To think Christmas will look very different this year?

[ButtOutBobsMum]

I was wandering around the shops yesterday and it occurred to me that lots of the extra "fluff" around Christmas is likely to disappear this year due to the increase in the cost of living-

-Christmas lights outside houses. With the energy cost increase I can't imagine many houses will have lots of lights up.

-Christmas Eve boxes, Christmas bedding, Christmas pyjamas. I've never done any of these things as my children are older now but their popularity in recent years has grown. I'm guessing these are extras that lots of people will sacrifice?

-Christmas parties. I know several people who host parties on Christmas eve, Christmas Day evening, Boxing Day and New Years Eve. Short of charging people to come I don't see how they're going to afford to host big parties this year.

-Trips to see Santa. I haven't had to do it for many years but they seem to have become more and more elaborate and therefore more expensive. My niece took her kids last year to one at a local garden centre and with the extras of ice skating, feeding reindeer and food and drinks it cost over £100!

Personally speaking our Christmas is always pretty small and low key so I don't think I'm going to have to make any big changes other than perhaps cutting back on presents for extended family.

DH and I were discussing it and he's of the view that people find it hard to change these traditions and will go into debt to carry them on but I'm not convinced.

So I suppose AIBU to think Christmas will look very different for a lot of people this year?

My Christmas has been shrinking over the years as the children have got older.

I don't do external lights as we can't see them and passers by wouldn't see them either.

The teens love that our decorations come out year after year. These are ones made by them at school during their primary years and some chosen by them over the years. I don't go and buy a new tree and theme each year.

I'm non contact with my family so no presents to buy for them.

My husband sorts his presents for his brother's family

My teens have asked for one thing each which is manageable.

I'd like to go to London to see the lights. It's not an expensive day. We drive to Redbridge and then the tube. Last year the day cost £70. From previous posters this seems to be a reasonable amount for our Christmas outing

Central London was heaving with shoppers yesterday.

I think it will be pretty much the same. I reckon individual houses will put lights up, and those that raise money for charities will still do big displays.
I do think the bigger, corporate arranged events are what will be smaller or cancelled, along with some school events. Hopefully there will be less crappy Christmas Markets selling the same tat.

I think when people are struggling all the time, celebrations like Christmas become even more important.

If you're already deep in debt and can see no way of affording your bills why would you not add a little more to the debt so that you can have a good few days with your family.

If we follow the government as role models, just push it all down the line to pay off at some point in 'the future'.

I'll be getting out the same decorations. No expense there. LED tree lights are cheap to run. I have built nice decorations over the years. We add 2 a year the kids choose and ditch 2 of the really cheap bulk set ones we got 20yrs ago when we first had a tree!

We normally have just a turkey crown but tbh a really nice chicken is just as good, or a joint of beef.

We have Xmas bedding from past years. PJs from Primark if I do them. We do one trip out for light trail and ice skating, rest is all free looking at lights round the village, going to carol singing etc.

We have never been extravagant Xmas spenders and that's not changing.

I don't know why people keep mentioning lights, how much do you think some fairy lights cost to operate?! They don't even register on my smart meter!

I feel quite sorry for parents of young children these days, all these extras like Xmas Eve boxes, special bedding etc are all a relatively new thing, mostly “for the insta”, and people feel an immense amount of pressure to keep up.
My kids aren’t exactly ancient -25 &20- and all these extras have come in after they’ve been at the Santa stage. They always had new pjs on Xmas Eve, but it was something they were getting as an Xmas present anyway, so not an extra, but it’s all the relentless “stuff” that’s totally disposable and really doesn’t add anything other than cost.

I’m far from a grinch-in fact I bought a beautiful Spode Xmas dinner set yesterday, but that’s a 1off purchase that will now get used every single year, rather than being replaced every single year, which seems to be the trend with so much Xmas tat. I’m on a self imposed Xmas decoration buying ban this year-not because of finances, But because I’ve always bought a new tree decoration every year, and quite frankly we have enough!

Lights and decorations will have been bought from previous years, adult pjs should still fit and kids ones aren’t really very expensive. I can’t see that much will change for us as we don’t spend loads anyway. We’re not doing panto after an absolute dire experience last year but will be going to see Santa.

Dompeople really throw away decorations and Christmas bedding and buy again every year? We usually buy a few new bits but don’t do a whole refresh every year.

I was more thinking of the external ones. Particularly houses that have quite elaborate light displays. They've got to cost a bit, surely?

We'll be having a pared back Christmas. Mainly because as the kids have got older, the excess seems, well, excessive!

Glad I bought a new tree and decos last year, that was a big part of last year's Christmas spending that I won't need to do this year.

But, we do save every month for Christmas. It started when I had to give up my job to care for my terminally ill mum and I knew we'd struggle if we didn't. I'm back in work now, but we've always kept up with the savings, and I'm bloody glad we do!

"But it seems madness for crap like Christmas bedding and some of these extravagant Christmas "experiences"."

We put our Christmas bedding on every year. It's not "crap". Neither are the days out we've been on.

The lanterns at Chester Zoo, for example are brilliant, laplanduk was one of the best days out the kids had and still talk about it now.

