to be a bit shocked by the Christmas topic

[user1485342611]

Someone mentioned it on a thread yesterday and I ventured in out of curiosity. There are people on there anticipating and planning Christmas from about April on, discussing Christmas in August, worrying about it in June?????

Fair enough, people want to spread the cost across a few months, but beyond that why on earth would you be planning Christmas and talking about it in the middle of Summer?

AIBU to find this a bit strange?

We have all decided to make next year gift free, and just enjoy being a family together enjoying a good roast dinner! It gets more ridiculous every year and Christmas is nothing more than retail exploitation these days. It starts as soon as Halloween is over, and it's taken all the magic away. The "perfect" Christmas isn't what you've bought or what you've cooked, it's who you share it with for me.

YABU- if you aren't interested don't read. I'm not interested in horse riding so I avoid topics/threads about that. I can't drive/don't do school run so not interested in threads on that. Other people are, so what. That's what makes MN interesting to such a range of people.

Are you Ebeneezer Scrooge? Christmas? Bah humbug,
Early planning isn't for me but where's the harm?

Some people are easily shocked.

I bloody love the Christmas board ... but from about September onwards. Poncetastic is enormous fun for planning if you like to DIY (especially making anything that takes time, like dozens of crochet snowflakes or bunting) and then the gift suggestions threads in November.

For the first time I had completely done presents before advent and it made for such a lovely run up to Christmas where it was all about decorating and celebrating (with friends, at school, in church) and ignoring the commercial part completely.

I have a horror of buying presents all year - saving up, certainly, and thinking of ideas or writing lists, but not buying. I think it ends up with presents which are a bad match. Too many memories of receiving gifts which I would have loved six months before but had been sitting pointlessly in a cupboard all that time and were now unwanted, and having to be grateful about it.

I never give Christmas a thought until December every year and every year after I have run around like a blue arsed fly, I swear I'm going to get organised early for the next one...but I never do.

This is me! Every bloody year.....

I am on the Christmas boards, and dip in and out throughout the year. YABU. Its not just about putting up decorations early and spending. It's so much more than inflating 'one day'.

The Christmas board is for the most part light hearted, yes the people on it love Christmas. They are shopping/bargain Ninjas but they are also very supportive. They are the first to suggest to people struggling - scale back, don't buy for extended family, secret Santa for relatives. O-3 year olds will not notice how much you have spent and ALL kids love a selection box. Advice is given on how you can host the day on a budget, how to give people a list of what to contribution. How to buy early and freeze etc.

My son's favourite present was a signed copy of a DANTDM DVD. I wouldn't have know anything about this had it not been for the Christmas boards.

People post hosting problems, how to stand up to family demands and fueds etc. Coping with family splits, bereavements etc. People on their own are always given lots of advice, even area specific in some cases.

The poncing board are so encouraging of home made crafts and recipes. Bearing in mind flavoured alcohol, Christmas cakes and puddings, home made mincemeat would have been made months in advanced before Amazon kidnapped Christmas.

If you don't like it, don't go in but there is no need to be shocked and saddened by it.

I agree with you OP. I do think social media can play a big part in influencing people about Christmas but then so do shops. Easter egg anyone?!

I don't like Christmas leaking into November never mind any earlier and am pretty bemused by the number of trees that go up on the 1st of December or earlier.

However it's personal taste too. Lots of people seem to love it. Hide the Christmas board and let them crack on.

I wouldn't say I "plan" early, but I am a buy presents all year round type of person. Not just for Christmas though, birthdays and fathers day etc too. I just bought loads of Disney Cars stuff in the Disney store sale for my sons birthday in June. I dig through the gift cupboard when birthdays and things are coming up and see who will like what.

I did buy some Christmas wrapping paper in the sales that was down to 10p a roll. I'll probably forget I have it by Christmas

I don't like Christmas leaking into November never mind any earlier and am pretty bemused by the number of trees that go up on the 1st of December or earlier.

Well it's been doing that for centuries, it had to. As KC225 pointed out, if you don't want mass produced products, you need to plan well in advanced. If you want to bake your own Christmas puddings you have to do it in November if you want it to taste right. For generations a Sunday in mid-November was the traditional day to bake your pudding. A special family day called Stir-Up Sunday, where all the family gathered to stir the mixture and make wishes for year ahead.

People would make their own presents and decorations a process that would take weeks or months in advance because knitting, crocheting, sewing, carving, building, painting, writing, etc takes time. They might make from scratch or source old items that could be amended and spruced up for their recipients needs/tastes. People would grow or raise their own veg and meat a process that takes most of a year if not longer. I know because I do most of this, knitting my DS's Christmas jumper, crocheting fun decorations, buying his toys secondhand, crafting others, writing, illustrating and publishing special books for him. Setting aside certain plants in the vegetable garden for Christmas consumption. Baking our own cakes and puddings. Making sweets as gifts. Etc. I could do none of that if I didn't plan all year.

