Christmas as a "young mum" - do you miss it?

I'm very grateful to DaphneBroon for starting this thread. I read the OP and got to the bit about the turkey farm and my brain went 'Eeeeeeeeek! Someone is supposed to have collected the turkey and other meats an hour ago!'

Cue mad dash to shop, 20 miles away, for dh while I phoned them and asked them to pleeeeease keep my order!

Lovely memories. We used to take the central lightbulb out, in our bedroom, so that when DSs awoke at an unearthly hour they wouldn't blind us turning the light on!

I have spent the morning with our GDs wrapping the presents they made for their Mummy and Daddy, in secret at our house! They are so excited!

Yes, I am fortunate to have happy Christmas memories for as long as I can remember. I don't seem to have a Bah Humbug gene and if I feel slightly irritated by some of the far too early stuff in the shops, I ignore it so far as is possible. The magic of Christmas as a child and then with my own children and grandchildren is a source of joy.
I listen to carols on the CD player, watch old films of tv, eat far too much, buy and cook far too much food, have a growing collection of Nativities dotted around and a Christmas tree decorated with things that go back to the 1950's.

The Christmases when my own children were young and teenagers, in fact throughout the time they lived "at home" remain very special. Christmas now is less exhausting, I get to sleep more, go to bed early, don't get woken by over excited children at silly o'clock or the same over excited children as teenagers or home from University coming in at about the time they used to get up as little ones.

Happy Christmas One and All

Lovely days, but I also like Christmas now, which is peaceful relaxing and happy. No one to wake me at some ridiculous hour, and time to sit and read.

Yes I do miss so much of it, with 5 children and being actively involved in our church it was always a busy time. On the last Saturday before Christmas the old boy would take whichever of the children who were old enough to carol singing at Trafalger Square. Then as soon as whoever was left was safely tucked up in bed my mum and I would frantically wrap presents. It was always a mad rush to get it done before the carol singers came home. I don't miss the exhaustion though, those early starts on Christmas morning were a killer

It was a lovely time but I was always exhausted and we had an annual drama caused by ex sister in law who would never say who she was inviting for the day until the very last minute and then it was always her family. I seemed to be wrapping at midnight every year too.

Our christmases are the same as when they were little.
Only differences, whether they can all make it, added in a couple of partners[who also want the stockings], plus the ones that foolishly arrive earlier, have to finish off getting the house ready!

I still usually have my 3 DSs and 2 DGDs at home for Christmas. It's nice to have everyone around but I was so exhausted when I was still working and doing a full family Xmas at 60. As a widow I no longer have DH to help. This year my youngest DS is spending Xmas with the DGDs and their mother for the first time for years so no kids until Boxing Day. Xmas lunch for 4 to cook - me, 2 DSs and one girlfriend - her first with my family.

Yes, there are some things about it I miss. The fun of helping H put the finishing touches to the handmade dolls house he'd made. It was finished at 10pm on Christmas Eve
Going to the Christingle service with my mum and the children on Christmas Eve. Then bringing her to ours for the night so she could share the children's excitment of present opening at 6am

It was good at the time but I don't miss it though I'm still doing the Christmas lunch - and Boxing Day feeding of the family so not a lot has changed really except that I get more tired!

As our son and family spend every other Christmas with us, we are getting a second bite at the cherry.

What I do not miss from DC's childhood days is always being tired on Christmas day. Even though With a busy job as well as children and Christmas, a lot of the preparation was done on the evening of Christmas Eve, finished just in time for Midnight Mass, at DC's insistence. So bed at 1.30am, up at 7.00am, not much to do on Christmas Day, so that was fine. It was just that I was so tired.

Now we go to church on Christmas morning as DD, who always spends Christmas with us, works until midnight on Christmas Eve and then drives over to us, but still insists church is part of Christmas and it is she who is dozy on Christmas Day!!

No, although I loved it at the time, I can't say I miss it. Life moves on and it is interesting to see what it throws at us and whether we can adapt to the changes.

Oh dear - I can hardly remember it. I know my husband used to take them out to the woods and look for chocolates which were hidden in the trees whilst the last touches were being put on the decorations.

Yes I miss it. We lived in a large farmhouse that was difficult to heat - thank God for the Aga which meant we could move all the children into the bedroom above the kitchen.

One year we were woken up at 4am by the sound of two toddlers galloping up and down the huge landing on the hobby horses that Santa had left at the bottom of their beds.

Happy days.

I miss it but I don't miss the overwhelming tiredness I felt with five children, my own job and a vicar husband! By Boxing day I used to feel totally done in!! But it was all very happy and exciting! Now the lads struggle to get up on Christmas morning!

Oh yes. Christmas isn't the same without little children. Luckily we'll be spending the day with 2 little grandsons but its not the same as having wee ones at home and all the general excitement of the night before and very early Christmas mornings -' Is it morning yet Mum?' at 4am!!

Yup, sure do. Working hard at having an alternative Christmas?

we're very lucky that one of our grandaughters stays with us half of every week so there will still be a stocking and there are presents hidden all over the house including a new dolls pram that was added to her list for Santa just two weeks ag.I think its because her dolls buggy/pushchair is getting too small for the kitten.She and the kitten love playing with the buggy but I'm sure they'll like the pram better at least his legs wont drag on the floor ...lol.It did bring back the memory of my daughter age 5 when she wanted a pram and we spelled the word out to visitors and to her grannies ,when they asked what colour ,make etc they said is the P R A M red.?Whhen they all arrived for christmas dinner they asked her what santa had brought ,he brought me a new dolly and a pram she said ,but I never got that P R A M .

Yes I miss it very much, but that particular part of Christmas has been handed over to the younger generation to enjoy or not as the case may be. When it was my turn I didn't appreciate it as I was just busy doing it all, now looking back it was the best of times for sure.

Do I miss it? - yes, yes and yes!

Lots of wonderful memories, rituals no longer possible because if the passing of time, I miss the busy-ness and the people who were around me. I wonder if that's how I've lost some of my internal Christmas sparkle along with the energy to be that busy.

that is rather an ungrammatical post

Yes, lots of happy memories when I was young and had energy - we had a birthday party to celebrate as well - it's no good telling a little girl that she can't have a party because Mummy is too busy getting ready for Christmas, and of course the other mummies were always glad of getting rid of their little darlings for a couple of hours

Note to self: preview your posts - 'had' and 'the'

I too have such happy memories of Christmas with two little boys!
Perhaps more importantly they do too, they base their Christmases with their young families around the way 'we did it', that makes me very proud and happy.
Remember the year they both has BMX bikes - we really had to scrimp and save to afford those, they were out riding them at some ungodly hour on Christmas morning!
They had been previously hidden in a friends cellar.
Ah 'those were he days'.......