To ask if you think we should make a bigger deal at Christmas?

[honeyandporridge]

The threads already have me wondering.

DH often has to work so I think that's partly why it's just never been a thing. Don't decorate bar putting some cards up. DC1 gets one present. (Other DC was a baby last Christmas so didn't bother; might get her something this year.)

That's it.

I like Christmas but on the whole prefer Easter.

But other families seem to make such a fuss and I suppose I wondered if it was really very strange to have a low key day?

I'm not sure what's so complicated about that, tbh.

So you wouldn't enjoy watching them dancing at a show even though you like watching then dance? I am confused.

Oh, I expect I'd enjoy watching them - they're my children. I wouldn't enjoy the rest of it much. I know that, because I've sat through several dance shows not featuring them.

I'm not quite sure why you're fixating on this, by the way. It was a throwaway remark about one of the many things you list as 'Christmassy', that I think of as 'wintery'.

For me Christmas is about putting the decorations up ages in advance, including a massive tree, singing carols, wrapping, giving, getting and opening a shitload of presents, guzzling roast beef (none of us like turkey), Yorkshire pudding, sprouts, roast potatoes, swede, stuffing, pigs in blankets, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, mince pies with ice cream and brandy butter, getting sloshed on beer, Sancerre and liqueurs, playing board games, watching old movies and then getting up on Boxing Day to do the long walk (could drive but want to burn off Christmas calories) to go and and watch the local team if they're playing at home, if not head to the Boxing Day sales. And all that is just me, my parents and my wife.

So, to me, the OP's Christmas sounds miserable and shit, but if she and her family like it that way it would be silly to do more just because other people do.

Personally I look forward to it for months.

Exactly, BadLad. I would struggle to think of something more miserable and shit (for me, I mean) than spending December 27th at the 'Boxing Day sales' - but wouldn't it be a dull world if we all enjoyed the same things?

Got to page 4 before replying, so apologies if this has been said before. Ok forget Christmas. What about enjoying Winter? Which you may already do. Lovely crisp, ok, wet walks, into warm house, lots of throws on sofas, cosy cushions, hot chocolates, candles, new warm pyjamas for the little ones, sparkly lights. Making pictures with leaf patterns/glitter etc, Snuggling together with a film. And as for Christmas day, we have spent most of ours as three, me, dh, and dd (now 15), before going to visit family. Most favourite Christmas lunch, which we have done many times interspersed with traditional, is crispy duck and pancakes. You do it how you want to do it, but I personally would recommend having some traditions for your little ones and having fun!

multivac- do you see no-one over the festive period?

The expression "the festive period " sets my teeth on edge. I loathe Christmas. Have done since around 14 year's old. I hate the enforced jollity, the nafness of it all, the compulsory joining in. Christmas trees are a pain. Most of them look horrible too.

I don't try to stop those of you who love it , why do you feel the need to force everyone else to love it too?

Oh and "snuggle " another finger nails on a blackboard word . It gets used a lot on here re Christmas.

Again, enjoying winter is a luxury for the wealthy.

We don't really enjoy winter. We enjoy feeling protected against winter.

Winter isn't much fun if you're cold and can't afford heat, is it?

I know it's fashionable to sneer at the elf but that has been such a hit in our house. I overdid it with the do not touch it or the magic will go though. Dd2 aged 6 found the elf in a drawer last week. She was feeling sad and lonely as her big sister had just moved out of their shared bedroom.

She put socks over her hands so as not to touch the elf and therefore ruin the magic, carefully got him out and had been caring for him (with socks on hands at all times) ever since. She said she is ok sleeping alone now because of the elf. So yes it's cheesy american bla bla but for my 6 year old it's been really special.

snuggle

Im almost 58 can recall being lifted up on to my grannies knee when I was a toddler to snuggle in and go to sleep.

I grew up in poverty, we had no car, no phone, no fridge, no central heating, no holidays, no luxuries. Money was very tight,

I adored christmas- because my parents did.
My mother would bake a christmas pudding, they would save some money and give us children gifts ( things that we needed anyway) like pjs, socks, underwear, perhaps a small toy, some chalks, a skipping rope. We made decorations from coloured paper. My father would take us kids to the woods to find a small tree, we would take a wheelbarrow and collect holly and evergreen and mistletoe, come back and decorate the house.
We would sing, play games decorate the tree and get excited about santa claus.
We had chicken for christmas lunch- a real treat, chicken was too expensive to eat normally and it was the only day of the year we ever ate chicken. We hung a christmas stocking, very excited on christmas eve, it would be filled the next day with socks, hair baubles, some sweets, an apple and a small coin.

