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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Making Christmas Magical for an Adult

48 replies

Stephisaur · 14/11/2023 10:32

DH confessed to me that he doesn't really find Christmas all that Magical, and struggles to get excited for it the way that DS and I do.

I'm not trying to force him to love it or anything, but DH's mental health hasn't been great lately, so I'd like to do something to restore some Joy in his soul.

So what Christmassy things does everyone do to give them that warm fuzzy feeling inside?

OP posts:
MademoiselleFrenglish · 14/11/2023 15:38

Ballsbaill · 14/11/2023 12:35

Drink boozy hot chocolate out of xmas mugs once November hits.
Some xmas music every now and then.
Put cheesy xmas movies on in the backgroup when we're doing chores, we inevitably end up on the sofa with the boozy hot chocolate enjoying/laughing at them.

Please don't! Why is hot chocolate seen as some magic elixir?

Xmas music and movies are shite and everyone knows it.

Well considering my husband really likes boozy hot chocolate and we both like getting slowly pissed whilst watching cheesy xmas films, as well as belting out various xmas songs in the car, think we'll continue doing so and you can continue not doing so😂

LolaSmiles · 14/11/2023 15:47

From this update
He also has the tendency to not join in with something (eg he never comes pumpkin picking with us) but then he regrets it afterwards because we've made memories without him. So... I do try to encourage him to join in a bit more than he might usually, within the realms of what he is comfortable with.
I wonder if your DH is a bit like me because it doesn't seem to be purely Christmas related.

I could be way off base (especially if he does phrase it as regretting you and the kids making memories without him rather than it being your paraphrases) but maybe he doesn't particularly enjoy lots of events/celebrations that are part of the 'Making Memories' approach to parenting.

For example, I love spending time with DH and our DC. I love doing things with them. I couldn't stand feeling compelled to go pumpkin picking or many other similar things because it's not something I particularly enjoy, and it's a reasonable recent extension of creating endless seasonal events that are apparently "making memories". By the time you add up pumpkin picking, Halloween events, bonfire night events, lead up to Christmas events, the right Santa things and so on all through the year, I'd want to stop the train and get off because it's all a gravy train of piling expectations on parents.

Some people find value in it and enjoy it, but when I see and hear that sort of stuff I inwardly wonder at what point in recent years did doing some shit with your kids need rebranding into "making memories"? Neither me or the people who love it are wrong. We just have very different approaches which means we'd probably never entirely agree.

Ballsbaill · 14/11/2023 16:39

MademoiselleFrenglish · 14/11/2023 15:38

Well considering my husband really likes boozy hot chocolate and we both like getting slowly pissed whilst watching cheesy xmas films, as well as belting out various xmas songs in the car, think we'll continue doing so and you can continue not doing so😂

Not everyone wants such a naff Christmas. 😀

Stephisaur · 14/11/2023 16:55

@LolaSmiles quite possibly.

I try not to do too much of the "making memories" stuff, because I don't like doing stuff just for the sake of it, but at the same time I am concerned that DS will look back at his childhood and not really have that many memories of fun stuff he did with his Dad. It doesn't have to be a big thing, but how much will you really remember sitting on the sofa and watching shite?

@MademoiselleFrenglish I love boozy hot chocolate, shit christmas films and all christmas music (except the pogues). Can I just come round to yours? 😆

@Ballsbaill Their shiteness is part of the charm, surely?

OP posts:
LeavesinAutumn · 15/11/2023 07:45

@Ballsbaill try the Claus films, they are ducth and have a far mote real and genuine cosy feel than USA films

LeavesinAutumn · 15/11/2023 07:45

Netflix... Claus

SoupDragon · 15/11/2023 07:48

LeavesinAutumn · 15/11/2023 07:45

Netflix... Claus

We love Klaus here! It's now our go-to Christmas film (3 adults, one late teen),

EverythingLouderThanEverythingElse · 15/11/2023 07:54

Spread a little joy by giving to others? If time and money allow obviously.
I'm not a church goer but every Christmas I give the local Vicar a few boxes of chocolates that I've wrapped up. The Vicar gives them to people who might not have any family, or who they feel just needs a little gift.
I also buy some boxes of biscuits and they go to places like the local RNLI station, fire or police stations.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/11/2023 07:56

IMO it’s pretty normal for adults to enjoy Christmas up to a point, but not find it ‘magical’ in the way children and some adults do.

Can’t speak for anyone else, but my ‘feeling Christmassy’ things are making the first mince pies (not before 1st December), the first glass of mulled wine, and traditional carols, sung by a proper choir. King’s College Choir or similar on YouTube is my go-to, but again, not before 1st December, so they stay special.
The smell of a real Christmas tree is another - just one reason I’d never have an artificial one.

SoupDragon · 15/11/2023 07:56

I think a lot of the magic as an adult with children comes from the children and seeing it through their eyes. It's certainly less magical now mine are older although it's still a fun family time. I don't remember it being so magical as an adult before children either - again, just a fun family time.

