What do you find shocking at Christmas?

[RosieGuacamosie]

Lighthearted

I have ASD so certain things utterly astound me, I’m sure others will vehemently disagree so feel free to share your own!

1. Starters for Christmas lunch! Surely you’d save room to maximise the main event!
2. Cooking the turkey the day before - are you not worried about food poisoning or it being super dry?
3. Mash on a Christmas dinner, see also sweetcorn

I’m sure I’ll think of more

@IDontDrinkTea

I don’t understand how anyone can describe it as the best meal of the year when I almost guarantee turkey and sprouts don’t make it onto your meal table at any other time. If you liked it that much, why don’t you also eat it as part of a Sunday roast every now and then

I do eat sprouts lots of times.

But if you had a Christmas dinner all the time it wouldn't be special. I like it to be something we don't have all the time.

I find it quite funny that here in London people rush madly to the shupermarket to purchase everything before Christmas just in case they run out as if nothing with be open for week. When basically every high street has local corner shops that will be open on Christmas day - we have at least 3 within 5 minutes walk.

NB, I'll admit I am still probably guilty of 'just one more trip' to get something, even though I know it's ridiculous.

Only 4 Green Triangles in the Christmas Quality Street tin, the utter bastards.

Christmas Eve boxes that, by MN standards, seem quite expensive considering all the presents likely to be unwrapped the following day.

The number of times Love Actually is shown on TV each Christmas and not being able to stop myself rewatching again and again and cursing Alan Rickman for what he did to Emma Thompson.

@lollipoprainbow

People putting trees up in November sometimes jn October then down again boxing day!

Breakfast with Santa when did that become a thing?

Christmas Eve boxes when they already get a stocking the next day.

Advent calendars with books, fidget toys, beauty products, stuff that people generally get for Christmas anyway!!

Sorry that's me up 28th nov down 1st jan 🤣🤣

So do not understand three courses my oh always wants to and I don't get it why would you want to be too full for turkey dinner?!!

Don't like mash broccoli cauli or sprouts but accept them.

Love all the condiments and we make the yorkies the day before.

I simply can't get my head around the idea that people put cauliflower cheese on the same plate as their Christmas Lunch. I'm not keen on it at the best of times but I refuse to believe that the sauce doesn't congeal and curdle as soon as gravy is poured on the plate. sick not envy.

Also hate bread sauce - same reason.

I find it shocking that as soon as we near Christmas, tv companies show every crap programme they have been too ashamed to broadcast throughout the year. Every year I buy a Christmas edition of the Radio Times and give up the will to live (nearly) two pages in.

@Crankley

I simply can't get my head around the idea that people put cauliflower cheese on the same plate as their Christmas Lunch. I'm not keen on it at the best of times but I refuse to believe that the sauce doesn't congeal and curdle as soon as gravy is poured on the plate. sick not envy.

Also hate bread sauce - same reason.

I find it shocking that as soon as we near Christmas, tv companies show every crap programme they have been too ashamed to broadcast throughout the year. Every year I buy a Christmas edition of the Radio Times and give up the will to live (nearly) two pages in.

We often don’t have gravy for Christmas lunch! Depends what else we’re having. The year we had cauliflower cheese it was alongside venison Wellington and spiced red cabbage. No gravy.

The rubbish! We always have to book a slot for the recycling centre! Plus a ridiculous amount of black bin bags of either food waste, wrapping etc.

The cost. I swear everytime I think I'm done there's another added extra.

It's never a relaxed meal time with toddlers! When people say it is I don't believe them.. In all. Seriousness I'm sure there are some who have great toddlers my youngest is just awful for some reason.

How people manage to serve Christmas dinner late when they’ve got kids. Honestly I don’t think I could make DC wait much past 1pm and being hassled for snacks by hungry children is a pain.

Gift free for alls - we’re a sit down, do them all together family, otherwise I get overwhelmed by stuff/wrapping.

This is going to be our second quiet Christmas (DD and I have covid) and frankly, I’m fine with it. It’s quite nice to not have to get dressed or go anywhere for once, although I will miss going for a walk after lunch.

Another SEN/ASD household here.

