To think it's time to ditch all the Christmas bells and whistles and enjoy

[TheOliphantintheRoom]

In the words of a poster on another thread

the giddy, blissful excitement all focussed on the day itself with nothing to detract from it

Ok, ok - I'll concede the nativity in Reception is lovely and can stay.

Agree that I am SO glad that we never started with all the extra shite.

No Santa trains.
No north pole breakfasts.
No fecking elf on his shelf.
No "first of december" boxes.
No Christmas eve boxes.
No christmas tree up until at least mid december.
No "rudolph days" throughout the year.

The consumerist aspect of Christmas is totally depressing and yes, I do judge people who think that the way to make a great Christmas is just to buy all the stuff. Get a life.

I was thinking this as I walked round Sainsbury's earlier, resplendent with tree, crackers, tinsel and Twiglets. We seem to have added on about 7 extra traditions in the last 10 years or so. Christmas Eve boxes (if my kid is getting PJs and a DVD they count as Christmas presents and will be used Christmas Day night!), Elf on the Shelf, Christmas film channels starting on the 1st November, special scented candles, Christmas Jumpers made in sweatshops costing £10 to be worn about 3 times, Christmas tree crumpets... I'm sure all this stuff distracting people from Nov 1st makes January 2nd even worse.

You do what works for you, and others do what works for them. No one is morally superior to another because they celebrate Christmas a certain way .

I was in Home Bargains yesterday buying birthday cards. The amount of plastic tat was astounding. I know it's not the classiest shop anyway (I like various things from there though) but it was faintly depressing that people really buy it all.

We are pretty basic. DH hates it all except food and outdoor lights and generally won't get involved.

Mainly it's about the day for us. Alternate years with my parents/ in laws. Nice roast, some leftovers bit not mountains of food and snacks. Tree goes up in Dec. Minimal decorations other than that.

I contribute my time to preparing for the Christmas fair and donate stuff but won't go. Far too busy. Shopping is all done online way in advance. No parties for us as I'm not well enough. A few carefully chosen films for me (kids watch what they like which is age appropriate). We have a fabric advent calendar with choc coins in it. No elf on shelf, Dec 1st boxes, cards, Christmas eve boxes, special crockery, tea towels, duvet sets etc. We do have a box of Christmas books they have been given which comes down from the loft every year.

We have booked one special Santa day out but only really because it's cheaper to go now than other times, unusually.

I agree that everyone is entitled to do Christmas the way they want, but I think the tide is turning now on pointless consumerism. I hope. Buying enough stuff to enjoy yourself and have a nice time without overspending or causing too much environmental impact I guess.

No one is morally superior to another because they celebrate Christmas a certain way

No one said they were so stop projecting.

DC now at secondary so thankfully no school fair but when they were at primary, the dreaded fair would start at 2pm so it was hard to get your child out without going to the fair.

For me Christmas is a season. I like the decorating aspect and love to see the decorations around towns/shops etc.

We do two Christmas markets and I do a Christmas day out, this year it's going to be a stately house.

I don't see how considering it to be one day, works. I'm in my 50's. We visited wider family once the schools had broken up and on Boxing day and the following week. That's always been a tradition.

I don't believe in God etc, but my GM and DH was Catholic so I've carried on observing the Liturgical calendar. The Catholics certainly know how to do bells and whistles!

My natural garden decorations stay up until Candlemass. That's passed on by my Presbyterian Father.

Christmas might be about eating and drinking for one day to many, yourself included, but for many of us it's a celebration, which includes reflection, giving thanks and being surrounded by as much sparkle as possible.

"but it was faintly depressing that people really buy it all"

People don't buy it all. Different people buy want they like/need to make their home as they would like it to be, for our biggest cultural celebration of the year. I don't eat processed carbs, I could be saddened by the choice of bread, a Vegan would say that the animal products aren't necessary.

But we have the privilege of choice and autonomy.

No Elf in our house and never will be but I do have a little gift for each child on Christmas Eve which they open when we come back from our Christmas Eve meal out .
It’s always new Christmas pyjamas and we all love it!
I will wallow in all things Christmas ! (Apart from that creepy little elf)

I swore no elf on the shelf Ever.
DD bought one out of her pocket money as everyone in school had one.
Our elf didn't do tricks.

