To think Christmas has got quite of hand

[Himalaya]

People seem under so much pressure to make a picture perfect day - beautiful coordinated decorations and wrapping, elaborate Christmas dinners, mounds of presents, homemade everything etc...

Do you think Nigella, Delia, supermarkets, magazine have conned us (.....modern, overeducated women...) into an arms race of competitive christmassing?

"quite of hand"

quite off hand?

out of hand?

Is this iphone autocorrect?

Poeple who are competitive will always find something to be competitive about.

yes. Same with weddings...

I must admit to having no sympathy because people choose to behave this way, they put all this pressure on themselves, get themselves all worked up. There is no reason they are compelled to go to so much trouble and expense, so it is their choice.

There certainly is more encouragement now, and more acessories with which to be competitive about Christmas/Weddings/children's parties, but that's just entrepreneurial people seeing a gap in the market. You can't create a market as far as I know.

nope - I remember my mum getting stressed over it 25yr odd years ago.

beauitful coordinated decorations and wrapping - check
elaborate Christmas dinner - check (except it was all year round with my mother)
mounds of presents - check
homemade everything - check (Again all year round)

No Nigella, Delia, no TV, Radio 3, middle of no-where

I don't want to make a picture perfect day to impress anyone else - I do it for my children as I want them to have magical, memorable Christmasses.

The only thing i worry about it my children having a nice christams, there have been years where we have had no money but yet still managed to make it a lovely christmas.
I do think it can get too much and there is pressures these days for the perfect christmas but surley a perfect christmas is different for everyone.
As long as i have my family i could not care about anything else, i have a big family and the best bit of christmas day is us all being there together.
I try not to get bogged down with the rest, but i do no of people who go crazy but it is their choice.It is one day and gone too quick to worry too much, just have fun

it's all down to choice isnt it?you can chose to get on the treadmill and run around exhausting yourself buying presents and accessories that are too expensive. or you can chose to put things in perspective and enjoy a simple and peaceful day with people you love, and eating and drinking yummy things. I am going to a carol concert this evening - this always puts me in the right mood for christmas!

overeducated my arse

overeducated?

Yes -I meant 'out of hand' - (Ooops... I'm blaming the iPhone..)

Yes - birthdays and weddings too

Back in the day when women had no education they were taught to not have ambition - competitive Christmas is the side-effect of women having far too much education and being dissatisfied with their roles as 'homemakers' and therefore trying to channel the ambition and energy that they would use in the workplace into entirely pointless domestic prusuits such as competitive cupcake baking.

Or something.

I think that's what she meant, anyway.

Over-educated women?

yes, I know what you mean. We don't worry too much, though, we dont have a massive overhaul of the house, just tidy up a little bit, we shove the same old decorations up, do the big dinner and hope for the best. its certainly not all coordinated and beautiful here, but it is lovely nonetheless! I think you just have to be brave and not worry too much about it.

far too much education?? are men overeducated too?

I dont know, I think that Christmas has probably been competitive since the year dot. I cant imagine that the mid winter feasts of the middle ages were uncompetitive.

sounds great! i would love a bucket of KFC on christmas day - all to myself

is kfc open on Christmas day?
K F C stands for
Kant Find Chicken

I was going to post the same thing, OP.

I hate the M&S advert, with it's several different joints of meat and desserts .

It puts so much stupid pressure on people.

Its only pressure if you let it be. I just donr understand how sensible intelligent adults can feel obliged to go ott? You either want to do it or you dont.

it's so much easier these days, i remember my mum stressing so much over christmas and getting angry on christmas eve. everything (apart from pudding) cooked from scratch as you just couldn't get ready made stuff.

I dont feel that pressure
I enjoy giving presents and we have a nice roast dinner

we ahev chopped down a tree and pulled out the old decs and let the kids chuck the them on the tree

I do still have to wrap everything but thats just casue I'm a procrastinator

Doesn´t have to be stressful if you don´t let it.

We keep ours basic tbh-can´t see the point of stuffing your face stupid just because it´s Christmas.

I do "theme wrap" the childrens presents so that I know whose are whose though.