Is it just my kids who haven't got onboard with the things you're supposed to do!

[mincefuckingpies]

They aren't interested in baking. (This is probably because I am shite at it.) So making gingerbread and cookies is out; they'd rather just buy some.

They cried at Santa

If I tried to snuggle up in a blanket and watch Christmas movies with them, I'd be kicked and punched to within an inch of my life and after half an hour they'd wander off.

AIBU to think it's all bollocks, but a few toys and have done with it

I am making snowflakes and garlands today, if I can be bothered to drag my arse out of bed.

The thing is, MN has always been robust, people always clashed and quite often you would get told to fuck off. This thread is just ridiculous though, any attemp in humour is often pissed all over by the po.

Some people on here are so literal 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Mine argue when we bake sometimes and have to be in the right mood - when they want to not me! Or I’ll just bake and they’ll join in.

Watching films - they don’t always want to snuggle as they get too hot! Fair enough.

Basically just work out the things your kids like and give them those every now and then (within reason, before I’m jumped on by the literal brigade)

I get you, OP. All everyone seems to be doing is"snuggling" and baking, peacefully watching Christmas films, going for long walks as a family, etc, and we aren't doing any of that! It's the ideal v. the reality.

I had the the version that would nag you to do the Christmasy stuff and then wander off half way through - at least hours say no at the beginning!!!

Mine are 5 and 3 and have never snuggled and watched a film in their lives, they’d be bored and fidgety after 10 mins!
They love baking though. Unfortunately I don’t.
It reminds me of Halloween when we took them pumpkin picking. £8 to pick our own pumpkin, or £1 to buy one in the supermarket. My 3 year old had a face like a wet weekend the whole time, said she was bored and tired, and when I said ‘we should have just bought one from tesco’ she said ‘yes let’s do that next year!’. My 5 year old managed to muster up a face of forced merriment to make up for her sisters grumpiness!

OP your original post made me laugh, because my DS is such a fidgeted and so squirmy and wriggly that I feel like I've been kicked and punched within an inch of my life when attempting to snuggle on the sofa and watch a movie.
I've also been trying to do the whole baking thing and my DS just turned round to me and said "you make it, I just like to eat it" 🤦🏻‍♀️

Also, don't listen to the over dramatics on here, it's so sad it's quite funny tbh

Mine are 5 and 3 and have never snuggled and watched a film in their lives, they’d be bored and fidgety after 10 mins!

So true.

It’s reminded me of the realisation I came to a few years ago. People want to do the snuggling and baking when they’re kids are actually far too young to enjoy it.

Mine are 9&7 - and only now would I really say they’re at the age where baking and films are a possibility to enjoy. Before then i was desperate for snuggles as I was sooo tired!

EIGHT QUID FOR A FUCKING PUMPKIN???? AND you had to pick it yourself. Or was it all you could pick for £8?

My SIL tried to drag me on a pick your own pumpkin day trip, her selling point being that I could pick my own potatoes too.

Your right, op - sorry for being mean. I am oversensitive to people joking about violence but that is 100% my stuff not yours.

Merry Christmas one and all - whether that be an Instagram-worthy session of "making memories" in perfectly matching pullovers or a chaotic meltdown over who gets a chocolate off the Christmas tree and which ends up falling on the cat

I think that most parents have the lovely cosy vision of Christmas with crafts/ baking and films and hot chocolate with a beautifully decorated tree twinkling in the corner.

As a veteran of many Christmases with small children (mine are grown up now) i can tell you the truth.

Crafts are started, glitter is poured all over the floor, they fight over the felt tips pens, they spread glue over everything then wander off leaving you to clear it up.

They bicker over what film to watch, it is paused a hundred times for loo breaks, juice, Jimmy has his foot in Jenny's era, Jenny is LOOKING at Jimmy, the dog needs out.... on and on.

The hot chocolate is made and marshmallows added. Jimmy doesn't like it and it having a tantrum, Jenny spills hers all over the sofa.

The twinkling tree has garish multi coloured lights on some sort of rave cycle, the decorations are all on the bottom three branches and mostly consist of things Jenny and Jimmy made in school. The angel looks lopsided and a bit pissed.

Merry Christmas everyone and welcome to normal life!

It was one bloody pumpkin YetAnotherSpartacus!

