Why was Xmas more fun years ago?

[loutypips]

I was watching the Good Life Christmas special, and it made me think about Christmases gone by. They were so much more fun years ago, and now it just feels like a bit of a letdown.

What can I do to make the day more special, and more fun for my dd? Unfortunately my dm is poorly and we don't know how many more we will have with her, I want to be able to make lovely memories for my dd.

My Christmas wasn't more fun years ago, I just think I've enjoyed different things about it at different times of my life. We had relatively noisy, busy family Christmasses when I was young which I loved. Now I'm a childfree adult I love my decadent, adult Christmasses with my husband who also happens to be a huge Christmas fan.

My favourite christmas’s were in my 20’s and I enjoyed the build up, the drinks with work and friends and going out on Xmas eve in a lovely dress. My childhood ones were shite and the ones I have now are frantic, but I think I put more effort in so that my kids don’t have the shit Christmas’s that I did.

Childhood Christmases were shit for me, mother working herself into a frenzy so everyone on eggshells, brothers in the house bullying me with no escape, running around like a scullery maid after 18+ adults. I dreaded it for weeks.

DS is 4 and asked for just the right things on his list, no horrible Turkey, the fanciest wine, noone talking over Muppets Christmas Carol. I cannot bloody wait.

@Borisdaspide aww bless him. I hope you have a lovely time. That's such a lovely age. Dd is 9 aNd I think some of the magic is gone 😢
@everythingiwanted ah that's not good. I'd hate running around all day. Luckily we are at home, so this year I'm going to drink enough to be merry. I never usually drink in front of my dd. But sod it this year! I hope you get to do what you want.

I'm not too much into social media, and definitely don't give a monkeys about others keeping up with the Joneses. I just want to make my dd Xmas extra special. Feeling sad about my mum too. I don't want to lose her. It's so hard knowing that there's limited time left.

I think the bunkering down aspect made it more special and cosy, buying supplies in for shut shops, creating and making and no access to boxing day sales...

Oh yes, quality TV, runs of films like Micheal Caine season, world cinema... This theme that theme...

Coming downstairs and stumbling upon amazing films as the fire dyed down and then Yy working out what to watch..

The amount of food we've brought we will have enough for a fortnight!
Not planning on going out! Not until just before new year anyway.

because life is less fun now - after years of medical problems, loss of loved ones and general adult stresses its obviously not going to be as innocent as it was before all that.

I think expectations and people pleasing
Buck the trend. Say no.
I refuse to frazzle myself doing all the extra shit from November onwards. I want to be happy and calm because that rubs off on the kids.
So we don't drive around visiting relatives (I accept part of this is individual family dynamics). It makes me sad hearing about parents shattered after finishing work and driving all around the country because entitled family insist they have to see the kids Christmas day

Borisdaspide "DS is 4 and asked for just the right things on his list, no horrible Turkey, the fanciest wine, noone talking over Muppets Christmas Carol. I cannot bloody wait."

Wine?

I agree that Christnas starts too early now and we tend to have less time off. Also when I was a kid you rarely got toys so it was mega exciting whereas children now often are more used to getting adjoc presents throughout the year.

I've just reached the 'golden years' in terms of Christmas.

My kids are grown up and don't live at home, but will be coming back for Christmas Eve/Day. They aren't bothered with presents (but will buy me lovely things and I try to give them a few nice bits), they just want a Big Dinner, lots to drink and to hang out together.

I live alone so I've had all this time to decorate and wrap and prepare food I know they will all eat. No one is bringing a partner this year, so it's just me and the three of my kids who can make it (one other is working and another lives abroad. We will FaceTime them on Christmas Day).

So it's just me and three adults and the dog. No huge expectations, they are old enough to be civilised and help with the food and washing up and to not be whiny and demanding.

It's my Golden Christmas. Next year may well be different, but I'm making the most of this one!

I always enjoyed Christmas as a child and to be honest, I still enjoy it now but I'm different ways.

I have DS (6) so do the whole Santa thing with him but we don't go manic doing loads of 'activities'. We visit Santa at the local garden centre, he has a simple advent calendar, tree went up mid December. He does Xmas party/panto with school.