Just because you're cutting back doesn't mean you need to sneer at others.

There are many people who can afford to have the Christmas they've always had. The theme parks this half term are heaving too all over the country. Alton Towers this morning is asking people not to travel without a ticket, they're sold out. The fast pass queues are also heaving, and that's £120 extra pp on top of the entry ticket.

We save all year for Christmas so nothing will change that much for us.

We don't do any of the things in the OP, so Christmas will be perfectly normal for us this year.

I am rather hoping that fireworks will be something that is sacrificed. The actual epitome of money going up in smoke! My poor pussy cats hate them 😿

Yes, it seems the shops (and restaurants) are still very busy in town centres. I went to one of those designer outlet villages earlier in the week and it was packed, cars circling the car parks for a space. People were walking around loaded up with bags and all of the places to eat had queues.

Set of led lights isn't that expensive to run. We don't have outdoor lights anyway, but if I had, I would have them this year too. Our Christmas is pretty low key, so we keep it as it was. In fact, we never bought each other gifts with my husband, and this year we do.

I disagree.

I saw someone commenting about COL on another site recently - saying they had holes in their shoes etc but were still getting weekly deliveries of new clothes for their toddler.

That said it all to me really. People are not cutting back on their children and people still love spending money and shopping, they just can’t justify it on themselves. It’s completely illogical really - no toddler needs that many new clothes. Hand me downs are great and toddlers don’t care.. and sometimes adults need new shoes.

Remember in 2020 when so many people said they were going all out spending on Christmas because of such a rubbish year? If they couldn’t see family they’d just spend more etc.

I just think as a society we fetishise Christmas so much - it’ll be the last thing that people cut back on and potentially people will even up their spending on little treats to make up for the rest of it.

We'd usually go to some lights (Kew or similar) and do a pricey Santa (Royal Albert Hall a few years back was brilliant, London Zoo quite good but a bit of a disappointment given the price). Won't do either of those this year. Am lucky in that my older child can understand that/ has just about outgrown Santa anyway, and my younger child won't remember well enough to be properly disappointed. I think I'll try to consciously swap that for some deliberate time at home doing the v cheap crafts or baking that I usually imagine doing but inevitably run out of time for and feel guilty about.

We do a carol service or two and the crib service, so will still do this as basically free (they're my favourites anyway).

Will spend less on presents this year - but have had other years like that eg my maternity leaves, so not a huge deal. Will still buy a tree and the usual food. Our 'Christmas eve box' tradition basically involves a new pair of pyjamas and a book appearing on everyone's beds late in the day on Christmas eve. I plan to keep on with the books, but might skip the PJs this year - I've just had to buy winter PJs for both children so not sure any more would actually be useful. Might swap for new cosy socks as these would prob be useful and also not become urgent before then...

We don't really do lights anyway (small flat - no front garden and putting lights in the only living space would drive me crazy from inside, looking at them all day!) but it'll be sad to see fewer this year, as I'm sure we will.

I am a 'Christmas on a credit card' person anyway - spread the cost between Nov-Feb. Has to be paid off before the water bill and TV licence come through the letterbox in March! At some point I'd like to get on top of saving rather than borrowing, but it's not problematic or expensive debt so it'll do for now.

The town where DH grew up is actually brining it’s fireworks display back, it’s the first one in about 10 years! Completely free to attend, so all costs are being footed by the council.

Same as the poster above, I have been trying to simplify our Christmas for a few years now, but it is my teens who are a stickler for tradition! I think it's important for them when they come home from university to see that things are pretty much the same.

So we will be having the same twenty five year old decorations, maybe more candles and fewer fairy lights and focus on good food. We have never been extravagant with presents. We like to buy one nice thing per person. The things we will be cutting down on though are optional extras like: food that only one person likes, the extra bottles of wine or chocolates "just in case", the family trips to the theatre, and very sadly, we will be massively cutting down on travel to see family in other countries.

And I am debating about Christmas cards and whether I can afford to post them this year (lots of cards to send abroad). Obviously we will to close family members we are not seeing... but as for the rest ...not sure.

I will be cutting back the sending of cards this year. It’s surprising how many people only send you a card because you send one to them.

I agree with your dh - I don't think there will be much change. Or not change that would be publicly obvious. Lotsof people might spend a bit less on presents, but I seriously doubt that things like lights outside people's houses will be any different! We will be doing exactly the same as in normal years.

I was more thinking of the external ones. Particularly houses that have quite elaborate light displays. They've got to cost a bit, surely?

Most people just have the raindrop style ones and a few pieces, we have (they're not blue and I don't let them flash MN!) and no they don't even register on our smart meter.

I get why people dislike fireworks from a pet / wildlife / environmental perspective, but not from a waste of money perspective. I love watching them - one of the closest things we can get to magic! - I'm happy to pay for a ticket at a local display to watch them. No more a waste of money than going to a concert or the theatre IMO.

I do wish it was confined to licensed public displays though, and I won't be sorry if we see less casual use of fireworks this year due to belt-tightening. Maybe just sparklers available for household use would be my ideal.

Exactly!