing about community. I long for those simple days back again.

Christmas is magical for children all by itself if the basics are in place. Loving family, a few decorations, nice dinner, some presents. This has been the stuff of happy memories for generations.

Sod all the commercialised social media shite.

I know how you feel OP, I have done none of the usual Santas grottos and days out this year. We had a third child and DH had surgery on Monday and TBH I have felt incredibly guilty that I’ve done the bare minimum this year but I am
so overwhelmed with two very clingy, needy, younger ones. BUT..,….

What were your favourite Christmas memories as a child because I can honestly say I remember the snack bowls put out on Christmas Eve and being allowed to open one pressie the night before…..mums homemade stuffing and bread sauce with dinner. Those are the things that made Christmas for me, still do. Your DS will remember the traditions you create, not the magical memories pedalled by recent social media. Merry Christmas, enjoy.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Christmas is magical. It’s not a social
media competition.

I had a wee cry earlier about something similar. As a child I was given piles of presents, I remember being happy seeing my parents reactions to me opening the gifts. But the rest of the year they didn’t really give a shit about me. This year I intentionally scaled back, but there’s a part of me saying this isn’t enough. It is though, and she’ll be delighted with the carefully selected gifts I’ve got her. I’m going for presence over presents 😂

I was an 80s/90s child. We went to a grotto to see Father Christmas and drove round looking at Christmas lights. That was our festivities. Yet it was still so magical for us.
Kids don’t need to be doing tonnes of ‘stuff’. The magic comes from how you make them feel.

OK I am much older (50s) but what made Christmas special was singing carols, the Christmas tree and I guess getting a special present (not that I remember those much now). Seeing my grandparents definitely.
Asking my kids about what they look back on as magical it was the run up to Christmas, seeing friends and family, the Christmas tree, helping to wrap presents, playing games together, oh and yes presents.
Kids remember the important stuff NOT a cardboard train (???) and a North Pole Breakfast (??????) or a special cup!! It’s all crap and commercialism, social media pressure to buy stuff. Just ignore and move on. You and your kids don’t need it.

I was feeling a bit sad this evening that today wasn't "special" enough (he's with his dad now til boxing day), but actually it was just like you described and I thought it sounded lovely as I read it!

The thing is you could have done all that then you go onto SM and there’s something new you didn’t think of. Your Christmas sounds lovely as is. I don’t do Elf, because I just don’t want to add one more thing and my kids are fine with that. A home filled with love means so much more. We have been doing Xmas movies, lazy days and just enjoying downtime. The kids have never been happier.

Tonight we did some funny family photos, and I can tell you that we laughed with tears rolling down. Even my 3yo found this hilarious. I think we need to go back to simpler times.

I have a 14 & 10 year old. We’ve done nothing festive apart from a panto that ds10 goes to every year for his birthday. Other than that its been a chilled one!
Tomorrow just the 4 of us, a few presents (even halved their presents this year), a nice dinner with scratch cards in the crackers & then just chill and let them play with their new stuff.
Christmas over consumption wasn’t like this till social media was invented. It’s all one giant competition - it’s not magical.

I do none of this rubbish and feel perfectly fine about it, my children have more than they need, than I had, and are absolutely spoiled as it is.

You’re doing great. Get off social media - most of it is direct or indirect advertising. Capitalism innit and the whole game is to drive (over)consumption.

We don’t do any of the recent-ish extras - elf on the shelf, xmas eve boxes, new pjs etc. Mostly because I cannot be bothered - esp. as Kids won’t remember any of it. The memories and stories will mostly be about togetherness. Like years on our eldest still talk about the great dog nicking all the bacon sarnies debacle.

Christmas isn’t meant to be magical. Magic is un-Christian.

I don’t buy into all that social media bullshit. We don’t do the elf, or Xmas eve boxes, or new PJs. We’ve watched Elf tonight, and DS8 has just put down the cookie for Santa. And you know what, he’s excited for Xmas like any other kid. None of that other shit matters.

I’ve just started a new job in an arena where many children I work with- simply won’t have a magical Christmas - your Christmas sounds lovely- the magic believe it or not is you …. You might not feel it but you create it - it can’t be bought/sold/borrowed/stolen - it’s there and it’s different behind every front door.

You DEFINITELY are enough.

No cant say,ever felt the need, it comes with maturity we do the bits we liked growing up and realise what is important and so that

I think a lot of kids find all the build up quite overstimulating and the anticipation can be too much.

When my son was 10, he went to bed Xmas eve and said that he doesn't really care too much about presents. What he actually loves about Xmas is family being around, christmas dinner and playing games etc.
And he's no Tiny Tim, he's usually a right demanding piece of work, had to double check I'd heard right.