Something you miss from Christmas past…

[ClassicStripe]

I miss proper late night shopping. Every time I hear “Stay another Day” I am instantly back to being a teenager wondering around New Look and River Island picking my Christmas presents. Then we would have market chips for dinner!

My dad 🥰

And visiting Father Christmas (kids too old now).

The simplicity. It didn't really get going until mid December. You visited santa in a corner of the department store if you were lucky. There wasnt multiple Winter Wonderlands . There was no fucking Elf on the Shelf or secret Santa Cams. There was a lot less pressure on having "the perfect Christmas" and "making memories" and somehow it was still a lovely time and memories were made.

Getting a stocking overnight

I dont know if this is just my perception, but no ones tree or decorations had to look ‘nice.’ People just put up their decades old skeletal tinsel tree with some mismatched homemade decorations and lights and everyone was happy. The garlands around the room were just ones we made out of crepe paper. If we had extra tinsel we’d find something random to drape it around.

Nowadays people have decorations that match, or are themed, and I feel this is just an area of my life I will never manage to get right, since working string lights is pretty much the bar I set for success.

Big family Christmases at the grandparents.

This.
We actually do it at my mum’s (on Boxing Day as SIL sees her mum on Christmas Day) so my kids have the same experience but I miss my nan and grandad, uncles and aunties and cousins.
I try to remember that we still have the same Christmas just that I am now mum/auntie.

Agree with the late night shopping on a Thursday night, it felt exciting as a young teen.

I miss Christmas cards - I do. I used to love writing and receiving them. I still would write them but now the cost of postage is more than the cards it's pointless.

Also agree with a basic Santa visit. Everything has to be an "experience" now.

Big glass jars of Roses and Quality Street - the only time I'd year we'd have them.

My parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts

but my little family has expanded over the last 3 years & it’s so exciting to have brand new children, toddlers, babies and I’m looking forward to watching their faces

jyst can’t believe sometimes I’m the top of the family tree in my mid 50s

Nothing, just the people who aren't here any more.

My kids' Christmases are pretty similar to mine at that age, and lovely it is too.

Well, I miss someone else doing all the work.

Doing it in the blazing sun in Johannesburg. Turkey on the braai followed by a swim.

Waking up and feeling the weight of a full stocking at the end of the bed, and the rustle of paper inside it.

My dear old Mum - and also mother-in-law (Nan). I guess that's just a bit daft as we can't go on forever,

Merry Christmas and hugs for anyone with a recent loss this year

The Christmas Namechange thread on Mumsnet 😁

I miss being the child on Christmas 😂

not until becoming a mum and ‘the magic of Christmas’ did I realise how hard my parents worked to make it the most special magical time of the year.

thankfully this year we are all up at my mums Christmas Day there will be a whopping 25 of us so with all the uncles aunts grandparents on site I don’t have to cook or hold my baby for an entire day 😂

i agree about the thursday late night
disappointed when that stopped
ds used to make a marvellous christmas but i dont miss the masses of alcohol, starting at 12

Dear family members that we have lost is the only thing I miss, Christmas is not the same now.

The old style Christmas tree lights (where if one bulb went the whole string died). They were pointy ovals and the feel of them when you touched them is my Christmas past.

They had such a particular tingly feel under the warm smooth glass.

I miss the big family Christmas. sadly our family has got small. Our kids don’t have the big load of cousins to play with.

I miss my childhood Boxing Day. We all went to my nan’s house. I had loads of cousins and all the children had a table in one room and all the adults a table in the other room (couldn’t all fit in one room). It was my grandads birthday and he always got a £5 note in his Xmas pudding (we all got a coin hidden in ours). I loved the atmosphere of getting together with my aunts and uncles and cousins who I didn’t see a lot through the year. Sadly many of them have passed on, including my mum, and cousins have their own extended families now.

Im pretty sure this was an influence on me having four children! Mine are all young adults now and family is growing again as they get partners :) .