To ask what Christmas traditions you HAVEN’T carried on from childhood?

[LlamaParma]

I don’t cook from scratch. I buy everything M&S ready made in foil tins and whack it in the oven on the day.

Simply because I have HORRIBLE memories of Christmas as a child and my mum absolutely stressing to high heaven in the kitchen from about 7am until 3pm, banging pots and at some point having a tantrum because “NOBODY IS HELPING”. Me and my siblings and stepdad would be and when offered to help would get told “No it’s FINE I’m FINE”. All because we’d usually have guests and she was adamant everyone would have a lovely ‘everything homemade’ meal every year. And TBF it tasted amazing and whilst we take the piss out of her now about it (when we all buggered off to Uni she had a Christmas Day Amnesty and declared it’s pizza and chips if we spend it at hers - good for her!) at the time I always wish she’d have chilled out and spent time with us, watched films, help us set up toys etc. Nobody needed homemade horseradish sauce and chicken liver pâté. The atmosphere would be awful, it was a running joke that the kitchen was a no-go area on Christmas Day, but as a result I don’t stress at all about food with my own family. If it’s crap then tough luck, there’s always Pudding to fall back on

What Christmas traditions or things have you not passed on to your kids from your childhood?

Waiting to see if my mum was going to be in a manic episode or not. Drunken arguments. Parents stressed about affording it all and one fine Christmas where the police were called. Christmas in my house , my way is bliss!

@LindaEllen

My dad always got so worked up about having the 'perfect day' that it always ended up feeling too mechanical. A happens at x time, B happens at y time.. etc. And he is another for insisting everything is made from scratch. Fuck that. We get up in the morning and open presents, have the meal mid afternoon, but other than that, anything goes!

Exactly. Stressy shit is not where I’m at at Christmas. Same with having to go and be with any in-laws. I also hated not being joke for Christmas Day. We are now always home abd will instead see people before/after.

*home

I dropped Father Christmas, but kept pretty much everything else

Oh god yeah "The Perfect Day"
The push for that perfection actually made the days far less than perfect for everyone.

I'd rather have a fun day, free form, no plans and a pot noodle than all the strict timings that some people do. Presents from 8-10 breakfast 10-11, basting at set times,.turning appliances on at set times, sit.down for dinner at a set time.
Any deviation means it's a disaster..
Sod.that.

Church, the Queen's speech and not opening presents until after her bloody speech.

Midnight Mass - so fed up with the elderly drunks turning up for their one visit to church a year stinking of booze!
Millions of chocolates, fudge and too much food around generally - it’s only a day, FGS! (and being sick at the end of the day from over-indulgence)
I love a pared-down Christmas, it’s so much more relaxing!

I have amazing memories of family Christmas's. Lots of food, games and fun.

Christmas now involves just my DS and I. I do my very best to make it fun, but old traditions like my dear Dad's Christmas pass the parcel I can't do.

I feel very different to everyone else as I loved visiting people over the Christmas period. We lived a few hours away from family and stayed at my gran's for Christmas. When she died and we had Christmas at our own house no one knew what to do with ourselves, we all got bored and invited ourselves to the neighbours. Playing with my toys later never bothered me and visiting people meant more presents.

I loved having dinner with lots of family and all the weird things we had to use for chairs. I didn't have to cook though, I love cooking Christmas Dinner now, but cooking for 10 does sound like a nightmare.

I've got my first on the way and one break with tradition will be that I won't wrap their presents, I absolutely hate it! And if they don't know any different I'm sure they won't care.

@AnnPerkins you are thr first person outside my DM's family that knows of the weird peach thing! I have a tin of the damn things in the cupboard because we're cooking for DM and DGM this year, but as ever I will not be partaking! So weird.

[quote FluffMagnet]@AnnPerkins you are thr first person outside my DM's family that knows of the weird peach thing! I have a tin of the damn things in the cupboard because we're cooking for DM and DGM this year, but as ever I will not be partaking! So weird.[/quote]
Yes, deeply weird. At least they are easy to prepare I suppose. Can you ask your DM and DGM if they are a Fanny C invention?

It’s lovely to hear that others keep this tradition anyway, even if I don’t

Not doing any decorations until Christmas Eve.
Not opening any presents until after lunch.
2 ways to take all the fun out of Christmas that I refuse to emulate.

Oh and going to church.

Getting so drunk, it ruins the day for everyone else.

@Ihaveoflate

A misplaced sense of 'duty' to spend the day with people you don't like much just because they're related by blood or marriage.

This. My Mother would insist on spending Christmas with her family and it always descended into drunken screaming matches and abuse. My dad refused to do it from when I was about 12 snd I and my sister would go with my mother to try and support her. I can hardly believe she put us through it now. One year the adults started throwing punches while we kids (teenagers by then) sat around in the sitting room popping each others blackheads for entertainment.

In the end that side of the family and my mother's insistence on us trying to be involved with them was possibly the largest factor (genuinely) for me moving continents and never returning home.

We only spend Christmas with people we like now.

@45redballoons

I feel very different to everyone else as I loved visiting people over the Christmas period. We lived a few hours away from family and stayed at my gran's for Christmas. When she died and we had Christmas at our own house no one knew what to do with ourselves, we all got bored and invited ourselves to the neighbours. Playing with my toys later never bothered me and visiting people meant more presents.

I loved having dinner with lots of family and all the weird things we had to use for chairs. I didn't have to cook though, I love cooking Christmas Dinner now, but cooking for 10 does sound like a nightmare.

I've got my first on the way and one break with tradition will be that I won't wrap their presents, I absolutely hate it! And if they don't know any different I'm sure they won't care.

YOU are a genius and quite right! if you never wrap they never expect it!!!!

Christmas Day arguments and a mountain of tacky presents that no one really wants - it’s nice to just have a relaxed day with lots of food and a few gifts that we enjoy!

Not celebrating it. Lol.

Going to church and not opening presents until we got back.

Getting blind drunk and passing out in an armchair.

Having the main meal at lunchtime - now we have it in the evening.

My Mum always used to disappear off into the kitchen around 8.30am only to emerge hours later completely frazzled. But Christmas lunch was always delicious.

I have never yet cooked Christmas lunch and never intend to. We either eat out, buy it all ready prepped from M&S or visit family.

No to being stressed and making my DC feel like they walking on eggshells and generally being a misery about it all. Although my DPs ticked all the boxes and made sure we had nice food and presents it was clear DM just didn't enjoy it and couldn't wait for it all to be over. It was such a relief when I had my own DC to actually relax and to be allowed to happy on the day. No matter how frazzled I am I just put it aside because I don't ever want them to have that feeling.

Being made to open any presents slowly and then write who it was from/ what is was for Boxing Day’s thank you letter writing session. And being accused of being ungrateful if I even looked as if I liked another present more than one from my parents. I found Christmas very stressful & was so glad when I could escape.

The annual family row! Every bloody year.

My mother still tries, but she's ignored now and the rest of us get on with the event in good spirits.

Toxic!

I don’t take my DC’s presents back on Boxing Day as I’ve decided that I’ve overspent.

@Dacquoise

Don't get me started about the 'homemade' trifle. Swiss roll, tinned fruit entombed in day glow jelly. More Bird Eye nuclear custard. Topped with fake cream and multi coloured hundreds and thousands. Barf, just barf.

This actually sounds amazing.