Fucking Christmas duvets??

[sandylion]

I LOVE Christmas, so this is in no way a bah humbug thing, but does anyone else think it's getting way out of hand? Every year there is a new "thing"; Christmas jammies, Christmas eve boxes, advent calendar with actual toys (eg lego ones, playdoh ones etc), elf on the shelf, 24 advent Christmas books and now I see there are bloody Christmas duvet sets! When did these all become "traditions"? Only in the last 5 years? I sound like my mother! Christmas has become over-commercialised! AIBU or is it expensive enough without having to add to the expense! Imagine if you have more than 1 child! Is it competitive parenting? Is it over-compensation for shit parenting? Am I just being an old cow? Sorry I just saw the Christmas duvet tonight and it's proved to be my tipping point.

Christmas nappies? I shit on Santa?

Until are they advent calendars? WHere from?

YANBU. Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram have a lot to answer for! I'm opting out of all that malarkey.

No, TheHouse they're much better than that. They're LED canvases.

Adds a touch of class to the festivities I find.

I agree. Just more Stuff.

We never do PJs for christmas. If they need new warm PJs they get them Sept/Oct when the weather changes. If they can manage til Dec 25th, they can manage for the next 3 months, then we'll get them the next size up next Sept.

I've not heard of the book thing. I'd have thought it would be hard for children to really appreciate their christmas presents after getting 24 books.

I want a Santa's hat moon cup!

Ugh I hate Elf on a Shelf. So creepy.

The family traditions you adopt are yours. Whatever they are, no matter how seemingly insignificant, will be yours. I am (sob) over 40 and I still recall our Christmas Eve mince pie and sherry, the EXACT placement of stockings in our (non chimney breasted)living room. All of it. I did not, at any point feel I missed out by not having new fucking PJS!!!

Incidentally, dd is experiencing her first Christmas without a chimney breast. Her main worry is how Father Christmas will get in. She gives not a shit about pjs.

Don't like most of the above but wil admit to getting two sets of duvets last year - all mumsnet's fault. I wouldn't have heard of half of this shit otherwise. They were £5 each from poundstretcher and shocking quality but for a couple of weeks in December...

We don't do anything Xmas eve apart from go to the two
Hour church service as it's the only time we get to see family to swap cards and there's free sherry after. If I'm not home for Xmas I send them posh candles and always one of those pattetones and an ocado shop. They are ruined on Xmas day it would be awful to do if on the eve as well. They'd never go to sleep.

My sister embraces all of these. She has her decorations up now. I kid you not! Its not even the middle of fecking November and her house looks like the local bargain garden centre that can't decide if its a home or santa's bloody grotto!

She does the book thing. She does the advent calendars one in November to count down to dec 1st started the day after bonfire night then another in December. She does xmas eve presents, xmas day presents, boxing day presents, 27th is cinema day, pretty sure some crap happens between 28-30st then there are new years eve presents, new years day present; starting off the new year with a present means you'll be a spoilt little shit lucky all year.

The traditions are getting out of control and her tantrum when disney shop decided to stop doing the xmas decs with the year on. O-M-G

This year she is doing thanksgiving too. We are not American. We are in no way related to any Americans anywhere in the family (we are mostly Irish/Scot/Christian) So the holiday of thanksgiving has no significance to any of us. Yes there are thanksgiving traditions being mentioned. Its all over her FB.

But lets not forget the end of January tradition where she moans she is so broke and maxed out her husbands credit card again! It takes her all year to pay it off.

I wish I was kidding. Sadly I am not. I think my sister needs some serious help.

I am a Christmas lover, but can admit to Grinchlike feelings about the OTT nature of it. Most of these are newer reasons to spend money 'traditions' from the last 5 years.

I hate the 1st December hamper (yes people really do this).
I hate the outrageously priced advent calendars, lego/playmobil et al
I hate the book for everyday of advent (just buy 1 or 2 nice ones a year and you will have loads of Christmas books in no time at all)
I hate Elf on the Shelf (too much hype/pressure to repeat every year)
I hate the Christmas Eve hamper (dressing up a load of things kids don't care about as 'gifts') - mine get pjs, popcorn, hot choc and a movie but I don't need to present it as a hamper.

Christmas is still wonderful without any of those things. Baking together, visiting Santa, writing Christmas cards and listening to Christmas music, doing crafts and putting decorations up, driving round to see all the pretty lights, going to a panto, getting some really awesome toys on Christmas Day and eating some lovely food - surely that is MORE than enough to make Christmas 'special'?

My FB feed is full of Christmas Eve boxes and personalised plates for leaving Rudolph's fucking carrot on. (And then posts from the makers saying things like 'Ive been let down on an order, does anyone else need a plate from Barnaby and Clementine?')

What next, some shit we need to buy for Xmas eve eve in case the children can't wait to get their Xmas eve presents on Xmas eve?

I saw Christmas bedding and whatnot in the US years ago (also harvest/Autumn type stuff) and just remember thinking that the logistics would beat me and I'd end up for sure with the Xmas bedding on at Easter due to a laundry emergency or something.

I do wonder sometimes whether some people have a whole second house somewhere to store their Christmas cushions, tablecloths, bedding, entire Christmas dinner set, ovenware and tea set (as well as the usual trees and decorations etc) for the rest of the year. I admit I love Christmassy-ness and lots of decorations and so on, but where on earth do the people who buy all that stuff keep it all?

Betty your sister sounds extraordinary

Can the tampons have led flashing lights? Or the pull string ...tis the season to be jolly?

Bell on the string?

And OMG just saw about the November "advent" calendar and 1st Dec hampers

Totally agree. Its mindless. Its also one big distraction. As I know no-one who enjoys all this vacuous drivel, I am guessing shops are completely out of touch with customer and think they can brainwash people. Its had the opposite effect on me and I actively avoid them as do many others.

Would like a list of shops not doing Christmas until Christmas, 2 or 3 weeks before.

Yes, it's all getting out of hand. I saw a post on FB earlier tonight where someone had posted a picture of a Christmas duvet set asking if people thought it was suitable for her 8 yr old son.

DH was excited when I mentioned Christmas pyjamas to him last year (as in "look, these people on FB are buying pyjamas especially for Christmas, isn't that a bit OTT"), but to be fair, DH had accidentally torn holes in 2 pairs of pyjamas shortly before that.

#Festive period#

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight that's a polite way of putting it! She is in a world of her own, A disney-esque bubble of artificial sweetness. We are used to it now I guess.

FWIW my decs will be up after my own December birthday. They will come down sometime before new year. The only tradition we have is xmas stockings filled with silly things, eating enough sprouts to power a turbine and absolutely no turkey whatsoever. I don't even do advent calendars and limit gifts to £50-£70 each year mostly following the 'something to wear, something to read, something I want and something I need' rule I'm a terrible heartless mother

I didn't even know until this thread that some people did Christmas Eve gifts as well as Christmas Day. Why?

We buy a Christmas film for Christmas Eve as its a good way to chill the kids out as they will sit and pay attention if it's new.

I care not for Christmas themed anything else really. Tree, lights, tinsel, baubles, nativity scene and maybe a wreath. Job done. No themed cushions, cloths, glasses or clothes here.

Christmas nappies??? I hope they light up when the little one has a pee, or maybe not.... ..