Which words fill you with dread at Christmas?

[TheWeekOnTheDalymountSeat]

’Glass baubles’ - half smashed when I reopened the box from last year

’Nibbles’ - sweaty little finger bowls housing minuscule foods. Must compliment delicious finger bowl spread & ooze gratitude.

’A festive walk’ - Not just any walk. Must include the word wholesome & festive numerous times with an Insta reel to boot.

’Dry turkey’ - Guzzling wine just to get the turkey down. Sloshed in record time.

‘It’s just a little something’ - £50 present from that overbearing person you try to keep a respectful distance from all year & feeling beholden to them forevermore 😭

All talk on here about "lovely and thoughtful presents" and how other people's are neither so "lovely" nor "thoughtful" as the OP's own choices. I find present-buying hard. I do my best and knowing that people are judging me like this just stresses me out and makes me not want to try. My aunt is one of these people who thinks her presents are great and critiques other peoples', so I am also already damaged enough from that.

Let's play a boardgame. (I'm a curmudgeon).

Secret Santa
Let's have some Christmas music in the office.
Company 'Do'
We'll only have to go for an hour...

(Hmmm, bit of a theme here...)

we'll just pop in for a few minutes and drop off xyz.

(.....noooooo.... i know you'll be here for hours and expect numerous drinks/snacks look down and smile sadly if the mince pies are cold, not care that I'm working all over Christmas and this one, precious, day off was already filled with my own, necessary preparations so that my family will have nice easy catering when I'm at work .... bleat!)

A Meet up.

Christmas. The word and absolutely everything associated with it fills me with dread.

“The MIL has just arrived”

Board game. Piss off.

The elf

Secret Santa - how did I miss that one!

Charades 😭

Not quite what you meant by this discussion but the words that fill me with dread during the holiday season are "The veterinary office will be closed this week..."
As a pet owner, especially when one of your animals is ill with some sort of condition, you dread evenings, weekends, and holidays and Christmas is the worst time for multiple days being closed.

God, this. Fuck right off.

Also - ‘we’re all wearing Christmas jumpers’

I bloody love charades 😂

What’s for dinner/supper etc when you’ve just cooked and served the most enormous Christmas lunch!

My children are coming round .....

‘We must get together before Christmas’

Why? This is a ridiculously busy time and we’re all under pressure to get everything done. Christmas is a few days - nothing will happen if we don’t see each other until after.

‘Shall we play a game’

Have you taken them to the doctors or even worse A & E! Every Christmas someone has a illness or accident.

We will pop round

Is that a leak I'm the roof? Or any other building/plumbing issue.

People you haven’t seen all year phoning up and asking if they can call round or would we like to visit - leave me alone with my chocolates, Baileys and Christmas movies, neither side has wanted to see each other all year so why now?!

Turkey

Secret Santa (at work)
Cookie exchange (at work)
Ugly sweater day (at work)
"Let's go and walk all of that off..."
"Mom, the toilet isn't flushing right/ bath isn't draining/ dishwasher is making a funny noise..."

Christmas menu!!

I’ve got two Christmas lunches with work (already grumbling about that!) and of course we have to order from the Christmas menu. Except I’m a vegetarian so there is undoubtedly one terrible option and it’s always mushrooms and/or goats cheese! Bleurgh! And I get to pay the same price as everyone else for that.