As a child, what did you love (and not like) about Christmas?

[letsgomaths]

I loved many things about Christmas, including:

• Our real Christmas tree, especially with our coloured lights. We had a running joke that when it was carried through the front door, it was a "walking" tree, like in the story of Mog's Christmas.
• I even enjoyed my post-Xmas task of hoovering the tree needles, and when I was older, sawing the tree up for disposal.
• The presents (of course); especially if they were Lego.
• Seeing the grandparents on Boxing Day.
• A French relative had a really lovely crib, which when I was older, I would help to set up.
• Advent calendars, even the ones that just had pictures.
• Films such as the Snowman, and the Wizard of Oz. These had to be watched on the day itself, because we didn't have a video recorder until I was ten.
• Decorations in the street, and on lamp posts, which I think were far better in the 1980s than they are now.

I was less fond of sitting round the table for dinner, especially when "best behaviour" was demanded; I didn't like Christmas pudding; Nativity plays (taking part in them, or watching them); was scared of crackers and balloons; and didn't like Santa at all. My parents didn't do Santa, and whenever I "met" him I was always creeped out, especially if he didn't speak English (we went to France a lot). I liked going to church, but really freaked out once at having to dress up for the Christmas Eve children's mass; I felt that I was too old for that sort of thing (I was ten at the time).

I remember a slow realisation that lots of people didn't like Christmas much, including my dad, although he did a good job of hiding it in my early years. It was a shock when I first heard of Scrooge, and that anyone could hate Christmas that much. But as a teenager I became Scrooge-like about the extravagance of the whole thing. I enjoyed a school debate "this house agrees with Scrooge that Christmas is humbug". I loved the Raymond Briggs cartoon of the grumpy Father Christmas, and would watch it again and again.

Loved

Presents of course (only now do i know how much my mum struggled to buy them)
Mum bought coca-cola at xmas and it was a real treat
Selection boxes as we were too poor to buy "sweets" the rest of the year.
Having grandparents over

Hated
Mum would get drunk and often either get embarrasingly silly or fight with my dad
Having to sit at relatives house with none of my new toys to plat with and no tv allowed whilst the adults got drunk
That sad feeling once it was over
The year my parents split & dad was meant to come watch us open gifts and mum was making us wait but he never showed so she spent the whole day mad and us kids were sad.
Knowing all my friends were having amazing big family Christmases and i wasnt.

Our Christmases always felt very different to ordinary life because, as a pp said, we didn't have masses of treats and it seemed very conspicuously a time of plenty and opulence.

DM used to save all year for a hamper (just a cardboard box, in actual fact ) and the moment it arrived was always hugely exciting - unpacking all these special items that felt Christmassy.

On Christmas Day my DB and I always had stockings which were enormously long knitted tartan socks a relative had once sent us....we'd wake ridiculously early when it was pitch-black and cold, and the stockings would be so heavy on the end of the bed. When you pulled them up they'd be full of mysterious shapes that crackled with Christmas paper, and the first thing on top of the stocking was always a little electric torch so we could unwrap everything by this watery little torch-beam, without putting the light on, which just seemed to make it more exciting.

I realise now that poor DM and DF had probably only crept into our bedroom with the stockings about an hour before we woke up, and they were shattered all day.

I hated Christmas being over. I remember once when I was about 8 or 9, secretly crying to myself on Christmas Day evening because it felt as though all the magic was over for another year.

Every Christmas Eve I remember walking the dog to the nearby town which was a 15 minute walk away, looking at lights on the way, we would pick up a pizza and come home and watch the nightmare before Christmas, which is totally outrageous it’s not on this Christmas Eve 😩
4 members of my family worked in the pub so on Christmas Eve before the walk we would be in there and I would collect glasses and get free drinks and tips off all the drunk guys, having money at 9 was amazing.

Loved - the build up to Christmas. The gift buying and seeing friends/relatives. We got ours presents Christmas Eve as my family were not British.

Hated - the massive disparity that dB always got decent expensive presents and moaned about them.

I loved the build up to Christmas, decorating the Christmas cake with my mum and then seeing it sat on the side, I was always so proud of my appalling cake decorating skills, coming downstairs every morning and switching on the tree lights. My dad's boss ringing from work pretending to be Santa. Waking up and seeing a full stocking at the end of my bed.

