Childfree Christmas plans

[LoobyDop]

Please note that this is a thread on the Childfree board, for non-parents to discuss their lives. It is a not an invitation for parents to provide judgment, or tell us about your family Christmas plans- you have the rest of the site for that.

So I’d love to hear about your beautiful and carefully themed decorations, plans for parties from sophisticated to messy, your own personal shopping wishlist, and itinerary for time off work that doesn’t need to involve end of life care or intercontinental travel.

It could be - if you started off with a model of just sourcing the gifts as and when needed, the initial costs would be minimal - if it took off, you could negotiate discounts as there's a marketing opportunity for the gift suppliers - including details of the rest of their range in the packaging.

@Hbh17 "So a nice European capital with some art galleries"
Any particular recommendations for this? This is exactly the sort of Christmas I would love but I expected everywhere would be closed for the holiday days so I've never done it.

@MrsSkylerWhite "so thought it would be ok to post what my husband and I planned to do when we were “child free” next year, to go on a Northern Lights cruise, the two of us."
The problem is you are not child-free next year, you have children, whether or not you are with them. The posters here have no children, many not by choice, so it stings a little to see comments like this, especially around Christmas which is an emotional time anyway.
That said, I'm hugely jealous of your northern lights cruise plans! How awesomely exciting. I hope you get clear skies full of northern lights every night.

DP and I are cocooning. Christmas pie made from the leftovers of the Yule dinner we'll do on the solstice, so no (real) cooking and PJs on the sofa watching junk telly and playing drinking games. No doubt the cats will use us to dry their feet at some point.
We may be intending to go for a walk on the day but whether it happens is another matter entirely!

If money would stretch I would love to go somewhere hot and not at all christmassy one year to see if I like it, but the house is currently eating money for very dull things like plumbing so not just yet.

I have tentative plans to spend Christmas with two other friends who are also single (like me). We live in different areas of the country and the plan was to stay in a nice hotel for a few days but we have not been able to find somewhere that all three of us can travel to, and that provides Christmas meals. We wanted the breakfasts and Christmas dinner to be where we are staying so we didn't have to book tables in restaurants separately. I posted a thread about it a while ago but none of the suggestions worked out.

So those of you staying in lovely hotels with meals, any recommendations? UK or Europe.

Aside from that, in the weeks before Christmas I go to the Albert Hall every year for the carol concert, and always go for a nice walk around central London to look at the lights, and I bake a lot of christmas treats to take into the office and for local community events.

@HoHoHoliday

Yes, I see.
Thank you, a lifelong dream.

@MrsSkylerWhite you have repeated twice I’m unnecessarily rude - surely that’s rude in itself. Along with your inability to see that posting on a thread like this on a CF forum about your kids - can you ever read the room or is it just on this thread?

We head off in our campervan in December to escape all the nonsense. We are heading to Spain where we will spend about half the time in Airbnbs. Suppose we'll be away about 6 - 8 weeks.

TheBoxontopofthewardrobe · Today 06:45
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@MrsSkylerWhite you have repeated twice I’m unnecessarily rude - surely that’s rude in itself. Along with your inability to see that posting on a thread like this on a CF forum about your kids - can you ever read the room or is it just on this thread?”

I posted after reading comments from another poster with grown up children. As I said to HohoHoliday, my mistake and misunderstanding.

Me and DH have a European mini break booked a couple of weeks before Christmas which I’m looking forward to. Christmas Eve will be spent cosy at home, we’ll probably do a long walk and I’ll do a mini buffet for tea, and plenty of Baileys. We’re going to see DH’s family on Christmas Day, and mine on Boxing Day (I think!)

We’re childfree by choice, but still at an age where we could change our minds. As much as I’m happily childfree, Christmas is the one time of the year when I sometimes question our decision. I think it’s because it’s so heavily drilled into us that Christmas is all about children and social media is awash with pictures of huge families with loads of kids.

I’ve really enjoyed reading about all of your plans. It does make me realise how future Christmases could be for us. We are very much in the habit of pleasing family, and I think this is the last year we’ll put what others want us to do over what we want to do.

'We are very much in the habit of pleasing family, and I think this is the last year we’ll put what others want us to do over what we want to do.'

