What’s the one thing you hate?

[Michelle1964]

I love Christmas! The advent preparations of cake and pudding making, the gift shopping for family and friends, carol services, Christmas concerts, Christmas eve prep, family buffet tea party, Christmas presents in the morning, the whole Christmas lunch event, the Queen’s (King’s) address, board games, Baileys, communal jigsaw puzzles, Boxing day country walk, village pub lunch. I could go on.

But there’s one thing I’ve always detested and always have. Christmas Crackers. Urrgghh! Just an excuse for creating litter. Pathetic tissue paper hat, bangers that don’t bang more times than they do, a joke your dad would be embarrassed to tell, and a cheap plastic toy that usually adds to the litter generated. They add nothing to the enjoyment or magic of the season. When I’m the host they don’t get a look-in.

What’s the ONE THING you hate about the Christmas festivities?

Or the queue at the tip even! 🤣

I agree OP, it's crackers for me too. I hate the paper hats and they're full of tat that immediately gets binned and goes into landfill. Pointless things IMO.

I'd also say blue fairy lights, they remind me of emergency service vehicles!

God I get this. Magnified by DBIL X 2 both leaving present dropping off until Christmas Eve, separately meaning having to stay in and host twice. We went out one Christmas Eve and Jesus is not waiting in for their visits almost led to WW3.

I accept I'm perhaps being a bit miserable and grinchy but it's the general having to go with their timetable EVERY BLOODY YEAR that pisses me off

They are really really different but also strangely similar too. But have very little in common particularly along cultural lines. If one loves one band, you can guarantee the other hates it. They both love F1 but BIL is jealous of DH over stuff he's done and both support completely different teams and drivers and dislike the ethos of the opposing one. It's more than rooted in sibling rivalry though - it's about how they see the world. BIL will swear he loves craft beer then drink nothing but BrewDog. Whereas DH thinks they are good at marketing, terrible to work for and the product is usually ripped off from other brewers who did it better first. As an example, it's a good one to show up what they think about.

Both are similar in finances and social status. It's definitely a priorities and values thing. BIL is eldest and towed the line, but wasn't liked by his peers but it was clear DH was smarter and broke the rules, but got on with everyone (and his teachers rather unprofessionally told them DH was the cleverer of the two)

BIL was golden child and PIL definitely view the world in terms of money = showing love / status which BIL has picked up. There's definitely an element of real insecurity hidden there particularly from PIL (MIL is Hyacinth).

Its really weird. On paper they should really get on. In practice it's the opposite.

> wonders if Red has the same family as me?! Passes a drink 🥃 <

My fil will say in all seriousness that sil prepared one dish of the Xmas meal. And yet DH would have done all of ours and with two Dc at his feet (he likes too).

Anything sil does is amazing.

What's strange is they can't be reflective on their behaviour,they are impervious. They are the best because they have the largest house. Because fil is so clever.
Because mil is so clean.

I feel so so sorry for my DH that such a kind and beautiful man has been saddled with such horrific parents.

I was going to say exactly this.

Issues with family anf family Christmases actually played a fairly large part in me leaving my home country some decades ago now and never ever returning even once during the Christmas period.

The end of it. There's always such a big build up, all the preparations and excitement- then it's over in a flash. I always end up feeling really down in the dumps.

Are you one of those people who calls an end to Christmas on Boxing Day, instead of drawing it out until New Year's? Just wondering because if that is the case then drawing it out longer would probably help with that feeling...

Oh noes! Busted!

You emigrated to get out of family Christmases? That's hardcore, I'm impressed.

Sprouts

All the naff TV programmes!

Shops not being closed on Boxing Day as well. I don't work in retail but those who do deserve a break as well.

The hype, particularly that it seems to start in September. I like a low-key Christmas that doesn't start until December 1 at the earliest.

The queues in the supermarkets in the run up. Hell on earth.

Well.... the situation was repeated dysfunctional family crap all year round - writ large in neon lights during Christmas- that cemented my belief that I had little in my home country to keep me there.

(And I hate crackers also. Although the jokes tend to be my sort of humour so they are okay).

Same.
Having to spend 4 hours driving down to in-laws then sitting around in their cold house eating horrible food listening to them moaning. Before anyone starts yes they can afford decent stuff and to heat the house.
We then have to stay in a hotel, they have spare bedrooms but can’t cope with visitors staying. Unfortunately they live in an expensive area so that can be £200 for two rooms for a night.
So we spend lots of money on something we hate.

Quality Street.

Nasty cheap tasting chocolate and toffees that would rip your fillings out.

For some reason they're everywhere this year. We've had 5 tubs of sweets given to us at work and 4 of them are Quality Street . My Mum's also bought us a tub again this Christmas despite me saying year after year that we don't like them.

If you're buying a tub of chocolates I just don't get why anyone would choose them over Heroes or Celebrations.