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?

YABU

I like to have the vast majority of my Xmas shopping done and wrapped by the 1st of December. December for us is crazy with so many events that i wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy if I had all the presents still to buy and wrap too.

I'm always on the lookout for bargains throughout the year to spread and reduce the cost and make Christmas cheaper and less stressful.

I've actually already bought a load of presents for next Christmas in the sales. Things like Star Wars water bottles down from £12 to £3 in the Debenhams sale for the boys I buy for where the budget is £5.

If you find the idea of other people planning Christmas at a different time/rate to you shocking don’t ever google
Furries.
FabSwingers
Rate my poo dot com
HumanLeather.com
PlaneCrashInfo.com
ChurchOfSatan.com
FifthNail.blogspot.ca
ChooseDeath.free.fr
BestGore.com
Cannibalism

Seriously, don’t!

Why would you find people’s personal timetable for life “shocking “ ?
Some folks need to account for every penny, some have a large family, some just want everything to be perfect, some may have a form of ocd and some just love organising.

I’m with you OP. It’s all madness. And for the pp saying I don’t like kittens (or whatever it was) so I don’t go to the kittens board, that’s a nonsense - kittens don’t overtake the tv, radio, shops for 3 months of the year these days, like Xmas does. You can’t avoid it unless you don’t leave the house & don’t turn on the tv. I fucking HATE Christmas and every single thing about it, and I get irrationally annoyed with people who make it into a massive deal and assume it is for everyone and that I am a misery for hating it

I have never set foot in the xmas board here so don't know what it's like.

However it's logical to assume (and this thread has confirmed) that it's for people like to take their time, enjoying, planning, preparing and thinking about xmas all year.

How in the name of god are these the one's making it a stressful commercial farce? I would imagine the total opposite is true.

The increased commercialism year after year is aiming at those who leave it till the end of the year to think about xmas and trying to wring every last penny out of them as early as they dare.

As for being baffled by posters (on the xmas board) chatting about xmas all year while posters (on other boards) are wanting xmas over - well .... yeah. People are different. OMG. ''Only on mumsnet'' shocker ay?

I really can't be bothered with Christmas, I did my Christmas shopping the Friday before (when I got paid) and spent a lot of money on chocolate for myself in the meantime. (I shouldn't be allowed in Hotel Chocolat, it's lethal for my bank account.)

Anyway, people can do whatever they want to do, if they want to obsess over Christmas in April, let them. I can't get worked up about other people's hobbies (as long as they're not illegal). I'm obsessed with Evanescence, Harry Potter, make-up and Pusheen, there are some people who will find that hard to understand.

I start planning Xmas in August. I aim to be 100% done by November so I be totally free to enjoy December.

Nobody there seems especially stressed in the summer, to me?

I'm tempted to start super early this year. It's so fucking expensive with a big family and a zillion birthdays in the winter.

I took my tree and decs down yesterday.

I shall put them up again tomorrow and start soaking the fruit for next year's Christmas cake.

Then i shall go to Tiger, stock up on stocking fillers and send them to the OP...

...on the first day of the school summer holidays

Yabu - If somebody is planning Xmas from June then as far as I'm concerned Xmas is their annual hobby. No different to any of the other hobbies people discuss on here.

Some MNers don't have any choice but to start early, be it through finances, illness, logistics or just a great big family. With all the societal expectations surrounding Christmas, I'm glad there is a place for them to discuss this. Personally, I can't stand Christmas but guess what, I just don't look at the thread!

Tringley, love your post and agree with every word. The idea of preparing well in advance for a particular festival was presumably the norm in pre-industrial society - the entire agricultural year was a constant round of planning. Yours sounds like the very definition of a "slow Christmas" to me so can only imagine OP's definition is different!

In my family we celebrate on the solstices. And take the view that "the wheel turns" - just had the winter solstice so that means spring equinox is coming, which means that summer equinox is coming which means that autumn equinox is coming which means that the winter solstice is coming....

so I've started preparing for celebrating on the bits of the wheel which are coming - including the winter solstice because the wheel turns (faster each year, it feels like it!) and preparing for that which is coming is how I like to be - I would find a mad panic before the solstice to be horrendous. So I prepare, and enjoy it.

Others don't, that's their decision.

Christmas talk should be banned except nov and dec and first two days back to work after Christmas to do the “nice Christmas?” “Lovely thanks” exchanges.

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.

Ah, clearly I've been doing it all wrong - I thought I was enjoying small pleasures and looking forward to Christmas as my favourite (all things considered) time of year. I didn't realise it was an either/or thing. I shall absolutely fucking not reign in my happiness forthwith

I'm with you op. I don't get the whole getting bargains throughout the year thing. My kids would quite possibly not be particularly interested in December in something they really liked in January! If I was struggling for cash I'd just keep Christmas small. A huge pile of stuff for the sake of it is silly. My kids had a modest pile each and were pleased. Their gps turned up on Boxing Day with a binbag full of stuff each for them and there's so much waste. I get buying them one colouring book/pencil case/soft toy but 3 or 4 each is just uneccessary. Most of it is untouched and will go to the charity shop as we haven't got the room.

YABVU - if people choose to plan Christmas all year around (including me) what difference does that make to you? How does it ruin things for you? I love Christmas and I love planning it and their are many reasons that I plan all year around but the main two are BUDGET - I get bargains and I get to spread the cost. ANXIETY - nothing would scare me more that running around a few days before Xmas wondering what to buy everyone. Xmas to me is family time as I am so organised that everything is bought and wrapped by 1st December. This means I get to spend the whole of December watching Xmas films and spending time with family and going on seasonal days out. I have no idea why people being prepared for Xmas and myself and likeminded people discussing their preparation would bother anyone. I have zero interest in stamp collecting but I wouldn’t venture onto a stamp collecting thread and then start criticising it in AIBU. 😳

"Shocking" ??

Really?

You need to get out more.

I’m still trying to work out how this tiny corner of mumsnet really affects you

It’s not just Christmas though now. A lot of us have been using the board a few years now and there is a little community (all are welcome 😊).

People are genuinely helpful. I am one of those that loves it there. I do shop all year. I have a large family and love to save money. But if you don’t like it then hide it.

I love the Christmas topic. I post on it often and over the years I've saved so much money from following advice there. Similarly, I save by picking up bargains through the year - I've just spent well under a tenner on all next year's crackers/cards/wrap, for example. And I've bought DD two pairs of boots - the first things to go in my present cupboard since it was emptied a week and a half ago. I buy bits of food and drink every week from about July - seeing the Christmas food shelf filling over the months is lovely. And I'm usually all done by the end of November, leaving me free to enjoy the season - all of it, from 1 Dec to Twelfth Night.

One thing the Christmas topic isn't, OP, is 'stressy'. In fact it's the nicest, least aggro/street place on MN by some distance. You, however, seem very stressed and angry. Perhaps spending some time on the Christmas topic would benefit you

You know i'm tempted to come on over quim, after reading your post.

And i'm a grudging xmas host Perhaps this is the way forward. Embrace it and do a little bit through the year.

I must admit the last 4 or 5 years i have made sure all my present wrapping and buying is done by the beginning of Dec. It's the food i find stressful.

Bah Humbug lol
We on the Christmas boards are very kind , happy, peaceful ,friendly people who like each others company. We don't talk exclusively about Christmas but we are very supportive and sweet and funny to each other and very welcoming to new posters. If anyone wants to be on Mumsnet without the nastiness that can occur, then the Christmas board is the place to be .

Sprout

We’re all full of
Good spirit and happy things like sugar canes and coffe

We are indeedy