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!

YANBU

I was aghast too at the extra work and effort involved with the hampers and Elf on the shelf.

Of course I got suckered in and am getting our Elf next week .

However if your not that bothered about xmas, it must seem like a lot of talking about the details but its just people sharing and talking about what they love, which happens to be something we are all involved in, Christmas.

If there was a thread about the finer art of upholstery you wouldn't look, but christmas effects you too. Never say Never, the Elf kinda creeps up on ya'.

I haven't read the whole thread,but I LURVE Christmas (my recent name change alludes to this fact )
I'm with you on the Xmas hamper thing though. That sounds like extra expense and dragging out Christmas. Christmas Day is supposed to be SPECIAL. How is it special if you get presents on Christmas Eve too?! Smacks of overload and present fatigue to me.
Sometimes I want to know what other people are eating on Christmas Day though as I love Christmas food inspiration and am a nosy cow
Likewise with film recommendations. I LOVE ELF as my name suggests but I also love others and want family film watching recommendations!

Our local Chinese is open but DH walks round to collect it and if it's a nice day we will go with him.

It makes a world of difference. We go out on Xmas eve for a turkey dinner and then Christmas day we just chill. No potato trauma!

I loathe Christmas but every year I make it happen. Dh is too busy. Kids are too small to help...I'd love to go away mid Dec and come back on the 2nd Jan. The whole thing is just a pile of fuss over nothing.

Yanbu. I hate how commercialized Christmas has become, and was when a friend posted a picture of her ds' 'advent eve hamper'... Yes that's right, advent eve! we don't even have chocolate advent calendars here

Our decorations go up when the dc finish school for the holidays, no elves on shelves or hampers to be seen. Bah humbug!

Never mind Christmas dinner, there's a whole thread about Christmas breakfast !! I always thought you ate chocolate, or maybe a bit of toast or something, and kept space for dinner and more chocolate. But apparently many people have big plans for breakfast, homemade muffins featured big. As if there wasn't enough to do already on Christmas eve, what with wrapping all those presents!

Never mind Christmas dinner, there's a whole thread about Christmas breakfast !!

I loved that thread, as I love breakfast and liked to see what others were eating to get inspiration for this year! :-)
It's usually bagel with smoked salmon on here and far too many selection box chocolates so a variation would be nice but I lack imagination lol!

I always do bacon butties on Christmas morning.

I do love Christmas. I just don't like the amount of fuss and stress and the load of pressure that some people seem to put on themselves. Then they get all moody if no one else shares their enthusiasm.

DD started talking about Xmas about a month ago, the first thing she said was "I love Xmas because we get pancakes for breakfast!" so it looks like that's going to become a tradition. It's special, but no stress (DH is excellent at pancakes so it's easy) [tchsmile]

All the faff passes me by.
Presents are bought for parents and children, doing secret santa with friends with a strict budget.
I send cards, always have done, homemade, they're finished by 1st December.
Pick up bits in January sales. Make decorations. Tree goes up 14th December.
DS's birthday is also December, so that saves usgoing mad on decorating early but also caps gift budget. We bought his birthday present in April!
DS is 2, so far we've bought 8 gifts and spent £32. Just got to pick up some play doh and we're done.
Christmas lunch is simple roast plus stuffing. Christmas cake I made the first weekend in October along with mince pies, which I have frozen.

Completely stress free, simple, enjoyable, light, relaxing etc.

I live abroad and King's Day, 6th January, is far more important than Christmas Day, so the season lasts longer. they also eat prawns and canelone for Christmas Day lunch, the loons

I went over the top on the meal planning last year and the DC had norovirus. DD was hospitalised. All I remember is the outrageous cab fare home on Boxing Day night and the price of my canteen fish pie

We sat at the table on Christmas Day for about five minutes.

Did a few nice things leading up to it, but the experience did teach me that it really is just one day.

Just noticed someone asking if you were supposed to wrap stocking fillers or not, on the Xmas thread.

Sorry poster , whoever you are but that is just the sort of daft question I have been talking about.

I think the whole point is that you are not 'supposed' to do anything. Children won't grow up resenting you because you didn't get 'Christmas pyjamas'!
Do I gather that a 'Christmas hamper' is presents and not food? (Still in the dark about that one, but someone did kindly explain the 'elf on a shelf'.)

Christmas Eve hamper just contains a collection of Christmas Eve activities, things like the pjs maybe a few chocs, Christmas books and DVDs - not necessarily new, stuff from your cupboard is fine, maybe a board game if that's your thing...maybe a bath bomb or bubble bath.

I think the theory behind the 'Xmas Eve hamper' is that if you have reluctant to sleep children, you give the a hamper with some exciting bath goodies, new pjs and hot chocolate, so you sit and watch a film, drink the hot Choc then bath and into new pjs ready for bed so Santa can come read parents can drink Baileys

Why a hamper? Just makes it sound like another thing you need to go out and buy. How about a Christmas Eve carrier bag. Or Amazon box.

Or why not just some family time?

Some of these things catch on because your child comes home from school and says "mummy/daddy, can we have a xmas hamper/christmas pjs like molly's family"?

Someone pass the humbugs over here please... I'm in a strop as dh said we should have a xmas tree this year now ds is 2. I don't like the clutter of decorations and my house is tiny. Normally just put a wreath on front door and some berries on mantelpiece. Have managed to have a xmas tree only twice in last 12 years living with dh...

Teeny tiny xmas tree?

I have actually bought new pjs for wearing on Xmas eve because I like the thought of them wearing something nice in the photos in the morning. Because it will go on Facebook

I'm trying to think of any Christmas Eve traditions we had as a family, but I can only remember me and my siblings going drinking Christmas Eve and turning up to midnight mass and singing all the carols very enthusiastically. Not sure that one will catch on.

No one I know in RL does all this Christmas eve hamper business, or elevates hot chocolate and pyjamas to some sort of sacred status.

My sister makes and sells x-mas eve hampers. I just give her the money. I have no idea what is in them, I always work on x-mas eve

There's usually porridge and glitter on my front step when I get home, so I assume that has something to do with it.

She does quite well from them, afaik.

Ah, another mumsnet myth!
There seem to be a number of them. As I have said before mumsnet is a whole other world to me.

Drr. You posted in between there D0oin, and ruined my post to boot!