To ask for your unpopular Christmas opinions?

[GlummyMcGlummerson]

Mine is that a traditional Christmas dinner is horrible
Turkey - bleurgh, so dry
Sprouts - farts posing as leaves
Parsnips - how can anyone put them in their mouth?!
Stuffing - like eating sand
Christmas pudding - sour booze disguised as cake
Christmas cake - way too dry and that much fruit does not belong in a sponge

I'd honestly be happy with a plate of pigs in blankets, a jar of cranberry sauce and a spoon to eat the sauce straight from the jar.

Father Christmas is just a credit steeling fat bastard. The sooner DC find out he’s not real the better. Why would any parent want somebody else getting thanked for the presents they’ve bought, wrapped etc?

Adults pretending that all presents come from Father Christmas, even when there are no children involved is just plain ridiculous.

In my house, the DC know the gifts come from me/DH/nana/uncle, etc so that they know who to thank and they know not to ask for anything ridiculous like a flying pony. They know we buy the gifts and we "send them to Santa for safekeeping", if they try to be good people then he brings them back during the night of Christmas Eve. Big Red is basically a bondsman.

And we have Yorkshire puddings with our dinner.

@enigma16

I'm not from here so maybe that's why I also don't get what's so romantic and special about Fairytale of New York - a song about a couple of alcoholics exchanging 'affectionate' insults. Depressing.

It's not supposed to be romantic. That's pretty much the point of it!

Still, despite the people deciding, in true MN style, that anyone who feels differently must have the worst possible motives (in this case, trying to be edgy and left field or whatever, despite the fact that it's one of the most popular and frequently played Christmas songs of all....God forbid anyone might just genuinely like it!), I like it. I like the Irish, folky sound of it, I like the melody, I like the way it changes in tune, tempo and tone, I like the story, I like the singers' voices...I just like it.

Bread sauce, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. Daily update photos of facebook of elf on the shelf, I unfollow anyone who posts daily photos for 30 days.

PrincessNutNutRoast

I think it romanticises alcoholism and the false sentimentalism of alcoholics. Alcoholism is grim and there is no need to sing Christmas songs about it.

@enigma16

PrincessNutNutRoast

I think it romanticises alcoholism and the false sentimentalism of alcoholics. Alcoholism is grim and there is no need to sing Christmas songs about it.

That's interesting. To me it's always looked like a pretty solid message against it, seeing how the characters' career dreams and relationship got ruined by it...and the false sentimentalism always seemed as though it was meant to look like just that.

I think it's popular in part because it is not so saccharine and happy clappy as most Christmas songs...there's maybe a little hint of hope at the end (it's a Christmas song, after all), depending on
how you look at it, but I've certainly never felt it was any kind of advert for alcoholism...quite the opposite.

@FourSeasonsTotalLandscaping

I'm not particularly fond of turkey - we have small Christmas dinners usually so generally have a chicken. Interesting though that people feel it isn't "traditional" to have turkey - it has been a feature of the British Christmas since the 17th century and by the mid to late 19th century it was firmly ensconced on the menu. Even A Christmas Carol features a turkey! So it's no less "traditional" than, say, a Christmas tree.

Turkeys are generally used because people often have the extended family visiting so need a bird big enough to feed everyone. A goose is also an option. So there's nothing wrong with any particular meat, it's purely that some feed more people.

alittleprivacy I have similar thoughts about Fairytale of New York.

There's so much interesting Irish-based music, especially with that folky sound, can't someone create something better?!

My unpopular opinion: I work for one of the big supermarkets. The amount of men still walking into the store at fives minutes to closing time, after they've rolled out the pub, demanding I find them foil, getting cross there's no turkey (they had one job!), buying their wives the last of the tat on the shelves is both depressing and annoying. Every year they've extended opening times - makes no fecking difference.

There's so much interesting Irish-based music, especially with that folky sound, can't someone create something better?!