How old is your DS? Can you ensure your DH does some of the "magical" stuff with him? (Pick your own Christmas tree, Santa, picking stuff for the Christmas Eve box or Elf on the Shelf if you do those things...) I think the key is helping him see it through the eyes of his son rather than making it magical.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/11/2023 08:19

EverythingLouderThanEverythingElse · 15/11/2023 07:54

Spread a little joy by giving to others? If time and money allow obviously.
I'm not a church goer but every Christmas I give the local Vicar a few boxes of chocolates that I've wrapped up. The Vicar gives them to people who might not have any family, or who they feel just needs a little gift.
I also buy some boxes of biscuits and they go to places like the local RNLI station, fire or police stations.

That’s a lovely idea!

If finances permit, I’d suggest that some donations to the food bank, with a few Christmassy items added, maybe selection boxes for children who’d otherwise not get one, or Christmassy tins of chocs or biscuits, could help to boost the Christmas spirit.

merrymelodies · 15/11/2023 08:22

I love to go to church on Christmas Eve. If anything gives me a sense of Christmas, it's this.

Spinet · 15/11/2023 08:35

What got DH out of this was having to be emergency Father Christmas at the school fair! He was so grumpy about it but by the end it had really filled him with Xmas spirit.

It's different in that he liked Xmas as a child but I do think the answer is in doing stuff for other people. Maybe that thing the food bank does where they ask people for tins of stuff on their way out of Tesco, it similar?

CharlotteStreetW1 · 15/11/2023 08:43

I think DH's family just tolerated Christmas (I think they believed they were poor - they really weren't!) and I was shocked to discover he'd never had a stocking as a child! So I did him a stocking and he loved it. Maybe try that if you don't already?

rileynexttime · 15/11/2023 08:45

Make him do all the stuff you do to make Christmas magical this year. Then next year when he doesn't have to do all that crap he'll think it's magical. I know I would.
spot on @JaneJeffer

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/11/2023 08:53

TBH I don’t think my dh has ever really found Christmas ‘magical’, but he fairly happily goes along with everything. All it had ever seemed to mean to him (family of 4 hollow-legged boys) was the ‘enormous’ Christmas meals my MiL would cook.

I also put it down to having 2 rather older brothers who (especially the eldest) prided themselves on having a cynical and intellectually superior attitude to everything, which certainly would have included Christmas. Much of that certainly rubbed off.

LolaSmiles · 15/11/2023 08:57

I try not to do too much of the "making memories" stuff, because I don't like doing stuff just for the sake of it, but at the same time I am concerned that DS will look back at his childhood and not really have that many memories of fun stuff he did with his Dad. It doesn't have to be a big thing, but how much will you really remember sitting on the sofa and watching shite?
This seems a bigger issue than Christmas or pumpkin picking then .

I'd say for all my dislike of that sort of thing, DC get lots of quality time with me and DH. We still do things together. It just looks different to doing the rounds of autumn and Christmas events.

What does your DH enjoy? Are there day trips or places to visit that he does with the children separately to whatever you book? Does he opt out of family life and time with the children in general?

Nonplusultra · 15/11/2023 16:07

I think there are lots of perfectly fine ways to “do” Christmas and it can be a lovely, enjoyable time without feeling “the spirit” or magic. I try and protect the bits that my family like best, and go from there.

Dh likes to be able to relax, snooze by the fire and not have anywhere he HAS to be for the few days he has off, so I schedule busier days with the dc after. He would rather poke himself in the eye than visit Santa or endure a panto, but he’s much better than I am at taking them skating, or skiing or to anything loud.

I leave him to do anything he’s interested in (he’ll cook Christmas breakfast for instance) and I’ll do anything that I love and he gets stressed by (wrapping, Christmas trees, lights), we ditch the things that don’t matter, and we split the rest, as fairly as possible.

Contributing is really important part of ownership, belonging and valuing experiences. Don't be afraid to ask for help - it isn’t good for anyone’s MH to be passive.

I know which Christmas foods he likes best so I prioritise those, and avoid making them any other time of the year - they are literally the taste of Christmas for him.

I know some of the things that make Christmas difficult and either avoid those or make an effort, eg we both make an effort not to fan the flames of our respective family’s dramas. There’s a lot of obligation/guilt with his family, that gets heightened this time of year. I’ve found that letting him get on with what he feels he needs to do and not creating counter demands on his time and attention has, counterintuitively, helped him prioritise our little family.

He doesn’t mind Christmassy stuff in small doses (like driving to see the lights, or walking through a Christmas market) but I take other friends and family to Christmas fairs, ballet, carols etc. He’s happy to stay home with the dc because he doesn’t have to go.

When the dc were small and intimidated at the idea of walking in on Santa Claus, they used to get him to check first, and that evolved into a ceremonial role. No one goes down on Christmas morning until dh has declared “he’s gone” - letting incidentals like that become traditions is kind of magical but it’s also easy to miss them if you’re not looking for them.

