Every year, my DH wakes up and thinks the shops/cafe are open on Christmas morning

[onlychildhamster]

This happened again this year. I tried to tell him, no darling, budgens and Caffe Nero wouldn't be open today. Its part of his daily routine- he likes to buy fresh bread and coffee in the morning. He was very insistent and petulant. I decided to humor him and said, go on then; if they are open, get me some cheese balls and a mint hot chocolate to go. :) He just called me, very crestfallen, saying that he has never been so wrong in his life. The only places that are open are a small french cafe and a couple of sports bars.

We don't celebrate Christmas so I guess thats maybe why details like Christmas opening hours escape his radar. But I would have thought living 31 years in the UK would have prepared him for this (though to be fair for most of his life, he was abroad during the christmas period).

Do any of you have husbands who are completely oblivious that Christmas is a major holiday which most people want to celebrate with family and therefore don't want to work!

Merry Christmas everyone and esp to all the essential workers who are working today! :)

Honestly,

He sounds like not the sharpest tool in the box

I don't but I did drive to IKEA yesterday without checking if it was actually open on Xmas eve. Needless to say it was not. Luckily it's relatively local to me 😂

@oftenbaffled to be fair I am Jewish (and so is he); and I almost forgot it was shabbat today for a minute! Hence all the Jewish places are closed to. In the past, we used to live in an area with more Jewish shops (we still live within the eruv but our local high street doesn't have jewish shops) so he never really noticed that the shops were closed; as the kosher supermarket and restaurants were open! This year, shabbat + christmas means everything is truly closed.

Well yes, that is just a teeny tiny bit relevant

@oftenbaffled the fact that he grew up in a very orthodox jewish area. I mean, he should still know because while there are many Jewish shops, its not like they are 100% of the shops. Its just that I guess it is less obvious! The local tesco would not have been open for Christmas!

Yes, I find it very odd tbh, hence my first comment!

I think it's rather sweet. Assuming he is not always making such mistakes. Hope he manages to find a acceptable substitute from your cupboards!

To be fair, my local off licence is open today - though it doesn't sell coffee or fresh bread.

My husband is like this re Easter Sunday @onlychildhamster ... Every year he insists the shops are open, and in the past we've driven there to prove they are shut and I've laughed at him. Sadly (as i like to think there are a couple of days free of consumer frenzy) more seem to be open these days.

He might be disappointed tomorrow as well, as loads of places are shut for Boxing day this year.

@RedRosie wow I didn't know shops are closed on easter sunday? Are you outside of London?

Most shops are not legally allowed to trade on Easter Sunday. Christmas Day is just a tradition, not a law.

Central London! I think as @danglingmod says above, Easter Sunday is the only legally mandated day. Small businesses can open I think.

The outside of London think tickled me. It’s a country side thing

Even Jewish people know basically everything is shut on Christmas Day.

@ItIsntWhatYouThinkItIs you know that scene in Shtisel where the patriarch gives his little son on his way to yeshiva his glasses so that he couldn't see the women on the bus and neither could he. My DH
went to a haredi primary school and his mum did try to be as religious as that when he was a little boy (she is more modern orthodox these days).
My DH was raised by his mum to not think christmas was a special day! He does give me a christmas present every year as he received them from his non Jewish grandparents. His mum called them 'winter presents'.

Incidentally, he spent his christmases in a european country where everything is closed for christmas too; but everything is also closed on Sunday as well. While in the UK, shops are open on sunday and the only day where public transport and everything else is shut seems to be Christmas.

@ItIsntWhatYouThinkItIs and christmas being a commercialized holiday doesn't necessarily lead to everything being closed. where i come from (singapore), everything is open on christmas even though its a public holiday. Christmas is everywhere though, carols, decorations, giant christmas trees. 20% of the population are Christian (and the Christians in Singapore are much more religious than the Christians here; most Christians I know go to church weekly), and its also very commonly celebrated by non Christians. But everything is open; my mum used to take me shopping for dresses on Christmas day cos there were good discounts (and I grew up catholic; we would go shopping after morning mass and christmas lunch at a hotel).

I had a friend who struggled to get to grips with Sunday trading hours when she moved from Scotland to England. I took many a call from a Tesco car park at 8pm on a Sunday blaspheming and lamenting about how 24hours should mean 24hours.

At least you only have to deal on Christmas.

I'm not Jewish but I don't celebrate Christmas and it's such a faff preparing for the nothingness that is the day.

Oh bless him. Was your local corner shop not open for bread?

It's hard when your so stuck in a routine.

@bunnyboilerx the corner shop isn't open. He got bread from that little french cafe which was run by a Moroccan couple.

PIL lived centrally in a big city. There was always something open, 24 hour shops, takeaways etc.
we lived in a village where the only thing was the pub for a few hours. When they came for Christmas they just couldn’t believe we couldn’t pop out for milk. Which is fine but we had the same conversation every time they came and they were just as shocked every time.

Lots open here (London) - small independent grocers and pharmacies, diverse area so am guessing some don’t celebrate Xmas.

The pharmacy saved as when we discovered headlice for the first time ever at 9pm Xmas Eve!!! They’re also keeping their vaccination clinic open. Really grateful.

Early onset dementia?

@dameofdilemma I am in London too! Where are you? I am in East Finchley. I always thought it is pretty diverse but I think there are more white Christians here than hendon which is where DH grew up and where the population often seems to consist mainly of orthodox Jews and international students.