To not understand why people watch soaps on Christmas Day

[alfabetty]

Why? They are pretty mindless entertainment at the best of times, but why interrupt your family day together to watch TV? Let alone the diet of misery and unpleasant behaviour the Christmas specials seem to consist of.

I just don't get it.

Because if you follow a soap, then something very important and exicting is going ot happen on Christmas day.

If you watch a particular soap, then Christmas day is the best day to watch it. It is the one not to miss!

Um, maybe because people like them? Maybe because not everyone enjoys the same things you do? Maybe because by 7 o'clock they're sick of each other and just want to chill? Maybe your idea of Christmas would be dull as shite?

Why interupt to watch the queens speech?

Why are you so bothered about what everyone else is doing?

Because after a day that busy, and after eating that much food, it's quite nice to flake out on the sofa watching some mindless entertainment before getting the kids in the bath to empty a can of silly soap.

I can understand people sitting down for an evening, when there's nothing else going on, to watch a soap.

But however important the Xmas storyline, I don't understand why you'd turn it on to watch it when you have other people around, company, other things to do.

It's a bit like staying in to watch it on a Tuesday instead of meeting your friends in the pub. But more so as Christmas is meant to be a family get-together. It just seems odd to me for a soap to intrude on that. And given the misery level usually involved in the Xmas storyline, I can't see it could add much to the festivities.

OK. I can see the mindless entertainment thing. But why the appetite for such miserable storylines?

i agree, mil has to watch these - then again dp and sons have to watch doctor who. past caring myself now

Cos I enjoy watching it. Not sure if I will watch or not on the day (depends on what else is happening/how shattered I'm feeling and feel like a glass of Baileys and a quiet half hour!), but defnitely being Sky Plused!

Why does it bother you?

Don't watch soaps myself but I can see that if you follow one you don't want to miss an important episode so, of course, you will watch on Christmas day.

It isn't any different to choosing to watch any programme is it ?

you don't have to understand. YABU

Doesn't bother me, nor do I care what people do.

Just interested in what the appeal is. I just can't see the attraction of watching a storyline about cot death, which is apparently this year's Eastenders offering, on a day for family togetherness and celebration.

But clearly there's an appetite for it.

is why.

Because maybe not everyone is spending the day in family togetherness and celebration.

Smug much?!

You obviously do as you moved your arse to start a thread about it. I couldn't give two tosses what people do with their Christmas, you obviously need something else to think about.

am totally with op on this, misery galore from eastenders as usual, wish they'd shelve this especially at christmas.

mil has to have it turned right up too

As I said, I can understand it if you are alone or want quiet time. But the soaps seem to be trailed now as a central part of Christmas Day. And I don't understand that.

But clearly I am smug, boring and have an unnatural interest in conversation with my family as opposed to watching scenes involving dead babies.

I shall go and review my priorities.

Why watch them at any time? complete drivel at best.

ooh arsey posts on this thread, must be the eastenders viewers

Well, we actually manage to do the family thing AND watch Enders in my family.

Brilliant at multi-tasking, us!

And I appreciate this will upset some people, but we discuss the soaps too!

But only in a post-modernist deconstruction manner, in the style of how the newspapers used to disect Dickens back in the (soap of his time) day....

Because some people actually have a lot of crap to deal with at Christmas, but at least their lives are better than that.

That is the function soaps serve anyway. To make people with shit lives feel better about them.

'As I said, I can understand it if you are alone or want quiet time. But the soaps seem to be trailed now as a central part of Christmas Day. And I don't understand that.'

You don't have to understand it. Each to their own and all of that.

We all have interests that not everyone will enjoy or understand the appeal of, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong to enjoy them.

And I speak as someone who really doesn't like soaps.

blimey when we were getting bombed during the blitz we still managed to cheer ourselves up with variety shows and musicals.

now grim. wallow in others grimness too and that makes you feel better?

I was an Eastenders viewer, gave it up a couple of months back and actually don't miss it. The "dead baby" storyline is the reason I stopped watching.

But that's not really the point. I "don't get" (bloody hate that phrase, it's so dismissive) people who are so bothered about how other people spend their time. I haven't got the time or inclination to care what proportion of the population play parlour games vs how many watch Coronation Street. I'm too busy doing my own thing.

These threads always go the same way. OP "genuinely" asks the question but strangely never ever comes back and says "oh yes, I can see why people do it now, not my thing but thank you". It always ends up with the OP getting more smug and defensive (see the MN bingo result below).

But clearly I am smug, boring and have an unnatural interest in conversation with my family as opposed to watching scenes involving dead babies. What a cop out.

Exactly southeast. Watching TV isn't what I choose to do on Christmas Day, but I can see that sitting down together to watch something interesting or amusing can be a nice thing to do.

But the level of grimness currently on offer is beyond my understanding. I wasn't looking for a fight, just asking what people gain from it, or is it just habit... TV on for Eastenders, whatever else is going on.