Christmas opinions. Give me yours.

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1. I want a Christmas tree with tinsel on it. This time of year is not about being elegant and classy. It's about fun and joy, and that's what tinsel on a tree does for me.

1. Christmas stockings should be hung with the toe pointing to the left. They look wrong facing the other direction. I didn't realise that I had strong opinions on this until today.

Tell me what your Christmas opinions are!

im not sure that this is entirely what you mean OP, but I loathe colour coordinated trees. Blue seems to be a favourite colour this year, and it strikes me as being a sort of dismal corporate effort. It’s bad enough when businesses have a plastic tree with plastic baubles and lights in company colours but I’ve seen several houses where the tree is just decorated in 2 colours, say blue and silver, and that seems joyless to me.

Cash is usually a very popular gift

Yes I agree about coloured lights- so much more Christmassy

But why when zero thought has gone into it? Gift vouchers are also crap but at least a modicum of consideration has taken place

Jellytots aren't just for Christmas!
( I think I've found my car sticker.)

Our tree has decorations collected over 30 years - all mismatched . MY SIL ( who I very much like ) goes for all silver. Each to their own. I do prefer mine but she prefers hers .

Disagree on the cash. When my sons got to teen ages they wanted cash from everyone so they could pool it and buy something big that they really wanted. Exmil refused to give cash so they got a build your own volcano kit ( shite) or a battery operated solar system ( also shite). These gifts went straight to the charity shop. Total waste of money. If the young person has a goal in mind respect that and give cash. They will appreciate it far more when they can buy the laptop they want in the January sales.

I remember getting cash as a kid. Normally £1-£2 from Gran (in the 80s). We didn't get pocket money, or really any other money and the excitement of being able to go to the shops and buy something myself is something I remember more than opening presents.

Our Christmas tree has loads of coloured lights on. And loads of tinsel. And I've just finished wrapping one of our apple trees outside with lots of lights. It will sparkle like a little star now.

Lots of presents, which include useful things as well as fun things, are better than a small pile of just fun things.

Next year I'm going to put the decorations up super early and enjoy them I've said this every year for the last 10

Some people go overboard and spend a fortune and end up in debt and moaning in January they have no money. Every. single. year

Also, you do realise the stress that you are under is usually self inflicted!

Another fan of the tiny screwdriver kit here. Fantastic for glasses.

Christmas pop songs - ‘I wish it could be christmas’ etc - are all utter shite. Carols, on the other hand, are timelessly beautiful and I’ll never tire of hearing them. Why can’t they play me proper carols at the hairdresser/supermarket rather than more bloody Mariah.

I’m a socialist in all matters except carols and believe they are best sung by the poshest little boys going, ideally from Kings. Oh and carols sound so wrong in an American accent.

I bought a tree that sits in a pot outside (blue spruce) and decorated that and I won't have an indoor one again (have animals who try and kill the indoor tree so this was a win win)

Only the older folk eat my trifle - younger folk prefer the Yule log/xmas cupcakes

Coloured lights are the best

I also agree presents should be opened one at a time

Also agree Xmas meal doesn't need a starter

We have yorkshires with Xmas dinner (and every roast we do)

Don't understand what Xmas eve boxes are - saw them on here but they didn't exist when my kids were small (we have always done Xmas pyjamas on Xmas eve though)

Cranberry sauce is the work of the devil (though Dp adores it!)

Only stockings are from Father Christmas, all other presents are from mummy and daddy and family members. All stocking presents must be wrapped. It must contain a satsuma.

crackers must have arms crossed and everyone shouts happy Christmas while standing up before pulling the crackers (before the meal)

must watch kings speech

must have a Christmas Day walk and or church

I gave £60 for my brothers 3 boys towards Merlin passes, they are 8 & under, they also got a small gift & chocolate coins, I'm not tacky thanks very much 😜
Also they not be able to afford the passes if I didn't contribute so certainly not pointless

Christmas dinner is just a roast dinner and really not worth getting super stressed about even if it goes completely wrong there is more than likely back up food .😁

DH and I both left handed (and DS 15months so too small to get a vote) and our stockings point to the right…

Roast dinners are overrated. I don't know why, because I love all the components, especially the gravy. But on Christmas Day? Bloody hate it, always have. We do a buffet instead and cook all sorts in advance. I love cooking and we do a bit on the day, but for some reason cooking a roast angers me. It's such a simple meal so I don't know why, but I loathe it. It's just...boring.

It just feels like a fussy Sunday dinner. Would much rather have fancy bits, popping into the kitchen to whack up a guacamole and maybe make some prawns in garlic butter, put together a cheeseboard. Staples on the buffet table and extras as and when desired.

A pudding needs a sprig of real holly on top of it. It isn't actually Christmas without pudding and holly. (If possible, the lights should be dimmed and the pudding should be covered with brandy and set on fire.)

Just checked my dds stockings they lay out, dd2 (right handed) has the toe pointing to the left, dd3 (leftie) has the toe pointing to the right 👀 how have I never noticed this before??

Cash ( or Bank Transfer ) is my DS present of choice , he is 25 and has thought this for most of his life . When he was younger I thought of lots of fancy ways to dress it up ( in a balloon, box-in-a-box-in-a-box , slipped into a book with fancy paperclips ) now he gets £10 from the Cats and a bank transfer , he;s happy .

Christmas Markets are pretty rubbish and the idea they are fun and festive should stay in your head as a lovely glow-ey thought (because they are not )

Yes, yes, yes and yes! But when do you open your presents? Please say after lunch....

@Chipshopninja cash gives you agency, which is often highly prized by those who do not have a great deal of agency.

People get way too stressed out over it and end up ruining it for themselves because of their unrealistic expectations.

December is not Christmas.

Christmas does not end on the 25th.

There seems to be a real shift towards over celebrating very early.
( My local garden centre had stripped the place by 21st of December!)

Sorry no. Definitely before lunch.
Then after lunch we play board games.