To feel totally overwhelmed by all the ‘occasions’

[Liverpoolgirl50]

Christmas Eve boxes, Easter bunny presents, ‘boo baskets’, pumpkin picking, Halloween light trails, cake smashes, birthday parties. Jesus it’s like I can’t breathe sometimes.

I swear it’s getting worse too. Every time I go on social media there’s something new. Christmas toy workshops, Halloween kiddy afternoon tea, meet Santa at breakfast, teddy bear picnics at the garden centre, the polar express! I feel totally utterly overwhelmed by it all sometimes.

We are lucky that we can afford to treat our DD but where is the cut off and how much of this stuff is normal and expected now? I’m thankful we only have 1! FWIW, she’s only 2 so we can get away with doing minimal stuff at the moment but are kids going to grow up expecting it?

As a kid we got one Easter egg and were happy 😂

People are doing it for the likes. 'Making Memories' does my head in. The peopje I know doing this hardly interact with their kids usually. Mummy's too busy on her phone to do normal stuff like go to the park, it's got to be an over the top thing,

But are the people you know doing all that stuff? People pick and choose. Do what you like and create your own traditions. You said yourself that you were happy with what you did as a kid. It’s supposed to be fun. Kids will enjoy you having fun.

Honestly it really isn't. There was a lovely thread recently about what people remember from their childhood Christmas times and a lot of it was the free stuff. Baking soda footprints and driving around to see the lights at Christmas for example. Keep it simple. Be kind to yourself xx

I haven’t done a single thing from that list asides from birthday parties and feel that my DD (who’s almost 3) has a very happy and fulfilling life. It sounds like you’re having insecurities as a parent but there’s really no need. Children don’t need any of those things to be happy. Most things on social media are for show. I bet if SM didn’t exist many of these parents wouldn’t even bother as they couldn’t post about it…

Some people have a significant disposable income, you see it on here. There are now December 1st boxes - those threads are crazy! You don't have to do it, your children will be fine.

Christmas, Easter, Halloween are normal

Everything else is just marketing shite.

Thank you everyone 💝

You do not have to do any of it.

My kids get their birthday and a modest Christmas. An easter egg if I remember or they ask (we aren't religious so don't celebrate Easter)

I took my child to see father Christmas once, on a miniature train journey to a secret location when he was 4. I made a pretend invite and pretended it had arrived down the chimney. He was so excited he nearly burst.

I never took him again because he really believed it all and I didn't want to ruin it.

I always avoided taking him to shopping centres and supermarkets in the run up to Christmas with all aisles of Christmas crap and the fake santa's as I think it ruins Christmas for kids.

It’s mainly bollocks so people can post it on social media. Performance parenting, essentially. My kids are teenagers now but I remember the arrival of elf on the shelf, I flat refused to play. We did a Santa visit a few times plus new pyjamas and a hot chocolate stirry stick thing on Xmas eve, that’s all.

I have actually binned off a friend who does all of it and more, bunting for every sodding occasion. Her life is not amazing and I got sick of the pretence of it all. It’s fake as fuck.

i don’t do any of those extra things, or know anyone that does (though that might be as I don’t do Facebook and Insta etc)

Just stick to the classics ie: birthday parties, Easter egg hunt, trick or treating, fireworks, advent calendar, Christmas. (NYE can go fuck itself, too tired for that)

What's a boo basket and a cake smash please ?

It's probably easy for me to say that most of these didn't exist when my DS was young, when you are comparing with other families now. You will need to pick and choose what seems most important to you and your family - but my tip is to wait until your child asks about things. At 2 years old none of it means anything to them so you are wasting your money really. I recall taking our DS on some Thomas the Tank Santa special train thing and it was all completely over his head. He was terrified of Santa too.

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea a boo basket is essentially a basket of Halloween themed ‘goodies’ - sweets, biscuits, socks, crafts etc. Expensive and a bit pointless.

A cake smash is a photoshoot held for babies turning 1. They are given a birthday cake and you take pictures of them.. smashing it. It makes for cute photos but does waste a cake.

Yes we took DD to a Thomas the tank engine day (mostly tagged along for her cousin) and she had absolutely zero idea what was going on and then fell asleep on the train 😂

I wouldn’t bother with most of this stuff for a 2 year old!

We’re doing Lapland UK this year but previously have done the local garden centre which is £5.

I do like an afternoon tea though.

WTF is a boo basket?? Surely they don’t need more sweets?

Come off social media?

A boo basket is a hugely American trend making its way over here

Never heard of some of these things.

But what is it??

Nm I saw earlier explanation!! Wish you could delete these things sometimes 😅

@Squashinthepinkcup I explained in my post above.

Cake smashed are just wrong, whether it's babies or weddings

My DD is only 2 but there's no way we will be making half of that list our traditions! 1 Easter egg, Santa and trick-or-treating is about the height of it. And there's NO WAY I'm starting elf on the shelf

I have a young adult dc as well as younger.

I have always done :

Xmas eve boxes Although before they were a thing we used a gift bag ( I also had this as a dc im inmy 40s)

Easter bunny hiding the filled plastic eggs with the standard eggs found at the end.
Always done a basket too with things like coloring, an Easter themed craft , bath bomb etc

Visit to santa

Breakfast or lunch with santa -( only with the younger ones this wasn't a thing with young adult dc)

Halloween themed something, soft play, spooky walk or whatever is on.( again only with younger ones)

However I don't post this on SM.
We don't have loads of spare cash but we save all year so when tickets are released we can buy for the likes of santa breakfast In Sept when they're on sale.

We enjoy it and my eldest will still say about all the things we did when they were younger on the occasions.
I don't feel pressured to do it. I do it because we enjoy it.

Boo box I won't be doing.

I feel like you; it’s not just social media it’s the people I spend time with and things I see advertised. Last year I actually got stressed we hadn’t booked pumpkin picking then had a bit of a light bulb moment of realising that this stuff is not essential (pumpkin picking is a bit of a scam really) and focusing on one activity per “event”.
I used to feel the same about the elf but that’s one thing I actually love; although where it is isn’t complicated like you see online in our house

We also do trick or treat. Our whole neighbourhood does it its a brilliant atmosphere

Pumpkin picking is occasional. I find entry fee. The over inflated cost of pumpkins doesn't appeal when I can get them in lidl at a fraction of the cost

We.do have carving competition in the house though which is fun