Sounds like a great (early!) New Year's resolution - to start focusing more on what YOU both want, and keeping that at the front of your plans. I made that change several years ago, and never really looked back. I recommend very highly, and it gets easier with practice

I'm from a culture that wasn't that big on Christmas and my first one with my in - laws I had massive expectations but it was really shit. My husband did warn me that it's not great at his parents and never was but I didn't believe him.

He REALLY loves Christmas so for the past few years we decided to spend it at home just the two of us and go all out!! Big real tree, decoration, lots of events, shows, pubs planned from beginning of December. On the day as soon as we wake up (could be anywhere from 8-11 am 😂) we'll put on the xmas songs, make mimosas and get pastries & bacon sandwiches on the go. Maybe open a present. Then stick the dinner things in the oven. More presents. Watch Xmas movies or TV shows, drink, snack on chocolate. Then we'll eat when we're hungry - anytime between 3-7pm! Depending how tipsy we are we may go for a walk. We're in central London so it's lovely and quiet.

Following a conversation with my sister, we are not going out - I am now cooking Christmas Dinner for eight adults! 😀Haven't cooked a meal for more than two people for three years so that will be interesting.

How are everyone's plans going?
We put up our (toned down this year) decs so I am now enjoying view of baubles old as me and even older (some are 50+). Bask in the glory of basically only heirlooms I have 😁

The lone angel should be on the topper (36 years old!), but poor thing would just face the wall so he is sitting nearby.

i feel relief that i don't have the obligation to do family christmas this year. I bowed out to protect my mental health. I can't face travelling at the moment.

i like celebrating the midwinter festival in a pagan way. I feel happy to have the free time and no obligations. I'll visit the spa and have a good steam.
On 'the day' itself will probably just hang with friends and read a bit. if it is not raining go for a long walk.

The tree is going up tomorrow ... looking forward to weeks of shooing the cats off it.

My cat has taken to sitting behind the tree, wedged in against the corner wall so I can’t get to her. If she forgets to do it earlier in the evening she nips in at bedtime, and won’t come out without a bribe.

Sent my sister a shopping list for the food I will be cooking today!

I actually feel quite sad around Christmas. Both my parents are gone now and they put on a great Christmas Day for us all, in laws, out laws, grannies, great aunties kids, grandkids and so on. A little too much drink was often taken and had to be rationed for the octogenarian auntie Kay who got a bit messy every year, but it was hilarious.

It hasn't been the same since. So this year we are taking the plunge and going to Estepona in Southern Spain (my sister's holiday home), and it's the first time we will be away at Christmas ever. I have mixed feelings about it, but if I don't try it I won't know - it could be just the ticket, or I might feel homesick we shall see. But I'm going with the intention of being grateful to escape all the Christmas mayhem which I do not like at all.

Anyway, we live very simply so we are avoiding any "forced jollity and fun" all in Christmas Day dinners, which is not a Spanish thing anyway, and anywhere that has music and paper hats. We know a little cafe run by a charming Muslim man and his wife, they will be open Christmas Day and have a table for us. Just good simple food and a welcoming atmosphere. No forced fun, and no paper hats either! Then off to a little bar owned by Pepe who also has a table for us to have a few drinks and toddle home about 9 pm. That's it really.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas whatever you do, and good health too.

We just decided on new tradition since we moved countries.
24th my style and 25th bbq 😁 it was a big dilemma between that and duck or goose roast since DH absolutely loves my duck. Lamb shashliki wins. Duck will be another time.

@ladeluge that sounds great!!! Really! Enjoy!

I don't have a tree and no one is nagging me to get one because I live alone. Decorations are always simple and sparse, assuming that I can be bothered with them at all.

Well, after two weeks of stressing that I was going to catch something and not be able to go, and two days of cooking, my family weekend went ahead and it was pretty much perfect. Even if my brothers didn’t lift a finger to help.

I have a job interview this morning and then back to back meetings for the rest of the day, then after that I’m counting myself as on wind-down. Even if officially I’m working til Friday.

Hope your interview went well!

Christmas started here. Sponge loaf with jam for breakfast, DH is making nice sandwich for lunch, I made salad for dinner yesterday so it rests, DH makes schnitzels later. Movie day with feet up.
Lovely day so far

My plans of DH and I having a wonderful day cosied up together have gone as I face the possibility of SINK instead of DINK life in the new year... So instead we will have an awkward, forced day that he doesn't want to be at but has nowhere else to go.

I'll likely be online a lot tomorrow if anyone fancies a chat!