Of course, and they have, but this one is the Christmas song and so far none of them have knocked it off that pedestal. Probably impossible now, but I wouldn't take any Christmas song as a sign that nobody has done anything better. Hell, the Christmas song is often the worst one of an artist's entire repertoire. Seriously, two Beatles gave us the worst ones of all??

That buying your kids expensive branded clothes is just encouraging them to be grabby.

I'm not sure if its a Christmas tradition but I only seem to get offered it at this time of year: trifle. Just the thought of it makes me want to heave! The combination of sponge, jelly, cold custard and fruit and cream is just so gross.

OMG we always have Yorkshire pudding with our Christmas, but then again, we are from Yorkshire :-)

Christmas dinner, pressed before I finished :-)

Lisa Snowden was on about eating yorkshire puddings in her Christmas Dinner on tv this morning Who are you crazy people that only eat them with beef? I love yorkshire puddings.

We were never allowed to have Yorkshire puddings with Christmas dinner when I was a child as they were meant to fill you up so you didn't need much other food traditionally.

There was no need for them at Christmas as we had all this other food. Yes, there was lots of food, 3 different stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and red current jelly, not to mention sprouts cooked however was that years way to cook them.

I'd rather have had the Yorkshire puddings and these days, we do!

The whole idea of Father Christmas is ridiculous. And those parents that dread their key stage two DC finding out and falling over themselves trying to keep up the lie, goodness me!
Elf on the shelf is the most over the top nonsense I've seen. Just an excuse for the parent ( mum as it usually happens) to post a show off picture on Facebook every day. And I'm American but I've never heard of elf on the shelf until maybe ten years ago in the UK.

All "Christmas chocolate" is waxy, sugary rubbish. Inedible.

Non-food shops should be closed on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

I dislike homemade mince pies, dry heavy pastry, too little filling, leaked and burnt filling. I even once knew someone who put icing on top, yuk! Just not worth the calories.

Much prefer shop-bought luxury butter mince pies stuffed with filling and crumbly delicious pastry.

I love colourful, glittery Dec's and outside lights.

I love Xmas EastEnders.

I hate Xmas music.

BlindAssassin; I used to work in a high-street chemists, and it was unbelievable how many mum rushed in on Christmas Eve, looked around wildly, and said "I'll have that".
Still, despite the people deciding, in true MN style, that anyone who feels differently must have the worst possible motives (in this case, trying to be edgy and left field or whatever, despite the fact that it's one of the most popular and frequently played Christmas songs of all....God forbid anyone might just genuinely like it!), I like it. I like the Irish, folky sound of it, I like the melody, I like the way it changes in tune, tempo and tone, I like the story, I like the singers' voices...I just like it.
Me too, for all the same reasons' And Kirsty McColl's voice was amazing.

Men, not mum!

All (or at least most) of the most modern Christmas 'traditions' are just ways to guilt people in to spending more even more money and dragging the Christmas spending out further. This is particularly true for anything for kids. Each year there seems to be a new on, or a more expensive upgrade. I give you:

• Advent calendars, which in a couple of generations have gone from paper/card, through a requirement to include chocolates, to toys/beauty products costing upwards of £30.
• Visits to Santa, again a recent idea that has gone from a grotto in a shop and a cheap present to tea with Santa, santa experiences, visits to lapland etc. I encountered one last year where parents had to choose (on the way in, it was not pre-booked) whether to have the £5 gift, £10 gift or £15 gift- no one chose the £5 (although I suspect most wanted to).
• Xmas eve boxes, I have no idea where these came from but basically a way for people to feel pressured in to buying even more presents etc. Usually including Xmas themed items (see below)
• Xmas themed everything, that no one will want to use after the end of December so you either have to find somewhere to store them or bin them and buy more next year. Particularly bad with kids clothing as there's no way it will fit again next year, so if it's in a Xmas eve box you have at best a week's wear.
• Secret santa, I have never met anyone over the age of 21 who likes the work secret santa but is not an arse. I suspect at least 90% of what is exchanged ends up in the bin.

I love the big bowls that go on front doors

*bows not bowls😂