What do you love and hate about Christmas?

[juneau]

LOVE

Decorating the tree with my kids.
Their excitement and anticipation.
Hearing from people I only hear from once a year.
Christmas Day with just the four of us and avoiding the big family celebrations
Mulled wine, mince pies, champagne and all the yummy food of Christmas (but not too much of it - I hate feeling over-full).
Midnight mass, if I have the energy to go, which I usually don't.
Going away immediately after Christmas and missing the crappy post-Christmas lull until after new year.

HATE

The rampant commercialism and materialism of Christmas. All that Black Friday business and pictures of people fighting over huge TVs made me feel utterly sad and depressed. When did Christmas come to this?
The expense of shopping for 15 people, plus two stockings.
The planning and stress of making it all happen.
Writing bloody Christmas cards.

Love:
Planning and choosing, decorating etc
Carols from Kings (even though I'm not remotely religious)
Good food and company, playing games

Hate:
Worrying that people might not be happy
Trying to make things "fair"

Love
DS enjoying the tree every day
Him being able to unwrap presents this year (too small last year)
Giving the gifts Ive spent ages thinking about, buying and wrapping

Hate
Certain family members thinking its all about the getting and that the more money you spend = the more you love

Love:
The planning
All of December
The cooking
Using my special Christmas kitchen wares
The DC excitement
Time off work
The satisfaction of it all coming together (this year I'm cooking for 8 )
Fairytale of New York (but only The Pogues version)
Little Drummer Boy (but not the Little Jimmy Osmond version)

Hate:
My patients complaining how much they "hate Christmas" (fine but don't bring everyone down, hate in private)
The way they always trot out the "We're copying America" line if someone decorates the outside of the house
The phrase Xmas - it's Christ-mas
The phrase The Holidays - it's Christmas

Love

Being off work
Twinkly lights
Stuffing from marks and spencer - sage and onion :)
A local annual Christmas show

Hate

Pressure to buy buy buy
Usually Christmas Day itself is very dull (but have dc now so looking forward To fun this year)
Clothes in shops at Christmas - yucky gold sparkly shit
Putting on weight

Love:
Other people's lights
Seeing people's trees through the window
The fact that it signals that we have got to the darkest days and things get lighter again from now on
Cashew nuts!
Seeing how excited small children are and how much care most adults take (even those without children) not to spoil that

Hate:
The knowledge that so many people are caught up in feeling sad, or even more lonely, because of the idea that the only Christmas that works is a huge family one

Love:
Going to pick out our tree
Christmas shopping when the shops are all festive
Panto on Xmas eve
Making mince pies for Santa Xmas eve
Decorating pillow cases to leave out for Santa to fill

Hate:

The limbo week after christmas before new year. We never have any plans and get quite bored at home

I'll borrow your list EatshitDerick

Love: everything

Except hate: Secret Santa.

Love most things.

Hate the motherfucking Elf on the motherfucking shelf.
Hate ugly Christmas jumpers - I don't get it: wear something ugly made by someone in a 3rd world country being paid tuppence ha'penny a day, just to chuck it in landfill

Avoid: tv and internet during black friday/manic monday (easily done); avoid moaning minnies; avoid tinsel beelzebub's snot

Hate:
The rampant commercialism and materialism- the pressure to buy buy and buy some more. I have a spending problem so I've really been working my arse off to resist the various discount codes that have flooded my email inbox over the past few weeks! Also black Friday was horrendous, I hope they learn from this and it stops from next year but I doubt it...
How stressed I get over trying to get everything sorted and "perfect".
My baking list which is utterly endless and gives me a headache
Seeing family members . I'm a bit of a hermit and don't really see them other than over the Christmas period but still, makes me feel all awkward.
Wrapping presents

Love:
Decorating the house, love the beautiful christmas tree
The finished baking products
The countdown, the general feeling in the air
Christmas jumpers
Christmas lights twinkling everywhere
Christmas Eve and all of the wonderful traditions
Being able to eat what the fuck I want and justify it by it being Christmas
ALCOHOL
Christmas songs and movies
Obviously the loveliness that is Christmas Day- no screens on, no technology at all really. Just my family and I.

Love:
Making festive food with the DD's.
Christmas dinner, mince pies, nibbles and picky bits for tea and leftovers.
Twinkling lights, lights in the windows, driving around to see them in the neighbourhood from the start of Dec.
Singing carols (bloody good job too as I'm the teacher responsible for teaching them and have to start after half term at the start of November!)
Carol concerts (both my own DD's one and my school's one)
Excited children.
Christmas activities.

Christingle service

Hate
Christmas fairs that are packed and expensive.
Over eating
Over spending
People who put their lights up before advent
Trying to find homes for all the tat gifts after Christmas - and particularly after they see MIL after Christmas as she's gives them 'More than father Christmas does' in DD2's words.

love:
husband off work and spending time with my little family,
the childrens excitment,
watching the children as they open their presents,
being with family and friends,
decorations,
visiting father christmas,
all our little treditions,
christmas dinner,
cold cut and real chips,
pate and cheeses,
mince pies and christmas pudding,
booze,
christmas party with friends,
baking with the kids,
christmas songs,
christmas films,

hate:
the expence (i dont have to spend what i do and say i wont every year but still do lol)!!!!!