Christmas eve boxes and pj’s aren’t new.
Why does everyone care so much about other people having a bloody good time? Christmas has always been a bit excessive for some, some people like it to last a month, others don’t, for god’s sake there is so much crap going on in the world I’m quite happy for people to bask in their fairy lights and santa sacks and have a good time!

Christmas certainly brightens up the darkest time of the year, but I don't get engaged in a pressure to hold the same traditions each year or go bigger and better. I try to keep presents reined back.

There's normally some kind of panto or Santa outing, but it's not set or everything every year.

We do pyjamas and books on Christmas Eve, largely because DH grew up with gifts on the evening of Christmas Eve. It's not a big deal and the DCs need new pyjamas at some point anyway.

No elves. Chocolate advent calendars are about as far as I go on that.

I love to hug a particular tree around the solstice. The best thing to put me in the festive mood is a carol service. I love the school events, they are meaningful/ purposeful traditions.

Christmas is definitely a December (and into New Year) thing and not to be done before.

My kids are late teens and I really miss the nativity concert, carol concert and all the excitement of the build up to xmas with little ones

These threads come up every year. I don't know why people are so resentful of how other people spend the Christmas period.

Live and let live!

I think elves are weird and pointless but I couldn't care less if somebody else likes them.

I'm not bothered about how other families celebrate Christmas but I do feel that some people see it as a competition or that all the added extras are somehow compulsory and tie themselves in knots trying to do it all.

For me, the longer the build-up, the more anticlimactic the day itself becomes. We're also skint and can't afford all the extras such as Santa experiences, 1st Dec boxes, Xmas eve boxes, new Xmas Dec's every year and shit tonnes of gifts for all and sundry so I just refuse to do it.

For us, we don't start anything festive until at least December when we go to the seasonal markets, have a wander around local garden centres and do the EH lights trail thing. We go to the free Santa in a grotto in town. We make our own decorations and add them to the previous years' collections. We put the trees up in the 2nd week in December. We watch a film on Xmas eve and put a drink and a mince pie out for Santa. I feel like that's enough build-up and it's still special and magical.

We don't have that elf despite my dc asking for it because I think it's creepy af. It's enough that they do that at school and Childminder's.

I don't understand why the Coca Cola truck has became a thing in the UK. It's an American tradition which has been imported here without the historical background. Apparently, it has been around for under 20 years in the UK. It's got fuck all to do with the UK. I do understand that to younger MNers it appears to be a British tradition, but it never used to be and it barely qualifies as one. Plus, you can't get much more crass and commercialised than fucking Coca Cola

Yule is a season, not just a day.

The festivities used to last about 2 weeks and there has always been a big build-up to that, to cure the meat, gather the nuts and vegetables, bring nature inside (aka Christmas trees).

When the Church claimed and re-named Yule, new traditions were added.

Now, there are others. It has always been thus.

Pick the bits you like and ignore the rest. You're only ever really bothered if you feel pressure to keep up with the Jones'.

To be fair, Coca Cola's marketing team have done a fantastic job convincing people that "festive" means standing in a car park waiting to see a fucking lorry.

They have pineapple

Ive never understood the attraction of that particular’festive’ event

@Babdoc couldn't have put it better myself. That's why I'm very bah humbug about Christmas. Because the real reason has been forgotten.

Keep: Nativity, fairy lights and decorations( not up till December though), Santa, Secret Santa, xmas food...all of it..stickings, carols, being with loved ones .

Ditch:
Elf on the shelf
100 pound advent calenders
Sexy Santa costumes
Decorations up in October.
Feeling obliged to see family you dont like

To be fair @malificent7, see relatives you dislike is part of Christmas traditions

I'm Pagan so it's Yule for me, some nice food, being with my daughter and celebrating the return of light to the land.

Christmas Day itself means absolutely nothing to me

'Seeing' 🙄

YANBU OP. As long as all family members especially children are all being treated equally.