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 put Elf on for us to all watch together in the week, me, dh and dc age 12,10,8. It ended up that dc 12 didn’t feel well, so went upstairs to lie on her bed ( I suspect an excuse to play on her phone). Dc, 10 was fidgety and couldn’t sit within 5metres of anyone else without poking them, so went to play Xbox. Dc,8 didn’t want to watch elf (which was the film everyone had agreed on) so had a strop and got sent to bed. Dh played on his phone and I put eastenders on. Not really the ‘family film night, snuggling under blankets’ that I had in mind.

Thank God it's not just me. I was near tears yesterday thinking my Dc's were missing out. We were supposed to go to the Christmas markets but it pissed it down all day and neither of them wanted to go.

I really felt I was letting them down somehow because we weren't having those Facebook moments.

Then I realised they were knackered from a long week at school (and it's been a long term) and there was nothing wrong in just letting them slob about at home.

I did manage to get them to sit and watch a movie though. Obviously being very careful to make sure there was no accidental touching or eye contact that could set off WW3

Mine, at almost 1 and almost 3, are a little bit young for it all. Almost 3 year old has got well on board with the advent calendar and her first words upon opening her eyes every morning is asking to open the calendar. We have one of those fucking elves and she does enjoy finding him each morning and seeing what he's up to.
We're going to a party later and she'll meet Santa so we'll see how that goes. She knows he's coming and bringing presents but I think the whole thing is a bit of an abstract concept and she won't really get it until it happens.

Haven’t RTFT, but gingerbread houses pre made from ikea and their ginger thins are your friend, knock up a batch of icing and let them decorate the biccies and gingerbread house till their hearts content, if you’re feeling fancy let them choose some colourful sprinkles to throw at the biscuits after.... that’s always the fun bit anyway!

And there are plenty of outdoor Christmassy activities that they’ll love. I don’t know what age your DCs are, but my DD would not sit and watch a film until she was about 6 or 7.

OP leave the bastards! Mine is 6 and would fidget with his extra sharp elbows, heels and knees bashing into me if I tried to get him to watch a Christmas film! Either that or whine he is scared at the 'mild peril'

DS (3) cane in fur a cuddle andvecpwrtly kneed me In the bladder this morning.

Should I LTM (leave the munchkin)?

OP mumsnet is quite mad sometimes. You and your kids sound lovely and normal 😊

First year ever that one of mine decorated the tree with me for more than 2 minutes, and then snuggled up and watched The Holiday which is the ultimate -terrible- Christmas film, all the way through. She’s 14, others are older.
Christmas markets, too busy and expensive.
Baking, not a chance of any of us producing anything edible. I wish I’d thought of the icing readymade biscuits idea.

Dd causes me pain with her elbows

I call them spears

Op totally get it

This is my daughter. She does like baking but prefers to just spread stuff around and not really follow what should be done. She will not sit for a film. Never has. She's five.

OP, I registered just to say you and your family sound perfectly normal, lighthearted, and there’s some miserable feckers on mn. Have a brilliant ‘stuff the ‘traditions’’ type Christmas.

@Ghanagirl ffs.

I get kicked and punched under the duvet watching a movie, but it’s because they’re wrigglers. Never sit still for long. Glad the critical posters have perfect dc and weave lentils.

They grow into Christmas! Dd is far more into it than me now - she wants me to watch nativity this afternoon when I'd rather play on my computer (she's an adult and still likes to cuddle up!)

I’m slowly coming to the realisation that it’s me wanting this sort of Christmas not my children! They’re 9 & 6. This year due to my mum dying suddenly 8 weeks ago & me having keyhole surgery 2 weeks ago I’m not really feeling festive or physically able to do stuff.
Neither of them have asked me to bake or enquires where the Christmas biscuits etc are. They seem to be enjoying eating huge amounts of Jaffa cakes, chocolate digestives & pringles. We've only put up the tree & a bit of tinsel but again no one seems bothered & they’ve started using the tree to dump there toys on when asked to tidy up. Christmas carols, light switch ons etc have been & gone & no one has noticed, I tried to go to one through the pain, but they were horrified (as usual) at the thought of going out in the cold, so I chucked a pizza in the oven & let them have control of Netflix.
I feel like I’m robbing them of some kind of Christmas joy experience, but they seem pretty grateful that I haven’t bothered!!!
We’re currently having heated discussions about why no one wants to wear Christmas jumpers to go & see Father Christmas, but I’ve paid & I’m going to insist on this one Christmassy thing!!!

@candlefloozy
I’m sorry if I don’t find children kicking and hitting parents amusing.
Will you still be laughing when you’re 14 year old hits you.

DD was petrified of Santa until about 7 years old.

Love your post InMyOwnLittleCorner

Pity all the over-reaction by mean posters have scared OP away

Inmyownlittlecorner sorry about your mum. That's hard at any time of year but I often think the constant and enforced jollity must make it tougher again

This I feel like I’m robbing them of some kind of Christmas joy experience, but they seem pretty grateful that I haven’t bothered!!! I think is something we should all consider. As parents we're the ones putting ourselves under pressure and telling ourselves our dc are missing out but fun is actually supposed to be FUN!

If the Christmas craft making bores them to tears, if they're not interested in the film, if they'd rather play than decorate the tree then that's fine. They're not 'missing out' anymore than I'm 'missing out' by not doing things I don't actually want to do! We all need to relax a bit more (and possibly stay off FB and instagram).

Ghanagirl, they're not kicking and punching; they're wriggling. That's what it feels like when you have a wriggly child.

Kicking & Punching obviously means getting kneed and elbowed by a wriggling child.
There’s always someone waiting to pounce on an OP and deliberately misunderstand 🙄

This thread has really upset me. The OPs post was funny and light-hearted and something a lot of us can relate to. The first few posts were disgusting - really bullying behaviour. If my children acted like that, I'd be seriously ashamed and yet these were comments by presumably grown women. Honestly, OP, don't take this to heart. Some Mumsnetters are just obviously vile people who bully people online because they're probably deeply unhappy and miserable in their everyday lives. You can tell from Ghanagirl's comments that she's probably the kind of person that is avoided a fair amount due to her total rudeness and superiority complex! I can't imagine she has many friends if this is how she behaves in the real world. Don't take these sad people's comments to heart, and don't let them make you feel stupid. People like this deserve pity and nothing else.

Ds2 might want to decorate the tree, actually he’ll just want to hogtie the stairs with tinsel.

Watching films involve duvet wrestling, annoying humming, constant wee breaks and loud snack eating.
Luckily the rock-like head butting due to leaping about has tailed off.