Worst time of the year

[SHxxxxx]

Christmas should stop. It's killing parents mental health and finances. I absolutely hate it. Kids being fed a fantasy of Santa whilst we all get in debt because capitalism is battering us senseless to the awful tunes of Mariah Carey, the Pogues and Wham! I loathe Christmas and are deeply depressed until January arrives.. if you love Christmas, there must be something seriously wrong with you.

if you love Christmas, there must be something seriously wrong with you.

Or maybe we're all just different?
I love Christmas and all our traditions and rituals.

Also, it's pretty much the only time me and DH can really switch off from work as our sector pretty much closes down for two weeks.

I love it!

I love Christmas. I enjoy the slow build up and find it gives me plenty of time to organise without having to feel stressed etc. I plan ahead equally early for birthdays and trips away etc, I just enjoy being organised and feeling ready. If you don't want to do that you don't have to.

I also don't think anyone should be getting into debt for it. We don't go crazy with gifts at Christmas and we set a budget. I know we spend less than many of our family and friends on dd, but I try to choose really carefully and she's never seemed disappointed. I also keep an eye out for offers through the year. I find too many expensive gifts can be overwhelming for children anyway.

Never got into debt to afford Christmas. Have saved £50 a month for years and whatever is left rolls over to the next year.

What's harder is December Birthdays.

"No one is forcing you"

Not literally of course. But that's what pressure is.

Is anyone under pressure to buy Christmas things in July? No. There's nothing in the shops, no mention of Christmas. That used to be the case too with September, October and at least November up to Bonfire night.
Now already the shops have sales/discounts and Christmas offers galore. Apparently you aren't organised in you haven't finished shopping by December 1st!

If Christmas really was just a lovely fun time of year people should just be able to buy a few bits in December and not worry. Yet we are so far from that.

I live Christmas - the decorations, music, having family together for a big dinner - but I don’t like the rampant consumerism (elf on the shelf, Christmas Eve boxes, matching pyjamas, light trails that cost £20 a ticket) either. The amount of crap in the shops that will just end up in landfill is depressing. I do get presents for other adults (and love getting presents too) but make it something small and ‘usable’ like a pot plant, nice things to eat or drink, or a good book.

I love Christmas!

However the only decoration I have is a tree (we have a tradition of a new bauble each year and we all decorate it together) and we have a limit of how much we spend on each other. My kids are 13 and 10 and I never bought into the whole advent boxes/Christmas Eve boxes, they enjoy simpler traditions eg Christmas film night, Mass Christmas Eve and then back to the in laws for pizza.

I LOVE Christmas. Pure magic. Don’t go into debt for it. It’s not about the presents. x

Christmas is a lovely time in the middle of winter.

You don't have to give in to the retail feast or happy family adverts.
For us (family of 4) it has always been a few days to come together, relax, play bord games enjoy being at home.
We don't have a big family, so luckily not to many presents, we don't buy stuff for the sake of it l. DC's happiness over Christmas isn't measured in £££, but in time spent together!
But I get you, my DH hates Christmas and the forced joy and tat that comes with it.

I also have a December birthday and I love that places seem to be lit up for just me! (Or I can pretend 😂)

I know it's not easy to ' opt out ' of if you have children, but best not to bow to the pressure and have a family low key affair with just the basics you need for a few days. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to have everything because everyone else does or spend heaps on loads of things.
I know it's all easier said than done though

It's my happy time of year, I look forward to it. I don't get in debt over Christmas, I spend what I can afford and I enjoy every minute. If you don't like it then just do what makes you happy but theres nothing wrong with people having fun if they want too.

I’m single, live alone and my immediate family are either fucked up or elderly. I have a great friends but they’re ’snuggling down with their own little family’ 😉

I’m not ‘doing it wrong’, I don’t buy into the commercialism, I’m not spending loads on B&M tat.

It is a hideous time of year for me and many others and to be told ‘you don’t have to’ or (again) ‘you’re doing it wrong’ is to completely miss the point. I have no issue being single etc at any other time of year but Christmas, with its images of happy families at crowded, multi generational parties can make one feel like a total failure. It’s a strong person who never allows the messages to ever ever hit home - ad men and women are very good at their jobs!

I would love to go to sleep on the 6th November (love Bonfire Night and have a great party every year) and wake up on the 1st Jan (adore NYD and its ‘freshness’).

My dad died.

We didn’t fight over his money.
We didn’t fight over his property.
We didn’t fight over his investments.

We brawled over his BAH HUMBUG pin.

I used to feel depressed about Xmas when I had young children. But now I just have our own traditions and ignore the commercialism as much as possible. Although I do enjoy a couple of Christmas days out . And we have decks up from December 1st till 12th night for the grand kids but when mine were younger I just dislikes it all really.

I absolutely love Christmas, I go overboard for my 4 children but have never got in debt to do so.
However MiL died two days after Christmas last year after a five year cancer battle so it's going to be very toned down from now I think

Love Christmas, because I always take about 2.5 weeks off and spend the time around the actual festivities, which have always been lowkey for us, in the garden, pottering around and getting as much natural daylight as possible. Spring is round the corner by then!

Love love Christmas. I spread it throughout the year and have never got into debt. January is the most depressing time of year! You don't have to do anything for Christmas turn the Christmas songs or films over. Maybe go on holiday or lock yourself away.

You have the wrong attitude. We've never got into debt. A few nice presents, a posh roast, time off together. What's not to like.

We don’t get into debt or but hundreds of presents. We enjoy Christmas holidays, it is the time we all disconnect and share as family. Few small presents for Inmmediate family: husband and 2 children

I quite like Christmas but January is like an endurance test. February isn't much better. When I win the lottery I'm leaving the country for January, February and March.

Well stop being weak and pathetic and bowing to pressure to spend loads then, that's your fault.

awful tunes of Mariah Carey

I was on your side up until this point!!!

I love Christmas. But we have never gone Christmas Eve boxes, elf on the shelf or matching pyjamas.

We budget and stick to it. We’re lucky to be able to go that - but I have no problem ignoring the consumerism.

When DS1 was little we got CBeebies so we could avoid other channels with adverts. He saw no toy adverts at all.

I understand the.part about it starting so eary
I now live in Southern Europe. Xmas stuff goes into the supermarket in the last week in November.
I was back in the UK last week and was surrounded by Xmas stuff 😮.

As for the rest - you do the Xmas that works for YOU @SHxxxxx

What is the old father time gift? I've never even heard of that. Or advent box. Is that an advent calendar? We do the calendar but it's cheap and fun. My husband dresses up as Santa, always has, it's very funny. And we leave out the whisky and carrot under the tree for Santa on Xmas eve. Just how I had it as a kid really.

I'm not on social media, I think that's the difference!