To think your life must be pretty empty if you're celebrating Christmas already?

[MerryMarigold]

Maybe it's me, but I think 2 weeks before Christmas and one week after, is ample time to have your tree/ lights up, be watching Christmas films (if you're that way inclined), listen to Christmas songs, have Christmas nights out/ dress up in Christmas jumpers etc. This weekend my Facebook has been inundated with 'Look at my lovely tree' statuses and today I've just driven past about 30 Santas power walking, my kids are begging me to get a tree up (which will be dead by Christmas). I just think you need to enjoy life now and not always be looking forward to the next celebration.

AIBU and a miserable git, or do i have a point?

Today I took my kids to Winter Wonderland, wearing a Mrs Claus costume. I am probably one of those people you consider to have 'an empty life'. In actuality, I'm very happy and my only half-hearted complaint about my life is that I don't have enough downtime. I have a wonderful family, great friends, a job I enjoy and find stimulating (if all-consuming)... I still get excited about Christmas.

I'm a December baby and I have a December baby. For me it was always the most exciting month of the year; so much anticipation and magic. I haven't grown out of that and now I have a little boy to share that sense of excitement with!

It's also a time of year to celebrate friends and family - catching up with those you don't see that often for geographic/logistical reasons. My next few weekends are packed solid with plans to meet up with old friends and more distant family members (I see my parents/siblings all the time). We'll be variously hosting Christmas drinks, seeing pantomimes, going to festive club nights etc.

So yes, today I got on the tube in a silly costume to make my kids happy. It was a bit early in the month to be so attired, but I only have so many days to spare in the run up to December 25th and my remaining weekend days are spoken for (as mentioned above), so it was today or not at all. And luckily, while I've never grown out of my seasonal cheer, I grew out of giving a fuck what people think of me many moons ago.

I think the very definition of an empty life is to sit in judgement on the behaviour of others which harms no-one and in no way affects you.

This is why I don't ascribe to the concept of 'guilty pleasures'. How can anything you take pleasure in (to the extent it causes no harm) be shameful?

To my mind, anyone who is able to really enjoy something, most especially when that 'something' falls outside the parameters of what is considered to be 'normal', cannot possibly have an empty life.

'Empty'....what an odd thing to say! Life is pretty manic and full here, but our decorations went up on Saturday, some Buble has been played and Christmas bollocks has kicked in ...apart from the fact everyone has colds, we're happy!

Some people need to take the candy cane rammed up their ass out and enjoy the festive spirit.....You realise a candy cane up the arse is the very definition of festive spirit to some people.

Perhaps empty is the wrong word/a bit harsh. I do think Christmas is devalued when it goes on for three weeks though... .

We went out to get our tree today. The 8ft inflatable christmas t-rex is out the front ready to go, and the snowflake projector is active on the big side wall that faces the road.

The sort of person with an 8ft inflatable Christmas T-Rex is the sort of person I very much want to be friends with.

We put our up this weekend.

It's a bit earlier than usual but we are very busy over the coming weeks so it made sense to get it out of the way.

Plus it's made the kids happy.

I think once it's December then that's fine, any earlier feels too soon for me.

Stupid to say people have empty lives. How would you know? Some people just really like Christmas.

Ffs have a sprout and step into christmas 🎅🎅🎅🤶🤶🤶

Christmas to me splits up a very loooong miserable time of year, which would otherwise be just dark mornings, dark nights and horrible weather.

How can you be too busy for Christmas? We could all be too busy for pretty much anything, if we really tried, couldn't we?

Look back over this thread. Many people who are in really hard situations, like caring for kids with disabilities or life-limiting illnesses... those grieving for a loved one... those dealing with other great hardship... these incredible people (who make me look like a vulgar, pampered sultan, purely because I have the time and the luxury to even write this post), make time for Christmas. Because it is important to them and their families.

Because different people have different priorities, so they make time for those priorities. And it's fine for you not to prioritise Christmas shit, of course it is! But it's not fine to imply that people who do have nothing else to be getting on with, because many probably have plenty of other things they should be doing... and they don't need to be made to feel bad about that. And some maybe don't have anything else they ought to be doing... and they don't need to be made to feel bad about that either. When you sneer at people on a thread like this, even a little bit, you run the risk of taking something away from them. Perhaps a little bit of harmless joy that they can ill afford? And I'm not talking about me; I'm just an arsehole who likes sparkly stuff and legitimising daytime drinking. But for some people, putting up a bit of tinsel could be their way of bringing a bit of light into a dark day, or preserving a tiny scrap of normality when their whole universe has been smashed to pieces.

So, if posting something snide on the internet might make them feel a even a tiny bit less ok about it, maybe don't? Because it doesn't actually matter if someone puts a wreath on their door a week or two before you, does it?

@knittedfairies

Thanks for that link from the independent. And I couldn't agree more with what it says....... From the article.......

PEOPLE WHO PUT UP CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS EARLY ARE HAPPIER, EXPERTS REVEAL.

Tis the season to be jolly, so why wait?

If you’ve been trying and failing to persuade your family or flatmates that no, it is not too early to deck the halls with boughs of holly for another year then glad tidings are here: people who put their Christmas decorations up early are happier than those who wait, according to psychology experts.

