Cancel christmas this year ??

[familyiswhatmatters]

Hi I no it's early but last Christmas my parents, son,husband and I have decided to spend this Christmas in the heat and go to Spain and rent a villa for a couple of weeks . This didn't fair well with the in laws ( what ever does ) they started saying things like what about santa clause. Firstly my four year old doesnt give a stuff about santa or Christmas, he has never wanted or physically opened a present , and anyway gets a present or treats every 2 weeks from me and my husband. aibu to think fuck it santa won't come this year.I'm often referred to the Christmas grinch and don't put up a single decoration it's not like he doesn't get presents and I don't even think he'd notice /care if santa didn't come

No need to forgo Christmas
Going ott not out

I am just gobsmacked by this whole set up

I'd like to echo the PPs saying it won't be hot in December. Warm in the afternoon, maybe. Not ht!

Why not go to a hot non-Christian country, then you really will get what you're after. I don't know about Spain but Italy is bloody freezing at Christmas.

Is this going to be your son's first Christmas with input from other children OP?

If he is now at school then Christmas is going to be a big thing there with school based activities and events plus the excitement of the other children. You may find his outlook changes completely.

Spain can be very hot at Christmas, my son lives Alicante/Benidorm area, and they have had better weather than we have in Summersometimes,
Maybe it depends on the area

Whether you go to Spain or not is, of course entirely up to you and your dh.
However, it need no equate with "cancelling Christmas". You could 'not celebrate Christmas' in the UK if that is your choice. Or you could either celebrate, or 'not celebrate' Christmas when you are in Spain.
Once he is spending time with other children at school, he will probably feel somewhat deprived, but, as your parents, that is your choice to make.

Your username for this thread is incredibly ironic though.

He's really laid back and has never once asked about santa he doesn't like opening presents and avoids the fake santas in shopping centres at all costs holidays in general just annoy me due to the whole country coming to a sandstill and plus every holiday ds always gets sick and what happens no chemist or doctors open

Why would he care about Christmas presents when you give him a present every two weeks? You may be creating one very spoilt child.

My boy didn't care about Christmas, because I hadn't taught him. Then he went to school and at Christmas one month before his 5th birthday he got it. Fortnightly presents won't cut it.

I once went to India one year to escape Christmas. Unbeknownst to me at the time around 30% of India is Catholic so Christmas was waiting for me; the hotel bedecked with decorations and Christmas songs playing. Long way to travel to be stuck with Christmas anyway. Spain will definitely have Christmas, tho it's not as far away I say next time I have that compulsion I'm going to Iraq in all seriousness do what makes your immediate family unit happy.

How miserable!

No one should be obliged to celebrate Christmas.

He's 4 and since he was born we done christmas with my parents (I go along with for the sake of him but he just not interested) santa came but no interest at all.but this year we want something different I didn't think I'd have the firing squad out. I thought we had free speech.

It doesn't sound like you have a Christmas to cancel!

I think it's fair enough to go away for Christmas especially as your child is quite young and will not really care about not being at home. I don't think it's fair not to put up decorations when you are doing Christmas at home..I love my childhood memories of Christmas, and I want to create traditions and memories for my little ds.

You sound really angry op

YANBU at all

I went to the Canaries on 27th December once, it was lovely weather.

I didn't care about (or believe in) Santa or anything. It must be nice to get away from the commerce. I was also in the US once just before Xmas, they don't make such a big deal. It tends to be a separate section in shops etc and just generally I got the impression you woulnd't have to hide from the horribleness of Xmas so much there.

well apart from office parties....guys at the bank told me a lot of stories when I was changing some notes

anyway, go, have a lovely time, I'm pretty sure Santa doesn't need to remain in the EU to operate over there anyway so no idea what your ILs are worried about, if you wanted to do that stuff you could.

Xmas is a hideous consumer festival. Nice one op.

PS I was also very relieved when I could move out and not do Xmas decorations and so on. I still went to my folks on the day but it was nice not to have all the boring stuff laid on. Then again, it still took me a good few years to make them understand that it didn't really matter how the food turned out, it didn't have to be extra special food because of a designated day etc.

I still hate it really. Can I join you OP? I'm not good at babysitting but we can be Bah Humbug together when your DH is doing it!

Well if he gets presents every 2 weeks I can see why the presents side of things might not seem that exciting for him. But Christmas isn't just about presents - my teenage dd loves our family traditions at Christmas even more than she loves giving (and getting!) gifts.

Do your In Laws never get to see your ds at Christmas?

Well you care a lot about not caring about Christmas to be posting about it in July.

I guess nobody really cares what you do apart from your inlaws. So do what you like.

You sound very 'extreme' it doesn't haven't to be Xmas or 'no xmas'. Just enjoy the Spanish sunshine and do a few Xmas things for your son. It's no big deal...

Free speech

I feel sorry for your child. And your inlaws.

It's all about your family, isn't it? Unless the in laws have done something absolutely heinous, it's puzzling as to why you seem hell bent on excluding them every Christmas (and at other times?).

FWIW, we've been away overseas a few times over Christmas. We always took presents from both us and Santa, and managed to have a proper Christmas celebration either before or after the trip.

As an actual fact my il have done and said some unforgivable things but I let all that go for the sake of my husband and son after everything I've put up with I'm entitled to have a bloody good time and change up Christmas

You sound a bit joyless. Rather than giving your son presents every fortnight, could you not make an effort to make Christmas a special time of the year, something he will remember with happiness when he is grown up himself.

It takes more effort than mindlessly buying him something every couple of weeks, but it might also help him to really appreciate and enjoy getting presents because they only happen on special occasions.