Otherwise, he quite likes chilled time and is happy enough playing at home so we do lots of that and some basic, fun baking (crispy cakes etc.).

We have family close by and don't do miles and miles of driving. Sometimes we host, sometimes my parents, sometimes SiL and everyone is just happy to go along with whatever. My dad's birthday is 2nd Jan so we usually have a gathering for that at my parents - always lovely but not over the top.

We buy gifts among the family but perhaps we are lucky that we are not a materialistic family and we tend to buy small, thoughtful gifts that aren't too expensive.

I think for some people, the enjoyment is taken away from it because of the need to try to create a perfect Christmas and do every activity going. It ends up hideously stressful and no one enjoys it.

My Christmas is much better now!

I grew up (really) poor, parents both worked shifts over Christmas day to make enough to pay for the turkey, now I have a decent job and my own money it is very liberating - I can have mum and MIL round, they don't need to lift a finger, it is so nice to be able to pay it back.

I try my best to keep Christmas simple. A trip to see Santa but not an elaborate one, a panto trip as we always did that as a child. I don't personally do things like a Christmas Eve box, the build up of waiting for Xmas day is more special that way. I agree with others, the build up is far too long and there is so much stuff you can do/buy nowadays.

My DS is currently sat watching tv still in his pyjamas. We are so busy term time with school and activities, he's really enjoying the downtime. I asked him what he wanted to do at Christmas and he said 'play monopoly' 'bake biscuits' 'play Pokemon card game' 'watch The Grinch'. All things we don't have as much time to do usually. Why not ask your daughter what she wants to do and be guided by her. I think the value of spending time together is the best present of all.

Compared to growing up in the 1970s/80s

Less expectation
No social media
Festivities didn’t actually start until December, rather than as soon as Bonfire Night was done
Halloween wasn’t such a thing, so the festivals that did happen were less dilute
As a child, I didn’t have to do anything to prepare!
You saw fiilns when they were on; you couldn’t download them eg ever you fancied it, so all the films and TV broadcast over the Christmas period was a big treat.
Families tended to live closer (mine did), so no big travelling
My dad was still alive; so were my grandparents.

I find Christmas as fun as ever tbh, and for me it's pretty much the same as it always was. For me, the key things for a good Christmas are: hang onto the little family traditions you all like (and ignore things that others make you think you should be doing), spend it with extended family, ignore all the early advertising and talk of Christmas until you are ready to start, resist constantly trying to make it more 'perfect' or extravagant.

I don't start thinking about Christmas at all until the last week in November at the earliest (and that's just for ordering presents in good time). Tree etc doesn't go up until about the 15th December. I hatethe idea of feeling fed up with Christmas by the time it actually comes!

Because I was a kid 😂 when I moved out I moved over 300 miles away and so Xmas is a week traipsing around the UK to distant relatives

I think it’s because there’s so much pressure for children to have a magical childhood and be doing/ getting things all the time that There’s then pressure to make Christmas even more magical and buy even more things. There’s a ceiling on how special a person can make things so it’s inevitably an anti climax.

I know I'll sound like an old codger when I say it, but Christmas really did used to be more simple. It was more like a national holiday than it is now, with everyone at home for a couple of days and a shorter run-up to the day. Nobody but your parents (Santa) gave you anything bigger than a selection box or an annual, there were a few Christmas specials and films on TV that you genuinely looked forward to, and there was less choice of food and treats.

I'm inclined to agree that Christmas has lost its sparkle. But maybe that's more down to me than anything else.
Personally, I miss the family Christmases when the in-laws used to come on Christmas day and then on boxing day we'd go to my parents or to my sister's and meet up with all of my side of the family.
Now, all but one of the older generation has died and the children are all adults who have gone their separate ways.
I find myself feeling quite wistful for bygone days and happier, more carefree times.

Because you were a kid and just had to wait for presents to appear and Christmas dinner to be put in front of you. December seemed to last such a long time.

Now you're an adult and have to organise all the Christmas stuff in between whatever other adulting you have to do. December seems to go frighteningly quickly.