to think that Christmas Day is losing its sparkle?

[crypes]

A few threads recently about Christmas Shopping all ready and the 'got to get it all done', 'beat the rush' and 'spread the expense' stuff. Well i love Easter time and even the summer hols but im just thinking about christmas and cant get excited about a day of rubbish telly,cooking,expense and keeping everyone happy. Its like 'what for'? Whats it all about nowadays really.

I love christmas, but I don't give it a thought until the end of November.

My mum has a friend who buys cards and paper in the January sales. I find this very depressing.

Christmas day is a tv free day in this house.

I start thinking about Christmas on the first Sunday of Advent, don't trim the tree until the weekend before we break up. Spoils it otherwise.

Because by the time we've got through this interminably dreary "Summer", a depressing, wet, miserable Autumn, and several weeks of cold, dark evenings, we'll all be so desperate for some happy, cheery, sparkling fun time that Christmas will seem like a radiant light in the darkness and we will grab at the opportunity to party with both hands!

FFS it's July....what's the story with the Christmas threads, it's bad enough having to endure actual Christmas but mentioning it in Summertime is unforgivable. It's shit enough having to suffer it every year never mind allowing it to contaminate other parts off the year.

I love Christmas. I love the present buying. I love the trees and the twinkly lights. I love the decorations. I love opening the cards. I love the carols. I love the season of glad tidings. I love the fact that Christmas gave us Jesus who taught us to spread the word. I love the smell of Christmas and mulled wine and candlelight. I love Turkey and stuffing and cocktail sausages and Xmas pudding and mince pies and stollen. I love the ham on Xmas Eve and the Cold meat and pickles and Xmas trifle on Boxing Day. DC and DH adore the turkey and ham pie the day after. I love coming home from church on Xmas morning and having smoked salmon sandwiches and champagne. I love the atmosphere and the holly wreaths on the doors. I even love buying goodies the day after Boxing Day to make it last longer and to wrap up for stockings next year and to pull out for the odd token gift throughout the year.

I hate the wrapping and with writing of Xmas cards and fitting it all in but it's all worth it especially so when the dc were tiny and their faces lit up at all of it.

Of course there is no sparkling.

It's fucking July.

YABU for mentioning Christmas in July.

This is why it has no sparkle. The build up is so long and massive that the day can't fail to be anything other than a disappointment.

Yabu to post about Xmas in July

Freud says that the whole point of Christmas is that it becomes the ultimate symbol of unfulfilled wishes. That is, it can never, constitutionally, live up to expectations.

And agree with poster who pointed out that it is, technically, summer, so, no, it's not going to feel all sparkly and Christmassy just yet.

Well, this isn't going to happen often but I'm with Married
I love it all, and having been skint, yep, I get some stuff early. Also, try getting into your nearest city in December with three ASD children, one of whom is also a wheelchair user, ain't a lot of Christmas spirit then!
We did, when they were young, do one late evening to see Santa, but now they're teenagers we don't. We do still love it, and have traditions, eg. Tree doesn't go up until after my birthday (December 6th).
I too, hate the cards bit, and wrapping but do it bit by bit.

post in the Christmas topic, you'll get more answers there and be treated less like a wierdo for mentioning xmas in July

... and, of course, you're an adult now. You're the Christmas "night shift"; one of the behind-the-scenes theatre crew that make sure the Christmas set sparkles when the stage lights hit the scenery. It's going to be a little less sparkly for you because you know how much glue and sweat went into getting the scene set. You're not really the audience now. Unless you have some very good help.

Totally agree, scarlet. I cannot stand Christmas. I don't get on with my family, they spend the whole day watching TV and ignoring each other. Partner goes to his mum's and I could go but I think they like spending the day just them and his brother. I ended up spending it alone last year and it was horrible.

marriedinwhite - your post is really rather lovely!

... I'll just add "listening to the King's carol service and being a little excited/frightened at looming present-wrapping.

gathering interestign the freudian thing. I genreally assume it is all hyped up marketing stuff anyway, so we have our own little rituals and enjoy a day of all being at home - we don't do the extended family thing or have fancy meal and so avoid the guilt trips

I don't think she is BU for thinking about it already. We are already starting to negotiate the family minefield about who goes where, when, etc etc. Lay the foundations early so MIL can't get upset...

The sparkly bit is hardly ever the actual day but always the build up imo. The build up peaking on Xmas Eve when we light the tea lights from the fire place to the DCs rooms as Father Christmas' runway. I love it. It's absolutely, totally the best time of year. I'm crap at all other festivities but Christmas I am awesome at.

Also, the weather's always shit so there's no room for disappointment unlike horrible summer.

So for 6 months of the year, some of you think about what you're going to do for on day of the year?

For me, that is just utterly mad. Yes, I am bitter because I hate it and it was and is always crap for my family. But really, it's one day, why is it such a huge deal?

YABU, OP, and mainly for getting me onboard with married and the others enthusing about Christmas IN JULY!

Thank god I am a medievalist and can listen to carols out of season and call it 'work'.

Im doing it early because I have a baby due Christmas Day, and 3 DCs to sort, I bought pantomine tickets today :).

However, we have a christmas month, we do something christmassy every day, I want christmas to be about more than a pile of presents.

Also I get a lot of second hand/charity shop things and they are harder to find at Christmas and second hand toys are more pricey from September.

I have got some amazing bargains, including a playmobil castle for "£18 with extra knights, accessories. They wont be found in December.

Christmas is as magical as you make it.

I think Christmas is even better now I'm a member of the night shift. Putting ds to bed on Christmas eve for the last five years has been the best thing ever.

YANBU. I don't hate it. I don't love it.

My family just keeps it to a minimum - all get together, have a nice roast dinner, do a Secret Santa between us (to keep hassle to a minimum), watch Muppet Christmas Carol, fall asleep. Sounds all right to me. I don't really understand the point of faffing and stressing and spending a fortune. I don't see the point of Xmas cards, it's just a waste of paper.

I don't have kids yet though. When I have a 4 year old I'll get sucked into wanting to make it magical for them, because it's nice when children get happy and excited. But for now I'll just stick to my lazybum Xmas.

Christmas is what you make of it.

It is a very special day for us as it's DS's Birthday

I don't tend to think of Christmas until November - whatever is being advertised at me/pushed down my throat.