Share your Christmas expectations vs reality with NOW TV - chance to win £300 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We all know the biscuit tin or movie version of the ‘perfect’ Christmas is not quite what actually happens at Christmas, and the team at NOW TV would love to know how different your expectations for the most wonderful time of the year were with how it actually went down.

Has snow or bad weather at Christmas stopped visitors from coming? Was your turkey still defrosting when the Queen was making her speech or did the dog ruin your lovingly decorated tree while you were out at the panto?

NOW TV say “if your Christmas plans go a bit wrong or you need something to distract the in laws then at NOW TV we’re all about making things extra easy: sign up and start watching instantly on one of our clever apps - including on iPad, iPhone, games consoles and selected Android devices - you’ll get access to loads of great content for families, including over 1,000 movies on demand plus a new premiere every day - including Christmas classics like Love Actually and big movies like Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.”

Share your tale where the reality didn’t quite match up to what you envisaged at Christmas time you will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win a £300 voucher for the store of choice - from a list (which might make you feel a bit better! ).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T and Cs Apply

I expected my baby’s first Christmas to be memorable. I was so sleep deprived I don’t remember any of it.

The first year I made a stocking for my DC I had visions of us all sitting together in bed and cooing contentedly as they opened each lovingly chosen item.

In reality, the stocking was full of tat and DC were completely overwhelmed. All they wanted to do was eat chocolate coins while I opened the gifts for them. It was 5am and incredibly stressful.

That's when I learned that less is more when it comes to children and presents.

Expectation: the dinner table beautifully decorated with freshly made arrangements of seasonal evergreens, lit candles to provide ambiance as we sit and eat and chat in a civilised manner. Multiple sets of cutlery and crockery set out for our several courses of gourmet food.

Reality: cheap plastic disposable table cloths hastily thrown over the 2shoved together tables plus a cheap plastic poinsettia if we remember. Only ever the main course (with mostly frozen veg, Aunt Bessie’s roasties and yorkies) and a shop bought dessert. This is eaten hurriedly while the toddler determinedly continues to yank the tablecloth (and everything on it) right off the table, kids declare they dislike most of the foods on their plates and spill drinks, keep asking to get down to play with their new toys.

Still, we somehow manage to enjoy it!

Putting the Xmas tree up is never like in the movies, arguments over who puts what decoration where and an end result that looks like an elf vomited on the lower half of the tree and a bare top half... Oh joy!

Expectation - I am a glamourous hostess, posh blow dry and sparkly dress. I sing 'Santa baby' after dinner and play piano beautifully, champagne glass balancing on the stool next to me.

Reality- I kareoke duet 'love is an open door' from frozen with 4 year old daughter, wearing a scratchy reindeer jumper (with gravy down the front), leggings and clumpy novelty slippers.

Reality is the better option sometimes

Expectation - That after hours of thought out shopping, to find the perfect gift that is wrapped with love, matching labels with a meaningful message. DC’s will open with care, read the message with a tear in their eye, open their present to a whoop of excitement, hug me with all their might and treasure their gift for months to come.

Reality - After nagging teenage DC’s to get out of bed for several hours, they reluctantly sit on the sofa with barely a word, they rip off the paper, say ‘fanks’ and head off into the kitchen to eat breakfast 2 hours before Christmas lunch. I find the presents unused in their wardrobe next November

Every year vow not to bother with presents...

When I had my first child I envisaged a lovely first family Christmas, the reality was I was so tired it went by in a blur! It’s never like the tv portrays it!

Expectation: post Christmas lunch games, fun and laughter, fire roaring, teapot whistling, Christmas songs in the background

Reality: TOO FULL TO MOVE. Not enough room for 5 grown children (all over 25), mum, aunty and uncle in my aunty's lounge. Queue fighting over the sofa/floor/ANYWHERE before falling asleep in front of eastenders

Expectation: Beautiful, brined, carefully roasted turkey, resting whilst the veg is being prepared.
Reality: I greet guests and return to kitchen to find happy dog and cat on the worktop helping themselves.

Expectation-magical happy families
Reality-bickering

Having 5 Young kids I always picture Xmas day as a time where we sit playing games together me, dad and the 5 kids, we eat dinner at the table talking and laughing and spend the night infront of the fire with a film, all the duvets and snacks !