On the day itself I loved when everyone was up and we'd sit and open presents I always got a new dress which I'd then proudly wear for the day. We always watched the snowman and it makes me cry every year now when I watch it kind of like mourning the Christmases of my childhood, now my family is spread out over the world we're not likely to ever have a proper family Christmas again. I miss peeling endless potatos and sprouts with my sister's.

I didn't like after lunch when all the adults would fall asleep and wouldn't join in with games. And I didn't like going to bed on Christmas day because that meant the day was over.

I loved it if my Grandparents came to stay for Christmas and hated it if they didn't (Dad would disappear to the pub and Mum would be in a foul mood at being left at home with the kids plus my parents never played with us, Grandparents did).

My favourite bit was all the decorations, we had a tree, lights, tinsel etc. (still is!) and also Christmas dinner (my parents rarely ate meals together so it made me feel quite normal for a change).

I liked the 'smell' of Christmas, cards, the tree lights, the music, all the food except sprouts (I like them now), telly, the gifts and staying up late.

I didn't like my parents attempts to get me to believe in Father Christmas when I just did not. My mother sulked about it which I didn't understand and it wasn't fair. I remember waking up one Christmas morning with my mum by my bed holding a big doll with a sort of record inside which could be played by winding it up - a 'talking doll'. It was for me of course and I didn't play with dolls, I'd made it clear I wanted a little train set.

The food was great though, I used to nip out to the kitchen in the evening and nick more stuffing and sausage. Yum. Christmas pud was gorgeous too.

Feeling quite hungry now.

Loved mass and the carols
The magic of Santa

Hated overeating
Watching ET

Liked watching TV and liked unwrapping presents.
Hated my Dad going to the pub in the afternoon so that dinner would be kept waiting/ruined for him. Then he would come home aggressive and looking for a fight.
Hated having to sit in a cold church with the most unfriendly congregation.
Hated my Dads family for coming round in the evening and being spiteful to my mum, every single year.
Hated the "uncles" who would come round on NYE to my fathers drunken party and would stick their tongues in your mouth.
It was all a bit grim really, but at the time I didnt know any better and it was still a celebration compared to the drudgery of day to day life.
I have worked hard to ensure my own DC have lovely magical Christmasses.
Peace and love.

I always loved the years that lots of relatives came to us or we went to them and it was a house full of people and a bit chaotic and felt like a 'real' Christmas (like on the TV!). Didn't like the years when it was just my parents, my brother and me - it felt so unspecial, just us four having a roast like every Sunday! For that reason I find it quite surprising that the prevailing consensus on MN is that having Christmas 'just our little family' is putting the kids first.

Loved:

Our real christmas tree with the bad taste bung it all on multicoloured 80s aesthetic. Actually, all the 80s style decorations in our home.

The masses of cards my parents would get (teachers and very large social circle) - used to be blu-tacked all over all the walls.

The Snowman on Christmas Eve.

Being chucked out to play while my mum was cooking dinner, me and my brother and the other kids on the close on bikes / roller skates / on foot. Sometimes in new clothes.

Negative:

Can't really think of anything to be honest, even just before my parents split up, they always managed to give us a good christmas.

Going to visit family we didn’t see often. Dad would take us out to his homeplace we’d start with granda, who has always poked his way into his present before we’d left. He always gave us a pound each too! then we’d go round my dads siblings and see all our cousins. Get loads of Christmas sweets from all their tins. Then we’d go visit my mum and dads oldest friends and stay over. They had someone dress as Santa and come and see us at their house. Then midnight mass at home and back to my Nana’s afterwards with the entire family, several generations, squished into her tiny bungalow. All the kids sitting in the hallway. Christmas Day usually some collection of aunts uncles and cousins out to ours for dinner. Tables lined up and random items upturned into seats. Boxing Day- party at my aunts house every year. New Years- basically Christmas dinner all over again.

Oh and pinching the chocolates off the Christmas tree

The lovely tree and gently twinkling lights and lying under it looking up.

The smell of the decorations box.

Lovely advent calendar with glitter, in front of fairy lights the little windows would glow and I’d imagine living in the scene.

Getting the catalogue from Brownies and choosing a cheap ornament and then the excitement when it arrived.

