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.

What tv/films will everyone be watching?

I’m massive on festive watching.

I’ve watched/will be watching
Dash and Lily
Hot Frosty
The Merry Gentlemen
Love Hard
Nutcrackers (I do not recommend)
Krampus (2015)
Die Hard
Gremlins
Home Alone 1+2
Four Brothers
Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Saving There’s Something In the Barn for next week (I really hope it’s semi decent)

Scrooged is my favourite Chrisrmas film. Was ahead of its time and would still be relevant if made today

One year prior to another difficult year at my parents Gone With the Wind was on. I started watching it (I've seen it loads) and it was such a nice distraction prior to going. I get so wrapped up in it.

I said to my partner I'd love to wake up early and just get stuck into it before Christmas Day cooking/presents starts with just us two so hopefully that's what I'll be doing! Hopefully he'll get up early and join me.

I love Gone with the Wind!
I've just finished Downton Abbey(late to the party)and plan to watch the films over the next couple of weeks.
I've never watched Die Hard!

This year, we are repeating the family weekend for my family, as my Dad slightly unexpectedly made it through the year. Unfortunately he is saying he isn’t going to be able to come, as he finds it too difficult to leave the house now. Not sure it’s going to be much longer.

On Christmas Day we are hosting my PiL even though I’ve totally gone off the idea since they demanded to know the menu in advance and went quiet when they were told it’s turkey.

On Boxing Day we are going to PiL. H’s siblings and families are supposed to be there, but SiL has announced that they will probably go at a different time to avoid disruption to the nap schedule. True martyrdom doesn’t take bank holidays, you know.

On a more positive note, I have two new colleagues- childfree women round about my age- and we are meeting up after Christmas to go to a concert, so I’m hoping that will be the first outing of many, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

'On a more positive note, I have two new colleagues- childfree women round about my age- and we are meeting up after Christmas to go to a concert, so I’m hoping that will be the first outing of many, and I’m very much looking forward to it'

That is so lovely and exciting! Really important to have nice things to look forward to in the new year, and it's always great to meet new childfree friends ☺️

We're spending the day with one of my best friends and her partner (also no children). They're brilliant cooks and it will all be very "luxe". I've even bought a new frock for the occasion.

Boxing Day will be just us two eating all the treat food and catching up on the Christmas Day we'll have missed. Our local pub is doing a casual quiz night and I'm in charge of the music round and it should be laugh - the landlady is hilarious.

Then we're going to Marseille for a few days over New Year.

Looking forward to it.

Love to all who are struggling or have to work 💚

*Christmas Day TV

'Then we're going to Marseille for a few days over New Year'

Ooh, sounds epic! Food and wine should be 👌

Am CF by choice and love this board, will be spending Christmas at a friend’s which will be lovely but slightly strange due to losses this year.

I may be misreading the OP, but the flippant reference to “plans not involving end of life care” seems an odd turn of phrase.

For the first time in forever, no carefully themed decorations or sophisticated/messy parties - just trying to get through the season with thanks to an amazing friend’s invite following the shit show of last Christmas being turned upside down by a terminal diagnosis for my mum.

The fridge is stocked with M&S party food for the period between Xmas and new year. So I’ll be dipping into that when as and when, visiting a couple of friends and cracking on with some craft work.

I may be misreading the OP, but the flippant reference to “plans not involving end of life care” seems an odd turn of phrase.

That’s a reference to threads about people in jobs that don’t stop during Christmas, and whether it was fairer to allocate time off by priority (having kids, having elderly parents, having a major trip planned) or purely by rota.

I’m so sorry about your mum & your other losses.

Ah ok, thank you for explaining. Apologies to OP for getting the wrong ends of the stick.

I think it’s one of those references that only makes sense if you know about the other threads!

Can I say I do have kids but I like reading these threads.

All your plans sound so calming, chilled out and relaxing. Even if they involve socialising it's all by choice.

Parents can choose not to socialise too (outside your immediate family)... I don't mean to be rude but this post has got my back up a little. Lots of CF people also have family obligations, not to mention the fact that there will be people CF not by choice who would love a noisy chaotic Christmas. Read the room.

Greetings from a very sunny and relaxing Estepona in Spain. I posted last year. (Different name) about coming here for the first Christmas ever away from home and Folks it was so good we did it again. Here since 16th back mid Jan. Both early retired now so can escape for longer.

Its very low key Christmas wise, mostly Spanish around now since most foreign residents have gone back for Christmas.

most restaurants, bars, shops, and public transport as normal on Christmas,Day. Weather amazing for December, so whats not to like? Anyone who can do it definitely should give it a try

Oh same name lol. Forgot name stays on the thread.

'Lots of CF people also have family obligations, not to mention the fact that there will be people CF not by choice who would love a noisy chaotic Christmas. Read the room.'

Well said. It's just more of the 'CF people have endlessly charmed lives' narrative which we're all pretty sick of

On another note, Estepona sounds great, well done! ☺️

Our Christmas guest has arrived. DH and I and he will be having a lovely cosy relaxed Christmas together as his owners (my DB and SIL) have gone abroad!

He’s gorgeous!

Best Christmas guest ever!

I am usually on a winter sun holiday over Christmas, but I have just moved to a new country/city so I thought I would stay here and explore a bit while I'm off work.

On Christmas Eve I have a date, on Christmas Day I am going to do a barre class in the morning (luckily not everything shuts down on Christmas Day here - most exercise studios are open, for example), go for walk in the beautiful park on my doorstep, then I'm going for dinner with (hopefully very cool) strangers organised through an app similar to MeetUp. Boxing Day I have an ugly Christmas jumper party (signed up on Instagram) then the rest of the time will be eating lots of great food and exploring. Oh and I'm going to a rave on Saturday. Can't resist a rave when I've got the time off to fully recover!

I feel content and very pleased with how 2024 has gone. I'm trying to hold on to these feelings and not let them be quashed by irritating messages from family expressing faux concern about how I must be feeling 'lonely'. The irony is the worst culprit is a family member who spends 90%+ of their time alone and who messages me incessantly because they've got nothing else going on in their lives (but they had 4 children so are obviously superior).