I must have been living under a rock as I only learnt this year that some people have starters... I find that bizarre. I struggle to eat the main course & always leave dessert until the evening.

It's a no for cauliflower cheese & mash. It's a yes for Yorkshires in our house. I've never tried bread sauce as DH doesn't like it.

I'm a bit fussy about food so I couldn't prep/cook the day before. I don't know how people would even find room to store it?

I think it's shocking people spend so much at Christmas. One year DD1's best friend got a console, 6 games and a new bike. I was flabbergasted. And yes I agree it's crazy to spend huge amounts on a baby.

@MotherWol

How people manage to serve Christmas dinner late when they’ve got kids. Honestly I don’t think I could make DC wait much past 1pm and being hassled for snacks by hungry children is a pain.

Gift free for alls - we’re a sit down, do them all together family, otherwise I get overwhelmed by stuff/wrapping.

This is going to be our second quiet Christmas (DD and I have covid) and frankly, I’m fine with it. It’s quite nice to not have to get dressed or go anywhere for once, although I will miss going for a walk after lunch.

I have young kids… we serve Christmas dinner at dinner time, 6.30pm ish. They have lunch at 1ish, like normal.

The mental load of the whole thing. From present buying to wrapping. Food decisions and shopping. The prepping and actual cooking. The house cleaning and decorating. The hosting. An it's meant to be the most wonderful time of the year 🙄. Of course. Much of the mental load falls on women.

@Aworldofmyown

Oh god yes, Christmas Eve boxes! Like Christmas before Christmas 🙄

When did these even become a thing? Also those bloody Elves on the shelf and matching pyjamas? So much money spent on so much old toot.

Neurodiverse household here, we like to keep things low key. As we're adult orphans we don't remotely miss the hideous anxieties around seasonal travelling 😨

The amount of empty glass bottles out for the recycling the following week and households who put wrapping paper in their recycling bin despite it not being recyclable. I give them a hard stare.

@megletthesecond

The amount of empty glass bottles out for the recycling the following week and households who put wrapping paper in their recycling bin despite it not being recyclable. I give them a hard stare.

What’s wrong with the amount of glass bottles out for recycling? It’s all relative

red the sheet amount of alcohol drank. Their livers must be broken.

Enforced family walks on Christmas Day.

@megletthesecond

red the sheet amount of alcohol drank. Their livers must be broken.

But it surely depends on how many adults in the family, the amount of visitors etc.

@megletthesecond

The amount of empty glass bottles out for the recycling the following week and households who put wrapping paper in their recycling bin despite it not being recyclable. I give them a hard stare.

Some wrapping paper is recyclable- it's the only kind I buy.

The bottles are very relative as PPs said, if one house has say 10 adults who have 4 or 5 drinks each that's a lot of empties.

I agree about bread sauce and cauliflower cheese, but sweet potato mash with gammon is delicious.

Time to resurrect this thread I think

“All the trimmings” erm no, please specify as we’ve established this can mean a multitude of things!

@YukoandHiro

People who wear PJs all day. Not judging at all, it actually sounds quite lovely. It's just my own family made me dress up in best clothes and be at church by 10.30 so even though I now have my own family and we don't do church I somehow can't shake the idea that looking smart is part of what Christmas is. Maybe I should just try it one year.

Due to Covid, we couldn't visit Dad or DBro (they both have it and live together).

So we left all the food intended for dinner in the freezer, ready for a delayed dinner once they are out of isolation. I managed to get a turkey from Aldi last minute for £6 and cooked it Xmas Eve, it kept nicely for the next day, and my 2 DC and me cooked our favourite veg between us and managed a nice dinner.

All while lazing around in PJs. I've never done that before, and it's quite liberating.

I always dress up on Christmas Day. For me, it is as Christmassy as Christmas crackers.

That the TV & radio stations can't put anything on which hasn't been repeated in the past year. The radio plays the same songs by the same bloody artists, Christmas or not, all the tiiiiime! Aaaaghh!!!

Ditto the telly, what they showed on Christmas day on BBC1 will be repeated on boxing day on BBC2. FFS get your act together, there are loads of films that haven't been shown at all which you can put on.

People who take the decorations down on Boxing Day so they can ‘have a good clean’, poor things.