Christmas every four years only - who’s up for it?

[MuttsNutts]

Ok, so inspired by another thread but not wishing to hijack, I’ve decided it would be a great idea to have Christmas just once every four years.

Every year is just too much work, expense and forced jollity that leaves far too many people feeling inadequate, lonely and skint.

The ridiculous lead-up means that for over a quarter of the year, every single bloody year, we have it rammed down our throats at every turn.

So, as with the Olympics or World Cup, I’ve decided to campaign for it changing to just once every four years. I think even I could maybe get on board with it then.

Who’s with me?

#christmaseveryfouryearsismorethanenough

It's staring you in the face from the end of August.
You'd have to be walking round with your eyes closed not to notice.
The Xmas adverts are already on
Bloody joke. Pushing present buying. They don't say how loads of presents end up on ebay or being regifted cos they aren't wanted.
Most people have got far too much anyway and what is the point. An adult buys another adult a present and they buy them one. Just go out and buy what you want for yourself. At least you will get what you want.

Four times in one year would be more like it, once a quarter.
We need people spending to stimulate the economy

@girlfriend44 I haven't seen any Christmas adverts.
Maybe they are on TV. I don't watch much 'live' TV but when I do and the ads are on I tend to go to the loo/get a biscuit/check my phone so I don't even notice them. The shops are only just starting to put Christmas products out - it's all Halloween and Diwali stuff in the shops at the moment. Not much Christmasy stuff at all. I went to Flying Tiger shop the other day to get a specific tree decoration I saw on their website. They haven't had them in yet. I was too early apparently.
Who is pushing present buying? That's down to each individual person/family how they do it. Shops might have lots of stuff for sale - but you don't have to buy anything. It's not compulsory.

Lonely - Get volunteering.

Inadequate - Get off social media

Skint - Quit spending money you don’t have (no Bobby, you can’t have an x-box, here’s £50 for your savings).

There, fixed Christmas for you, can we have it every year now?!

I'm a pagan. Christmas gets on my tits due to the fact the Christians nicked our holiday. Like they nicked all our holidays.
I still partake in "Christmas" as I have kids, but it's the giving and receiving side. I give to those less fortunate and I embrace the pagan side such as the Yule Logs and the tree and the wreaths and the gifts.. I just leave Jesus out of it.

🙄

Only good reason for celebrating Christmas every 4 years is that i wouldn't have to put up with glittery cards every year.

What about people who don't have close family to spend Christmas with, or who are bereaved and find Christmas difficult?
Can you fix that too?
Maybe a bit of volunteering will solve all their woes as well 🤔

There is always a but. Always. Just always.

Can we have the holiday but ban all the faff around presents and cards?

Dunno that the eye roll was quite appropriate when reacting to someone’s religious beliefs.

I’m honestly not without sympathy. But this life is full of sadness every day of the year, we have to get on and actively try to make things happier for ourselves.

Case in point- my great aunt. She was married for 25 years, her husband tragically died on New Year’s eve. She has never done anything on New Years’s eve since, she spends it being miserable and it’s considered ‘insensitive’ for anyone to invite her over. He has been dead now for 31 years. So she has spent more New Years being miserable than she spent happily married to him. If she had done something different (yes - even volunteering) she may not have been wildly happy, but at least she wouldn’t start every new year feeling depressed.
We have to help ourselves sometimes. A better approach than cancelling the fun for everyone else.

It's not about cancelling the fun. Many many people dislike the huge commercialisation of Christmas and the earlier and earlier start.

There should be some guidelines around when Christmas adverts etc can start. Hopefully it would then trickle down and Christmas could go back to being celebrated in December.

Well I do agree with you on that point, although my reply was in response to the idea of cancelling it 3 years out of 4!

I just ignore the Christmas aisle until 1st December.

Does everyone drive/walk around with their eyes closed, ignoring all the flashing lights in streets, people's houses and the projector thing on next door's wall?

Go for it if you want but for many it is a religious festival and quite important. Maybe you can find a way to celebrate without spending loads.

Have you been shopping recently? My local Asda has one side of a whole aisle of selection boxes. Their main promo wide aisle is one side halloween, one side christmas cards, wrapping and decorations and it has been like that for weeks. The Next in my local shopping centre is full on sparkly trees and fake snow. The charity shops have been full of Christmas stuff since the end of September. M&S and Waitrose are prominently advertising their food collection.

October, November and December is a quarter of the year.

Good god no. I bloody love Christmas.
It's also the only time I feel like I get a real break as my sector pretty much shuts down so I know there aren't hundreds of emails waiting for me as everyone pretty much has two weeks off.

I also love the festivities and activity leading up to Christmas

No forced jollity in this house. We all love Christmas, but if you don’t enjoy it then don’t participate. It’s not compulsory.

You can do that if you want.
Those of us who enjoy it will carry on. And please NB, enjoying it doesn’t have to mean going mad with presents, going into debt, buying far too much food and wasting it, buying new sets of decorations every year, or any ‘enforced jollity’.

Some of my best moments are making the first mince pies on 1st December with carols playing, and Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve, with mulled wine.

You don't have to go mad at Xmas. I'd rather have a nice year than focus just on the Xmas season as the best time of the year.

You should ask this question on Boxing Day OP, on that day mumsnet is full of threads from posters that have had enough of their FIL and his drunken opinions and behaviour, posters that have received a shit present or no present from their partner, posters who have kids that are ungrateful for their presents, posters that are fed up being expected to cook and wait on everyone etc. I’ve seen lots of posters wishing Xmas time over, I bet lots would welcome a break for 3 years then or even a permanent ban. 😂

I like Xmas time for what it’s worth, but we keep it to just us, close friends and a couple of family members.

We have ours in jan or feb. Latest was June. Traditional nope

Exactly! Every year is the same but some people have very short memories…

I’ll be resurrecting the thread then and we’ll see 😂

Exactly. It was the third week of September when I saw Christmas stuff near me and then came the emails. I also don’t like the after Boxing Day adverts about saving for next Christmas.