The whole idea that Christmas shouldn't be thought about until at least December is nothing more than a facet of consumerism and mass production. It's only possible to wait until December to think about Christmas if you buy goods that other people have been producing all year. But sure, that's more wholesome and righteous than all the people who plan in advance and do much of their own work.

"and just enjoy being a family together enjoying a good roast dinner!"

If that works for your family, great. We all tend to work across the Social/Health care sector. This means that we have 'our Christmas' on different days.

My Sister Volunteers at her Church on Christmas day and over the season. I hope to be well enough to be part of the cold weather watch for street sleepers this year. The death of two homeless people, in my City, who 'had no recourse to public funds' has really bothered me, because people shouldn't be dying on the streets in the UK.

For us the Christmas Season (and it is a Season) isn't just about our Family, so to do everything we want to, takes early planning and preparation. I do Celebrate it as a Winter Festival.

Totally agree with Tringley

I plan Christmas though the year, and do some of the things she says (although not all, I am a little in awe!!) I work full time, so I couldn't do half of it if I didn't spread it out, also, it is a hobby for me, and relaxes me at times of stress

I am not sure why doing things at your own pace, often handcrafted is more commercial than buying everything in at the last minute!

Also, can I say, I am a pretty frugal person, buy very little in terms of clothes, cosmetics, jewellery etc. we don't go for brands, very often buy second hand, for both environmental and economic reasons, I get a little annoyed by people who clearly buy a lot more than me throughout the year and are much more trend and brand conscious going all zen on me at Christmas over my (homemade and baked in November) Christmas cake and bemoaning "consumerism" (I am looking at you, DH's cousin!)

I have a separate Christmas savings account, I pop money in from January so I don't have to worry in December (which is also DH birthday) I don't actively think about it though, not until way too late November usually

Planning ahead certainly eases the stress for me. December is a busy month with three family birthdays and also stock taking for DH which takes up a weekend as well as Christmas parties etc.
With all that going on Christmas has to leak into November and earlier or we run out of days to do anything.
I like a big, busy Christmas and certain things need to be done ahead to achieve that.
This year due to various reasons we had the quiet, family unit Christmas that so many Mumsnetters seem to pitch as the ideal. No guests just us, eating a roast and mooching around watching TV and playing a few games. It was pretty dull and by 4 o'clock me and the older DC were contemplating visiting other people.

It’s not my cup of tea to plan xmas so early, but I know a family on a very limited income - they can’t really afford many luxuries so the Mum basically saves and plans for Christmas throughout the year so her kids have some treats and luxury in their lives at least once a year. She buys loads of stuff in the sales and buys little bits every month, it means she can afford a big Christmas and spoil her kids as they all scrimp during the rest of the year to get by on their tiny budget. It’s like a reward and let’s the kids feel a bit more like their more well off classmates.

I used to groan when I saw the Xmas biscuits creeping into supermarket aisles in September but now I think of her.

Personally I love the posts from those who put up all of their decs in November as they are so busy making magical Christmas memories, have an advent box, Christmas Eve box and re-wrap everyone's presents into matching gift wrap to have a theme. They inevitably rush to take down the tree at 00.01 on Boxing Day as they can't stand the clutter for another minute. It makes my own minimally-planned Christmas with DH & a teenager seem so uncomplicated by comparison.

Plan for it all year then you can be well and truly sick of it by Boxing Day, take down the tree and have a good tidy up for a 12 day break before starting all over again on Jan 6

She buys loads of stuff in the sales and buys little bits every month, it means she can afford a big Christmas and spoil her kids as they all scrimp during the rest of the year to get by on their tiny budget.

I don't understand why it's better to save up those little bits for December rather than feeling the pinch all year.

Crosspost stickerrocks

That was inarticulate.

If you can afford to buy little things with each pay packet, why save them up for a blowout in December like all your friends, rather than enjoying treats all year like all your friends? Yes they can't have both but wouldn't the children prefer to feel treated 11 months of the year rather than only once?

Came on to type a coherent response to the op but fat bastard chicken has just made my day

I start well, already bought some stocking fillers for next year. But it seems to go to rack and ruin in mid summer then I rush to catch up in autumn.

Yabu op that you imagine that other people’s actions are effecting you. If you want a slow Christmas have one many people do. As my job I’m already designing for Christmas 2019 so it’s year round for me 🎅🎅🎅

My Hand made Christmas craft fairs pay for Christmas and much more.

To get enough stock for Nov and Dec I need to make it from now onwards.

The Christmas topic is one of the few ones that I hide.That works until about October when they start spilling out into the main board

Me too. I am not a Christmas fan, I do not buy into the "best time of the year" mentality. I think that people who deprive themselves and save hard all year to have a massive blow out on 25th December are crazy. I understand that some people have to budget and plan their spending through the year, but that;s different from the total overkill which many people seem to go in for.

It's quite sad to be wishing your life away in this manner, never living in the present and enjoying small pleasures through the year but instead being constantly building up to Christmas, counting down the days.