Bah Humbug: the 'oh my god it's christmas' support group

[motherinferior]

I realise that every other Mumsnetter is ready and waiting for Christmas, all agog and aglow, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, god bless us every one, yada yada yada.

But just in case I'm not alone in feeling a looming sense of dread about the whole thing; in gloomily contemplating cards I've got to write and the list I've sort of compiled and the things I have so far managed to get; in lacking a certain enthusiasm for the Day Itself (in my case a journey across the country to gather festively with dp's rellies while restraining children from outrageous behaviour and tolerating MIL's comments on how incredibly brave I was to give birth at my age); in feeling, in short, that the only way to cope with the entire month is to crack open the vodka NOW....well, this thread is for you. For us.

Ahem.

i am with you minfereior
although i am ready with ds's pressies, i went into town today and came back at 10am - was drreadful!
dreading the day too - would much prefer it if me. dh and ds could just stay at home together rather than pelasing all others apart from me!"

that would be pleasing all others.....
bah humbug

here! here!
Bah! Humbug!

oh count me in, i loathe it more and more each year!

i do like mulled wine though

It's less than 4 weeks and I have no idea what to get for anybody. Think I may emigrate. Issymum, your Thai train sounds perfect!

You miserable lot

We are dirt broke, there will be NO presents for anyone, maybe not even DD1 unless we can sort something out. DH will get homesick again, and the rest of my family will ignore it anyway as they are Buddhist and I never 'celebrated' christmas until DD1 was old enough and asked not to be left out...well she may well be this year, its going to break her heart.

Sorry, miserable aren't I?

I think it should be like the olympic games, once every 4 years. Humbug, Humbug. have already told DS (he's 2y 3wks) that santa DOESNT EXIST!!!

Also everyone else appears to have a hectic social life. Why don't I have one? Why? Presumably this gets worse as children get bigger - last year dd1 was apparently the star of the Playgroup Karaoke Disco...

At least I'm not pregnant this year.

I do like It's A Wonderful Life, though. And yep, mulled wine.

Issymum, I totally agree about christmas set menus - have never had a good meal, or good service come to that. I love decorating my tree, and I love going for a long walk on christmas afternoon. Can't stand all the "who's visting who and who will entertain Granny this year" malarkey.

Am really looking forward to trying the new orange flavoured aftereights though.

Hey MI, won't it be nice to get sozzled if we want to?

And I think we will, Dahlia, we will.

Christmas cards: I do like getting them. Unfortunately that means I have to write them. Do I have to sign everyone's name as well, in manner of Steptford Wife (or even Deptford Wife) who has mutated into many-headed family hydra?

Poor you, Pie. I wish you were my neighbour, I would drag you into my house and feed you up and sit by the fireside with you sipping sherry and playing some silly old game to make you laugh.

Get on the Thameslink.

MI you could just write "The Inferior Family" or something similar!

Well you bunch of humbugs. Coddy why aren't you on this thread. I love xmas in a sort of halfwitted simpleton way. Can't wait for dd to be old enough to appreciate it!

Pie how old is your dd? I have bought far too many pressies for nieces and nephews and have now been told that we are only allowed to give "token" pressies this year due to everyone feeling skint, so you are welcome to my overflow!!! Mail me if you want them as am too lazy to take back to shops xx

You beat me to it, CD. I was about to say the same thing. As usual I have completely overdone it, I started buying much too early and just kind of kept going. I have various nice bits and pieces your dd would be welcome to, pie. Please don't hesitate to say if it would help.

I never go to any of the nights out/meals and pretend that they clash with each other. Agree the set menus are usually pretty awful... HATE the dark days (in fact I get SAD ie seasonal affected disorder).. but at least in some ways Christmas distracts me from that. However why it all has to last 6 weeks is beyond me. I like Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day and to get back to normal after that. What annoys me is everything closes down and you can't go swimming and do normal things like that.

Well done MI, have been waiting for a thread like this. I actually don't mind Christmas itself as in the hanging out with all the family (yes, I know it's weird, but I like mine).

What I am hating this year is the way nursery has been drilling dd in Xmas songs and pageantry for weeks and weeks, so she keeps coming home singing 'Mother Mary loves you' AND she wanted to call one of her dolls Baby Jesus; the whole place is covered in nativity pictures etc etc. She is only 2 for God's sakeI didn't realise indoctrination started so young. I am Jewish in a secular and, OK, pretty assimilated waywe have always had strange hybrid Hannukah/Christmas celebrations since I was a kid--and although dd's other parents aren't Jewish, they are not believing Christians either (there are 4 of us, it's complicated). So it would be nice if nursery didn't act quite so much like Christianity was the absolute norm. Especially when there are quite a few other children there who aren't from Christian families, all also being yoked into the celebrations. It is a state-run nursery and they supposedly have a multicultural policy but all it amounts to is a few pictures of 'ethnic' festivals around the place, have never known them do anything about any non-Christian festival with the kids.

Apart from that, they are fantastic and dd is really happy there, so I don't want to make a fuss to them. But still ...

I'm surprised that the nursery doesn't cover 'other' festivals in detain. Ds came home with a Dva candle he made for Divali, all the teachers dressed in sari's and a Hindu mum came in with indian sweeties. they have done similar things for Eid, and the chinese new year, and for Hannukah. They do easter, harvest and christmas festivals. This years theme for chisrmas, is children round the world. And ds goes to a C of E school.

sigh<

What are y'all like!??

CHRISTMAS IS FANTASTIC!! WHY CAN'T WE HAVE 2 A YEAR?!

PS: I've done all my shopping, got my tree up and started writing cards. >sticking tongue out<

Merry Christmas folks!

Thanks CD and Janster (you really want people to use that Thameslink don't you?? )

Seriously, I couldn't take anything, I feel like enough of a scrounger as it is! It's just hard as this is the 3rd Xmas in a row where DH hasn't got a job. Last year my brother sold his car and gave us some money so we had our first tree and got presents for DD1. But every New Year there's the hope that we won't be in the same situation, but yet again we are. I just had to blow a fortune on DD1's new uniform for when she starts reception, I had no idea how much those things add up to and the LEA has stopped giving out uniform grants. But she loves it and hasn't stopped wearing it.

Anyway, it wouldn't bother me so much as I never celebrated it when I was growing up, but it hurts to see DH and DD1 get so upset. DD2 will be happy if I just gift wrap my boobs.

Thanks again for the offers though

tanum, thank you as well!!

Oh Pie! I missed you post! Sorry you're in this situation again. I'm going to start a new thread just for you!