To think The question What did you get for christmas is a strange one for an adult?

[NormaSmuff]

Went back to work and have been asked this question, which always stumps me.
I have a family with 3 dc.

to me Christmas is all about giving and , seeing family.
and tbh I can never remember what I got.
aibu
this question always has me stumped.
my pleasure is seeing the gifts I ahve bought being received. I am not sanctimonious, but I just can never remember

punjanatea woah steady on old girl!!

I think its bad manners to ask ANYONE anything about ANYTHING money or gift related unless you know them very very well.

"Did you have a nice Christmas break?" is fine.

My best friend does this. It would throw me when I was younger (16/17) because firstly it felt like one of those things you shouldn't talk about, like how much money was is your current account and secondly it felt like I had become a contestant on the generation game trying to remember the whole list. It took a few years to realise what she meant was "Ask me what I got for Christmas!" and a quick "oh no, you tell me first" was enough to dodge the question. Twenty years later, that's still working for me. Nobody else asks me. Maybe it's only a handful of people who do this but they ask hundreds of people?

On a scale of bad manners though it's pretty far down the list though. Much lower than 'how did your smear test go'?

Anyway I've already apologised but the whole generation snowflake thing really pisses me off. I come into contact with a lot of young people who are just trying their best to get by. they've been marketed to their whole life on the basis that goods will make them happy in order to make the generation above them rich. This generation now looks down on them for being materialistic

There are also plenty of young people who aren't materialistic at all and plenty of old people who are.

"Did you have a nice break?" can be just as intrusive if you spent the time alone, or arguing with your dh, or shuttling between different parts of the family trying to keep everyone happy.

But you can say "yes did you?" to a nice break question

I suppose if they say 'did you get anything nice for Xmas?' you can just say 'yes did you' but it really does make me want to say 'yes but I don't want to talk about it because i am not TWELVE'

I suppose if they say 'did you get anything nice for Xmas?' you can just say 'yes did you' but it really does make me want to say 'yes but I don't want to talk about it because i am not TWELVE'

Well, each to their very, very own...

Actually to be fair noone has asked me this question for years apart from the other day.

Anyway, its past the cut off now for talking about Christmas isn't it?

The did you have a nice break question is much more of a closed question. It's then harder to gush about your wonderful time. You can't really say much more than yes, lovely thanks - You? The gift question is much more open ended and leads more easily into general conversation about christmas.

I don't think anyone really wants to have a conversation about someones Xmas do they? I certainly don't.

Sometimes I am in situations of having to spend quite long chunks of time with people I don't know very well or have few common interest with; the alternative to that sort of chat is long silences. I know which I would prefer. Perhaps you are never in a situation where small talk is necessary then.

I chat for England. I spend most of my free time standing on the sidelines or sitting by a pool, or at work. I've done Christmas now, there are tons of other things to talk about.

Of course, and I haven't bought up the subject of christmas for a good while either. But for a time it was a good neutral subject to chat about.

I don't think anyone really wants to have a conversation about someones Xmas do they?

I do! I both asked and answered questions about my / their Christmas yesterday in fact. No raised eyebrows or feelings of privacy invaded at all.

Oh god

I did say to someone the other day 'did you have a good new year?' and she just sort of blinked slowly and said 'oh god. that was Aaaages ago'

snooty mare

But if i wanted to chat about someone's xmas I'd ask them something about where they spent it/what they did for xmas, not what presents they got.

I like Christmas, but adult gifts are way down my list of interests when I think or talk about a nice Christmas.

It's really not strange at all. It's small talk.

Yabu.

We don't really do presents at Christmas but the question doesn't bother me - I just say we don't really do presents. Saying you can't remember just seems bizarre

YANBU, it's an odd thing to ask an adult. It also puts people who don't celebrate Christmas in an awkward position as present-giving is a particularly Christmassy thing, whereas 'did you have a nice Christmas' can be met with 'I had a good break, thank you' without having to get into why they don't celebrate Christmas..