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.

I had to look for my other post for last year (first Christmas with partner) which turned out to be great, although he was coming off a nightshift so I was left to get a bit squiffy on my own.

This year our shift time off together falls over Christmas which I'm delighted about so. His family don't live near so will visit pre or post Christmas, my family have done an absolute number on me this year (long, boring and outing sorry) which solves the problem of if I'm going to see them, will I buy presents, the answer to both is no 😆. So it's just us to have the day we want.

I can't wait!

Her smugness about her jolly Christmas plans with her little family is becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate, I have to say.

I want to spend it on my own with the cats and possibly go out for a curry like I did last year. I'm currently fending off an invitation which comes from a good place but I don't want to accept. I've politely declined but I suspect I'll be asked again.

Funnily enough although we don’t do presents for people, we do for the dogs! 😁

We are seeing in-laws on Christmas Day including nieces and nephews which we always enjoy as we are a very involved aunt and uncle and love them so much. But I am also really looking forward to Christmas Eve just the two of us and our cat. We might have a pub lunch and go to a carol service, then exchange stockings (I am from a country where Christmas Eve is the main day), have some yummy finger foods, bake cookies and watch a Christmas film. Other years vary and we might see my family here or abroad or leave a day early to spend Christmas Eve with the in-laws but since all the in-laws are local this is the best of both worlds.

My Christmas Day will definitely include watching the new Wallace and gromit! Other than that I’m a bit stuck for ideas this year. We had our first childfree/ family free Christmas last year and we did have a lovely day with lovely food, but I just don’t want to do the exact same again. I might have a look for a new board game or activity we can do together and keep an eye out for ideas on here!

I was bought up a home schooled, Jehovah's Witness so had very little exposure to Christmas growing up.
I'm only recently beginning to decorate and enjoy it. It feels very exciting and new to me still!

Since I replied in October last year things have changed - Mum was in hospital over Christmas and went into care in January. I made the mistake of going to the village Christmas dinner, which was embarrassingly awful (including the food - the turkey and ham were no better when eaten immediately than when reheated). I'm avoiding it completely this year; they're holding it next week and mercifully I have an appointment in town at that time. So unless there's an invasion of visiting grandchildren, I'll be able to ignore it all.

I prefer to call.it brainwashing from birth.
Good to start breaking away from this.

We're hosting my parents on Christmas Eve for a pretend Christmas Day, so I'll be cooking a big vegan roast (already got red cabbage and gravy done and in the freezer and ordered a couple of special additions to collect from Waitrose) and I imagine we'll listen to Carols from King's at 3pm which will remind us that it's actually Christmas Eve! They'll leave in the evening as they are involved in the midnight service at their church.

On Christmas morning we'll probably open presents together and have a nice breakfast of croissants, and then we're going to my partner's mum's for lunch.

We bought our tree today - just a tiny one this year - and I decorated it really simply and also made a wreath and Advent table setting from foraged greenery and red candles, so the house is feeling pretty festive.

What I really can't stop thinking about, though, is that next year we might be in our proper first home we own together, because we're in the process of buying it! I'm just dreaming about the fireplace, spacious kitchen, dining table fit for a very impressive display, big tree, the potential for inviting people for Christmassy shenanigans. Trying to enjoy this year's festivities, though!

My dad passed away two months ago and the funeral was last week. Weakened from prostate cancer he had a fall at the bottom of the stairs, Im going to my mums on Christmas Day. Im really really struggling with the grief. I just cant handle it. I want to get a holly wreath to put on Dads grave and i hope to go there on Boxing Day I dont want to leave him out of Christmas. Im just not coping at the moment

Oh, @JenniferBooth, I’m so sorry.

@EmpressaurusOfCats Thank You

My mum died last summer & 2 months is nothing, honestly. Especially if you’ve only just had the funeral.

Thank You The decilne was so quick Last year he cooked Christmas dinner

I don’t want to hijack the thread but I’m here if you want to pm

You don't have to be a dick about things.

Lucky you having it all off. People with AND without kids want that

We see my DPs family just before Christmas but as I've no close family left we just do as we like Christmas Day. Presents in the morning, dinner about 7pm, in between we each do as we like. I love to decorate so lots of fairy lights, 7 foot Christmas tree and holly straight from the garden. Mercifully the cat doesn't bother with the tree but she does commandeer every cardboard box, well, it's her Christmas Day too

Meant to say @EmpressaurusOfCats and @JenniferBooth I'm very sorry for your losses, Christmas is a very difficult time when you're bereaved. I hope you'll both have lots of happy memories on Christmas day

Thankyou and im sorry about your mum

I'm really sorry for your loss @JenniferBooth xx

Really sorry for your loss @JenniferBooth.

Condolences @JenniferBooth and @EmpressaurusOfCats

This will be my second Christmas without my dad and it's especially hard this time of year. Just be kind to yourselves x

Thankyou @fitzwilliamdarcy @CleanShirt and @AccidentallyWesAnderson and im sorry about your dad.

I'm really sorry to hear about everyone's losses and how hard Christmas is for you.

Christmas is a very difficult time for me for a different reason but to make it easier we change it, so we don't celebrate 'christmas' we do stuff like 'harry pottermas' 'law and ordermas', 'friendsmas' etc.

So for friendsmas we watch friends, take apart and rebuild the friends Legos, eat food mentioned throughout, do a friend's quiz, play twister, watch die hard then watch die hard again because if you watch it again it's die hard 2 😂, try lots of cookie recipes, have really good naps... Just do lots of stuff mentioned throughout friends and laugh lots.

We do a different theme every year, we get our three lovely days of celebrating with laughter and food and drink but it's not 'christmas' which makes it much easier for me.