“Off to my mum’s in the country” = every london family except us?!

[sellotape12]

Feels like every person we know in our neighbourhood in South London (and work) has departed for a huge family get-together in big country houses…except us! Is this a London bubble thing? Our street is deserted of cars and all our pals from nursery left yesterday to rural Marlborough/ Norfolk/ Cornish villages / Berkamstead. I always find it really fascinating to see their Instagram stories of smoked salmon and champagne or long walks in the countryside. I just didn’t grow up like that!

It's great being in London on Christmas day, so quiet compared to normal.

well yes, quite a lot of people who live in London didn’t grow up in London, and given London house prices, I’d not their parents then a sibling not in London is more likely to have a bigger house for hosting. (Before you get to the expectation that the ones to move should be the ones to travel “home” for Christmas.)

when we lived in London we used to host a party/dinner between Christmas and new year for those of us who’d had to go back on Boxing Day for work. We’d usually collect up younger colleagues in houseshares who would find themselves the only one of their house mates in London. For those who have to work it, it’s an odd and depressing time.

If it's any consolation, OP, I'll be spending Christmas at my mum's in Croydon (and no, not the leafy end of the borough). Not a second home to be found in my extended family; you hang out with too many rich people!

I have left south London to go home for Christmas but it’s most certainly not a country retreat like you described. Just a fairly ordinary town, in a normal house

Not on my street, in fact we’re just back today from visiting family in the country (not a country pile) to spend the day at ours. I love London at Christmas when it’s quiet for a few days.

SE London here, born n bred so mother lives just round the corner and the in laws up the road. No posh country manor to escape to in our family, but it does mean we don't have to stay elsewhere and can walk home Christmas Day evening!

Ah thanks. I have smoked salmon quite a bit for sandwiches, it's often in the yellow sticker bargain section too. Love a bargain. I don't drink so I had no idea of the cost for champagne. That's very reasonable though. But OP might be broke. Maybe all her money goes on living somewhere posher or she's got the one council house on the street or something, we don't know. That's why I thought she might have to save up, since she seemed a bit surprised about her neighbours situations.

Our corner of SW London is half empty. The on street parking is at about 40% capacity. I’d say 60% of our friends and colleagues have left town, either to go to their parents’ houses in the country or their home countries.

OP what if some of your neighbors are only bragging? Like people have mentioned it could be a house in a country town rather than a "country house" type estate. Maybe that's why they're always going on walks, if it gets a bit crowded in there. I know someone that calls their granny annex a cottage (looks like a regular house extension) and the permanently parked touring caravan is called a chalet 😆

Our ridiculously lovely, ridiculously posh neighbours host Christmas every year for their family and always talk about their banker daughter who ‘comes up from London’ for the festivities.
I wonder is she is one of @sellotape12 neighbours?!

SE Londoner too, and we do this most years. Sadly to a normal bungalow, not a country pile. My parents are 70+ and ILs are 80+, and unlikely to come to London for Christmas in our 2-bed flat, so this is the only way for us to spend Christmas with them.

Born in Kent, living in London. Yes ill be going to my parents down in Kent for Xmas and leaving London. They are too old to drive so they no longer come to mine. Ordinary house in an ordinary town in Kent no country home.

Mate. You're in posh Woolwich. Chill your beans!

Missing point of thread but since when is Berkhamsted rural? it's in the home counties and gridlocked with traffic 24x7 🤣🤣🤣

Count yourself lucky.

A lot of them will be piling grumpy children in the car and schlepping it to their in laws/ parents overheated houses, where at least one person will be on a camp bed, and there will be tension and arguments.

it’s not always like a Christmas advert. And a lot of the 20 somethings would much rather be hanging out with their mates in London.

My brother has left London for the country, our parents house, a very normal 4 bed new build. I'll be eating smoked salmon and drinking champagne because it's not actually that expensive these days and I like it, he won't, vegans.

I'm sure they are not all from landed gentry, just quite normal Londoners who either grew up elsewhere or whose parents retired to the country. I live in the country and life is very normal trust me, instagram is just staged snapshots, they won't be posting that they just watched 4 quiz programmes on bb2 in a row will they! (And very good were said programmes)

I used to notice this too OP, until last year we lived in Balham and our road, which usually had well over 100 parked cars at any time, suddenly had no more than 10 over the Christmas period.

I live in London, my parents are in London, my siblings are in London, my in-laws are in London and 90% of my friends are in London. We are not going anywhere

We're heading from the London suburbs to my parents' village tomorrow for a few days. Absolutely not a "country house" and there'll be no smoked salmon or champagne, but they do have more space than our narrow semi.
Sounds like you're in more affluent circles than us.

Used to live in SE London and used to spend Christmas in Worcestershire

Oh man. This is us. But only every other year as DH is a Londoner originally and our London Christmases are like stealing London back for yourself.

Til next year, we’re in a beamy, aga warmed kitchen in a 17th century farmhouse in Norfolk with everyone’s dogs (6 in total so manageable) and bracing walks with the hounds chasing roe deer half heartedly and coming back via cosy pubs and the wind howling round the roof at night waking the DC. Champagne from breakfast to bedtime, drink by the woodburner (boo! Hiss!) stellar goose, charades and quizzes and chat.

London is also champagne fuelled but at home til you get to the amazingly decorated pub with in laws with no washing up and cab home and snoring.

They’re both great. London is not less than. It’s energetic and has gorgeous Christmas lights and brilliant neighbours and a whole different atmosphere.

I am not in London but drove round the South Circular today and it was a breeze and easily found parking in a shopping centre at 9.45. I also managed to get a table seat on the train to myself and DD on Friday, on the 5.20 from St Pancreas out to Kent, I figured everyone had either WFH, pissed off home early or was in the pub!

Smoked salmon is all farmed and cheap as chips, these days, and many people don’t like champagne, especially when they taste the real thing. Apart from that, it’s all as real as Instagram

I grew up in London and nearly all my friends go away over Xmas.
Lots of the nursery parents are away too - not just to home counties many are European so flown off there

is everyone you know posh?