What WON"T you be doing this Christmas?

[Eleusa]

I love Christmas and enjoy spending time planning the decorations, presents, what I'm going to cook etc. But after years of experience there are a few things that I definitely won't be doing-

• filling my own crackers. Did this one year- it cost an arm and a leg and no one seemed any more pleased with their carefully chosen personal gift than they would have done with the usual dead fish game and mini screwdrivers. Same goes for buying very expensive crackers.
• doing a stocking for my parents who were staying in the house. Dad came downstairs announcing it was "silly" and nearly dropped the "Santa's not real" bomb to DC on Christmas morning. Thanks, Dad!
• making some sort of elaborate Scandinavian baked pastries for Christmas breakfast. They were lush but the kids had already eaten a metric fuck-tonne of sugar after opening their stockings so not much got eaten. Elaborate Scandinavian baked pastries another day, however, are a fabulous idea.

What will you not be doing this Christmas? (Just being nosey about what other people do and don't like- definitely not suggesting that people shouldn't do things just because I don't!)

This was me last year and the year before. It’s really hard but it has to happen sometime! You get used to it.

Working!

I've even got Boxing Day and the day after off as annual leave!

I won't be spending it in our home. MiL is too elderly to come to us now so we are travelling to the North. Rented house. Should be 6 to 8 of us.

Got to be better than last year when the dc and now dil, adults, had covid. I.literally packed for dh and packed him up north to his mother before he came i to Contact with the first one to test +ve. I did Christmas for the covid kids. Still don't know how I haven't had it.

@ZeroFuchsGiven
"I buy cheap crackers but open one end and put in a scratch card."

Like this idea

Going to the staff Christmas night out ... although I rarely do anyway. Can't stand over-paying for the 'privilege' of a loud, crowded dinner to eat food I wouldn't have chosen with people I spent all day with 5 days a week!

We won't be eating turkey or Christmas pudding. And our meal won't be at lunchtime or mid afternoon, but in the evening.

The inlaws choose to go to their other son each year so we won't be inviting them.
(We did used to ask them but they said no every year so that's that!!)

Working! I've worked xmas day for the last 5 years, never again!

baking pies, No one ever seems to eat them till days later anyways
making hommade cookies
Buying gifts for family that I don't spend time with or who live far away. (so cutting down to 4 CLOSE family members)

Spending part of Christmas Day with my parents and part with my partners. That's the way we have done Christmas for the last 10 years since we moved in together. But this year our DD will be 10m and I feel it will be too much for her. So we are doing 1 set of parents Xmas eve and Boxing Day (for part of each day) and 1 set Xmas day. Not sure which way round yet as it depends if my mum is working.
I won't be buying any special food for here except some biscuits/choc and crisps as we won't be here for any meals really.
Having a lie in on Boxing Day- see DD!

I am giving up on the idea of Christmas film nights , both my younger children are autistic.and they won’t sit through films , I’ve realised I can give up on the idea of everyone snuggled up , drinking cocoa watching a movie .I might find some Christmas episodes of their favourite shows instead.

Havent given it too much thought yet, other than the present buying.

Hopefully not serving up mediocre roast potatoes. I dont think anyone minded that much in the past, but this year I will try and get my act together better.

We have the same! Get on with the in-laws fine, but they are funny with coming in much at our house. Oedinarily or for any "occasion". Never worked out why. I think they just like their own routines.

I’m not going to stress about it this year.

The teens have asked for all presents to go under the tree before Christmas. I did this with a few of the little ones last year and they loved the excitement of the pile building.

No more late night Christmas Eve organising!

No light trails - first one we went to was brilliant but since then they’ve been underwhelming
No new decorations AT ALL - have plenty to choose from
No excessive extras - avoiding M and S food etc
Cutting down on stocking fillers almost completely - only buying what I know will be liked and will add chocolates as the filler presents this year

Will still do all the hot chocolates and Christmas movie watching and will still have our traditional family steak night out - but none of the other events (dd’s will still have the odd party with friends of course and youngest is going to panto with school)

Our son's birthday is boxing day and ever since he was little we've made a massive effort to make up for him having a crap birthday. Hosting family when we just want to chill, changing the decorations to birthday ones, tidying the house to be fit for visitors all day, homemade cake and buffet.

This year we've booked a hot tub lodge in the Lakes and are all fucking off on boxing day. Can't wait!

• cooking another bastard turkey. I don't even like turkey, or the "trimmings". I make delicious roast beef, though, we're having that.
• moving the furniture around to fit the tree in. We're getting a smaller tree which will fit in a corner.
• going overboard on the treats just because it's Christmas and putting on 6 pounds that, 10 months later, I've still not managed to lose. The Waitrose Lebkuchen selection is already in stock but I'm resisting as if I start eating it in October I'll be a butterball by December.
• going overboard on presents for the DC. I do this every year and then the following year, when I do my pre-Christmas clear out, I realise that most of the toys hardly ever got played with. I shall exercise restraint this year. Oh yes I will.

We won't be sitting at a table as we've downsized - DD and I moved into a flat and there is no room for a dining table.😳

I won't be doing Christmas!

Visas permitting, we're going on holiday to a Muslim country. We're not even going to have an early or late Christmas Day meal. I just can't be bothered with all that.

@mrsbyers So sorry to hear this. My dad has Parkinson's and it's just heart-breaking to watch the disease progress.

No panto. I bloody hate it and it costs a fortune. Will take DS to the kids Christmas party at the village hall instead. Miles cheaper and I don't have to listen to some B-list former soap actor yelling 'he's behind you!' for two hours...

Ah the dream!! One day...

Like a pp I will be buying far less chocolate and snacks...still eating it well into January usually.

This is lovely. I'm so sorry for your losses but I think your plan sounds absolutely brilliant, and I hope it truly is happy for you xx

The fucking elf.

Last Christmas day various neighbours had a nice chat (half of us merry) while the kids tried out their various new outdoor toys. My eldest and his friend ate chocolate sandwiches in his room and pringles playing games (the boys mum had said he could come over for a while) and we all laughed, relaxed and had fun all day. @Fundays12 this was basically Xmas day in my street as a kid. All the kids out playing with new toys, adults chatting in gardens beer/wine in hand or having a few drink in the house getting dinner ready in piece lol

Oh please don't be miserable about this. Your daughter is an adult and has her own life now. Don't be a clingy parent who makes their kids feel guilty.