Yes, if you’re itching to dust off the tinsel and plug in the fairy lights, you’re more likely to be in touch with your inner child. Putting your decorations up earlier can make you feel happier by reminding you of your childhood, before you had to deal with the responsibilities and stresses of adulting.

In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate to things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of the childhood. Decorations are simply an anchor or pathway to those old childhood magical emotions of excitement. So putting up those Christmas decorations early extends the excitement!

But not only can decorating your home fill you with festive joy, it could also help you bond with your neighbours. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology revealed that decorating the outside of your house makes you appear more friendly.

For some people, putting up Christmas decorations is a way to bring back memories of good times with loved ones who’ve passed away. Perhaps the holidays serve as a reminder of when a loved one was still alive.

Or maybe looking at a Christmas tree reminds someone of what life was like when they still believed in Santa.

For people who have lost a loved one, the holidays may serve as a reminder of happy times they had with that person in the past. Decorating early may help them feel more connected with that individual.

Very interesting article, and probably very accurate words too!

Our work Christmas do has already happened...

But for some people, putting up a bit of tinsel could be their way of bringing a bit of light into a dark day, or preserving a tiny scrap of normality when their whole universe has been smashed to pieces.

This is so true.

And our next door neighbour is elderly and lives with his wife who is now very ill and frail. When I popped to see him yesterday he was totally delighted that we, and a couple of other neighbours, had lights on our houses already. I could see it had really cheered him up.

i do think Christmas is devalued when it goes on for three weeks though....

To you maybe. So you don’t have to do it. Those who do choose to start celebrating earlier it obviously doesn’t devalue Christmas (for them). So why do you care?
Or do you want people to make themselves less happy to make you happy?

I get so busy nearer to Christmas I have to start celebrating early 😂
Not shopping though, that’s always last minute

Pre children I might have been inclined to agree with you.

But ds's sweet little excited face and shining eyes are just about the best thing ever. We've just come back from lapland so he is well and truly getting into it, we're putting our tree up next week. Ds is currently singing rudolph the red nosed reindeer and eating his breakfast and generally being as cute as a button.

I certainly don't mind that lasting an extra week!

(our tree comes down very early though as dp's birthday is 3rd January)

Tis the SEASON to be jolly. My family have always embraced that.

Advent, 6th December, my December birthday, twelfth night all envelope the day itself, and give time to see all the very many loved ones in our lives.

I decorated at 8 last night after getting back from a weekend with my parents, seeing them after our wedding. I promised friends a Christmas party before we go away on Honeymoon in mid Dec, and I love the house decorated.

Not exactly an empty life. And even if it was, what a horrible thing to begrudge someone something they might desperately need.

Merry Marigold I agree, though of course each to their own and all that. I would be sick of the sight of the tree and decorations by Xmas if they went up now. As kids we used to get the tree and decorate after coming out of school on the last day before Xmas. It was so exciting because it was much more immediate. Only a few days of build up rather than weeks and weeks of it. Who can genuinely sustain that level of festive feeling?

Or do you want people to make themselves less happy to make you happy?

No. What a ludicrous over-reaction! I would never wish people to be less happy because I am not a horrible person. I am merely expressing an opinion which is different to yours.

I was actually making a more general point that I personally happen to dislike (if that's ok with you) Christmas getting earlier and earlier (Christmas things in shops in October for example) and lastng longer and longer and being a social pariah if I haven't got my tree up by the 1st! (Mainly because it's all driven by commercialism.) Totally understandable if you want to celebrate early because of health or other reasons but personally I prefer a shorter run up! OK?

Yeah, absolutely fine. Enjoy.

Thank you. You too SoyDora! Have a lovely Christmas!

I can't remember the exact quote but it goes something like this:

'Can't we just let people enjoy their too early Christmas Trees or their spiced pumpkin latte or whatever simple thing it is where they find a shred of joy?'

This is the first Christmas in ages that I've not been working in a Primary School where you feel force fed Christmas far too long and dream of waiting until a week before the 25th until you're drowning in lights/carols and mince pies.

I Christmas-ed my house on Saturday and am off to the shops in a minute as certain areas of the tree aren't busy enough. 🤔😂

AIBU and a miserable git, or do i have a point?

Yes, you are being totally and utterly unreasonable and yes, you are a totally and utterly miserable git.

I love Christmas, it's my favourite time of year. Decorations went up on Saturday. My daughter also loves it, husband not so much but after almost 2 decades of my enthusiasm will throw a ton of baubles on the tree with daughter. It might look tacky but I.DON'T.CARE!!

What business is it of yours to judge what makes me happy Mrs JudgyMcJudgyPants?!

Ho bloody ho!!
[santa] [santa] [santa]

YABU for being such so judgy! You’d HATE us Op - not Only did we put up our tree this weekend but we’re taking part In the street advent calendar so our windows are painted, decorated and have lights on. 25 big shiny colourful Xmas windows! And we went to a Xmas party at the weekend. And went out for a Xmas drinks do. And we sang Xmas karaoke. Thanks for pointing out how empty our lives must be, I hadnt realised!!🎅🏻