Seriously, f*ck Christmas!

[Eurydice84]

• I am working until Xmas eve. My entire family is staying over, but my Mum/Dad/bro refused to babysit when I will working because "they're too tired"
• DH and I are doing all the cooking. Every. Single. Year.
• No one drives so I will be the official chaffeur for the holidays
• I have been wrapping up presents for two weekends in a row
• I spent an entire day making a gingerbread house yesterday and it has v predictably collapsed on itself
• Pre-school party tomorrow, of course in the middle of the working day
• Just got soaked to the bone delivering Xmas cards around the village

Hitting the Bailey's hard today. How is this the most wonderful time of the year?

You don’t do the cooking (for them) every year then if you haven’t seem them for years due to the pandemic?

I would say:

1. Don’t host next year, whatever you do.
2. Tough shit re the babysitting. This will fall to them as they and DD will be in your house and you won’t be.
3. Don’t be the chauffeur. Presumably they don’t need to go anywhere apart from to/from the airport while staying at yours (from which they can make their own way as you will probably be working). If they do want to go somewhere else, give them the local bus timetable and taxi phone numbers.
4. Bulk buy gift bags on the internet next time.
5. Don’t make gingerbread houses, we all only make that mistake once. If you must make something, how about Christmassy shortbread biscuits (sooo quick and easy).
6. Do the parents really need to attend the preschool party in the middle of the working day? (I have 2 DC and never did that). If this is just a call for volunteers, just accept that you can’t attend everything like this when you work, as the rest of us do.
7. Are you a postman? If not, why are you delivering cards around the village in the rain?

These moshing threads piss me off.. no one is forcing you! Stop being a martyr

More fool you

😂😂😂
Did you ever read that great American story Hansel and Gretel Hank and Jennifer?

Definitely Americans selling their crap in the UK and not a German influence from stores like Lidl, Aldi, or just living in a more international world than some of you stuck in the 40s.

Cheers OP, I'll have a drink with you. Everytime one of them asks for a lift just neck a baileys then you cant drive. Simples

Dear god, why do people here to be so fucking horrible? Some of us have a sense of 'family' and a duty to spend Christmas with them, because, well, it's for families? It's not that easy to tell your closest family members to fuck off and not come! I'm gathering that they invited themselves?

Also it doesn't require that much intelligence to surmise that OP and her DH hosted multiple Christmases prior to Covid...

Flights will be booked by now, so it would probably cause major upheaval to refuse to host this year. However, I'd reply that you will be unable to host a Christmas dinner if they can't babysit and do some basic prep for you on Christmas Eve. Tell they you are just as tired as they are, and you're looking forward to a break.

If they refuse to help, then don't do a Christmas dinner at all. They can have oven chips and frozen sausages. I do hope they are paying their way, and not expecting you to pick up the entire tab?

I hosted one Christmas and the family members (who I love dearly!) sat there and watched me to it all, and that was the first and last!

Do not be taxi either! If they won't be generous with their time, then neither should you.

I don’t mean to sound horrible op but the remedy is in your own hands!

seriously don’t do it. What’s the point?

I’ve had the shittest 18 months of my life and I know what matters now

i don’t host people, it’s just me and my dc
I don’t do Xmas card (not many people seem to do these days thank god)

and I certainly don’t make gingerbread houses fuck that shit!

instead from Xmas eve till the 27th I’m unavailable to people, I don’t do lifts, I cook a simple dinner and that’s that.

So get off the cross then.

Baby Jesus needs the wood for his manger.

I said fuck it this year and I didn’t offer to host. Maybe next year.

Dear god, why do people here to be so fucking horrible? Some of us have a sense of 'family' and a duty to spend Christmas with them, because, well, it's for families?

I think the point is, it's silly to choose to do all this unnecessary bollocks and then complain about how much work it all is.

You can have a nice family Christmas without all the extra stuff.

Yes, fuck it.

Don't do any of the crap that you don't want to.

I started doing this some years ago and it's very, very liberating.

Make this the last time. Get this in your head and hopefully it won't seem as bad. Next year do not do it. Stay at home with your immediate family. Start new traditions. Make it clear early on in the year. Good luck

Stop doing so much for everyone when you get nothing back.

I got some drawstring gift bags off Amazon last year using them again this year. Great for awkward to wrap presents and last minute one's to wrap.

Ask them to contribute to the Christmas dinner in some way. It's rude to come empty handed anyway. They shouldn't have to be asked to bring something.

Some of us have a sense of 'family' and a duty to spend Christmas with them, because, well, it's for families?

Family who don't think they should contribute in any way to the work that's required clearly don't feel that same duty. There's no reward for giving yourself a heap of unnecessary work for those people. Nobody actually likes or respects you for it.

Like my family friend who not only gives in year after year because everyone bleats at her about it while doing nothing themselves but then makes it all 12 times more complicated than even they expect. Why? How is it noble?

I spent an entire day making a gingerbread house yesterday and it has v predictably collapsed on itself

Add a plastic dinosaur, put a bit of house in its mouth and you're sorted.

Seriously OP this is hard because you're allowing it. Tell your family what dish they are to bring with them, say no to being a taxi service (hit the baileys) and next year tell them you're not hosting.

Stop martyring yourself. It's your Christmas as well.

Christmas martyrs 🙄

This!

Also, if they don't give you a break, they can't stay. You are not a hotel.

(I also like in a different country to my family, have four DC and work full time. Plus DH doesn't drive. There is absolutely no way in hell that I would put up with being treated like a hotel service. They chip in or ship out.)

I think like anything at Christmas you should do it if you want to. We sometimes just do biscuits, sometimes buy a house and construct & sometimes make a house. If you want them to stay together use melted caster sugar as “glue”. Sets almost instantly and so much easier than using icing. I love doing a bit of baking and crafting with the kids and usually invite their friends to join in. Some people hate it and if so loads of other fun things you can do. We also do games afternoons & festive lego builds, walks to spot the best Christmas lights, Christmas movie nights, advent calendar, Christmas jigsaws & Christmas stories. Basically it’s all stuff we do other times of year anyway but a bit themed. Don’t bother with elf on the shelf, Christmas Eve boxes or polar breakfasts as can’t be chewed. I know other people love those.

There's always at least one on these threads 🙄

You can have mine if you want. I'd be happy never to see the daft twats ever again me.

Excellent! It looks like there are more ‘Fuck it’ responses than during previous years of MN I’m Hosting Christmas but Don’t Want to’ threads 😂

I’m too busy and tired to want to run a restaurant at my own house on Christmas Day, whilst I watch lazy guests sit on their arses eating, watching TV and playing games whilst I’m running my arse ragged. Nope!

It’s just us and the kids at home on Christmas Day. We see extended family outside of Christmas Day at other locations (sometimes at our house). Everybody brings at least one dish and a few drinks. It’s a lot less stressful and costly as the load is shared.

This.

Yep, playing the deceased relative trump card. Very sad for them of course but it has no bearing on the lives of other people.

Oh yeah. I forgot to add - We tend to go on holiday at Christmas to avoid any unnecessary Christmas servitude. Our best holidays have been at Christmas in the Sun 😊

Fair enough

Your brother is too tired to babysit

You are too tired to cook Christmas dinner

Just all relax and call the whole thing of, bung a chicken in the oven (or not)

Why are you agreeing to this if nobody else cares and leaves or all to you?

Why bother with Christmas cards?

Why are you responsible for everything? Am assuming (you did not say) that you are a single mum. You could opt for a much smaller scale type Christmas celebration

Much more relaxed and fun

Watch Christmas movies with the kids and eat shop-made gingerbread

I’m in a similar situation to you but I love it.