Ridiculous made up 'traditions'

[Sittinonthefloor]

Looking at you on your shelf, Elf . It actually has the word 'tradition' on the box, after what, 2 years?

Also spotted today 'Christmas Table Favours' eh? Not a thing! They were like wedding favours (also ridiculous) but gold and silver. That's what crackers are for surely?

Advent calendars for grown ups, Christmas pjs, also Christmas Eve boxes (haven't dared discover what they are though).

Love, love, love made up / evolved family traditions but feel irrationally enraged by the commercial ones, and more so that people seem to fall for it with enthusiasm!

I can't stand the new Christmas Eve boxes tradition. What kind of total shit is that!!! You can't wait a day until your presents on Christmas Day so you have to have a box of new pjs, films, etc on Christmas Eve. Completely baffles me. Just...why?

Retailers must be rubbing their hands in glee at our nonsense traditions.

I just can't see how people have the time and effort to do all this stuff,
Week before Christmas: tree goes up
Christmas Eve : few drinks at the pub and midnight mad
Christmas Day , kids stockings with half a dozen nice pressies, normal breakfast, open gifts again 4 or five nice gifts for the kids, big long walk, turkey roast dinner,
Christmas night, open house for turkey sandwiches
Boxing Day another long walk and eat left overs
That's it a pretty standard weekend with a few gifts and crackers chucked in, everyone seems happy enough without the other associated hype

The pjs are so they are smart for Santa despite DS1 is now and DS2 17

My class were desperate to tell me about the elf, the hugely expensive advent calendars, the decorations.

In response I read them "Lucy and Tom's Christmas" by Shirley Hughes, which is so old it seems positively Spartan with its pudding making, carol singing and playing games on paper. They were entranced. They even all agreed that Toms present for Lucy ( a pen that can change colour) was AWESOME. I explained why they put their tree up on Xmas Eve, how they stirred a wish into a pudding, and what the green leaves their mum hung up were.

Retro Christmas in my class now. Colour changing pens as presents. Also learning an "old fashioned" carol. (Once in Royal David's City)

We started the family tradition four years ago of buggering off somewhere hot and thankfully avoiding all the insanity!!!

Our traditions are rather boring.

Rummaging about in the loft looking for decorations the getting sentimental about the dried pasta nursery ones.
Peeling sprouts to the carols then stinking out the kitchen with fish pie on Christmas Eve.
Looking for sellotape at 11pm

I love the Christmas pyjamas idea.

DS2 said the other week that can he not have new pjs this year - DS1 told him off

Upanddown we've given ours a little Christmas eve present and new pyjamas for the last 20 years. DS1 used to get so excited he'd make himself ill and having a little something on Christmas eve stopped that. We just picked something little out of the stocking fillers, plus a Beano and a sweetie and it carried on with DS2.

I was going to say I don't know why it bothers you so much, live and let live, blah, blah, blah, but then realised what a hypocrite I am since I fucking hate that all elf on the shelf shit!

phlebasconsidered we still stir a wish into the pudding .

wondering if anyone would like to copy my tradition of ham and pickled onions for Christmas breakfast? We only ever had pickled onions at Christmas as a kid so had to get as many as possible!

People buying unnecessary nightwear doesn't bother me as such, I find it quite fascinating though.

Do you wash them first? I can't wear anything til it's been washed.

There are a lot of posts on here along the lines of 'oh NO we don't do THAT, THAT is awful, but we do THIS'

Your 'THIS' could well be someone else's 'THAT.

There are also quite a lot of things I would like to make a family tradition, long walks, midnight mass, a night in the pub, but they are not going to happen.

So I work with what I have got as do most people.

There is an awful lot of Christmas snobbery on MN. Just let people get on with it. I wouldn't buy an elf but I am not going to assume someone who does is a grabby, attention seeking pleb.

phlebas I just recommended Lucy and Tom's Christmas on another thread and said it is what I aspire to at Christmas every year.

We do some sort of baking, making cards and decorations, and the children choose simple gifts for each other and us. Stockings at the end of the bed, carol service, family, food and a walk.

As an aside I remember one year mum let me open one of my presents on Christmas Eve after I begged her. I wish I hadn't opened it, it really spoiled th anticipation, so I always try to remember that that is where the magic of Christmas is.

There is an awful lot of Christmas snobbery on MN. Just let people get on with it.

LOL, cool.. for the people who DO "just get on with it"
but the people who complain FOR THE WHOLE OF DECEMBER about HAVING to do something totally optional like elf or buying brand new single use christmas tat.. they're inviting my judgement!

I honestly don't know anyone in RL who does the Elf thing or the Christmas Eve box thing.

*Whole (elf on the shelf shit), sorry.

Sparkling No, we don't wash the PJs first and nobody has been hurt, as of yet.

The most obnoxious new 'tradition' I've seen is £50-100 'beauty advent calendars' where women buy a box of overpriced tat which they will only ever use half of just for the pleasure of having something new every day since when do we need something new every fucking day?
And Yankee candle advent calendars are bloody madness. I love me a good smelly candle but ending up with 24 slightly burnt Yankee candle miniatures is just a ballache.

How do you mean Tinsel? Do they come round your house every day and moan about it?
Or do you mean they over post on FB? Because you know there is something you can do about that if its causing you stress.

I come out in a rash and so does DS1 if we wear clothes prior to washing Rude

Namechange, maybe your only interaction with other people is facebook, but it's not mine.

I spend more time at work or at the school gates or at the kids activities than I do on facebook and unfortunately there isn't a "see/hear less of this" button for people in the break room at work!

Good job you don't then Sparkling. You don't want an itchy bum on Christmas day, of all days.

yesterday I bumped into someone from work who was all flustered because of how much she'ld spend on re-fillable advent callender tat - not in a "what fun" way, it just baffled me, if it's not enjoyable, you don't have to do it? just do something different this year?

Satsuki I honestly believe it's the loveliest Christmas book. My kids love it and they are too old for it! I am going to show my class now to play the paper game this Golden Time.

My class loved baby Elizabeth sleeping in the wrapping paper like a hamster. And having an elderly person in for dinner! Such a lovely book. Nothing exciting happens, no mystery. Just lovely pictures with so much going on. Honesty about the day ( Tom getting grumpy and leading to calm down) and little things like lights and snow being the best. I have a rare large scale version i have treasured ever since i started teaching. That and a big version of "Once there were giants", which i almost sob reading.

Something to do with the chemicals on new clothes apparently. I will stick with my normal nightwear.

Commercialsed ones i dislike. My families new pjs and slippers on xmas eve has nothing to do with commercialism - was something my nan did for mum and uncle, a kind of 'fresh jamas for santa' and it stuck, I love it and think its sweet - will be doing same with my kids. Other traditions - stockimgs at end of bed, hot drink anf buscuits christmas morning, turkey dinner on the day, turkey curry the next day. Christmas eve boxes ive seen are silly - slippers, jalmmas, hot choc and a few sweets fpr 25 quid epach! Youd get it cheaper playing individually. Xmas jumpers - theyre ok but not a must really