REALITY CHECK !! - kids get up at 3am then 4am and then 5am to see if Santas been, cant keep them in bed any longer.
Dad gets up watches the kids open their presents then goes back to bed till 1/2pm !! While I spend the whole morning unscrewing toys from boxes, bagging up tons of wrapping paper (while trying not to throw any bits of toys left out!) spend the day reboxing the toys into the right boxes as all 5 kids get EVERY toy out at once as I'm dashing back and forth to the kitchen trying not to burn dinner. Then sit down to a Xmas dinner with 5 hyper kids who want to play not eat and are fighting over the top of the table over the cracker toys and what colour hat they want. So by night time the 5 kids are in bed at 8pm with no late snuggle up for a film and I'm stressed out and half asleep by 9pm the joys of motherhood hahaha

expectation: .....Having a lovely family Christmas, a fabulous lunch and watching the children play with their toys.

Reality:-...... Stuck in the kitchen, hoping the turkey is cooked through, looking like a sweaty mess from all the hot steaming pans, a pile of washing up, and arguments when playing THAT board game.

Expectations v reality with an almost 2 year old...

1. He will love visiting Santa’s grotto, it will be a magical time and I will get the perfect photo. He screamed the moment he saw Santa, ran away crying and refuses to go back into the room. Tried to throw himself down the steps to avoid him. Not a single photo.
2. Putting up the tree will be a magical family experience, full of wonder and awe. He couldn’t have been less interested, just wanted to carry on playing with his cars.
3. His first experience of snow will be one of delight and excitement. Screamed at having to put hat/coat/gloves/wellies on.

Expectation: magical wonderful time, fabulous decor and food, happy family

Reality: sat in kitchen at in-laws to be
Same Sunday dinner as always, fil with gravy down chin
Brothers arguing and sil with face like frozen shite.

Thankfully didn’t actually marry this bf so they never became proper ils...and Christmas is now much nicer!

I managed to cook the turkey with the plastic packet of giblets in it. Just as well everyone prefers the trimmings to the turkey itself!! I also forget every year how long it takes to wrap presents and end up in some sort of late night wrapping frenzy

Lovingly cooked dinner for friends yesterday, expecting a great Christmas get together. Reality- friends never made it because of snow and my children were very grumpy!

Getting one of the first saga master systems as a child and then a massive powercut. No hot food and the only toy me and my sisters wanted to play with we couldnt. Playing monopoly by candle light is not thw same as a shiny new games console!

Expectation: family sat round enjoying a carefully and lovingly prepared meal, enjoying each others company and laughing together.

Reality: We spend a fortune in good, then two days cleaning, prepping, wrapping, sorting. Family show up two hours late for dinner, no apology, with extra, unannounced guests and DF goes mad, refuses to engage and leaves until they've all gone. Family members wind other family members up and upset them on purpose. Then they all leave without lifting a finger to help clear up.

I have no expectations this year, I'm just hoping none of us have norovirus this year and no one starts throwing up during Christmas dinner 😂 I can laugh about it now

The expectation- 5 years ago, first Christmas in our new home. My mums first Christmas day off in 19 years (nurse) and we were all spending it together. Parents stayed over Christmas eve, Me and my mum preping the veg and my dad and husband sharing a drink and playing board games with the kids. So far so perfect!

Reality- Around 3am my eldest shouted he felt sick so rushed in to see him. Promptly covered in vomit! Few minutes later heard dad rush to the bathroom to also be sick. Sympathy?! No... Hotly followed by my mum and husband. Good job we have 3 toilets! I started being sick about an hour later. We all had winter vomiting bug. No Christmas lunch that day, Didnt even get up out of bed until 630pm to open presents. Tried to look cheerful for the kids who were feeling just as rubbish. All back to bed. We finally had Christmas lunch 2 days later on 27th December. Hope to have our Christmas together this year as mum is now retired. Not getting my hopes up for that magical Christmas this time though!

Expectation: Everyone chilled and happy with their and food.

Reality: Me rushing around and people moaning that they don't like red cabbage/ brussels sprouts.

My dream Christmas is an overindulgence of sheer laziness, no stress making a dinner or entertaining and hosting. New cozy pj's on roaring fire eating party platters and plenty of chocolates watching Christmas films and letting dc play with new toys. Instead Christmas seems rushed cooking for hoards of family members trying to please everyone not enough space for dc to play. Sitting awkwardly after the usual arguments that occur trying to act normal when the atmosphere is just tense.

Expectation: a lovely day.
Reality: Every single Christmas day, despite the odd minor squabbles and occasional jealousy (of the 'hers is nicer than mine' variety!) has really been lovely.

Expectation: wonderful magical Christmasy times making lovely festive treats and pitting up all the new decs I'd been squirelling away

Reality: Me and my little girl living in a hotel as our house has been flooded

Still thankful to have each other though

Merry Christmas!

Expectation: Me floating around in a tastefully festive outfit, with swishy hair and make-up done, casually sauntering along to the carol service with shiny faced, excited children in tow. Quick stop at the village pub on the way home to catch up with friends, all equally relaxed and organised.

Reality: Ha ha. No.