Which Christmas tradition would you get rid of?

[Fantina]

For me, it would be wrapping presents. I know they can look pretty and when I make an effort, mine do. But it feels like such a waste of time and paper. I’d like to normalise not wrapping them and using gift bags with whispy paper instead.

what would you get rid of and why?

@Honeychickpea
Why? So they can "enjoy" tearing the wrapping off?

Not at all ! My DC well past the age of getting enjoyment out of tearing wrapping paper (although the dog seemed to enjoy it!) I use cheap paper, not much sellotape, but paper wrapped presents take up a lot less space . Any presents to go out of the house go straight into the gift bags on purchase so easy to organise.

Boxing Day sales. I'd have large shops closed on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Cards- especially to neighbours. I may not bother next year.

I love Turkey

Presents and cards.

Fingers crossed.

You've only got to read all the problems with buying gifts causes to know its time to forget it.

Lunch. No one eats it, the kitchen is a conflict zone and it all takes too much effort on a day when you don't want to expend any . I'd cook a nice dinner on Christmas Eve and have a running leftovers table for Christmas Day - might try this next year

I love turkey and the traditional Christmas lunch is the highlight of Christmas for me. I wouldn't eat turkey the rest of the year because then it's not special. It's also time consuming to cook and requires a large group to eat it. Perfect festival food, not an everyday meal.

I agree with the present wrapping. It does seem so futile. But also it's nice to unwrap them, so I probably wouldn't really get rid of it.

It's the midwinter festival and people have been celebrating midwinter since long before Christmas was a thing. What does the end of November mean to you?

I think people are taking this thread a little too seriously. It's more 'what annoys you at Christmas' rather than 'what will you ban everyone from doing at Christmas' (therefore no need to respond with 'just because you like it doesn't mean the rest of us don't!').

For me, it's the following (and remember this is all light-hearted!):

Matching pyjamas (a lot of money for several pairs of pyjamas which your kids will fit in once!)
Christmas Eve boxes (again just more expense)
The societal pressure/desire you feel to do everything - Christmas light trail, winter wonderland, visit to see Santa, pantomime, carol concert. It's just so expensive!

On the other hand, things I love include:

Visiting garden centres when they've got loads of trees up all covered in decorations.
Driving around and seeing houses adorned with tons of pretty lights.
Turning on the lights on your own tree.
Christmas dinner.
Setting everything out for Santa on Christmas Eve.

I'd get rid of turkeys so everyone could have a vegan Christmas

If you were in charge ( let's hope you aren't) would you at least let me have some cheese please? 😂

I wouldn't get rid of ANY Christmas traditions. Every family has their own.

There are some miserable killjoys on this thread. Go have some Baileys.

Christmas crackers.

Totally unnecessary, dreadful for the environment, usually filled with tat and a paper crown that nobody really wants to wear. I refuse to buy any.

Also, Christmas cards for people you're going to see. I totally get them for elderly relatives or friends you won't see over the festive season so I sent about five or six this year but both mine and DH's family come over for Christmas and hand us cards...often multiple ones for DH and I and separate ones for DDs and it feels so wasteful even if they can be recycled.

I’ve already dispensed with all the things I am not interested in doing that other people view as important Christmas traditions. Instead I do the things that matter to me as my own Christmas traditions.

I don’t have baileys because that’s in my ‘nope’ list for Christmas traditions. 😉

Well don't you aund lovely I'm sure you are a joy to be around. I generally find when people are nasty thetly aren't particularly happy in their lives.

I have a partner and a 7 year old living with me who don't want it all down yet. But I agree there is no right or wrong.

I love everything about Christmas except...
people.

I really wished people would fuck off! Not everybody, but those that you don't see/or don't bother with you for 11 months of the year and then decide that they NEED to get together with you because Christmas. Leave me alone!

This year was just DH, DC and I and it's been heaven. No snooty remarks/negativity from extended members of the family, bloody bliss.

Yes !! Totally

The only bits I'd want to get rid of are things we've never done anyway, like Elf on the Shelf and Christmas Eve boxes. I love all the rest of it!

Turkeys! Huge, vile, no-one likes them.

Of course people like them! And it's quite useful that they're huge if you're feeding a lot of people!

Wow so many misery guts on here!
I love Christmas & am currently having one of the best so far for us. We're all healthy. Our families are all healthy..this hasn't always been the case & we've spent Christmas visiting intensive care unit in the past

This makes us appreciate this calm peaceful space even more.

Dc are young adults now & we never did elf or Xmas eve boxes.

However we have fabulous decorations collected over 20 years since dc was tiny. Same with our tree - it's a thing of beauty to us & we've had the same tree 18 years & have built an amazing collection of tree decorations over the years. It's a moment of nostalgic continuity for dc & us when we take then out each year & it's like seeing old friends!

We only buy for a v small few people & really enjoy selecting things that are meaningful for them. With friends & some family we have a meal / night out together before or after & we all love that as its a chance to spend time together & we all have enough stuff.

Food wise, we love turkey & ham. We eat dinner in the evening & its a candle lit focal point to the day. None of us would like to eat it at 1pm so we don't. Some years it's 8pm this year it was 6pm..

And we had amazing sprouts- roasted with butter, garlic, bread crumbs & parmesan. Our late teen dc said dinner was the highlight of the day despite receiving some v nice gifts. As a younger child they were fussy eaters & some years refused Christmas Dinner but we persisted even if we gave them something else. But it's established the tradition - the blueprint perhaps & its more likely that they'll take these traditions into the future with them.

I don't want one, thanks. Don't try to tell me what I can and can't eat.

I'd get rid of presents. It makes Christmas so commercial.

@ChristmasTreeMagic Thank you, what a beautiful post. I've just started with the idea of a "memento" Christmas tree decoration so that each time you look at it, it reminds you of that place. My son's SEN college had a Christmas fayre which included handmade (with help!) individual baubles and they remind me of the lovely staff and students and the sense of joy it has. The decorations are also lovely to look at.

I think your own family hardships and knowing how fragile life and good health is must give you appreciation for being able to celebrate Christmas.

All 3 of our adult dc have had or have issues which have been overcome and it's a joy to chill out together, to play games, eat turkey, and find peace and fun together

Good grief

@Abracadabra12345 Why 'Good grief'?

I feel presents become the main focus of Christmas for many people. Some actually go into debt to buy gifts.

It's such a shame as I always feel the true spirit of Christmas is so much more. For me it's about enjoying time with loved ones and friends, it's about family traditions.

Presents are great too, but in moderation not the huge retail-fest it currently is.