To wish we could stop over complicating Christmas

[Beswitched]

Ever more elaborate decorations, Christmas boxes, expensive branded advent calendars, fancy alternatives to the standard Christmas Dinner, competitive posts on Facebook, manic manic shopping, trips to lapland, Secret Santa angst etc etc and the whole shebang starting in November.

Aibu to wonder what happened to a couple of presents from Santa, simple presents for family and friends, putting the beloved and tattered decorations up a few days before Christmas and enjoying a roast dinner together?
It all seems to have become so elaborate these days.

Not getting any impression the OP is smugly saying anything. Like her I got swept up in a lot of the madness for a while, realised it was making me miserable and stressed and started to simplify things. It's made me realise how the relentless marketing and hype can drown out a lot of the good stuff, and it just keeps coming and increasing and it can all get a bit overwhelming.

I totally agree with you OP. Apparently that bloody elf now brings daily presents to some households. More craziness.

Oh no I go all out with everything and I love it.

Christmas tree in living room and one in DD4 room.
Elf on the shelf (doesn’t spy on her just gets up to mischief)
Door bow, 6ft inflatable Santa, snowman, reindeers and lights around the windows and doors outside. The snowman sings when people walk within 5m of it too :D
I have a Lindt advent calendar and a nivea one. DD has 3 chocolate ones (spread throughout the day), a Disney book one and a toy frozen one. DP had a beard product one but works away so opened it all at once!
She has a load of presents and they’re all wrapped. DP and I also buy for each other.
We do panto, Christmas markets, Christmas fairs and Santa visits.
We do DD a Christmas Eve box with pyjamas, chocolate Santa, some craft bits.
We all wear the matching family pyjamas on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day DD opens her presents first thing, as do we. PIL come round, more present exchanges for everyone.
DP and DD have salmon for breakfast, I have toast and bacon normally.
This year my sister is hosting Christmas dinner and she’s gone all out with food. I’m bringing dessert! There will be 11 of us there.

Boxing Day will be spent lazing about the house in pjs, eating chocolates and playing with DDs new toys. Maybe a walk a bit later and Chinese for dinner. Then we are away overnight on 27th and DD staying with PIL.

LOVE this time of year.

Oh and mn is the only social media I have. DP has nothing so no one even knows really that we do all this, it’s purely for our own enjoyment :)

Start a campaign: Shelf the Elf.

It doesn’t have to be that way. We only do presents for the children. Santa brings a few bits and pieces. Santa, family breakfast and off to church. Straight on to parish Christmas Day for 70+ people who would otherwise be on their own. Serve lunch, do bingo have singalong, take them all home. Back home for a light supper, presents from grandparents etc and a family film. Christmas Day ‘team’ take it in turns to host a thank you meal on Boxing Day. We love it - far less stress about the commercial things and far more focus on the joy of Christmas.

Do as I do and just say no. I just do a tree, no decorations. No Xmas eve boxes. Xmas dinner is just a roast and I don't buy loads of extra food. If people don't like it too bad. Bah humbug !

Well that's our christmas. 4 presents for my nearly 2 year old, 2 presents for my other half, and a present each for my little bro and sis. We have a small tree (up out of toddlers reach) that is simply decorated and our Christmas meal is just like an everyday roast dinner...with the exception of pigs wrapped in blanket ;)

I don't get the competition with how many presents you've got your children or how much money you've got. Christmas in our house is simple and always will be.

I don't like the build up from September/October

I'm not fond of xmas eve boxes or elf on the shelf. I don't mind secret santas as long as they are just a bit of fun with a budget no higher than a tenner.

I do love xmas shopping and buying close family lots of prezzies and I do have the tree up by the first weekend in December and I am playing xmas songs by the middle of november because the build up is the best bit for me.

Bah humbug! 🎅🏻🎄

Why do people assume just because others do Christmas Eve boxes, a trip to Lapland etc it automatically means it's for social media bragging? I love all that stuff and I'd do it whether I had a phone or not. If people like a simple Christmas have a simple Christmas, if people like to go over the top then go over the top. Nothing wrong with either

I do agree on some of your thoughts. However my father-in-law passed away very recently so my husband and I are going all out for a BIG, magical family christmas at ours this year. Lots of children present. We were all a bit mixed about celebrating Christmas without him but it's all about the kiddies so we decided to carry on regaurdless!
I do think people take it all a bit far tho. It's all so elaborate and expensive.
X

I hate elf on a shelf with a passion

We do have Christmas Eve boxes as when the dc were smaller they got really upset that Father Christmas couldn’t come into the house as we had no chimney - so we got them a small box each with some reindeer food...and a magic key so Father Christmas could leave the presents. Each year they get a new key with the year on it.

