What do you NOT do at Christmas?

[camelfinger]

What do you not do at Christmas time that you believe most other people do? Mine are:

• Attend/host a Christmas party at someone’s house where there are loads of expensive canapés and people are dressed in sparkly dresses from Next
• Have a starter on Christmas Day
• Have unexpected guests turn up expecting dinner and gifts

I’d hide behind the sofa is anyone unexpected turned up.
Don’t do the Elf.
Don’t go to parties.
Don’t see people.

We don’t see anyone. XH will join us for lunch but otherwise the DCs and I are pretty much in lockdown from Christmas Eve lunchtime to after Boxing Day Lunch.

No other family, no splitting our time between in-laws or taking it in turns to visit parents.

I host a party (so not completely miserable), but once I’ve done that I don’t want to see anyone for a few days. I adore Christmas though.

Never done new pyjamas for Christmas.
Never done Church
Never gone down the pub anytime between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.
Never do r Elf,CE Box or Advent Candle.
Never saved presents until after lunch.
Watched the Queens speech.

Elf on a shelf
Visit Santa
Buy the school cards or photo
Turkey

We don’t go to some farm in the country and buy a massive expensive turkey. I dont want to spend all day cooking and panicking about food poisoning and eat leftovers for a week. A turkey crown from Tesco is perfectly adequate.
Ditto a large stalk of sprouts, a boiled ham or selection of cheeses.
We never have carol singers knock in our door. That always happened when I was a child, never as an adult.
Never have Christmas crackers, waste of money. Don’t send individual Christmas cards to my dh and kids, waste of money. Certainly don’t do the new fangled elf, pyjamas etc.
Not really in the spirit of things I know

I don't give Christmas cards save for 3 older relatives who are mortally offended if they don't get them.
We don't have Christmas pudding, just Yule log.
No starter, no turkey.
Have a big family get together.

Watch East enders, Xmas eve box, eat turkey.

We don't;

Do elf on the shelf or Christmas eve boxes

Host/go to post parties

Overeat to the extent that you gain weight over Christmas week.

But presents for people who are not immediate family.

We do have family around Christmas day and I make a nice roast for that. We enjoy seeing a few friends here and there (by prior arrangement!) and we enjoy relaxing/spending time with DS.

Watch the queen's speech
Watch tv
Hang around in pyjamas
Open presents before getting dressed or eating breakfast
Buy big tins of chocolates

I don't have a tree or any kind of decorations.

I don't do elf on the shelf
I don't have my tree up the first weekend in December
I don't have a posh fancy advent calendar (maltesers all the way)
I don't do Christmas Eve boxes
I don't host a Christmas party and beyond the works do don't know anyone else who hosts one to gatecrash 😂
I don't have Yorkshire puddings with the Christmas dinner
I don't watch the queens speech