To think some people are taking Christmas far too seriously...

[Lagoonablue]

I don't normally post on here and yes 'each to their own' etc but seriously when I see some of the stuff about. Christmas on MN I am astounded.

Who has the time to devote to 'Xmas Eve hampers'. When were they invented? Agonies over how much to spend, whether to give baby a present or not, when to put the tree up........

Sheesh. I like xmas, it is fun! don't want to piss on your chips but some of the dilemmas aired with regard to ONE day are staggering. If you want roast parsnips as well as roast potatoes just bloody have them! If you can't decide between Polar Express and Arfer christmas as 'the Xmas film' then watch both!

I am prepared to be told to stay off the Christmas boards but the posts keep cropping up in active convos and honestly,I find myself clicking on them to see what very important dilemma needs to be sorted out before dec 25th.

Yes I know.....mind my own business. Bah humbug!

[noblegiraffe]

Yanbu, I feel exhausted just reading about Elves doing naughty stuff, hand-crafted advent calendars and Christmas wrapping paper themes.

I suppose if people enjoy that sort of thing, then that's up to them. I think there's a possibility that the Big Day could be an utter anticlimax after all that build up though which has potential to be very upsetting.

[YouTheCat]

Me too, Sirzy. I have a couple of non-vital stocking fillers to get.

The best bit about the build up is knowing I can have a gentle meander around the Christmas market and mock the last minute shoppers.

Dp has just done all his Christmas shopping online - whilst he banished me to the kitchen.

Christmas is relaxed and fun in this house. I do Christmas baking on Christmas eve because I enjoy doing it, find it relaxing and can put on the Carols and have a good sing song. All the veg is prepped the day before and dinner is no more stressful than doing a Sunday roast.

I don't get all the fuss and drama.

[littlewhitechristmasbag]

We don't have parsnips as no one likes them much. However we do have broccoli. One of my colleagues was apoplectic with rage when I said we had broccoli as it is not a 'Christmas vegetable' [tchconfused]

[mumofbeautys]

I think to most mothers though the stress is making it perfect for there children surely ?

like I wouldn't put the effort in if it was just me but I love seeing my kids with there new pjs from the xmas eve hamper , watching the dvd from the hamper together .. making ginger bread houses... watching them decorate the tree and the singing snowmans. this year I actually attempted to rent out a santas grotto lol !!!
so me as the mum being stressed for a few weeks isn't a big deal.

[SatinSandals]

YANBU
I think that people have such problems because they have the idea of 'the perfect Christmas', if you are laid back, don't have huge expectations you don't get disappointed.

[Bonsoir]

Never take advertisements or anything in a women's magazine as inspiration for your Christmas celebrations.

[YouTheCat]

I took my inspiration from men's magazines and so Christmas involves a lot of lager and telly.

[Bonsoir]

IMVHO people want:

1. a few presents they really like
2. extremely nice food
3. a warm, comfortable, appropriately decorated home
4. not to have to frequent relations they hate
5. a relaxed atmosphere (so no tense timing)

[Chivetalking]

YANBU.

Every fucking occasion seems to have been hi-jacked by the marketing men these days. Sometimes it seems the entire country has been suckered by the hard sell.

Wasn't like this in the olden days

[tracypenisbeaker]

I want to kiss you OP.


I'm sick to death of it already, and it's just hit December. Walking around town today and seen the continental Christmas market absolutely crawling with people. I couldn't walk down the street at a normal pace because bloody people kept stopping dead (my pet hate) in the street to take photos of the market/ decorations. It's only the 1st of December and both shopping centres were choc-a-bloc with an insane amount of people buying tat that will end up in land-fill in a couple of months time.

Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas. For what it is. I can't stand people who put on the dramatics and create problems for themselves when they really don't need to- getting into a flurry of debt, agonising over sleeping arrangements/ travel arrangements months in advance, getting pissed off because they aren't happy with the gifts they have been given because they spent a considerable amount of time festering over what to get the other person. Granted, it's shitty when it happens, but giving to get is really not the point, is it? You might as well trade twenty pound notes to make sure that everyone is content and equal.

