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.

I just go with the flow, but am not a great fan.

No hosting this year yay! But as soon as restrictions are lifted will have a small gathering every weekend if allowed to do so. All family in accord and we will share our hostings.

I think we are all sighing with relief tbh. We are very close and until Covid would meet regularly anyway, but are clued in enough to know that twenty or more people in the one house ain't going to happen this year, so we are all doing our own thing.

Grinch I suppose. But I agree, Yorkies are good with everything!, going to have them with Salmon even! Who cares, but there will be no gravy, just lemon flavoured white sauce. Does it matter?

Enjoy whatever you enjoy folks, and Merry Christmas.

I think most wives and moms feel that way deep down inside. We put way too much pressure on ourselves all over the idea of a perfect holiday.

Speak for yourself. Aim for a holiday you enjoy, not 'a perfect holiday'. The only two times we've hosted Christmas Day, dh did all the cooking. No need for women to be Christmas martyrs - share the load.

Noddy Holder
Mariah Carey

Oh I love Christmas. I absolutely love it! Don't be mean about it people !

Blame the chef not the food. I've never had dry turkey, ever. Stuffing is boring though, so I buy fancy-sausage and apricot stuffing. LOVE Christmas pudding - Waitrose ones are my fave. Parsnips are creamy and delicious, but only roasted (or in soup). Not fussed with Christmas cake tbh, don't like all that shite icing! Sprouts with pancetta.

@lazylinguist

I think most wives and moms feel that way deep down inside. We put way too much pressure on ourselves all over the idea of a perfect holiday.

Speak for yourself. Aim for a holiday you enjoy, not 'a perfect holiday'. The only two times we've hosted Christmas Day, dh did all the cooking. No need for women to be Christmas martyrs - share the load.

Its not about workload or being a martyr. Its about expectations. Most men are much more laid back about holidays and special occasions. Some women ( most in circles) drive themselves crazy trying to have the perfect holiday. There's no need.

I don't agree that it's women putting it all on themselves. I feel so much pressure just balancing the actual social logistics if bringing two lots of family 'traditions' together - in our case we would quite happily just do our own sodding thing, but that causes great upset amongst relatives. Not because they are deliberately being arses but because for decades they have done X, and love it so much that doing things differently is a real imposition and actively rude to them. They can't understand why it might not suit you to do the same.

I wish the 'everyone should do whatever they enjoy!' was even remotely widely accepted but it isn't.

Then women get told off for not just relaxing and letting it all go, like the pressure to create something that suits multiple generations, families, friends and work is all made up in their head and not real social pressure.

I actually love Christmas! But there are still bits I find stressful because of that kind of external social bollocks.

@BiddyPop

That everyone expects to see you and have you over but won't ever go to your house, and you spend the whole precious few days off work running and racing (just as much as in real life) instead of actually getting a break.

I long to sit by the fire and read a book for an afternoon - I think I last managed that in 2006 when DD was a toddler.....

How on earth did you manage an afternoon with a book with a toddler? It’s the Christmas tradition I long for but it ain’t gonna happen with my 2 year old around.

@WorraLiberty

Santa is old and obese and should be shielding.

Not spreading germs around the world to give presents to children whose parents are too lazy to buy them themselves.

What was the point of lockdown??? 🙄🙄

He's had the vaccine.Johnny Van Tam said so.

I'm a fan of the alternative to wrapping paper: the recipient closes their eyes before receiving a present. As a child, I received a few big presents like this: I was blindfolded (I was too much of a cheater to keep my eyes closed), led to the present, told to have a good feel, and to guess what it might be, before I was allowed to see it. I loved this, but I think I was the only one who did.

I've suggested giving presents in this way, but it's always been firmly vetoed! However, my DH always gives me at least one present like this, because he knows I like it.

Older people - almost invariably women - who make martyrs of themselves hosting Christmas dinner for hordes of dcs and Gdcs - and are sick of it, increasingly exhausted and stressed every year - but who will not tell the family that they’ve had enough, it’s someone else’s turn now.

