What are you most looking forward to or dreading about the Christmas period

[DogMamma]

As the title says, What are you most looking forward to or dreading about the Christmas period?

For me i'm most looking forward to the run up and preparations, wrapping gifts, delivering them to friends and family, decorating the tree, baking, and then spending some quality time with DH DSS and my dogs, (i do all my visiting boxing day)

I'm most dreading not having DSS here in the morning its his mums turn to have him on Xmas eve so won't arrive until 2pm, oh and definitely washing the dishes .......so many dishes, even as a team effort it takes forever!

Looking forward to: The run up to Christmas, decorating, garden centres, xmas markets, visiting family and in-laws, xmas day with family

Not looking forward to: the queues in the supermarket when doing the final food shop before Christmas day. I enjoy going round the supermarket for the shop itself but the queues are ridiculous, waiting half an hour to pay sometimes

utterly dreading it,
being without my son who died in April this year

@simonisnotme I'm so so sorry to read that. That's dreadful I'm sorry for your loss

Dreading Christmas and New Year this year. Was all set to spend it with Mum but she died 14 weeks ago. So I'll be working through it instead.

Looking forward to, almost two weeks off work (apart from one day in that we all have to do.) the cheese, Christmas films, festive baking, Panto (jack and the beanstalk this year) the family Christmas meal in mid Dec, carol singing at the church on Christmas Eve and the couple of parties we have planned, our annual tradition of visiting this garden centre to choose our tree, and picking up a new decoration.

Not looking forward to, the feeling on Boxing Day when it's all over! Having to find new homes for all the stuff, washing up, the fact that I'm almost guaranteed to forget something!

My DFather was in hospital with pneumonia last Christmas as didn’t leave until19/1/18. He is end stage dementia and I worry that he will have a similar Christmas this year, but he is much weaker now and won’t survive.

Looking forward to the build up with my 2 teenage dc. They are going to their Dads late morning Xmas day until Boxing Day so just me and DP which I don't mind. Will go out for my annual Xmas day run through the park once they've left.

Hate the shops being so busy for the food run. Also struggle to muster the enthusiasm for ds birthday on the 27th, never know what to buy him when there's so much crap stuff already in the house.

@mossyroundhill what about a smart black dress with tummy - holding tights? I got some from Primark for work and they’re great! I’m sure you’ll look lovely

The thing I'm most looking forward to is going to California for 3 weeks to see my daughter.

The thing I'm most dreading is my 92 year old father becoming ill so that I am not able to go to California for 3 weeks.

@simonisnotme so sorry to hear that 💐

Not looking forward to 1st as in new house which is still cardboard box city and Not having the room for all my usual ornaments and decs as living room is smaller.

Looking forward to being off work and spending time with kids.

Xmas market at Edinburgh.
Long lies.
Xmas dinner😀
Not having to do anything we dont want to.
Visiting my aunt with her pressies and stuffing ourselves with all.her home baking.

1st xmas in new house! XM disappeared!

Looking forward to hopefully being able to announce that I am pregnant with our second child as will be 12 weeks by Christmas

Not looking forward to having sort everything for Christmas, how busy December is looking, hiding that I'm not drinking at the work Xmas do and being the only sober adult over Christmas (though husband gets a chauffeur this year)

Looking forward to having DS Home from uni for a month. Not looking forward to -Scrooge- DH constantly whinging about who I've bought presents for and how much they cost (he has nothing to do with gift buying apart from moaning about it, and I hardly buy for anyone! Close family and that's it)

Not looking forward to my family being dicks

Not looking forward to DH being lazy and uncaring about MIL loving Christmas. She’s an amazing mum / GP, she could really help make our DC Christmas magical, but DH has this weird ‘don’t let mum go overboard’ complex about her and Christmas. It’s not up to me as is his mum but it annoys me every year! Our DC don’t get to do gingerbread making with her like the other grandkids do. Secretly I know DH is right, our DC have additional needs, and if everyone did it his family would turn it into some kind of bake off competition nightmare which would end very badly for our kids. But still. Find a way to talk to her about it, man!! Ahem. Sorry, rant.