Advent calendars have been fun, because the dc take a huge interest in who got what. I was cynical at first but they’ve been a lovely way to count down to Christmas. On the years when dh was the only one with chocolate, he’d end up sharing it with the dc.

I agree with other posters about giving in some way. There’s a cause very close to DH’s heart, and I keep an eye out for festive events relating to it. One of the dc gifts to him is always a donation to a particular charity. And there’s a sad backstory to that, so incorporating it into Christmas rather than making it something to avoid thinking about, helps a bit.

I can’t imagine him ever finding it magical per se but I think he enjoys our family Christmas.

IncorrigibIeRogue · 15/11/2023 16:55

My DH was raised in a JW family, and so Christmas was something he never did as a child. He then left home at 14 and spent 5 years street homeless so Christmas wasn't exactly a cheerful time for him then either!

By the time we met, when we were late 20s, he had consigned Christmas to the "not for him" category. I was not down with this and set to work on him 🤣 He is NC with his entire family, and mine are batshit so we spend very little time with them, so it was up to us to make Christmas our own thing.

We have now been together 15 years and had 3 DC but we have always done a very low key and non-commercial Christmas, more focussed on Yule or old fashioned type traditions. A lot of candles and greenery and making gingerbread happen here. We try to literally bring light to the darkness throughout December, for our mental health as much as anything else!

He finally said this year that he is starting to "get Christmas" and that the candles are the thing that brought the magic to it for him. We have an advent candle and every morning in December the DC take it in turns to light it and we all eat breakfast in just the candle light. DH says he actually looks forward to it every year now, instead of just feeling hollow about it.

We also have a family tradition of going outside to have sparklers on Christmas Eve and getting the DC to write their Christmas wish in the air with them.

So my advice is keep it low key. Build your own traditions and let the magic come, don't try to force it.

YuletideSolace · 15/11/2023 17:11

The last two comments by @Nonplusultra and @IncorrigibIeRogue are brilliant. So much wisdom in there.

IncorrigibIeRogue · 15/11/2023 17:11

IncorrigibIeRogue · 15/11/2023 16:55

My DH was raised in a JW family, and so Christmas was something he never did as a child. He then left home at 14 and spent 5 years street homeless so Christmas wasn't exactly a cheerful time for him then either!

By the time we met, when we were late 20s, he had consigned Christmas to the "not for him" category. I was not down with this and set to work on him 🤣 He is NC with his entire family, and mine are batshit so we spend very little time with them, so it was up to us to make Christmas our own thing.

We have now been together 15 years and had 3 DC but we have always done a very low key and non-commercial Christmas, more focussed on Yule or old fashioned type traditions. A lot of candles and greenery and making gingerbread happen here. We try to literally bring light to the darkness throughout December, for our mental health as much as anything else!

He finally said this year that he is starting to "get Christmas" and that the candles are the thing that brought the magic to it for him. We have an advent candle and every morning in December the DC take it in turns to light it and we all eat breakfast in just the candle light. DH says he actually looks forward to it every year now, instead of just feeling hollow about it.

We also have a family tradition of going outside to have sparklers on Christmas Eve and getting the DC to write their Christmas wish in the air with them.

So my advice is keep it low key. Build your own traditions and let the magic come, don't try to force it.

Edited

Further to this, we do nothing in the way of externally organised Christmas activities these days. This is mainly due to one of the DC having additional needs that make it difficult, but we don't miss any of that stuff at all now we don't do it. No panto, no light switch ons, no ice skating, no lantern parade, no markets, no organised light trails, nothing. We just find our own things to do to mark the season, on a level that works for all of our family, and it's really made us a lot more relaxed about it.

User0000009 · 15/11/2023 18:07

I’ve found little moments of magic can just happen if you know where to look. One year my DH had to work in the morning and we had all gone to my sister and BIL’s house where he’d come to later. There was a great fuss as he arrived and we all just kind of stood waiting while he opened his presents like gathering round a child. To me that was a magical moment

frozendaisy · 15/11/2023 19:46

What does he like doing as a family OP?
Do you like watching films together? Then pick out some Christmas ones that you will enjoy. Paddington, Muppets, elf, home alone there is a genre for everyone.

Silly/ fun board games?

Outdoor walk with a drink in the pub at the end?

Dance, sing, play music, draw, build a Lego set, make sausage rolls, master a cocktail, take a thousand photos, there must be something, something that is "magical" to you all

Reading? Some great Christmas stories for kids that you could read they aren't twee.

Food? Does he like sweet stuff build and decorate a gingerbread house?

Go pagan build a fire and burn sage to the winter goddess, go to church and be thankful for what you have.

It's about having a bit of time when most of the world as we know it slows down, we get fat for the lean month of January and just have peace and goodwill.

So whatever you all enjoy doing just do a bit more of that. Park work and stresses to one side for a bit and drink Bailey's, play charades next to the fairy lights and laugh.

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