To not think about Christmas until December ( lighthearted)

[Dishwashersaurous]

Am I the only person on mumsnet who doesn't really give any thought to Christmas until December. Clearly, judging by the number of threads, I'm in a minority. But please tell me that I'm not the only one!

I love Xmas but it belongs in December and shouldn't seep out into other months. I refuse to think about it before Dec 1st.

I don't think of it until after my daughters birthday and mine. Our birthdays are 2 days apart in November and once they are done then I start to think about it.

@Dishwashersaurous

Genuine question for those that present shop in the summer.

1. How do you know that the person won't have bought it already by then; and
2. How do you know that someone will still want it six months down the line?

I tend to buy, and receive books. I will have bought at least a dozen books between the summer and Christmas .

I don’t ask what they want or need as a rule, I might with the kids or teenagers, but I like to buy things I like and think the person will like. The people I buy for I know well enough to know what to buy. Example, saw a beautiful necklace my MIL would love in May, already missed her birthday so bought it. I very much doubt she would buy the same thing. FIL gets almost the same every year, hard to buy for, likes the same colour, has 50 of almost the same jumpers or shirts. Anything he actually wants we could never afford to buy, the gift is purely token. My DCs I know well enough to know they will still like what I get. Once DCs lists are locked in in September they can’t change them. I do this so I can make sure I can get everything they want, sometimes that means hunting things down in sales or 2nd hand.

At one stage we had 12 birthdays in October, November and December to buy for, we have cut it down to 6, that dosnt include DH & myself. Buying gifts throughout the year spreads the costs and makes it more manageable for us.

@shivermetimbers77

I hate all this Christmas stuff in November: it’s ridiculous, overly commercialised overkill. Christmas countdown should start with advent on December 1st and Mariah Carey , Wizard and particularly bloody Slade should be banned until then! (Bah humbug)

Advent doesn't start on the 1st December. The first Sunday of advent obviously changes every year, but this year it's the 28th November!

Ho ho ho
🎅🏼

@Dishwashersaurous

Hey.

That makes sense. I was thinking more of people who say I bought x for aunty sue in July.

Aah right! I think we're quite lucky in that in my family we only really buy for the kids.

My grandma and elderly aunties will have a lovely bunch of flowers and a box of their favourite chocolates each from our local chocolate maker. But they don't want "stuff for the sake of having a present.

My parents and sister I get a small something from my DS to give them from him but that's it really. Mainly so he knows that we give at Christmas as well as receive. And we choose presents off us as a family for the toy collection at church.

But that's it, and generally it saves money and prevents having piles of stuff that you don't really want just because people felt obligated to get you a present.

I started thinking about Christmas last month. That’s fine. I make things and it takes me forever to sew them.

I can't think about until late December which is unusual for me, I'm normally all done by October. We're in between houses at the moment, living at my Mum's, there's nowhere to even put wrapped gifts. I used to keep them at work but we've vacated our office. We hope to be in our new home by Xmas but who knows. We're having a very disorganised affair this year.

I can't even get any presents early this year as we are moving end November and trying to minimise the amount of crap we have to transport!

I usually don't start until December but I've decided I'm going to be one of those done and dusted people by Dec 1st this year.

Ever since the kids started school the whole of Christmas had just become the logistic Olympics and this is my attempt to actually enjoy it all again.

@Littleants

That’s sounds interesting…. What do you make?

I’m a bit of both , I’m organised I start a list around now and I save up with park so my vouchers are on the way but decs / films / music not till December. I haven’t even planned any Christmas catch ups yet or what’s happening Christmas Day and beyond.

We don’t decorate or put Christmas music on or anything, but will start buying some presents pre-December.

I'm normally adamant that Xmas stays in December, but this year the gable lights are beyond repair so I'll buy the new ones today and go up and pin them in place tomorrow while it's still fairly warm.
So I'll make an exception this year. I'm not going up a ladder in the frost.

I think whilst Christmas is lovely and an exciting time, the protracted run up takes the gloss off.
Looking forward to this year being a bit calmer maybe when people will be belt tightening and the shelves a bit emptier.

@Dishwashersaurous

Genuine question for those that present shop in the summer.

1. How do you know that the person won't have bought it already by then; and
2. How do you know that someone will still want it six months down the line?

I tend to buy, and receive books. I will have bought at least a dozen books between the summer and Christmas .

I don’t specifically buy presents in the summer but might if I see something I think they’d like. I wouldn’t buy books, because like you we buy a lot throughout the year, but for example if I saw some jewellery I think my mum would like, it’s pretty unlikely she’d buy that for herself so I might get it.

Pre DS I used to leave everything until December but his birthday is the first week and DHs is the last week of November, so rather than shop twice I tend to do things all at once put some aside for birthday and some for Christmas. I have been able to get DH some good presents in the black Friday sales previously too (a much desired specific type of smart watch that he'd said he couldn't justify as too expensive, I got for 60% off...)
Decorations/lights don't go up until December

I don't either. I just get sick of it tbh, it spoils it when it's in your face so early. Christmas is right at the end of December too and it is still the Christmas period after Christmas day which everyone seems to forget and then they take everything down because they've all had enough by then from putting everything up so early but it's actually still Christmas.

I don't really enjoy Christmas as we are a small, and getting smaller every year, scattered family. I hate all the Christmas songs as most of them came out when I was a teenager or in my 20s. I'm in my 60s and listening to them on a loop every year for over 40 years just gets boring and irritating.

I start thinking about presents in October because these days the DCs are more difficult to buy for but usually wait until Black Friday in November to start shopping to see if I can get any bargains online. I might also start picking up some non perishable Christmas bits, like a Christmas pudding, crackers, etc in November as well.

Also heart Christmas appeared on the radio in October!

People always say that those of us who want Christmas in perspective are curmudgeons but that's not the case at all. I enjoy Christmas very much I just don't want, as pp said, for it to dominate 2 whole months of every year. I've seen threads on Mumsnet where people are doing their Christmas menu planning in August - unbelievable!

But you are thinking about it, so much so you started a thread about it (where other non thinkers have joined in the not thinking) ...... just go ahead and put Mariah Carey on loop and be done with it

I'm with you OP

I have the Christmas topic hidden on MN which I would highly recommend!

Nope, December is plenty of time. I like Christmas and buying presents and decorating, but I like it at Christmas, not in November. Or July!

Christmas tree goes up mid-December. I like real one so they don't just long enough otherwise (it stays up until at least New Year's Day, no taking down on Boxing Day here).