Making Christmas crafts at Brownies and school.

The films! ET, Gremlins, happy days.

The parties, a dozen people in a tiny 2 bed council house, all the Nan’s and ‘aunties’ dancing with skirts tucked in roll on and ‘uncles’ drinking whatever tins were on the sideboard.

The weight of the stocking on your legs.

I enjoyed most things about Christmas, but was never keen on New Year. It was just boring.

I loved the excitement, the cosiness, the smell of tinsel, getting all the tree decorations out, watching the Muppet Christmas Carol with all the lights turned out except the tree, selection box for breakfast, Christmas Eve afternoon when we’d stick cloves in oranges. And presents, obv.

One memory I love is being in Nash’s stationery shop in Glasgow with my mum when it was dark outside, choosing bits and bobs to make decorations, and A Spaceman Came Travelling was on the radio.

Things I did not like: going to mass and Christmas being over.

It's funny that so many people hated church.

Church was my favourite bit of Christmas as a child. I loved the Sunday school party. They had the best tray bakes, and the Sunday school teachers put a lot of effort into choosing the presents. I also loved the nativity in the church, and going there in the evening for a dress rehearsal. Just being in the church outside normal service time seemed exciting.

Now I'm an out and out athiest and I feel sad my DC will never know that.

The other thing I loved was being allowed a squash and lemonade drink at my gran's house.

And ripping into the big sack of presents on Xmas morning.

I didn't like choosing a party outfit. School discos. Doing the dishes on Xmas day.

How my mum decorated the house it was like winter wonderland.. Seeing all the family throughout the day. We had teen uncles who came for breakfast.. Then GPs for dinner.. And everyone in the eve
We used to and my dad still does.. Have a huge treat table.

Dislike.. My dad waking early to cook a full English.. Waking to the smell of that make me feel ill.. Even now I'm funny with smells of Cooking if I'm asleep.

Hated being forced to go to church . It was glorious when I was old enough to be left home and not go.

Loved picking out on of my Dads socks for a stocking and hanging it up. Love all the smells of Christmas and the hamper being delivered.

Nothing to love unfortunately. My mum would sleep in and my brother would get up before me, open his stuff and go back to bed. I would get up and open the very few things that I got (usually pyjamas), then wait around for them to get up.

My mum couldn't be bothered with a faff so Christmas was a cold lunch, no hot food.

And that was it! One year I went to my aunt's and it was magical. A huge filling lunch, gifts, lots of chatter and laughter, advent calendars, dessert! I've tried to replicate that with my children now.

I hated Christmas as a child and have no fond memories of it at all.

As an adult I love it and was determined to make sure it was enjoyable for my own children too. They get a say in everything that happens.

My birthday is in early December. As I child, I actually liked having my birthday close to Christmas; I even remember writing that at school, and I was spared the trauma of "presents-for-birthday-and-Christmas". My parents even put the decorations up before my birthday, whereas normally they had a strict policy of getting the tree as late as possible in December. It was only when I was older that I felt my birthday was overshadowed by Christmas, and finding out as an adult that nobody would be free to celebrate it with me, because of all the office parties.

It's funny that so many people hated church. I sometimes wonder if this is the reason MN is so full of "I don't want my child indoctrinated", or "imaginary friend", or "the Bible is a fairy tale": memories of having to sit still in church, or school assemblies, so they want to spare their children these things. As a child, I had mixed views. I enjoyed pointing out the impracticalities in the Bible, but I loved church music and singing. But after a few years of Christmas, I started to find it boringly predictable.

burgerrings & icecream

I’m sorry you had bad christmases. I hope you are both able to enjoy it now with your own DC.

I remember being a bit disappointed that i had missed seeing Santa in the sky year after year 😂. Each year I had tried to wait up that little bit longer to catch a glimpse of him!

I use to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night & see my pile of presents!

In the morning our mum & dad would make up line up on the landing, me being the youngest I was first ( there was 5 of us). It was just wonderful, we really didn’t have much as in terms of money but Christmas was just lovely, there was lots of presents & the excitement of everything I can still remember to this day.

It was a long time ago now & sadly one of us (one of my brothers died) isn’t here any more & others live further away, but that really was the best Christmases. I hope I’m doing the same for my kids, i hope I’m making their Christmases wonderful.