Or is Christmas with small children just a bit stressful?

[Mylittlesandwich]

DS is 3 and this is the first Christmas he understood the concept of Santa. In the lead up there was lots of organising etc as usual. Last night he was wired to the moon and took ages to get to sleep. This morning he was up early to open his gifts. All day he's been overwhelmed and overexcited. He's been a lot 😅.

Pre kids we had the stressful lead up then on the day we would just chill. Eat good food and watch films. I knew Christmas with kids would be different and don't get me wrong seeing how happy he was with his gifts was amazing, but my goodness it's not even 6pm and I'm shattered. DH has taken him out for a walk so I could put my feet up for a minute before we tackle bedtime with our overexcited bundle of chaos.

Make the most of every Christmas when he is small as it will flash by!

Is the sky blue?
once he’s gone to bed you can stick a film on and pour yourself a nice glass of something. It’s exhausting but I’m sure he’s had a wonderful day!

I genuinely didn't know 😂 all I was told by my parents etc was how magical Christmas is with kids not that it was a very exhausting brand of magic. I think he's had a good day though so it is worth it.

This is our first year with all non believers, 2 adult kids (21&19) and a 12 year old. I've found there's very little excitement now and actually quite boring. After dinner, they all did their own stuff. Enjoy the chaos and thrill of santa while they're young.

Of course it’s stressful! I miss it now my lovely two are 12 and 15. They are great and very appreciative of their presents etc but I miss the chaos of the small children at Christmas.

OP, I feel you. I'm on my own with dd2 and dd4 as DP is on nights. Both have had massive meltdowns, I've barely eaten anything and I've spent most of the day wiping up spills, noses and bottoms. I've hoovered, cooked 3 meals and washed up far too much.

I'm sure I will miss this chaos but right now I'm pretty desperate for bedtime!

We don't hype DC up about Christmas and Santa, which means that they're reasonably chilled out by Christmas standards. The day is still tiring, but the saving grace is we aren't up until midnight on Christmas Eve/up at the crack of dawn on Christmas Day.

Hats off to the parents who make more effort than us and have super excitable children.

My two don’t fully understand Christmas yet (5yr old with SEN and 2yr old) but they have been horrors today! We just spend the day at home the 4 of us, don’t go crazy with presents etc but they have been so overwhelmed and over excited! There have been too many tantrums to count! Roll on bedtime!
I do know I’ll miss the madness when they are older but they have pushed every one of my buttons today!

It's more magical with young children.....I'm in the middle of it and a few years left till she stops believing..I hope. Enjoying it and be so much fun ..so far

It's lovely but yes it's exhausting. I've been up late most nights this week wrapping and preparing stuff for dinner and so on. It's stressful for young DC wondering if Santa will come and all that so the behaviours been a bit unpredictable too.

It is worth planning in a bit of exercise to burn off (some of) the excitement. Overall it makes it easier, even if the effort to get out seems a PITA at the time. We went for a fun family swim one year on Xmas eve, which worked well. It was really quiet too! DH has done park trips on Xmas day whilst I cook some years, or taken them to tear up and down our road when they've had new bikes/scooters.

Yes!

I found it was easier just to accept that Christmas is not a holiday, it's bloody hard work.

My holiday is Boxing Day - if anyone wants something on Boxing Day they get it themselves. I admit that it was a lot easier once DS was a bit older than 3!

Our two year old didn't nap and had a meltdown around 4pm. He was in bed and asleep straight away by 6.40!

It's hard isn't it. Wonderful but exhausting. I'm 35 weeks pregnant which doesn't help.

You need the patience of a saint for Christmas Day with small children. Doing the nice food, putting together thousands of piece of plastic because some fucker has sent them a build-from-scratch dolls house or something, mess and wrapping paper everywhere, dealing with relatives, the overtired meltdowns.. DD also managed to throw a cup of hot chocolate over our white carpet and get mud all down her leggings on our morning walk. But, it was magic seeing her little face when ‘the reindeers ate the food we left for them and Santa has been’!!

Of course it is. Xmas and holidays too. Not relaxing with 1 small child. Exhausting with 2 small children. Not sure why we even bothered with holidays at that age really. Came back more tired than a week at work! Xmas was similar but shorter and sometimes less travel which helped a little (but not much)!

Yip I agree although I think less stressful if u aren't hosting or doing the cooking. Christmas Day used to be lovely and relaxing. I love the excitement and drama that Santa has been in the morning and they it doesn't last forever.

However, I cld literally go to bed and fall asleep right now 😂 mine and 3 and 5. They keep finding more sweets and opening them, we keep trying to tidy and hide all the sweet stuff 🙈 bath time and hopefully an early bed soon but I think I'll probably fall asleep on couch soon after 😆

We’ve had a super day with 3 yo DS. But it’s been a quiet day at my truly wonderful inlaws. DFil has done all the cooking and DMil has been like a third parent. I’m under no illusion that this time next year, when we will likely be with my parents with the addition of a 6 month old, it’ll not be so great!

Pretty much everything is more stressful with small children, Christmas included. Our youngest is 4 and now copes with the change in routine and excitement a lot better but it is still tiring! Fun, but tiring.

We’ve had a really stress free day with a 4 year old and a 2 year old - we didn’t let on that it was Christmas Eve last night (may go to hell for that 🤣🤣), so they went to bed and straight to sleep at 6.30pm as we’d had a busy day out seeing family, and then they woke up at 7.30 and opened their stockings. Downstairs around 8 to open main presents. They had normal breakfast and lunch while me an DH had eggs Benedict a bit later with champagne and then my sister and her sons came over for a couple of hours. We went for a bit of a walk to get some fresh air then had Christmas dinner half 3/4ish which didn’t take a huge amount of cooking as I well and truly cheated getting mostly pre prepared veg in and I cook a roast most weekends anyway so it was just a more fancy Sunday lunch! The 2 year old is back in bed, 4 year old soon will be but she’s playing with her new toys while we’re having a couple of drinks watching shite on tv!!

Mine are 2 and 1 and are both poorly with a horrible cold, haven't slept properly for a couple of days. In hindsight we should have stayed home but went to families for dinner and they were both tired and there was a lot of tears. Didn't eat any of my dinner, now sat here really upset that it didn't go as I had hoped.

Yep....

DD1 is nearly 8 and DTs 4y9m.

We manage by being very clear that Santa WILL come, no matter what - but not till they're asleep.

Xmas Day we do presents then big morning walk to burn off energy - then go to grandparents' wherever possible - luckily they are willing to host!

My mum tends not to go mad with the food at Xmas, I mean enough for all but not huge groaning table with lots of waste - and we let them eat whatever dessert after lunch but then no sweets after c 330 so they are not hyped up on sugar - and another dinnertime walk if poss.

They have been happy and excited but no huge tantrums (yet) and going to bed okay now.

2/3 is really really hard at Christmas. Even if you don’t hype it up they are so overwhelmed by the presents/people/food. Bits of it are amazing but the meltdowns always happen at the worst time. It is so different if you are hosting as well, very difficult doing all the cooking and associated palaver with a toddler.

I think people with teenagers helpfully telling you that you will miss it are remembering the 4+ age (or were very lucky). Our eldest is 5 and it’s a totally different kettle of fish and really special and magical. Hope you have a great Christmas next year.

Honestly I think they key is not to ramp up to feverish levels of excitement on Christmas Eve

@LolaSmiles that was my plan. But dd4 has started nursery and all they have done in December is Christmas. Absolutely wired

So that they aren’t over excited and won’t sleep Christmas eve