To ditch these bits of Christmas

[PupInAPram]

This year, with the agreement of my adult children whom I'll spend Christmas with, we are ditching: presents, tree, decorations, home cooked Christmas dinner (we have booked dinner out), Christmas cake.

We are keeping, special food treats, booze, board games and party games, many many fairy lights.

YABU Christmas should not be meddled with
YANBU Grown up households should pick the bits they like.

@TheLittlestLightOnTheXmasTree What in the name of god is a Prawn Ring????

Shocking! Do you think you should enjoy Christmas or something?
YABVVVU.

@Luredbyapomegranate

One of these buggers!

@TheLittlestLightOnTheXmasTree - my mum bloody loved those things!

The tree is my favourite bit. That and mince pies. I can ditch pretty much everything else.

I do appreciate the excuse to overindulge on savoury snacks though.

I think it’s really liberating to look at all the Christmas traditions from time to time and decide what actually makes you happy and what you just do because you’re meant to do / have always done.

I’ve sacked off all decorations apart from a tree. Not doing a massive bonkers food shop - we’re eating out on the Xmas & Boxing Day, so just need a few treats. Haven’t planned lots of outings now my kids are teens - just one carol concert on Christmas Eve.

To be honest, next year I may go away somewhere hot - that would truly bring me joy .

Well, all this was on the cards before DH and I met, when I was living alone...

Christmas tree and decorations - I like to feel Christmassy.
Home made Christmas dinner - I went out for Christmas dinner one year and it was nothing special. Nice meal but jam packed with people and I like to doze after dinner, not walk or drive home.
Mince pies stay, after dinner mints definitely stay. Christmas pud will stay only because DH loves it and it's his Christmas too (DS & I have a different dessert)
Presents between each other stay as do stockings (my mum and dad had a stocking from early childhood to the days they died and I've only missed a stocking once when my first marriage broke up - felt like the Grinch had been).
Advent calendar - not worried about
Christmas panto and a carol service somewhere stay.
Christmas cake - only ever had one at someone else's house...pass the chocolates instead please!

That's my Christmas.

What people are ditching on this thread are mere commercial trappings, that are not in the least essential or relevant to the festival celebrating the birth of Christ.
The important bit that needs kept is the Watchnight service on Christmas Eve and/or the service on Christmas morning.
How we celebrate around those - what we eat or decorate - is just window dressing, and up to each family to choose.
I do have a tree, turkey and presents, because my now adult family and I enjoy the traditions. But they are far from being the point of the exercise.

We ditched dinner years ago but have chicken, stuffing and pigs in blanket rolls instead....the best bits in my humble opinion!. Have to keep pudding and Christmas cake, I absolutely love it. Weve got a tree up, never bothered with window lights.

Nope nope nope makes me sad! Just keep the tree 😬

Sounds lovely! I didn’t have a tree up last year but it’s back this year and I sent cards. Haven’t meal planned for the week but will probably have some type of wintry comfort food like sausage and mash. Tempted by a Christmassy dessert - Christmas pud, or cheeseboard with Christmas cake. No advent calendar or presents although starting to feel a twinge of guilt so may do my young adult child a stocking (aftershave/booze/chocs type fillers) I don’t think they will actually care though!

I don’t enjoy Christmas parties much but as I’m single I don’t get invited to many so easy to avoid. Looking for a local carol service to go to, and hopefully will do a Boxing Day hike if weather allows.

To answer the what I like- time with family, a day where shops are closed and normally busy places are quiet (would like Boxing Day to be like this as well), meeting people I see rarely throughout the year. Oh and Christmas cake.

I've never cooked Xmas Dinner ( in my 60s), don't send cards, don't see any other family on Xmas day ( just the 3 of us) and we have a great time.
Lots of food, drink, walking, pubs, restaurants

Because nobody likes Christmas cake/pudding that means the tradition of mixing it and baking it has gone. Sorry Nan!! She loved that

I've had some extra time off work so I've done the whole house decorating etc. And bought Christmas food treats. But we ditched the big Christmas dinner a while back. We have friends and neighbours for Christmas Eve and snack on the leftovers Christmas Day. So no turkey or blazing pud.

I still did cards for friends I won't see over Christmas but I didn't do any work cards this year. I used to send one to all our department but younger colleagues don't seem and it just felt wasteful.

I also used to spend ages looking for cute stocking fillers for various nephews, nieces and god children. But I feel liberated this year and got them all vouchers and celebrations. No wrapping!

@Babdoc most people aren't Christian now. I'm celebrating the winter solstice, the coming of longer and warmer days and my lovely little family. I think I tried to do the classic Christmas thing for so long as a single parent worried about my kids missing out.

Newer traditions such as

Elf on the shelf
Xmas eve boxes
Christmas markets
Hot chocolate 'stations'
Candy cane theme
Matching pyjamas

All ££££.... never bothered with ANY of them

It’s nice for you that you’re celebrating a Christian Christmas. The majority of the country now celebrate as a secular winter festival that happens to be called Christmas. It’s just as much about getting through the longest night of the year and heading towards longer days as it is about the Christian calendar. There is Yule and Solstice as well as Christmas and the secular aspect of it these days too.

I'd be horrified at this because the things you've listed to ditch are all my favourite parts (bar the Christmas cake)! But I am not you. Christmas is about enjoying time with family so if you're all happy then do it however suits you best.

It's all very personal, isn't it. For many people, decorating the tree for example, is quality family time or brings back memories of their own childhood. You're right to ditch the parts that don't work for you, but I think people can be too quick to call traditions commercial nonsense, when there's often more to it.

Do what you like - it’s your Christmas. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, no one’s going to police what you do.

What people are ditching on this thread are mere commercial trappings, that are not in the least essential or relevant to the festival celebrating the birth of Christ.

Yes, quite so! I was chuckling at the OP's line 'Christmas should not be meddled with' because it already has been! For me, Christmas celebrates the Saviour coming to Earth as a human, anything else is just trappings to make the enjoyment greater, and as someone else said, most don't celebrate a Christian Christmas now. Presents, a meal, tree, decorations etc are 'nice to have' but are not the central focus.

Yup! Sounds great, to me!

I don’t like the usual Christmas goodies (mince pies etc) so I just get my favourite cake instead.

Could do without a turkey, no problem! DH wants it & will go full Gordon Ramsay... (which I could also do without)

@CrunchyCarrot you make a good point. I guess my traditions were things I remembered from childhood Christmas that I tried to replicate when I became a parent.

Sorry but for me 'the saviour coming' is a bit laughable in current climate....I'd say he's either too late, or is a myth!

Having said that I did used to enjoy christingle and midnight mass. Lost the faith a bit

Sorry. Didn't mean to be so snippy about Christ