What do you like about Christmas (that a lot of MN seems to think should be "banned"?)

[Bbq1]

I love picky bits and picky tea.

Elf on the shelf and rampant consumerism! I love Christmas and all the decadence.

Wham's Last Christmas.

It's a banger, and I couldn't care less that the BBC Radio DJ played it at 8am on 1 December and spoiled your Whamageddon.

I'd play it on repeat all month if I could.

Christmas lights.

And i think winter would be totally shit without it.

I like the video that goes with it too.

Getting presents (even though I am a grown up) and using a wish list for those presents 😂

Seeing all the wrapped presents under the tree - even though I know there's probably only 1 or 2 in there for me!

Oh, and the aromas of Christmas. Smelly candles, mince pies cooking, frankincense and myrhh room spray - all the things mumsnetters seem to hate!

Christmas cards.

I love it too - one of my faves! Reminds me of being young again.

Getting presents

Giving presents (mumsnet seems to hate this. Consumerism, can't be arsed, blah blah blah)

Wrapping presents

Warm white lights

Spending time with extended family (the horror!)

Christmas Eve boxes. I do Christmas PJs (last years if they still fit), a cheap Christmas chocolate from Aldi and a Christmas story each. I love doing it! Also a huge fan of picky bits..

A pile of presents under the tree once ‘Santa’s been’ even though there’s no young DC in our house. Exchanging presents with DH. And I quite like a picky bits Boxing Day buffet when we’re home alone.

Blue and cool white outdoor lights, every year loads of people going on about the emergency services, they look nothing like that, a different shade of blue and so beautiful.

Christmas cards and excessive presents

Smelly candles....but the smell drives everyone else mad Lol

Buying lots of presents for adults, rainbow Christmas lights, tacky ridiculous tree ornaments (this year I have added a festive sushi and a festive pickle to my collection), tinsel, drinking and eating to ludicrous excess, not giving a shit if people rock up uninvited over the festive period (I even let them in and feed them)

I bloody love Christmas!

Elf on a shelf
Xmas Eve boxes
North pole breakfast

I could go on and on... 😂

Visiting in laws/extended family. Elf on the Shelf. Christmas Eve boxes. Buying gifts for adults as well as children.

Round Robins. I'm always happy to open a card and find there is a newsletter in it. Mainly they come from old university friends or colleagues and whilst they're not people I see regularly I'm still interested to hear what is going on in their lives and I don't find them "smug" at all.

Twinkly Christmas lights. I leave my red berry lights up in my hedge until the end of January.

Christmas food. Lots of it.

We still hide the old elf on the shelf every evening even though my DC are teenagers. This is because even though it was "work" to do when they were little they absolutely loved it and I don't resent it for one minute. To them, elf is a lovely Christmas tradition.

Wrapping presents. I love it. I also buy things my DC want, none of this joyless "something to read, something to wear" malarkey in our house!

Decorating every room and outside
December 1st breakfast
Matching family pyjamas including for dogs
The Christmas fridge photo thread
Piles of presents that we spend lots on
Christmas parties
Hot chocolate stations
Light trails
Dogs meeting Santa

"Do they know it's Christmas?" by Band Aid.

Blah blah western superiority Geldof Bono blah "thank god it's them instead of you, what were they thinking?" blah blah written in 20 minutes blah blah -

I don't care, I bloody love it.

And +1 for picky bits/party food, silly jumpers on every member of the family including dogs.

My only bugbear is the (fashion and food) waste, and we work hard to combat both.

I am a MN Christmas offender on every level! My favourite bits of Christmas are:

Grossly excessive consumption of food (an entire worktop piled with treats accumulated throughout November and December and festooned with fairy lights (a friend once described it as my “shrine to gluttony”)

Posh hot chocolate, both in flasks on our holly hunt and in special tiny snowflake mugs when we watch The Snowman on Christmas Eve; 48 pigs in blankets and an 18lb turkey for 6 people

Board games, charades, cracker jokes, gingerbread house competitions, enforced family fun for all of the 12 days

Stockings full of glorious, frivolous, gorgeous “tat” for children, adults and pets

Christmas pyjamas, jumpers, cushion covers, tea towels, doormats, handwash dispensers and bedding, the gaudier the better

Glitter, tinsel, garlands, paper chains, lametta flashing and brightly coloured lights everywhere, even the bathroom is covered

Carol singing, Christmas party music, crap TV specials, Christmas cooking shows and documentaries, cheesy Christmas movies - our house is NOISY

Piles of presents, all wrapped in a variety of Christmas paper that isn’t brown, muted and joyless

Smelly candles, Christmas tea light holders and sparkly (tacky) Christmas ornaments including a dancing Santa and singing cuddly sprout

Christmas cards, including homemade ones

I love, love, love Christmas and I make no apologies for any of it.

Shiny tinsel and lots of it , Christmas decorations added randomly to the tree, no prissy colour themes or perfect spacing, just go with it especially if you have kids, it's meant to be fun!

I think it’s the words not the actual act of eating leftovers / odds and sods.