Maybe that’s not an unpopular opinion though!

We need to adopt the Japanese (I think) style of wrapping gifts in pretty fabric, tied with a ribbon. Recipient keeps the fabric to reuse in their own gift giving.

Yes, it is Japanese, although the ribbon isn't essential as you can tie the fabric itself. It's called furoshiki.

I'm terrible at wrapping with paper, I never get it neat or even. This looks much easier, better for the environment, cheaper in the long run, and absolutely beautiful to look at, much better than my usual hash of sellotape and messy corners.

Some people are born to be able to wrap presents! I'm not one of these people.
They have always looked pretty shitty and a bit sad.
I know folk who can do the curly ribbon with scissors thing. That is a skill set.

It appears I am committing many heinous acts again Christmas! Not only am I partial to enjoying Yorkshire puds and bread sauce on my turkey dinner, but I also enjoy a couple of spoons of baked beans with it too!

‘Christmas is for families’... I like to be on my own, but find myself constantly fighting off people who pity me when they realise I won’t have company.

I like turkey. Yummy.

I do not like sprouts. Not yummy.

Christmas cards are a waste of time.

Work Christmas parties are a waste of time. Especially on Zoom.

Nobody should be putting decorations up until 1 December - at a push last Sunday in November as it is Advent, I suppose.

Elf on a shelf and all the #making memories rubbish are just that, rubbish.

This year I have been deciding that Christmas trees are really rather odd.

I do like the Christmas markets, Lebkuchen and Gluehwein.

@SushiGo

I don't agree that it's women putting it all on themselves. I feel so much pressure just balancing the actual social logistics if bringing two lots of family 'traditions' together - in our case we would quite happily just do our own sodding thing, but that causes great upset amongst relatives. Not because they are deliberately being arses but because for decades they have done X, and love it so much that doing things differently is a real imposition and actively rude to them. They can't understand why it might not suit you to do the same.

I wish the 'everyone should do whatever they enjoy!' was even remotely widely accepted but it isn't.

Then women get told off for not just relaxing and letting it all go, like the pressure to create something that suits multiple generations, families, friends and work is all made up in their head and not real social pressure.

I actually love Christmas! But there are still bits I find stressful because of that kind of external social bollocks.

Just tell the relatives to get a life. It is still martyrdom because the women who go along with it are not putting themselves and their families' needs first.

Just be a bit or even a lot selfish. Now that's a very unpopular Christmas view, I know.

Christmas as a single mother is absolutely wonderful

So bickering, no tension, so in laws.
Just.... lovely lovely lovely

*No”! Not So

Christmas tv is crap nowadays and you need Sky or Netflix etc.

Stocking fillers are a load of tat. Waste of money and they end up in landfill fairly quickly, causing additional damage to the environment.

Wrapping paper is dreadful unrecyclable stuff and it’s better to use brown paper.

Guessing what presents people want is stupid because half of the time they don’t like what you’ve picked and it ends up at the charity shop or stuffed in the back of a cupboard.

But equally it’s pointless if they tell you what they want and you tell them what you want. Might as well just buy something for yourself.

In fact the whole present giving thing is stupid because you have to avoid buying stuff for yourself so others can have something to buy you.

I hate that it’s ‘family time’ and your a bad person if you don’t want to spend it with your family. Even if the family are awful, abusive and evil.

I think the problem, reading your comments, is that the food is cooked incorrectly! Turkey can be moist if not overcooked and with gravy can be yum. Try chopping Brussels sprouts, half cooking them, then finishing off by frying in butter and orange juice. I don't like Christmas pud so can't help there. Try different stuffing, like apple or rosemary. Instead of parsnips try sweet potatoes.

Christmas dinner to me is not turkey, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets (which are just breakfast food I eat most days) et, that’s just a mediocre/shit roast that you have on a normal Sunday.

Christmas dinner is duck a l’orange with apple and celery stuffing or beef Wellington, served with lyonnaise or dauphinois potatoes and asparagus.

Christmas Eve is way better than Christmas day