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

[Pavementworrier]

Adult Christmas is where it's at

MN is the only place ive ever heard about anyone being deeply affected by finding out their parents lied to them about Santa.

I agree with this. My family are horrified that we've never done Santa. They think the kids must have missed out, Christmas isn't magical etc - but they really really don't miss out! They still love it and if anything they're so grateful to us for all that we do for them ❤️ It's consumerism gone mad if people think Christmas only needs Santa to be magical ✨

Mixed bag for me. On the whole I don’t miss the chaos of Christmas when they were little. Felt as if I could never live in the moment watching them open their presents. I was always there with a pen and paper writing down who had bought what, worrying about thank yous. That said I do miss some of the magic and having a Grandparent around, they only had one around but she died 10 years ago. Highlights of a teen/adult Christmas have been my older DS doing nearly all of the Christmas dinner and being able to go to the pub on Christmas Eve

Errrrm, I will take my 2yo yelling THANK YOU FATHER CHRISTMAS up the chimney over the adult Christmases I've had every day of the week thank you.

Also I laid traps and worked out that Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy didn't exist on the same day and didn't bat an eyelid.

I like all Christmasses to be honest! I have a 2 and 7 year old and am exhausted from being up at 5am and spending a good chunk of yesterday sprinting round after a lively toddler. But it’s so lovely seeing them excited and playing with them (and they look so cute in their Christmas outfits!)

Pre-kid Christmas was less exciting but I got to read my book with a glass of wine and spend more time playing board games with my family and chatting to everyone. So it’s a win either way imo, and I’m sure when I get there teen/adult kid Christmas will be lovely in its own way too!

This was our first Christmas with a little one - she doesn't even understand about Father Christmas yet, but my god it was exhausting. I could sleep for a week now. But so special. I'd take this over any Christmas we've had before, just her little face seeing her presents, and her excitement to see grandparents and great grandparents on Christmas morning, it was lovely.

Yabu .Christmas is wonderful with small DC .the looks of wonder.the leaving a glass of milk for santa .a carrot for Rudolph.Trips on Santa Special .a steam train through the countryside to see the big man .panto ahh.Hoping for GC so we can do these again.we have lovely chilled Christmas and our good friend cooks a perfect turkey dinner .very enjoyable

Children only expect what you teach them to expect.
For me, the "magic" came from recieving presents I had asked for but wasn't sure were possible. We didn't even "do" Father Christmas beyond it being an imaginary game everyone played.

I'm aiming for the same with my kids. The "magic" is in my 2yr old shaking with excitement when he opens the OTHER spaceship he'd admired - not just the one he asked for. It's in the anticipation when they watch Dad open the present they chose for him. It's in the joy in their faces when friends and family come to visit.

Yes, adult Christmas has its own fun and joy and laughter, but anyone who's knocking a Christmas with (their own) small children is probably doing so because they've set expectations way too high.

My post is stupid. 🙃

Yeah I was thinking at the end of the day yesterday when I finally put my feet up, exhausted, after the nearly 4 year old was in bed that it would have been a much more relaxing and enjoyable day if I could have had an hour on my own to do my new puzzle or read a new book!

It was both a lovely day and also very overstimulating and exhausting. And that’s with only one kid!

Btw I read the OPs reference to magic as not being literal Santa magic but joy magic. So nothing to do with whether or not you pretend Santa is real.

I don't struggle with life. I've raised 6 children so I know all about "life admin" which I think is a pathetic expression anyway - it's just remembering/organising/doing stuff that needs doing. I've done all the school plays, last minute costumes, panto trips, parties, tombolas etc. I'm also experiencing these things to some extent with my grandchildren.

I'm just really embracing the time now in my forties enjoying adult Christmases and an adult life in general now.

Agree with this.

I was on the fence about this.
Until Christmas Eve when we went out with adult DCs and had a great time. The presents ( very limited as people given either just one expensive present or cash or an experience) already under the tree. It’s the first time in years I’ve been able to relax on Christmas Eve. No waiting until everyone’s asleep then having to get the hidden presents out and put them under the tree in silence. No setting up mince pies, carrots, a glass of milk and a glass of sherry. No going outside in the cold sprinkling reindeer dust. No waiting until the early hours to creep about hanging up stockings. No getting up at some ungodly hour with young DCs.
No, totally relaxed and able to lie in bed until my adult DCs asked via text what time we were getting up.
Then going for a nice walk Christmas morning. Letting adult DCs be responsible for watching whatever they want on tv whilst I had a nap. Adult DCs also doing the washing up and cleaned the kitchen!
Absolute win in my eyes.

That’s a bit condescending. Ability to manage all those things well depends on multitudes of factors: mental health, physical health, family support, children’s health, job stress/demands, general executive function factors, perimenopause, etc etc etc.

Mine are now 19 and 12 and it's so much easier now. It was lovely when they were small but it's so much better now. No more creeping around pretending Santa has been. We can play games, enjoy watching the same movies it's bliss. I feel like its more chilled out, no tantrums, tears and screaming lol We're ready to watch volume 2 of Stranger Things today. Over 3 hours of it with a Macdonalds 😁🎅

So far my best were my 30s single Christmases. My sisters and I would rent a cute cottage somewhere in a scenic part of the UK. Lots of wine, lots of cold wintry walks, eating our body weight in cheese, board games, books, films.

They were pretty magic.

It involves your 25 year old DD taking over all the prep and cooking 😂
DD prepped our tapas brunch (all I had to do was make the tortilla), then cooked the goose along side leeks baked in Brie and cranberries, sprouts with pancetta, miso parsnips, asparagus and roast potatoes.
she even cooked her sisters fillet steak (not a fan of goose)!
then presented us with some port poached pears with a vanilla custard.

Thats a Christmas with adult children 😂

To be fair, she loves cooking but this was the first year she offered to take it all on.

all we had to do was pay for it.

Best Christmas EVER!!!

But telling people that they can’t enjoy Christmas with little children isn’t condescending at all. 🧐 The reply was deserved.

Whilst telling others they can’t enjoy Christmas with young children.

You said ‘Not if you actually want to enjoy any of it’.

If you didn’t manage to enjoy it, that’s an issue with you, it doesn’t mean others haven’t. I loved Xmas when my kids were young and I still very much enjoy it now my children are older.

I can't even remember what was on the list but doing those things with little children always seemed more stressful because someone always -

Needs a wee,
Has hurting legs,
Wants to buy something,
Thinks a sibling is looking at them,
Wants to go home,
Wants to stay longer,
Finds a vending machine,
Hurts themselves,
Hurts a sibling either intentionally or accidentally,
Says they're bored,
Drops their ice cream/chips/drink,
Wanders off,
Or all of the above.

So it's not always as enjoyable as the Instagrammers would want you to believe.

This totally. Mil is lamenting. I'm enjoying Christmas so much more.

I don't think one stocking of presents per child is "consumerism gone mad"! They're not very big - well ours aren't and amongst other things, they always contain clementines (one child would be sad to not get these) and chocolate coins.

But that's the thing - we still do stockings!, we still do sacks of gifts. We still visit grottos. They love their stockings... They're so excited to see what is there in the morning. They love all the things, except they just know that Santa is make-believe. From when they asked if Santa was real or not we said there was a real person called St Nicholas who used to deliver gifts in the past, so that's where the tradition comes from. It doesn't detract from the magic at all.