Looking forward to Christmas Day at home. DH cooking. Alcohol. Watching CBeebies Christmas. Opening presents in stages so the kids can play with each one. They are still young enough for Christmas to just be bloody lovely and I feel very lucky

Looking forward to: All the twinkle lights and pretty decorations and paper and my chanukah candles. Also Thanksgiving is coming up so fast! A little over a week. We also like to drive around and look at the Christmas lights in town.

Not looking forward to: Family drama. My brother is in the middle of a messy divorce and both he and his ex have new SO and the poor kids are age 4 and 2 and don't understand what's going on. :( It's going to make for some tense Christmas get togethers I think.

Looking forward to: the tree and the decorations, having all of us plus my dparents and close friends all together on Christmas Day and cooking up a storm for them all. Seeing dds in their Christmas outfits (goodness knows what dd2 will choose ) .Spending Boxing Day lazing around eating leftovers watching dds play drinking wine just the 4 of us.

Not looking forward to: Dd1 whinging that everyone else gets more than her (far from true) that everyone likes her sister more than her and making sure that each morsel of food is exactly the same size on her plate or bigger than that of her sisters.
The usual illness that strikes one of us on or after Christmas.
Turkey cat farts

Looking forward to it all being over on Boxing day.

I have to work on xmas eve and family live near another city so have to get the train plus bus late on xmas eve a journey of a few hours, and as most people I prefer the run up to xmas more than the actual day so this just ruins it. Plus I will be away from DP for the whole xmas period.
I'm looking forward to the time off though, though I do have 2 weeks off in jan as well

Looking forward to: giving birth to dc2, Dd1 being excited about Xmas, eating pate and soft cheeses again, drinking alcohol again, having Xmas day in my own house and having a nice dinner (hopefully).

Dreading: having to explain to DM and MIL 6000 times, and deal with the guilt tripping, as to why I don't want to visit either of them if/when I have just given birth. Explaining the same to DP when he gives in to MIL nagging, dealing with the pleasure of being post partum, trying to work out where to put all the toys dd1 receives.

I'm not crazy about Christmas bit I have two dc 3 and 5 and I do enjoy it for them

I have most presents bought so I am happy that spreads the cost. We are having in laws and they are nice though a different generation (very religious and no fun but very nice) but elderly and i will look after them very well

I am not going to work party due to spiteful nasty stuff at work (I'm not involved but still it festers)

May book some nice events / theatre

As I don't particularly like Christmas with all it's forced jollity, I'm looking forward to working a 12 hour shift.

Hopefully I'll be able to offer some words of comfort to those who are sick, frightened or in the middle of MH crisis. I'll then go home to a hopefully nice Christmas dinner with DP and DS and exchange gifts before going to bed.

I don't cope well with Christmas at the best of times. I try to find moments of peace every day in the run up to It. I try to go easy on myself and remember to sleep and eat properly. I generally quite like Christmas baking when it isn't pressurised and going to a candlelit carol service. I hate the commercialism and the expectation of expensive presents. I hate the noise and the crowds and the garish tinsel and tat.

I find that it helps to have quiet time every day even if that is just half an hour in the morning with a quiet cup of tea and a meditation app, or a quiet soothing bath with candles. I genuinely find the entire thing incredibly stressful and fraught and tearful. I cope much better if I avoid all the hype and the appalling tv adverts and the crowds in shops and supermarkets. Online as much as possible and cutting down the gift list to those people that really matter to me. I now refuse to buy for anyone outside immediate friends and family. I am trying home made gifts this year and thinking about quality rather than plasticky gift sets. I have opted out of attending works various Christmas parties. My stress levels are much better if I try to stick to normal routine and get plenty of sleep and eat sensibly. I don't drink anyway so alcohol avoidance is normal for me anyway. I think a lot of people suffer because they feel that so much is expected of them around this time of year in terms of present buying and parties and socialising. I want people to realise that it's ok to opt out of putting pressure on ourselves.

Looking forward to: going off to Prague for Christmas with the kids and dh.which means not having to worry about making the dinner, and actually getting the chance to be in their company and enjoying it instead of having one eye on food prep.

Not looking forward to: packing for said holiday, and the hell that is the airport!

I'm looking forward to having Christmas Eve off work for the first time in about 7 years. I never really enjoy Christmas day that much as we always spend it at MIL's, so never feel like I can properly relax. I always feel guilty that my mum spends the day alone, even though we spend every New Year's Day together and she says she doesn't mind.