Honestly, to me Christmas day is so anti-climatic considering the amount of hype that goes along with it. My typical day consists of opening gifts (lasts about 20 mins if I pace myself) and then a turkey dinner. Shite on TV for a bit, and before I know it it's past twelve, making it officially Boxing Day. Can't exactly piss my pants in excitement this far in advance over that, I'm afraid.

[Bonsoir]

Nigella is actually quite good at Christmas, though don't think you have to make every single recipe. And definitely buy your Christmas pudding. Waitrose Duchy Originals is lovely (with Nigella's brandy butter).

Lots of champagne always good.

[Golddigger]

Perhaps you would be best starting a thread asking people to start threads on the Christmas board?

[Heathcliff27]

I personally couldn't give a rats arse what anyone else is or isn't doing. Maybe you're taking it all too seriously by starting a thread?....

[IamInvisible]

YANBU.

I've done my shopping, most of it was done on line. I don't have a 'theme' for the wrapping paper, I just pick up what I like in the shop. The tree gets dragged out of the garage and the decorations are ones we've collected since we've been married and had kids.

The cakes are made, I've only done 2 because DH is away and won't be back till the end of January and the kids will have eaten the damn thing before he arrives. Dinner is a roast basically with a few extra bits.

There is no such thing as 'perfect' however hard you plan. One year I gave birth 3 weeks early on Christmae Eve, the following year DS2 was just out of hospital with pneumonia, the year after we were all still on bland food after the Norovirus.

In my mind, it's better to relax, go with the flow and take the pressure off a bit. Lower your expectations and don't run yourself ragged, it's supposed to be fun.

[Titsalinabumsquash]

Who had the time to devote to 'Xmas Eve hampers?'

Erm, me! It's sticking some pjs and hot chocolate in a basket... Who doesn't have that time?

[DiseasesOfTheSheep]

I go a bit nuts at Christmas - but I'm actually a lot less of a grumpy old sod than I am the rest of the year, so definitely no stress! I've done loads of present shopping (almost all online), will do the same for food shopping (online!) and pick up the Christmas tree from the nice quiet place up the road. I'm practically a hermit, so don't spend a lot of time in town centres / shopping malls anyway.

This means that:

A) I haven't spent a fortune panic buying tat
B) I don't have to deal with busy shopping places and people stopping dead for no reason
C) no big extended family to worry about cooking for or anything! Super laid back here!

[Bunbaker]

I totally agree with every word. I think so many people stress themselves far too unnecessarily for the sake of one day of overindulgence.

Personally, Christmas stopped being special for me many years ago, and I can take it or leave it. I don't understand why some people love it so much that they get their knickers in a twist about it.

It is very much a first world problem isn't it.

[Bunbaker]

Oh, and until I joined MN I had never heard of Christmas Eve hampers. I spend enough on DD without having to consider yet more things to spend my money on.

[Golddigger]

I have just had a look at active convos. I have 100 threads showing.
14 are about Christmas, though one is about debt and one is about a relationship.
Other than that [and not counting yours that is not in the Christmas category!], 5 are on the Christmas board, and 7 are not.

Didnt realised that there were quite so many threads about Christmas right now!

[Golddigger]

I had never heard of christmas pjs, but after someone started a thread against them, I ended up for them!

[IamInvisible]

I'm another who had never heard of "Christmas Eve hampers" until I joined MN. I asked my kids if they felt like they missed out because they've never had one and they went [tchhmm] "Why would you do that?"

[80sMum]

One of the nicest Christmas Days I had, we were in Florida and packed some sandwiches in the cool box and went to a beach. It was almost deserted. We sat at a picnic table under a palm tree, next to the turquoise sea, just chilling out and enjoying the peace and quiet. No alcohol, no turkey, no Christmas tree, no presents and no other people. Heaven!!

[noblegiraffe]

I seem to remember a thread a while back where someone asked what people would think if they went to someone's house and Xmas dinner wasn't turkey. Salmon or something else nice.

It was bonkers, like they'd suggested serving up a sandwich, people saying they'd be gutted.

Over investment.

[Monetbyhimself]

Has anyone dared to suggest having sweetcorn with Christmas dinner yet ? That was one of the best dilemmas I've ever read about on MN.

I love Christmas but prefer the relaxed approach.