Christmas is only for the wealthy? I don't buy that at all.

chicken was too expensive to eat normally and it was the only day of the year we ever ate chicken.

I remember those days, and the year we had Chicken for Christmas Dinner for the first time. It wasnt just us. It was most of the people in the street. It had been so expensive before then but suddenly the price came down one year and it became 'all the rage' so to speak to have Chicken.

Your Christmas sounds magical by the way, and you write about it with such warmth and love.

Yes sansoora, yes my christmas as a child was very magical, mostly because my parents shared their love and laughter with us children. The things I remember most is the time and energy my parents gave to us, the games, the treasure hunts, the reading of christmas stories.

It's a shame some don't get it and think christmas is a retailing device.

Re the chicken- it was v expensive when I was growing up, and rarely eaten by us working class people. Never in the butchers, there were very few supermarkets anyway, at christmas the chicken had to be ordered. We ate it only once a year.

I think op you should do what makes you happy

I love Christmas, in fact it turns me into a different person! My house is all natural colors but at Christmas I lose all sense of taste and have tat everywhere. We have hugh trees all around our house and I get each one covered in lights, I put up four christmas trees and have bloody Yankee candles everywhere

On Christmas Eve I leave a parcel on front door step, for my ds, from the elves. I put glitter on the step and leave snow foot prints up the path and get someone to chap the door, he loved it when he was young

And I love to snuggle at Christmas, everyone home safe and sound, dark and cold outside, lights out, fire on, candles on and Arthur Christmas on.

OP, I have read the thread and have seen several comments about what you like, dislike, think is worthwhile, can't see the point of, etc.

Have you ever asked your children (the older one at least) how they would like Christmas to be?

Obviously Christmas isn't legally enforceable, but it is a cultural significant event in the UK, whether it's regarded as a religious event or secular midwinter celebration. Your child might have suggestions for things he would like you all to do as a family.

It's possible to like bats and Christmas.

Is a dislike of christmas something that is passed from parents to children?

My ( now almost adult) children love christmas too, my 18 year old comes to the garden centre to help choose a tree and stuff it into the car.
DD ( 15) will start cutting paper snowflakes ( shown to us by a Swedish friend when my kids were toddlers) to adorn the windows in early December- the first winter decoration to go up, weeks before the christmas ones go up.
It's my teenage kids who now want to make the cinnamon biscuits, the orange and clove pomanders, the brisk walks to collect the holly from the wood. It's my kids who want to read a christmas ghost story by candlelight.

I can see the twinkle in their eyes, the same twinkle that my parents had when christmas started approaching. They tell me about how much happiness christmas time brought to them when they were young kids, how at 5 years old they would rush down on christmas morning - and the first thing they would check it to see whether Santa had eaten the biscuits that had been left for him.
My guess is that they too will cast the christmas spell in their own homes when they settle.

Goblin

Love your posts

I'm with ALassUnparalled

As an adult without children it isn't easy to opt out of "the festive period" either.

As it is I'm flying abroad on the morning of Christmas day but work dictates I have to stay in the UK and endure the run up to it.

Christinayangstwistedsista x

I take it you love Christmas too?

I love all the festivals through the year- and a lot of lesser known ones too.

I adore Christmas and this thread is making me feel all excited and emotional and not mind so much that summer is coming to an end. Love reading everyone's christmas stories. Christmas has been very special and significant throughout my life.

Our tree goes up on the Friday or Saturday closest to 15th of December. All 15 foot of it. My children and grandchildren come round and we spend the day sorting it out. We also put all of my Christmas ornaments out and the highlight of the day is when one of my children go up the tree and stick a huge bright red star on top which is honour of my late mum who's name meant Star and who had a penchant for 'red hooker shoes'. Its not done with any great sense of decorum, there's usually a few funny/private to us 'comments' made, but it is done with love and she sits up there till 12th night enjoying every minute of it.

I also have Christmas pinatas made but I'll never do a Santa one again because my neighbour is till getting over the shock of a Santa head coming over the garden wall just as he was turning into the street. He rang on our door bell and said 'did the kids not like what they got' It was not one of my better ideas.

I love Christmas.

Christinayangstwistedsista your christmases sound amazing too- I bet your kids have a ball.
Watching Christmas Arthur with a snuggle - it doesn't get much better!!!

sansoora- that made me laugh!!

A 15 ' christmas tree- I am in awe!. Your christmas sounds a lot of fun, your grandchildren must adore coming to your house.