Scrooge-like I know but all this lark is getting a bit much...

[Jacobandcara]

Are we ruining Christmas? I remember only 30 years ago Christmas was mentioned a few times the weeks before, I got a quick visit to Santa at the garden centre, wrote a letter and sent it up that chimney and wore an angel costume made out of a pillow case. Magical times.
Nowadays it's all gone crazy. Mums on our local facebook 'what's on' page are clamouring over booking several 'experience' events which cost 20-30 pounds a ticket. So Santa on a train...or visit Santa cove or lights all over the local zoo and we will charge you an arm and a leg. And from the reviews on Facebook people are splashing nearly 100 quid and often these events are badly managed with hours of queing and disappointment.
Christmas eve boxes. And now today I'm a grinch for not doing a 1st of Dec box. Wtf.
The bloody elf on the shelf....yawn.
It used to be just the occassional oddball that put their decorations up in November and now it's ten a penny.
Supermarkets selling ready made nativity costumes for 15quid.
A friend of mine has just paid 20quid for a personalised Santa letter reply. Honestly.
Wheres the charm and magic when it's all drawn out over weeks and weeks?
Bah humbug

KennDodd, were on the east coast in the arse end of nowhere

Were in Switzerland and the Swiss get the tourists to spend their money. Meanwhile they do things with children like making candles (50pence per candle made at the local church hall). Nativity or other play. Just participate and make your own outfit. Make decorations for the council tree. Free. Carol singing and gluewein. free. Go round the the xmas market. free unless you buy from a stall. Sorry Blightly but youve gone a bit commerical since I last visited you and I am sad to hear it.

The Swiss and German Christmas markets are lovely. We have friends who live near Lake Constance and we've visited several local markets - lovely wooden things, candles, beeswax, decorations. Nothing plastic at all. I know in recent years we've had Christmas markets in the UK but they're a pale imitation of the German ones.

Christmas shopping in the shops is grim but I don't understand why so many people do it, now you can shop online. I understand going to a pretty Christmas market but not Argos!

Gosh I'm totally with most of the posters on this thread, except I've realised everyone will think we've put our lights up early (reality is the plain white fairy lights in our front window never come down, and I put them on once the clocks change....). DD also has a reindeer light in her bedroom that I've started putting on. It really really wasn't supposed to be about Christmas coming early though- just having some light and cheer in the darkest months. We will probably keep lighting them up till February as well.... I think everyone may be judging us!!

I work for a conservation charity. Sod Christmas, we had a meeting about Easter last week...

As for when I worked in a garden centre as a teenager, the day after august bank holiday we had to start building the Christmas displays. I went home covered in glitter and fake snow every weekend in September and by Christmas Eve I was fed up.

Please do quote where I insulted anyone's Christmas choices, Queen. That's funny. I'm against bitching about how people choose to celebrate. A stocking, a big pile, or charity giving, whatever works for each person.

If you haven't been sneery then you don't need to be defensive. I haven't paid attention to usernames so no idea who has said what.

Re: xmas jumpers. I am rather well upholstered and therefore jumpers really are not a good idea. I have managed to be off work on jumper day up until now, suggestions please.

Also it is getting bloody rediculous and I have found myself sounding like my mother saying 'it is getting earlier every year'. I believe the run up to the day and anticipation is all part of the excitment but in November? I am over it already.

I completely agree ! I love hearing about a crap "Winter Wonderland"! And then I feel bad for laughing at the sad faces in the local paper.

I'm so happy to have found people with the same guilty pleasure as me - laughing at crap Winter Wonderlands.

^A friend of mine has just paid 20quid for a personalised Santa letter reply. Honestly.
Wheres the charm and magic when it's all drawn out over weeks and weeks?
Bah humbug grin^

YNBU. I have an acquaintance who's been Christmas shopping since March and joyfully declared to me this week that they can have a nice Christmas after all as they've discovered an account with £6k in that her & DH had forgotten about. How do you forget you've got £6k?! The only thing I think of people who go OTT though is to let them get on with it. After all it's not me paying for it & certainly not paying for the plastic used come January.

