TO feel so liberated by low key Christmas

[Moomoomango]

This is the first year we are actively doing a low key Christmas because of financial reasons, we are only buying for children in the family (of which apart from my two there is only one) and I'm going to get my parents a voucher for a meal at a nice local fish restaurant as they have everything they need. We don't do gifts for our friends and vice versa as pretty much everyone is saving for a house/wedding/baby and so not having to spend money on presents for each other is a freeing experience for us all. My partner and I will spend about 75 pounds on each other and we have spent about 100 per child. I'm not even doing a christmas food shop this year as my parents are hosting and I don't think we need boxes of chocs and mince pies in our house. Our total spend for Christmas is going to be about 400.

This is so liberating. I feel like
I'm cheating, like I've sneakily got away with something really really cheeky.

Our usual spend is probably easily double that... but I'm feeling so much happier with less money spent, less stress and hopefully a nice chilled Christmas with loved ones.

Anyone else doing low key and totally liberated ?!

You big bunch of meanies! Just how do you think the poor old credit card companies are going to feel when they can't charge you all that Interest in the new year that there're so used to!

Poor firms, they'll be going short;!!

'Just how do you think the poor old credit card companies are going to feel when they can't charge you all that Interest in the new year that there're so used to! '

Well said. And well done to people for drawing a line and deciding to set sensible limits on Christmas spending.

DP and I have the most low key Christmas ever. We put up no decorations, don't buy each other any gifts and gave up Christmas cards years ago. We buy Christmas cake and mince pies and some nice wine but that's it. We had Christmas by ourselves at home last year and just did a nice roast chicken dinner, it was lovely. We both hate Christmas and would rather it went away to be honest

We're going to his folks this year, on the other side of the country, where FIL will martyring himself in the kitchen and refusing all offers of help, and MIL moans from the minute we arrive about what a faff it all is despite not lifting a finger to help over the whole three days. Deep joy

We're having a tiny little xmas this year - just the 3 of us at home, a tree and no other decs, probably no family at all. We're also spending less on DD this year, because she has so much anyway that half her stuff is in storage and it seems daft to buy more. Also, I don't want her getting spoilt, and do believe that time and love is a better gift than the latest electronic gadget.

I firmly believe that.

And yet I am feeling really really mean and the worst mommy ever.

£400 would be a massive Christmas spend for us but YANBU to have the Christmas you want. There's far too much pressure around Christmas.

Us too! After working our arses off all year with no hols (new business) , we are going on holiday the day after Boxing Day & are using this as an excuse to reign Christmas right in. DH & me will not be buying presents for each other, dc haven't asked for anything big so easily under £100 on each of them, not hosting it (woo hoo) so will contribute cheese/pudding to the main event & I won't bother getting any other special food in. So relaxing! I hate feeling like I've over-spent & over indulged.

This sounds normal to me!

Enjoy.

Notso I have to admit that was my first thought when I read OP too!

Maybe just because of personal experience of acquaintances who brag about how little they spend at Christmas - yeah because they shunt all the expense off to family/friends who spend £££ catering for everyone, not to mention the stress of hosting and cleaning up etc - but it's ok because guest has bought a £6 bottle of wine!

We are also doing similar this year except we are spending Christmas at home.

I have either just had a baby, been at MILs or had MIL at ours for the past 4/5 years. This year it's just us. The kids are in a routine and off my boob so I won't be exhausted and can drink a little. We have some beautiful decorations to put up and the house will be nice, cosy and warm.

I bought all my paper/tags/bags etc just after last Christmas and have been shopping throughout the year if and when I've seen things on offer so I'm about done present wise. We only have four other kids and about 3 adults to buy token gifts for. We won't do a massive food shop but will buy nicer foods.

I'm really looking forward to it. DS has some lovely gifts that we can spend the day playing with as we won't have to worry about hosting or being sociable with other people. I love MIL to bits but she can't help but tidy up constantly which makes me feel like I should go and help. I'm quite happy to leave a stack of scraped plates on side for a few hours while I play with the kids whereas she will get up and start washing up straight after tea. As its my house I feel rude if I just let her.

I know what you mean OP, it's very freeing! My mum used to go mad, buying for every Tom, Dick and Harry and doing every tradition. In later years it was just basic decor, few presents for us siblings and my dad and a meal. My first few years as a grown up at Christmas I went a bit crazy with present buying but put a stop to that when I realised I was getting in debt to do it. My DS is 2 and I haven't bought him anything at Christmas in previous years as he wouldn't have a clue anyway! It's so much less stressful to not buy loads/not travel everywhere/fulfil every tradition. It does feel like you're stood on the outside looking in at the madness..

We're doing low key as well. I don't really like Christmas that much because it seems to be just a spending frenzy and I like quiet. We'll be at home, just our family on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve will be a my mum's where I spend all day with her making an enormous salad (involving chopping eleventy-million ingredients into microscopic particles). It is an awesome salad though.

I don't want any presents for me and haven't for ages, I have or buy everything that I need. Will buy one for my husband - something weird that he's set his heart on - and obviously the kids get lots.

I know that I'd enjoy Christmas more if it didn't encroach so early... bonfire night, Halloween, Christmas - all merged into one at the shops. It makes me feel stressed.

a tree and no other decs

just wondering why no other decs???

Exactly Anotheronebitthedust as someone who regularly does the hosting it does grate a little hearing DH's siblings how marvellous they are for spending so little.

So the costs of food, hosting, work etc is being placed on others. Not really much Christmas spirit there.

Save the £150 you were going to spend between each other and give it to the hosts to help cover costs.

We have a decorated tree but no other decorations such as tinsel round mirrors, wreath on the door, decorations on the outside of the house etc etc. I assume that's what scampi means.

The tree is an artificial one that is reused each year and 90% of the baubles are the set I bought the first Christmas we had our own house 20 years ago - no new baubles every year for us to 'refresh our colour scheme' or some such bollocks aimed at getting people to treat Christmas decorations as disposable items and buy new every year.

We only really do a tree too. Maybe some pine bits on the fireplace but that's about it. Always a fresh tree from the.local farm, but we have had the same decorations for years.

I'm due DS1 in Nov so we've told everyone that were just buying for the kids this year (3 in total) and the freedom of not having to stress about what to buy people is awesome.

A few years ago, my lovely Nan died. She always spent Christmas with us and we decided we couldn't bear looking at an empty space at the table so we did a Christmas buffet instead. It was awesome. Just laid out a load of food and everyone helped themselves. It's now become our new tradition.