To think the magic of small children at Christmas is a load of old bollocks

[Pavementworrier]

Adult Christmas is where it's at

Zero "we need to give the boys their bath" or sniff sniff SOMEBODY NEEDS A NAPPY CHANGE" or screech screech screech or something etc

So I've always wondered this as a non-parent... Are you absolutely sure your kids believe in Santa and they're not just playing along to get gifts?

I can't remember a single point in my childhood I believed in Santa. For a start I looked at the width of the average male adult and the width of our chimney and went.... Nope.

Given that "magic" like being able to squeeze through tiny spaces and bend time doesn't happen to them on any other day are kids actually buying it?

As I say I don't have any kids but the ones I know seem quite obsessed with knowing the why and how of absolutely everything.

Much of that can still be done with little children though 🤔

Errrrm....ok 🤷
That's not really anything to do with the "magic" of Christmas though.

Mine are teens now. This version of Christmas is so much lovelier in many, many ways. No desire to go back to those days at all.
But the memories of them when small are something really very special.

I had a fantastic Christmas with dc4. Best in years. Christmas can be great or awful with or without kids. Similarly to holidays.

I have just done my first hristmas alone. Not through choice, mind.

It's the flexible non existent schedule, stillness and quiet that has been a special kind of different today. Even the dog hasn't felt the need to bark 🤣 I finally had Christmas lunch at 7.30pm 🤷🏼‍♀️

Usually with the family it's noisy toys, noisy (kiddy) TV, noisy kitchen, mess everywhere, nowhere to sit, holding conversation from 8am to 10pm in a house that is overheating from all the cooking and bodies and new thermal pj's I unwrapped and OMG where's the paracetamol....

Yeah, I didn't say it couldn't. If you prefer Christmas without small children though, you'd enjoy it a lot more once they're grow up, or at least partially grown up and that's what the OP is saying I think. Not that adult Christmas is different from small child Christmas, just that it's more enjoyable.

Having now read a follow up post from the OP I think she's just had a bad day with some small children 😁

I still can’t get my head round that the “Christmas magic” so often referred to here is meant to be literal. Growing up Catholic, there was a lot bigger feature of Jesus than Santa. Magic to me is then is the spirit of giving etc., not a literal magic Santa delivering the presents in one night, squeezing through chimneys, flying reindeer etc..

Different sort of magic, innit?

You had the magic of the Nativity - a supernatural being made flesh with assorted angelic beings communicating with humans and the heavens themselves aligning to show the way.

Other people favour the miracles - the magic - of a saint.

They're both rooted culturally in Christianity (and Catholicism in particular), with the pagan/saturnalia/mithraism/pantheism of local religious practices mixed in to create a sense of light and hope in the dark of midwinter and celebrate the days beginning to lengthen again.

Oh my god. I said this to my husband this morning!!! After meltdowns from the 4 and almost 2 year olds I said don’t you just miss Christmas pre kids 😂 honestly I’m exhausted it’s been one thing after another!!!!

It's not better just different.

I miss drinking and playing lots of games but I probably wouldn't trade it, at this point for the sheer joy of DS4 this morning. Or rocking baby DD to sleep to the carols in church. They are both at easy ages though, the toddler years can be hard. But then I know it's not forever.

I adored Christmas with Young children- I felt like I got a second chance at Christmas as the first go was a huge disappointment. But I am almost relieved to have been able to let it go gently. Now it’s just loving finding ourselves again as a family as dc are away at uni and just chilling and making sure they are comfortable and loved. My ds said today , we have to appreciate this as it won’t last forever. And I almost applauded.

I did most of those with young kids and with older/adult kids. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Our daughter, we went the route of everyone buys her gifts, but Santa will bring her one special present. Worked until she was 5, when she announced just after Christmas that she had told me one thing, but told Santa something else. When 'he' brought her the thing she had told me, she realised Santa wasn't real.
It broke my heart a little, but her Dad just said she's a smart child...
She still loves the magic of the lights and the traditions.

Again, I didn't say you couldn't, I was just answering a question. OP didn't say it was different, she said it was better, and if you don't enjoy Christmas with small children then those things will be better/more enjoyable when they're grown up, or partially grown up at least.

My kids are now 13 and 15 and in the run up to Christmas both said how they didn’t feel as Christmassy as in previous years. I said this would happen as they get older but you can still have a fun day etc.
Anyway, Christmas Day (yesterday for us) was brilliant and both boys said it was one of the best ever! They loved their presents, we had kind of lower expectations and it was just fun and relaxed and lovely.
DH and I were remembering the christmasses when they were 2 and 4/1 and 3 etc and recalling the 4.30am wake ups, afternoon meltdowns etc and said although it was very fun, Christmas now is definitely easier and more relaxed for everyone.

I absolutely loved Christmas with little ones, it's hard work but really magic.
Before kids I wasn't fussed with Christmas at all despite being lucky enough to have a lovely but very small family. I think too many people make it too stressful with creating high expectations, ours loved little traditions like looking at the NORAD Santa tracker and always getting a chocolate orange, being allowed unusual pop on Christmas eve, and finding the money in the pudding.

Another non believer household here, it’s not shit at all! We’ve had a lovely day without mentioning Santa, played games, done all of our family traditions and shared gifts. I don’t think we’re missing out on anything, we’ve put tonnes of effort in to making it a lovely day and she hasn’t told anyone, and neither has her cousin who also knows.

Just because other families do it differently doesn’t make it wrong, there are plenty of people in the uk not celebrating at all today.

Yes it is a load of bollocks. Had a lovely Christmas Eve with my 4 year old, but most of today has been hell on earth for me. It’s my own fault really, I stayed up until midnight to put the slow cooker on (we eat at midday because of DC so he doesn’t get hangry) and did way too much yesterday in general. Then when my DC woke up at 3am and wouldn’t stop getting out of bed I was exhausted as I’d only had 3 hours of sleep and shouted at him at 4:30 this morning. It set the tone for the day really and I was really quite snappy with him as he was behaving pretty badly at times (I know its
overwhelming but in the moment and after several things going on, I had just had enough). Feel incredibly guilty now as I know he was only excited but honestly the whole day has been utterly exhausting and I am so glad DC is in bed. I’ve learnt an awful lot of lessons for Christmases going forward, I just hope this one isn’t etched in his mind as a bad childhood memory.

I would go back to those days. It was much more fun when there were games, toys and puzzles to play with on Xmas Day. Now with teens it's all make up and stuff. Just feels flatter and less special tbh.

We never made a big deal of Santa either - we did the milk and cookies and the stocking but didn’t go overboard about it. It sort of phased out and we never had a big reveal. One of my friends DID do the big Santa story and then they went to Lapland and when they were there their boys kind of put it together that this was just a man and were fairly devastated.

Completely agree. We have had a lovely two days. Ds1 (25), ds2 (22) and dd1(12). Managed to go out for a lovely meal and drinks yesterday and today was a very chilled day of eating food and watching films. No one was up at 5am looking to see if Santa had been. It’s been nice to just have some quality time with the kids

Its not its the most sensible thing to do.