I keep reading articles about how not to be stressed by Christmas - am I the only one actually looking forward to it and seeing it as a break?

[WideWebWitch]

Maybe it's just all the magazines I've been reading (Red, Easy Living, Eve, She, those sort) but I keep seeing articles about how not to be stressed by Christmas and thinking 'but I'm not!' In fact, I'm looking forward to it because

it's 10 days off work
I will loll about a lot with dh, ds and dd
We will stay in pyjamas all day and eat delicious food
I intend to have all shopping done online by the end of November
It's just us, if we see family it'll just be day visits, no big family events
I will shop for food online too
I like cooking

So what about you? Are you stressed about Christmas and if so by what? Or are you looking forward to a break too?

My own chrismas stress is lack of money.Im doing all online too.Minly because i can't drive so makes it much easier!
I love christmas.

Im looking forward to it - DH has always had crappy Christmas', so this one will be GREAT! OUr living room is decorated and ready (not Christas decorated!), DH is doing tons of overtime and he gets paid it December 21st, so we wont be skint (although it means alot of last minute shopping), as its our first year in our own home, we dont have family to worry about... we can do what we like

The only thing "annoying" me is now that we are back on speaking terms with his mum is we will have to visit her at some point which means getting dressed and go out into the cold to sit in her house with the back door wide open so she can smoke. YUK. But, apart from that... its going to be goooooooooooooooooooooood

I am looking forward to mine and the kids first xmas without xp. He always made xmas crap by being miserable and grumpy and moaning about the mess, food tv etc etc.

So it'll be plenty of laughing and excitment here hopefully.

I love it, I love going to church and the sense of community that engenders. I also love then coming home, closing the door and closing out the world and it is just DH and DS and I for a few days.

This year one of my oldest friends will not be with her family, so she is spending Christmas day with another friend and then coming to us on St Stephens Day (Boxing Day)

She likes nothing better than a family walk and then a DVD a roaring fire and some mulled wine. She will fit right in.

I am looking forward to it. We have had a really bad year with loads of severe family illness and to be coming out the other side is a huge relief and I feel really lucky. And for a change I am organised.

It's likely to be the last in this house. We've been here for 4 years and this will be the first year where the house isn't in pieces. And I am really looking forward to all of us curling up in front of our new woodburner.

well, I'm looking forward to it, inasmuch as I forced the kids to watch a Christmas Carol the other day, already got my advent wreath down (to check candle size) and donw all my Cchristmas shopping. In fact can't wait.

BUT (there had to be one) DH absolutely hates sitting round with nothing to do, and that fact has just struck me (as he's really pissed off right now as it's torrential rain, so houseboound and GRUMPY), plus I'm hosting it for my parents & pil for 1st time, so I think sitting round the house AND having to be sociable will kill him, so from that respect am panicking. No bloody pub to send him off to either. SO am coming out in a cold sweat thinking about how dh is going to cope with being at home. He will be so bad tempered and evil. Oh no.

And it's not just the one day, I mean days and days and days of freaky-hate-being-at-home-grumpy-arse.

Crikey.

But apart from that, can't wait. yoo hoo.

And Pauline Fowler snuffs it. Evil old bag.

Can't you send him out for a walk ??

A long one.................

i love xmas and am looking forward to all the stuff the op mentioned but for me the lack of money is already making me feel sick to my stomach. we're gouing to have to fall even further behind on the rent to cope andi just really wanted to enjoy this xmas with m,y little family and relax with them as it's the last year before dd will know all about santa and we'll have to put more effort in. it was going to be the last year that me and dp could get nice presents for each other as we don't have to spend tonnes on the kids when they're so little (neither of us has had a xmas or birthday present in almost 2 years) but we can't even do that now.

I HATE cooking. That is the main thing that stresses me out about Christmas. Apart from that I am looking forward to all the other stuff - especially the lounging about and eating

I love it, can't wait. I've got two weeks off work and will enjoy chilling with my little DDs and eating and drinking lots and not worrying about my waistline until Jan . Only downside is i've just discovered DH has only got two days leave left .

I adore Chrsitmas too, have ahd the stress in the past but have realised that involves doing things you don't want to do, and that within limits yo can change that- so I would never spend an entire day with in-laws again (easy as DH doesn't want to either LOL).

Seriously though, we insist on enjoying it. It's our holiday too.