Other than that I don’t buy into most of the bollocks - I buy presents for the kids, Dh my niece and my parents. Other siblings we have decided not to even do the exchange of cash

I have a set budget and rarely over spend!

I agree. It’s become so that I now dread Christmas. The magic has simply poofed away.

@littlepaddypaws
Do you celebrate Saturnalia or winter solstice?
I ask because both Dec 25th and bringing a tree into the home are pagan in origin.
Personally we decorate the house, do stockings, gifts from and to friends and family and christmas dinner.
Cannot be bothered with the elf rubbish or a christmas eve box.

I couldn't agree more, and it makes me sick that it's corporate greed and capitalism that has caused this for the most part. I totally love Christmas, but trying to keep it simple and meaningful is so hard. I'm not even religious... for me Christmas is about reconnecting with family and recharging your soul.

I'm happy to say I have no idea about any of the above mentioned things.

Don’t forget wreath making workshops!!

Currently sat in one waiting for my friend to arrive and I love it. It's a couple of hours out of normal life catching up with my friend and feeling like we've accomplished something at the end of the night. OP you do what you want to do and let everyone else do what they want

I cooked my first Christmas dinner a few years ago and spent the whole time wondering what all the fuss was about. It’s just a roast dinner. Couple of hours in the kitchen, mostly drinking wine with carols on the radio while everyone else had to deal with over excited children and endless faffing with batteries. Was brilliant!

Some of the other stuff is nice, just pick and choose what suits you.

My family absolutely love Christmas. Our tree goes up the 1st of December, we do elf on the shelf, we do Christmas Eve boxes and a big lunch and a pile of presents. We’re not on social media and don’t do any of these things to show off to anyone. We do these things because we love them and want to make our children’s Christmas as magical as possible. We do not give mindless tat but we not judge people who choose to do this. It is up to each individual how they celebrate Christmas and just because some people think all these things are extravagant and unnecessary it doesn’t mean that everyone should feel this way. No one knows everyone’s situation or why they choose to do what they do so don’t judge.

For goodness sakes, let the thread die! People do it differently to you, and that's fine. Constantly looking at what your neighbours are doing is never going to lead to a happy life.

I agree but if you don't like something ..eg Christmas Eve boxes....don't buy them !!!

My husband manages to make Christmas last from 1st Dec to 6th Jan. The Christmas decorations started to be out up on Monday and still aren't finished. We're having an early Christmas this weeks when I go to visit my Dad and sister etc. Usually I cook a roast but this year we're going to a pub instead. Next week DGS is coming up for a few days while his parents do adult stuff and back to them on Saturday,meeting up with DD's in-laws😑 Then we'll start on the Christmas meals. I forgot to say if you can't find any Christmas beer we've got them all and DH has already started on it. I love Christmas but this is overkill. When my kids were small we used to give them relaxing bath bombs as a Christmas eve present , not that it ever helped them sleep.

I don't think it is worth it calling out the non Christmas from the Full on Christmas at all.

Each to their own. That's my view. And no one really cares after Boxing Day do they? What a load of blx for one or two days really. Feel really sorry for those who have to travel for hours on end to be polite and keep the peace.

Anyway.

Doing a very pared back Christmas this year. Huge et bill, blown up engine and a house move.
How did the birth of Christianity end up in the consumerfest we now have? 🤷🏻‍♀️

There is a lot I love about Christmas. The decorations, the lights, the songs, the break from normal life.

I hate the pressure to buy presents/ send cards. The waste. Slightly nervous at my first go cooking Xmas dinner as it's 3 extra adults than I'd normally cook for.

My kids hate going to see Santa etc, don't have advent calendars and I'm too lazy for an elf on the shelf. I think the current environmental awareness is the perfect time to make changes for the better - e.g. less stuff to buy, no cards, call people instead.