P.s re the Royal Mail. DS had chicken pox over Christmas one year and was really bad with it so we couldn't go out. We emailed the RM not expecting much as we'd missed the deadline but they still managed to get hold of Santa who wrote a quick reply back to DSs letter in a card and wished him well.

Didnt cost me a penny!

People have these discussions every year. Thirty years ago you were probably less aware of the passing of time. It's seemingly more due in part to social media meaning there is no part of our lives where it is actually unable to enter the conscious. It has however always happened. I have an old black and white photograph, taken in 1974. My father was bemoaning the Christmas biscuit tins in a supermarket and took a picture to show my Mother. It's dated early September '74.

I do understand why some people have to spread the cost of Christmas. BIL works in a very seasonal job and earns the bulk of his money June - September, so they have usually finished their shopping by early October. From about June our DS has been talking about an Xbox he wanted, so we've been keeping our eyes open for deals and got one in September which is a lot cheaper than those on sale now.

That's quite different from starting the planning for the following year on Boxing Day.

I do Christmas shopping early, because I hate shopping in December. It’s all done and in the cupboard ready, but I don’t plan Christmas as such.

Nyx Ptumbi "I think we should maybe enjoy it while we can. In 5-10 years when we are all at war, the earth is grey and dead"

this is a joke yes? The things you'd miss in that scenario would be plastic Tatmas shite?!

No, what I meant was that we would miss the shops being full, the lights being on, the food being plentiful-to-excess, the heating on, the sheer availability of everything.

People who are living through war don't miss tat. They miss real things.

We’re off to get the tree today. Only because we have childcare and can’t get a tree and a car seat in the car.

I’ll also admit we’ve got a wanky present advent calendar for the child but we’re using it as their present so Christmas day they’ll get a small gift but that’s it. I didn’t want an overwhelmed toddler with loads of stuff they don’t need on Christmas Day.

The over commercialisation is ridiculous. And it screws over amazon prime too- 3 days to get a delivery now! Sheesh.

I actually don’t mind the present advent calendars if they’re useful. DS got the playmobil one last year with santa, reindeers etc. It was played with more than any other toy he got on Xmas day, and we’ve just got the set out again this year.

Yes, I think there’s a big difference between spreading the cost and overdoing it at Xmas. I shop from September because I can’t afford to do it all in one payday. But my ex colleague used to hit the Boots sale on Boxing Day to get loads of the reduced toiletries sets to give next year. I could tell when she was my secret santa because I got a squashed box of toiletries that I didn’t even like.

ptumbi - oh I see.

I tend to see the shops as being overfull and have done for about 20 years so I guess I'd miss the basics but the fact that I can choose from several blue jumpers, for example, in the high street, doesn't worry me. I think we passed plenty ages ago.

as you say with people living through war, they don't miss tat, so I guess I'd miss being able to get my asthma meds, a loaf of bread etc. I don't think I'd bother living through such a scenario though!

OP I kind of agree and kind of don't... because I love Christmas and will be putting up the decorations this weekend with the DC (which is clearly considered too soon by some).

But there are more recent things I refuse to do (and am grateful my DC are old enough to not care about...). My no.1 hate is Elf on the Shelf - just wtf? It's creepy and weird and sounds like one big PITA. My no.2 hate is 'Christmas Eve Hampers/boxes/gifts - or the same for 1st Dec. I've also heard of people doing gifts for NYD or for the 12 days of Christmas. Just no. Christmas day is the ONE day for presents. Any more than that is just pointless.

With you op. My kids are clearly deprived if I go by what others are doing a on school groups. I just don't see how going to every event is good for anyone. Mine are already going to two concerts, a trip to see Santa and we are doing a few home craft things. I am avoiding all the ' Xmas discos' and other tat. They'll have a great time without and I have a budget to stick to!

I don’t want to hear a word about Christmas until December 1st at the earliest! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas but hate the ever increasing commercialisation.

Window painting seems to be the latest Christmas craze round here. People aware all over the local Mummy Groups asking for someone to come and paint their windows. It appears to cost £20 a pop.

Fucking hell. Won’t a can of fake snow do the job?

Mind you, it might hide the grubbiness of my windows...

No fake snow; it has to be a badly-drawn minion in a Santa hat.

My children are older now and I have never heard of this elf on a shelf. Wtf is it?