I have grown to like Christmas, having kids has changed things for me in a lot of ways but their excitement on the run up to Christmas is something that gives me all the feels! I was never really keen on Christmas, possibly because I am an only child so never really had anyone to share it all with growing up, then as soon as I hit 18 I worked every Christmas till my late twenties so it still wasn’t really a big thing. I do love the excitement now though, but there are definitely a few things I’d change about it…
- People who ask ‘how much should I spend on my kids’ on open forums like facebook or message boards. The answer should never be dictated by what someone else advises, or how much someone else spends. The answer is as much as you want to and can afford to! We don’t go over the top at all at Christmas, partly because we can’t afford it, partly because our kids don’t know the value of things yet and partly because they given things throughout the year either because it’s perfect for their age/interests at that time and partly because we get sent things through blogging – and pick things up at car boot sales too!
- On a similar note people who upload pictures of their HUGE piles of presents on Christmas eve or Christmas morning to social media. I understand you want to share how great your wrapping is, how nice your tree looks etc but in my mind I’m thinking #HumbleBrag – you just want us to see how many presents your kids have.
- Brussel Sprouts. Enough said I reckon! I’d eradicate them from the world if it was up to me…
- How early it starts. Our local shop had Christmas things on the shelves before Halloween stuff appeared. The Christmas music started being piped in at the start of November… the decorations go up in shopping centres and the like earlier and earlier! We even put our tree up on the first weekend of December this year which is far too early, but we were going away the next weekend and then away for Christmas itself so it needed to go up a bit earlier to make the most of it
- People buying gifts for the sake of it. If you’ve finished your shopping early put your feet up and enjoy other people panicking from afar! I got talking to a lady in a queue for the tills in town last week and she told me she had wrapped all her presents but then thought it didn’t look ‘enough’ so I was out buying ‘bits and pieces they might not even like’. Such a shame people feel like this, but I think it goes back to points 1 and 2 – people start comparing their Christmas to other peoples and worry it’s not ‘enough’
- People complaining Christmas is ‘too religious’. The clue is in the name ; CHRISTmas. I’m not particularly religious myself but you can’t deny that Christmas is a religious holiday. If you don’t believe in it that’s fine but don’t get arsey when your kid’s school does a nativity, or comes home and tells you they learnt the story of Jesus being born in class that day. If you’re THAT against it then you shouldn’t celebrate it at all.
Do you agree with any of these? Or Disagree? Let me know here or on social media – always up for a chat!
My husband is an only child too and also blamed his indifference to the festive season on it. Like you, since having children things have changed!
All the yes again! And number 5 is my mother in law, it drives me insane! X