Christmas being “cancelled”.

[Stuckhere2021]

Disclaimer - my DCs are now young adults so we are past the “must have” toys for Christmas but have done the queuing in the rain for 4 hours to get a full set of telletubbies/Tweenies/Paul Smith bag etc.

Would it really be so bad if we had to go a bit more “basic” this year? Say we only eat food and veg produced locally/regionally. Everyone makes do with fewer gifts. More time spent playing games.

YABU - Christmas is special and after the shit 18 months we’ve had, we should have something to look forward to.
YANBU - Christmas is what you make it and shouldn’t be all about the gifts / spending.

I'm confused about Paul smith bag

Christmas is always 'basic' for me as a) I'm poor and b) I can't stand the gross materialism associated with it.

Fuck it as its just one day and a turkey

Of course it wouldn't, why would anyone say it would?!

To be honest no one really cares what you do for Christmas apart from you

And cutting back is not cancelling, from your title I was expecting a "I've been treated really badly by family/dh etc, and I'm just not making the effort this year"

A local Christmas is special for us.

We eat beef fillet, game pie, pate and local veg plus we can even drink local 'fizz' as we are surrounded by vineyards.

I don't think eating locally means eating badly or forfeiting favourite food and drink

Boris is saying Christmas will be better this year. Considering last year, with a few days notice, we (where I live) were banned from seeing anyone out our household, I'm not too fussed if we can't get a turkey this year! Although if there is no petrol to visit loved ones, that would make me sad!

It’d be quite nice to not feel we have to have turkey. No one likes it!

I totally agree with you. I really object to the money that gets spent on Christmas. I don't need anything and neither does DH. But my inlaws are obsessed with buying presents for everyone and it does my head in. We end up with a mountain of rubbish. I always get smellies. I'm still using up last Christmas' shower gel.
Last year I bought everyone consumables, Lovely sets of jam or honey, etc. But I could tell they were not well received and even though they were expensive they looked small compared to the massive gift bags of tat my MIL produced for each of us.
In my family we don't exchange gifts and we're all fine with that. I usually get my parents something, like tickets to an event but I dont buy for my siblings or neices and nephews. My MIL has called me mean for not buying my mother a special present.
Phew, it's nice to rant. I know I'll never get anyone to change so I just go along with it.

Personally I'd completely scale back Christmas. Couple of gifts each, just DH, DD & me. No need for the obligatory overspending. No tree etc. No overeating. Something nice for dinner but not the same bloody thing every bastard year. Then go for a walk & enjoy the peace (because everyone else is in a food coma on their sofa!)

An ideal opportunity to flick the Vs to materialism, greed, overindulgence and reflect on what it means. Not necessarily religious, but celebration. It can be religious if you have Faith but celebration that the nights are getting slowly shorter and summer is ahead.

I’m fed up with the ridiculous drama in news about “Christmas is cancelled” and turkeys and what not. There will be available food, it just might not be the obscene amount and variety we are used to. If I can go to a service at church, have a tasty meal (almost certainly not turkey), some family around and my kids get a couple of presents then I will consider that a lovely Christmas. The absence of turkey, pigs in blankets, heaps of toys made in China etc will not cause my Christmas to be in any way cancelled.

Some people are going to have a crap winter, but it’ll be about energy bills, nhs waiting lists etc not flipping turkeys.

YANBU. I've scaled back this year, brought more board games than anything to play with the DC. Not buying anyone else gifts apart from the DC just don't see the point I have everything I need and I'd rather people spent their money on themselves.

Much nicer not to run round the shops for kids gifts and I’ve never queued for ‘must have’ presents - who does that?

Ask the children what they got last year and they’re clueless!

They’ll remember the Christmas lights, the school plays, the tree, playing games and sneaking a peek at the present under the tree - bit not the gifts

I don't really understand your post.

Christmas being 'cancelled' is different to scaling back. Yes, if you need or want to scale back that is fine. But it's not the same as cancelling.

Personally I enjoy Christmas and only spend what I want, on things I want.

I feel like there is a lot of competitive underplaying of Christmas on here this year. Is it always like this?

Have a Fray Bentos and a cup of tea and call it done if you want to. I don't think they are giving out prizes for the most basic Christmas though.

I will be having the biggest best Christmas I can comfortably afford, same as I do every year. Can't wait.

Oh and yes. Absolutely no tat. I can't stand it. If it's "the thought that counts" when it comes to giving gifts, I don't understand the point of thoughtless cheap tat. We're supposed to be reducing plastic waste.

It's never over the top for us in recent years, we have very little family so it's just us and our kids who are now young adults.
I'm not going to panic worrying about whether there will be turkeys available, it's not the end of the world if we have an alternative meat or even home made pizza. As long as there is wine , mince pies and a tub or two of chocolates we will be fine !!

We always have a simple Christmas and we all really enjoy it. We enjoy simple pleasures such as making christingles, going on woodland walks, church carol concerts, making bird feeders, making decorations for the house. Children have simple presents often second hand and it's all very lovely. Local food, we don't go overboard etc.

It sounds like you're just hoping to do what most people do for Christmas anyway and make it about the people rather than the gifts. It's a shame if your previous Christmases haven't been like that.

I would love to cancel Xmas. My Dad's already trying to get me to commit to Xmas plans.
Then there's whether we go to in laws vs teenagers' desire to stay at home.
I enjoyed our lockdown Xmas (with my Dad) at home and no visiting.

Honestly you do you springs to mind! If you think your kids would enjoy that type of Xmas go for it. Why not speak to them?

We do the 4 item box.

Something to eat, something to read, something to wear, something to play.

This year it's some Japanese sweets £3, a kids interactive book from Waterstones £7.99, Peppa pig wellies £8 and an interactive leapfrog laptop £20

I have also ordered a new play kitchen which says it's not going to arrive until December. But that was meant to replace the crappy plastic one that fell to pieces within a week of assembling, though it may end up being added to the Christmas pile.

Otherwise we'll just be sticking to the 4 item box, with special Christmas Eve activities planned.

What do you think Jesus would prefer?

Sorry I got confused myself!! When DD was about 14, all the rage was Paul’s Boutique overpriced chintzy shit.