There really are some absolute anal douches on here there really are
Hope Father Christmas brings you personalities and takes your bitterness away with him

But now I feel really shit and embarrassed
Don’t! People love to take posters words out of context and then act all faux concerned about your supposedly shit parenting. It’s obvious that you weren’t posting about children physically assaulting you. Don’t let a few dicks upset you.
My daughter is a massive fidget and has never sat still for a film preferring instead to initiate a wrestling match or dance off or similar mid film.
I planned a lovely afternoon putting up the tree and singing a Christmas songs only to have her say ‘actually mum would you mind if I played minecraft instead’
I took her ice skating and she moaned it was cold and she kept falling over .
She’s mostly a great kid, caring and funny and loving, but she hasn’t got the memo about ‘Christmas fun’.
I don’t force it anymore these activities are more about adults doing stuff they think they should do rather than stuff anyone wants to do sometimes. Much easier to let DD pick activities. Today we’re going to the shops to buy craft stuff no idea what she wants to make but it’s more likely to be a killer robot then a snowman

I sent mine to my mums for the day yesterday so I could snuggle and watch Elf and Nativity in peace 👌

Be careful soy you and your kids will be diagnosed with disordered attachment at this rate!

My DD is 10 and she has never snuggled and watched a film either. She will kick and hit and wander off. My 12 yr old will watch a film though.

Baking is kind of ok. But my 10yr old will rarely eat what she's cooked. Even kids recipes are tasted and abandoned and left to me. She just likes the measuring and mixing.

And a kid can kick and punch and be a terror at home and still be a delight at school. yes I've had a long battle for support for her.

Anyone want to do shares in a pumpkin farm?

Wow. MN is savage this morning- too much fun had at the office party last night was there? You’re like bloody bears with sore heads!

OP I’m with you. Went to see Santa yesterday, cried the whole time. Doesn’t understand why she can’t open all the doors of her advent calendar, definitely not bothered by movies and cuddling. Just wants to trash the Christmas tree and be done with it

I would YetAnotherSpartacus but my DC would moan and ask why we don’t just buy shares in Tesco instead!

Mine (9yo DD & 6yo DS) didn't get the "how to do Christmas memo" either. I have a stash of Christmas type arts & crafts kits in the cupboard which I buy each year thinking maybe this is the year & it never is. I suggested baking yesterday & 9yo DD just said "but the supermarket delivery is coming tomorrow so you still have time to add some to the order". I did take them to a carol concert earlier in the week only for the DC to both go on a play date the next day and tell the mother who hosted how boring it was, how cold their toes were and generally speculate on why anyone would want to ever go to one. They have refused to attend any of the optional school activities and I thought it would look a bit off if I turned up by myself.
They do both enjoy some of the Christmas movies but DD can only ever tolerate watching TV balancing on her lolo ball or practising some gymnastics (for all the MN pearl clutchers, she is the model of perfect behaviour at school and has no issues sitting down). They don't like hot chocolate (tins & tins of different varieties in the cupboard).
DS did manage to find some of the Christmas themed board books on the shelves so we have read those but the Christmasaurus bought with ideas of us reading a chapter a night was abandoned after two nights.
Their saving grace is that they do like board games and aren't bad losers so at least we can spend some time doing what I feel families should be doing at Christmas.

My kids never enjoyed any of the ‘magical memories’ type stuff when they were younger. They did try to look enthusiastic about a £15 ten minute trip on a steam train where they guy they knew from my workplace was volunteering dressed as an elf handing out plastic tat. Mostly I felt like I was doing it all wrong.

Now they are much older and arguably ‘too old’ for this kind of thing they have discovered a great enthusiasm for cheesy Christmas activities, in an ironic way I think mostly.

I do wish I hadn’t wasted time and money trying to do what other people think makes for a ‘magical’ Christmas. In fact, the whole magical Christmas thing can fuck itself as it’s 99% consumerism and 1% pressure on women to be everything, do everything.

Let's face it

a) kids are ungrateful litlle sods, they won't realise how lucky they are until they have kids, then they'll suddenly look wistfully and dewy eyed into the distance and the wonderful Christmases they had as children

b) All everyone seems to be doing is"snuggling" and baking, peacefully watching Christmas films, going for long walks as a family, etc. Thank Facebook for that. People spend inordinate amounts of time and effort getting the family into the perfect pose just so they can put it on FB.

Careful what you wish for OP. DS refuses to watch anything other than the Home Alone films.