Christmas nonsense that can get in the sea

[YimYum]

Matching family pyjamas
Matching family jumpers
Photoshoots involving the above
The Elf
Christmas Eve boxes
Hot chocolate stations
Light trails

This is all just absolute nonsense that people are being sucked into by advertising and social media #makingmemories scams.

There, you're welcome. From a Grinch.

You do know that slightly festive pjs can be worn for the rest of winter/til they no longer fit? Like, people don't tend to immediately throw out perfectly good sleep clothes on Boxing Day

Never did any of those things.

I need to keep 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' (even if it's a shit poem with dreadful meter) as I read it to DS1 and DS2 every Christmas Eve. They're 26 and 24!

Well, I've resisted buying them until DDs are 15 and 19 if that helps. They have both finished growing, and I got L for DH, which should even accommodate a festive cheese belly.

My Christmas jumper dates from at least ten years ago and still fits fine.

Our Christmas tree is so old we got it from Woolworths. I have some tree ornaments that date from the 1940s.

Ready-made supermarket 'Party Food' that gives you no clue as to what it is or whether you will regret your decision to give it a go anyway.

Certain family members that expect us to do Christmas the way that they do despite our circumstances being the complete opposite.
They think you’re a disgrace if you don’t spend extortionate amounts on presents, the piles must fill the living room in their eyes. I have done this in the past when my child was younger but now they are older it isn’t realistic, teenagers presents are often smaller and super expensive.
I can’t see them without being asked where I’ve been shopping that day, what have I ordered, etc etc. It’s mentally draining and I am on the edge of going low contact and grey rocking them.

'A trespassing old man' did make me laugh!

Why are you so upset about how other people choose to mark Christmas? We have the elf albeit a very boring one who doesn't do stunts, just moves around a bit.

The dc also get small Christmas Eve boxes just with some pjs, a book and hot chocolate. Basically things we can use on Christmas Eve to make it a bit more special than a regular night.

Hot chocolate stations - just another way to say an area with lots of toppings set up.

Light trails...what's not to like about walking and twinkly lights?!

Now if you're referring to people who go over the top with all of these things with the sole intention of bragging, competing and posting it all over social media then yes I can see your point. It's annoying and they should remember there are no trophies for winning Christmas. However I think it's a bit mean spirited to basically slag off harmless traditions that other families enjoy.

I love all the Christmas crap. My mother was completely over the top with Christmas when we were children and they are some of the fondest memories of my life so I do the same for my son. So much fun!

People who assume that their way of doing/ their experience of christmas (and the run up to it) is the Only True Way.
For instance people are judgy that I spend a fuck ton on ds and dh. However, they will get nothing from anyone else (and neither will I) and we will spend Christmas as a three again. So we also eat the food we want to as there is zero point cooking a traditional christmas dinner when no one is that bothered. All day party food for the win, but it freaks others out

Why would you only use them a few days per year 😂 I get my children a pair of Christmas pyjamas which they wear until they’re too small- I’m fairly sure this is what most people do with them!

I keep seeing “brrrr baskets” all over instagram and Facebook this year. They appear to be another excuse to buy a load of tat from B&M, shove it in a basket and give it to your child at the start of December for…unknown reasons. It appears to be important to post photos of the basket-o-crap on social media.

Is that what they are! I saw a colleague had gone all-out for this on her socials, and it looked like she'd spent more on all that than my DCs will get on Christmas Day itself! When did this become a thing? I thought Christmas Eve boxes were bad enough, this really is a step too far and I don't mean to be Grinchy with it. If I did all that, I'd be in debt and totally out of gift ideas for the day itself.

Agreed, OP!

For the first time ever we have got matching PJs, me, DD and DP, he was weridly up for it.

there will be NO photographic evidence of this event, and will be on social media over my dead body.

Seriously DD wanted it and DP said he didnt mind so we ordered some. The bottoms are not very Christmas looking so can be used all year round.

@claryQuorn Roast! They don’t look particularly appetising but I promise, once roasted and sliced they’re amazzzzing. Also NOT vegan which is even better (There’s a huge difference between veggie Quorn products and vegan Quorn products).

I agree. It's nonsense.

Yep I agree.

Chuck the miserable people who think matching PJs are a summons into the sea. Chuck a guide on 'how to stay off social media' with them for good measure.

@YimYum I am happy to report that I am a proud lover of everything on your list 😂 I'm a sucker for everything Christmas related. Also for the record I am on zero social media platforms and therefore these things are just for our family to enjoy privately 😊

Cor, what a saviour!! Good for you, would you like your blue peter badge posted or send via pigeon?

THANK YOU OP!

I loathe all this nonsense. Last Christmas I read a thread on here about ‘who is doing a North Pole breakfast?’
Fuck off!
I also live quite close to that tacky Lapland UK place. Luckily my kids are adults, even then I would baulk at the prices…£500 each or something ridiculous. I can’t remember.
Also Elf on the shelf can fuck off, and the film Elf.
Needless to say, I have never been to winter wonderland and that won’t ever change!

Jeez…wait ‘til Valentine’s Day!

Oh dear, I do all of your list apart from we have a 1st of Dec box rather than a Xmas Eve box to get maximum use and I don’t like hot chocolate so that’s a no.

My Xmas hate is every supermarket festive sandwich having cranberry sauce on, has anyone seen anywhere that sells sauce less festive sandwiches?!?!

Whinging moaning miseries who want to police other people's fun because it's tacky can get in the bin.

Everything costing an arm and a leg can also do one; we don't do much at Christmas but it would be nice to splash out a little bit.

It’s the posting everything online that really gets me riled up. I really don’t care what things other people choose to do, buy or go to. What I don’t need is the piles of ostentation posted all over Facebook with a message about how much they love their kids. Because of course the amount of tat in your home is a measure of love.

I am so glad I have teens now and get told that social media is a form of mind control. I obviously don’t love them enough…