What does a middle class Christmas look like?!

[Petitepenguin]

Just wondering if the cost of living is changing things ... I'm not mc but live in London. My most mc friends spend xmas in London up to xmas eve & head to Norfolk for xmas day & the following days. Then head off skiing to France the day before new year's.. Their run up to xmas with the kids is super busy too filled with carol services, Christmas events & art workshops. It looks idyllic.

Lol, you are talking about upper MC really. Most MC people I know just stay at home and are found to be bored and freezing in the park trying to entertain the kids from 26th Dec through to the day the schools go back

Sounds more like the royal family!

What are they doing in Norfolk? I'm not English so I've no idea about MC londoners but they sound more than quite posh.

I would count myself MC but certainly can't afford a skiing holiday!

I guess I do think the run up to Christmas is a time to do something special, so we're taking DS to a pantomime and a children's theatre show.

@KindergartenKop that sounds about right for me too😅alot of the dc's classes vacate London & head for the home counties. They're probably freezing their tits off in the parks there too on boxing day, it just sounds fancier!

The mum in question is going back to their parents house for Christmas in Norfolk, hubby & kids in tow 😁

The adults go for a morning run so they can feel smug and superior then get drunk and eat a lot of cheese.
The children occupy themselves.
On 26th December, they drag their children to woodlands, parks and frosty playgrounds while nursing a monster hangover.
They come home and eat leftovers and watch TV.

Christmas at home then off to a Villa in the sun with the family for a week. I am too creaky to ski nowadays.

Not enough Slade and selection boxes. That’s what it looks like.

That’s not middle class! That’s pretty posh.
I think I’m middle class (now). I’m in London. Christmas Day I’m at work, but work from home, so we’ll do Christmas in the evening. DC open stockings early in the morning. DH will take them out for a walk. At lunchtime we will open presents. I’m back at work in the afternoon. DH will cook and we all eat together in the evening. We have never been skiing. Or been to Norfolk. DH and I are both in jobs where getting time off over Christmas is very limited, and on a rota. We won’t get any time off as a family at all, barring weekends.

The reality is that most people in London come from somewhere else, so it's really natural for them to go 'home' over Christmas as 'home' is likely to involve slightly bigger houses, more of the family in one place, local traditions, family who may be less mobile, whatever.

We actually do our Christmas Day at home in London, just us and the kids. The run up is very busy, yes - school things, Christmas activities and shows from school and clubs, etc. We usually go to Christmas at Kew or similar, or a National Trust place with nice Christmas activities. Fuckload of baking and delivering stuff round neighbours and local friends. We then travel to my in laws between Christmas and New Year.

I'm an immigrant so no family to travel to on my side (too far/expensive) but lifestyle wise we're pretty solidly middle class London. Definitely no expensive skiing holiday for us though, agree those things are rarer than you think these days!

Now I understand all the MC negativity on mumsnet! I think you just mean wealthy. I am middle class. My Christmas activities are all free ones and we'll be at home! 😂

I would say that I grew up solidly middle class in London, and our Christmases don't and never did look like that. As a PP pointed out, the majority of people in London aren't from there so go 'home' over the period.

OK, so what you mean is they live in London so are there until Xmas eve. Then they visit their parents who happen to be in Norfolk. So nothing particularly special! I had visions of these people checking into Claridges (or their London townhouse) in the run up to Christmas, then going en mass to their country estate(s) in Norfolk.

Yes I know people who often ski early in the new year. Especially this year as I think the schools go back late.

Sounds like upper class!

We are solid upper middle class. Ok not London, but I can assure you there's no second property elsewhere in the U.K. and no ski trip, not even got between Christmas and New Year off alas.

Our Christmas consists of the kids arriving back from work, study (except one who lives with us) at various dates, lots of trips to the local pub for mulled wine and cider, boyfriends arriving at some point, off to my parents for a couple of nights then back for work (alas) and more trips for mulled cider between cooking for too many. Think it's 7 here this year.

Money isn't an issue but skiing is very expensive!

go for a dip in the sea and bore everyone with the news that they're now a 'wild swimming' enthusiast.

I am middle class but do not have a second home nor money to go skiing! We do a local Christmas Fair and that's about it, perhaps skating in town.
So my middle class Christmas is: collecting my son from ferry Christmas Eve as he's working, takeaway that night, Christmas Day presents and Christmas dinner with a couple games and a movie after, Boxing Day walk in the park, nice lunch and then take him back to ferry as he's back at work on the 27th. My daughter is doing her portfolio and studying for A level mocks - no trips this year. Didn't do any last year either as moved.

Oh this is so me!!

Or a sea swim depending on the area 😉 warming up in new dry robes they just recieved that morning..one of last years insta posts!

@Iamthewombat

Missed this & yes, yes, yes!

So basically they are visiting family? Sounds quite normal!

We're hosting so have family staying for nearly a week. Will be lovely.

No skiing, brrrr! 🥶 And far too expensive. We have a few festives trips planned for before family arrive: panto, visit Father Christmas, one to London to see the lights, a local light walk at a National Trust. Then lots of cooking, putting up decs together, watching Christmas films around the fire, wrapping presents together. All very normal Christmas activities.

DH and I are very much nouveau riche middle class (both our Dads grew up in council housing). So, we're ostentatiously splashing the cash and taking our DDs out to Salzburg to stay in a posh spa hotel and do the Christmas markets next weekend. Then we're renting a beach house from Christmas Eve with family and every scrap of food/booze is being prepped and delivered by Waitrose, ta very much.

We're also spending copious amounts on presents. It's all terribly vulgar of course, but rather fun nonetheless. I just can't bring myself to eat organic dust and only gift our DDs handknitted socks from rescued Alpacas - although I know this is far more morally acceptable.

Sounds lovely to me! Lucky kids (and you!) 😊

What do these allegedly “middle class” people do for work @Petitepenguin? I think you’re forgetting that the middle class includes teachers, nurses, junior doctors, people who work in IT, supermarket managers, marketing people, lobbyists, engineers etc.

From the sounds of it the people you’re talking about are somewhat posher if they have second homes and skiing holidays in France at peak times of the year. They’d either be upper middle class or gentry - that or their parents / PILs are paying for it.

Although the point about people going back to Norfolk is a bit of a red herring as virtually nobody who lives in London actually had a childhood here, and plenty will still go back to where they came from, be that Norfolk, Glasgow, Sheffield or Swansea to see family over Christmas.