Controversial Christmas Opinions

[cliffdiver]

Here's mine:

1. Elf isn't that good. Engaging at the beginning, but once he's in the US it gets pretty boring

2. Turkey has an awful after taste

so their are other big gifts in the stocking?

and their gifts come with other non specific gifts?

I mean thats streaching it as far as you can streach it lol.

Also this sound like a teen or adult... not remotely the same as a 3 year old.

New airpods really are not a need. If that is how it is interpreted then it is meaningless.

Very young kids do not need or even like big piles of presents. But once they get a big older most kids do love a big pile of presents. My DD especially loved an enormous pile, and we used to buy small presents to make it look bigger.

Yes some seem dull.

What Im confused by especially with the 1 gift bulked out by pants and socks lists is 'What does the kid do when NOT playing with that 1 gift?'.

Even a 'big' gift like a tablet, console, phone, lego kit shouldn't be used all the time, the kid will need other things to do.

People always trot out 'buying for the sake of it' but I honestly don't understand how their kids have a healthy varity of activities when they dont get a healthy varity of spread in toys.

No one should expect their kids to JUST play on their new PS5 all the time or what happens when they have built that 1 lego kit, thats really not healthy.

@mam0918 It took me ages to realise that parents who trot out this stuff typically buy things for their kids throughout the year. Like a mum I met who says this and has an enormous playroom in her house full of toys, dressing up clothes and craft stuff. They do not need lots at Christmas as they already get so much.

Blue fairy lights are not at all christmassy

Beef joint is better than turkey (which no one really likes)

Christmas lights should be white or totally multicoloured, none of this blue nonsense that makes you feel like you're in a fridge

Christmas is better without any telly, you can watch telly any time

Chocolate advent calendars should be banned, you'll have a picture of a lamb and like it.

Christmas is 12 days starting on 25th, not a month-long tatfest

My DH has a controversial Christmas opinion....2 family members will be 18 next year one of them being DS. His opinion is that next year I won't buy DS anything as that is what his parents did at that age! Imo nothing will change. When me and my siblings were older it just meant that we were still treated the same but as we were working we were able to buy presents for others. Knowing PIL I just think it was an excuse to keep their money to themselves.

@Tilda77 I don’t think it is that unusual for wider family to stop buying presents when they turn 18, but I wouldn’t do it for my own DC.

I agree! For nieces and nephews this is something we should have done years ago but never did. No one wants to take the decision. They vary in age from 7 to 25 but as for our own children...I can't imagine buying for one child and not the other next year!

Turkey is vastly overrated.

I think if the 18 year olds plus are reciprocating with presents you continue. But otherwise stop.

Teachers, TA’s and Nursery staff don’t want gifts in over 98% of cases. It will go into landfill or the charity shop. They get enough biscuits, chocolates etc to pack the staffroom with, nobody wants those tacky Best…etc things & many don’t drink.

And if you think many are munching away on little Flossie or Joey’s snot and saliva flavoured home delights or even yours that DC went nowhere near you are deluded. How do they know if you wash your hands after the loo or empty the litter tray or smoke whilst preparing food or haven’t wiped your kitchen surfaces in the five years since they were fitted? They don’t. Maybe some are willing to risk it. Most aren’t.

So just give a card and if you really want to help school and nursery staff
a)check everything your DC owns has their full name clearly marked
b)stop parking like an arsehole twice a day outside the school/nursery like your family are the only ones trying to access the roads and pavements. Schools have to deal with so many people desperately concerned about this. It’s dangerous and incredibly selfish.

I buy for my soon to be 20yr old DD roughly the same amount for Christmas as DH, a bit more for her birthday perhaps because as much as anything DH never really wants much.
I certainly wouldn’t be doing the 8-10 presents plus stocking anymore. She has two. I can’t think of anything else she would want and she has had to temporarily move back with her Dad after problems with her shared housing but when she moves to a self contained flat she might need some things then.
I think most people still buy for their own adult DC’s but just less.

I was referring to people in wider family not buying for DC’s that are not their own and said that I would not stop buying for my DC (now late 30’s). I personally don’t know anyone in my circles who stop buying for their adult DC’s, but the majority of those who are parents do not buy for nieces, nephews etc once they become adults. I do have a few childless friends who continue to buy for their nieces and nephews, some stopping when grand nieces and nephews come along who they buy for instead.

With the odd exception, the only Christmas ‘songs’ that aren’t shite are proper carols, sung by proper choirs.

🤔Errrm I was agreeing with you. That got lost in translation somewhere along the line. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Crossed wires.

Every time one of our nieces and nephews have turned 18 my DH has asked why are we still buying them gifts and every year since the first one turned 18 in 2012 I’ve given the same answer. We’re their aunt and uncle still, we’re getting them something.
My brothers have stopped getting my adult DC gifts, which is fine, but we had a great aunt who I remember very fondly and she always got us something and I always said I would do what she did.
I spend time to think what they might like and I always get either a message, call or card if I don’t see them thanking me.so they appear to appreciate it.

Cash is a lazy, cop out Christmas present that shows no thought.
I’d rather have nothing than cash as a Christmas gift.

@pinkksugarmouse it did indeed get lost 💐

Agreed. I can get my head round very large cash gifts to impoverished young relatives (eg a wealthy aunt giving her nephew £20k) or any cash gift to a child, but not cash gifts between people with similar funds eg I give my sister a tenner and she gives me a tenner. What's the point?

@RoachPussy cash is an interesting one. When DD was a teen, she loved getting cash from grandparents/wider family and then going on a shopping trip. With a Christmas period birthday as well, she felt like rocker fella. However, family was at the other end of the country which made giving of gifts more challenging.

I don’t think cash has the same appeal now she is an adult and I would prefer a gift myself.

That’s ok. I would be upset if I thought someone was accusing me of not buying my adult daughter a Christmas present. We are all sensitive about our kids no matter how big and grown-up they get. 💐
I can’t get my head around her turning 20 in 8 days. Where did the time go? 😳

I thought you had misunderstood what I was trying to convey about my DD.

Oh, yes they do grown up so fast. Mine is now nearer 40 than 30!

Totally agree. When everyone at work was trying to book the days off between Christmas and the New Year, I was quite happy with the week leading up to Christmas.