A thread for all the Scrooges out there

[WheelieBinPrincess]

I’m not feeling my must Christmassy because we were supposed to be moving out of our rented flat and into our first proper home with our new baby, but the solicitor has cocked it and now it won’t happen.

So I’m going to have a rant about Christmas instead.

I don’t get hot chocolate stations. Our kitchen is not big enough for any kind of ‘station’ but even if it was, feasibly how many hot chocolates would you drink in a day to make it worth having a station? Are you at the station all day? Are there soggy marshmallows and drippy bits of squishy cream seeping across your surfaces?

I think it sounds a right ball ache and the chat about ‘hot chocolate stations’ is making me cringe 😂

So just add your Christmas rants. They can be as petty as you like.

I absolutely love Christmas. The food, the time off work, the twinkly lights, Christmas carols, spending time with family.

I like our low key Christmas..... stocking with a few little things in from Father Christmas. A couple of other presents for the DDs under the tree from us....some toys but also clothes, books, useful stuff.

I absolutely hate all the other crap. Getting children to write Christmas lists just seems grabby, piles of presents mean they appreciate them less, sodding Elf on the Shelf is a brilliant marketing ploy, Christmas Eve boxes or really fancy advent calendars that mean children are getting presents every sodding day. I grew up in a household where we got a mountain of presents, my mum just couldn't stop and yes, it was exciting but I remember hardly any of them and then we were piss poor in January and eating dry cereal for a month. She meant well but I've rebelled against that with my own DDs and want to keep the whole thing low-key.

So glad Elf wasn’t a thing when my adult children were young, this is the only thing I have seen to do with the wretched thing that appeals.

I like Christmas, mainly because I like twinkly lights, wine and cheese, and possibly because I don't have children. But I like it I suspect because I only do the things I feel like doing...I won't be pressured into visiting anyone or having visitors if I don't feel like it, I only buy presents for DH and DM and always things I know they will like and use. I rarely attend social events that require mingling in a sparkly dress with people I barely know / like.

I really feel for everyone with young children...the pressure to do the whatever date it is boxes, elves, mountains of presents, schlep the children around relatives to make sure everyone sees them etc must be a LOT.
That picture of the hot chocolate station someone posted up thread made me cringe. Very twee, very try hard.

I've given months and months of my time and energy this year - to the detriment of my own needs and mental health. I'm also planning, buying and cooking Christmas lunch at their new home this year. That's quite enough of a Christmas present - without buying stuff they don't need and they'll tell me off for anyway... Bah! Humbug! 🥱

@Shedmistress

I fucking hate Christmas.

I hate that people run around like loons spending too much money on plastic shite that their kids will look at once and then never look at again.

I hate that normality stops for 2 weeks for one fucking day for people who aren't even fucking religious.

I hate christmas appearing in fucking september. It is one fucking day.

I hate that so many people get paid early, spend their money on Christmas and then have no money making january the coldest month last [financially] and extra 2 weeks and people going into debt to pay for their heating or not have it on.

I hate the intimation that the whole world has spent the fortnight so drunk that they have to have a dry january to counterbalance the alcohol they consumed during Christmas.

I just fucking hate it. All of it.

Last year I spent the afternoon researching dishwashers and how to get the best out of them. A much better use of time.

You are not alone in feeling this way about it all

I hate secret santas where the budget is more than you'd spend on your actual friends. No, I don't want to spend £25 on a random baby from my DC's NCT group when I'm only spending £15 on my nieces and nephews! No, I don't want to part with £20 for a co-worker I've only had 5 conversations with in 3 years!

My adult DD and I were discussing the elf on the shelf the other day, this didn't happen when she was little. She asked me what the 'shelf' part of it is - I said I think it's a mantelpiece, or bookshelf judging by the FB and Instagram posts I see. I might be wrong though?

I'm disturbed as to how parents are comfortable with the level of surveillance from the elf, it feels a bit 'Big Brother' like to me.

What is a guzzinter?

@CatsArePeople

I love Xmas, but my pet hate is shitty music blaring everywhere. I feel for the retail staff.

Tomorrow is 1st December so be prepared for the shitty music to start within the next twelve or so hours.

I'm disturbed as to how parents are comfortable with the level of surveillance from the elf, it feels a bit 'Big Brother' like to me.

No one I know actually does that bit 🤷‍♀️

I love Xmas, but my pet hate is shitty music blaring everywhere. I feel for the retail staff.

The company I work for thankfully cares for our MH and mixes regular music and Christmas music together so it isn’t playing all day.

The shitty music has been in these parts for weeks already. No waiting until 1/12.

I don't mind Christmas, I don't have kids yet so not as "exciting" however there are some things I do hate...
Shops, should be the season of good will yet people pushing past others and being extra rude. The social media competitiveness/performance parenting and pictures of present piles... Worse when its people my age who still live at home posting theirs in the afternoon.

I'm not sure if it counts as a chocolate station, but I've just rented new office space, and the coffee and chocolate machine is amazing.
At first I thought it was too milky, then realised there's a choice of chocolate and milky "chocolatte".

I love Christmas except - Christmas jumpers, Christmas flashing jewellery, crackers (what a waste of money / effort). I'm so glad DS swerved Christmas boxes and Elf on a bloody shelf. And I don't like Christmas films or mulled wine. And hot chocolate is nice occasionally. Very occasionally.

I love Christmas but:
I don’t think anyone wants to receive a homemade present (other than maybe chocolate/biscuits/similar)
The elf on the shelf is a creepy waste of mental energy
I don’t understand how matching family pyjamas work - do you have to get rid of the adults’ ones too every time a child grows out of theirs?
And I don’t see the point of 1st December/Xmas Eve boxes. I’ve seen posters on here justify them by saying they just have Xmas books/toys that they reuse each year but why does that need a special box? Just stick it in the loft in a plastic crate like everything else.

My people

Why is the world so mad these days?

I have just googled "hot chocolate station" and looked at the images.

Jesus Joseph Mary and the wee donkey.

Also agree on Christmas films. I have seen Home Alone and Die Hard. I have not seen - and have zero intention of seeing - Elf, The Grinch, Scrooged, any of the Home Alone sequels.

I might do me a ‘tea station’ . I’ll put some tinsel around the kettle and sprinkle glitter on my teabags.

Magic fm is usually my favourite radio station but now it's gone "100% Christmas!" Ffs.

Christmas shit in shops from 1st November. There are only 12 months in a year, it's disproportionate to celebrate one day for 2/12 of it.

Husband's relatives announce they're all coming to us and think they're doing us a favour. Surprisingly, I don't actually savour cooking for 10, and clearing up for 10, and being civil to 10. Christmas in lockdown last year with just my little family was pure bliss. I wouldn't be upset if Boris announced a Christmas circuit breaker 😬

Basically nothing getting done for a 3 week period. God forbid one of the kids needs to see the doctor or my gutters need fixing
or, like the period between Christmas and New year 2018 when I had a wisdom tooth infection but couldn't see a dentist for weeks. Those are January problems apparently.

The fact that everyone looks to me to maje Christmas wonderful and magical for everyone else. It all falls squarely on me and I fucking hate it all.

And I don't even like turkey.

I'm early pregnancy and just looking at Christmas trees & decorations is making me feel really sick. I had to leave a shop today because I thought I was going to throw up over a snowy looking tree

I know what hot chocolate stations are and I think they are utterly pointless. I have mugs and hot chocolate in my kitchen cupboards. Getting them down is not a hardship and why the fuck would I want to clutter my work top up with jars of marshmallows.

Thank goodness my DC tell me every year never to do elf on the shelf as they think it’s creepy.