The whole damn Christmas Thing!

Our Christmas runs smoothly, and we don't go to huge expense or fuss. I have always struggled with gift giving, so am now resorting to small personal items and gift certificates.

I do love to have the family around the table, which is the main thing for us. I don't always go to church, if I do it will be the children's mass at 7pm on Christmas eve.

I also love Christmas carols, but the incessant playing of them from Dec 1 all over and everywhere drives me a bit mad!

GrannyGravy13

Allira I have spent two Christmas’s in Melbourne.

Children visited Father Christmas in one of the Department stores, all the Malls were decorated with snow

They definitely celebrate Christmas on 25th December 🎄

I've been there in July quite often.

Yes, Christmas in July is definitely a thing but, of course, not everyone subscribes to that.
My family don't.

Dickens was an unpleasant fellow and bad to his wife.

Allira I have spent two Christmas’s in Melbourne.

Children visited Father Christmas in one of the Department stores, all the Malls were decorated with snow

They definitely celebrate Christmas on 25th December 🎄

StripeyGran

If your parade is so well set up tra la la la

I don't think a couple of daft comments on here will divert.

Jesus being born in May is not a daft comment!

Astronomers have calculated when the star might have been visible in the sky, the census was probably not in December and shepherds would not have been in the fields with their flocks as the weather would have been too cold.

The date was chosen as it was Sol Invictus and also about the time of the pagan festival of Saturnalia.

GrannyGravy13

Allira no, all in December 🤷‍♀️

Christmas in July is a tradition in Australia!

Froget Good Luck with your simple and timely festivities.

Allira

Christmas is as commercial as you choose to have it. If you do not want a commercial Christmas you do not need to have one. Nobody is making you, nut I can see no reason to rain on other people'sparades.

Well said, M0nica

Have a quiet day
Have a riotous day
Go to church or not.
Go to help cook or serve meals for homeless people
Ignore it altogether

The options are endless.

Exactly my thoughts.

StripeyGran

If your parade is so well set up tra la la la

I don't think a couple of daft comments on here will divert.

You talk in riddles woman. Why?

Husband died recently and for the last few yrs it has been us and his carers.
I am dreading the whole thing. I’m not a Christian but enjoy carols. My Christian friends are much more likely to make a deal of Easter although they do extend an invitation to those alone- true Christian spirit rather than services with big hats and mass.
This year I’m hoping for five weather so I can bird watch with my dog.
But I suspect I will feel lonely whatever I do. Not to self. You’re still alive!

Allira no, all in December 🤷‍♀️

I have always loved Christmas. My birthday is in early December and it has always been as if one celebration merged seamlessly into the next. Church services are central for me. When I was a child, Christmas was a four day extravaganza as there were five of us, my maternal grandparents and my aunt, uncle and their two children, who are almost exactly the same age as my brother and me. My sister is a little younger. We seemed to have plenty of presents without being over the top and the food was fantastic. The best part, though, was the party games. Such fun. We continued in this vein with my parents, my children and my sister’s family for many years until, inevitably, the children grew up and we have no grandchildren yet. These days, our Christmases are much quieter but we will still enjoy the day. We play board games rather than party games but still have fun. As a musician, I have always loved playing Christmas music and teaching carols and Christmas songs to my pupils. Today, I was starting Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire with a pupil - we have to start in early November in order to have a good repertoire ready for Christmas.

Warbler That was one of our best times. A simple meal and delighted to see out son who slipped under the radar ( no visitors allowed) A walk and home for crumpets and tea.

I love Christmas - a great excuse to snuggle up and stay cosy with immediate family. The rest of the family is too spread out to have a huge gathering (not sure I'd enjoy that anyway as I like it just being us and our children). My husband always does the cooking and enjoys it. I do decorate trees outside and inside.
New Year is the time we party with friends - often going away to a hotel somewhere for a few days, so no fuss, preparation or palaver for any of us.
Sadly Christmas has become too commercialised and far removed from the Christian Feast it is - even in shops the Christmas decorations and foods sit side by side with Halloween items while Easter seems to start for shops on Boxing Day! It's pitiful that people put themselves into debt trying to keep up with the commercial pressure.

HelterSkelter1

Rocketstop. No it's a very pretty little village in Northamptonshire. The relative has had Christmas cards made of pictures of previous years windows and they are lovely.

Such a good idea and as a PP said above it makes for an exciting walk round the villaage for everyone not just the children.

How lovely.They do it in Saltaire too which is also a little village, and during lockdown but when we were allowed out ,spaced, it was really uplifting as people had also put messages in the windows like 'Things WILL get better' and 'Better times will come' alongside fab displays.

If your parade is so well set up tra la la la

I don't think a couple of daft comments on here will divert.

Christmas is as commercial as you choose to have it. If you do not want a commercial Christmas you do not need to have one. Nobody is making you, nut I can see no reason to rain on other people'sparades.

Well said, M0nica

Have a quiet day
Have a riotous day
Go to church or not.
Go to help cook or serve meals for homeless people
Ignore it altogether

The options are endless.

GrannyGravy13

We have done Christmas in Australia, France and Spain.

Always with the children and family, all different, special in their own way/customs, we still remember them with fondness as do our now AC

Christmas in July?

Maybe its good just to dial it all down and meet up in the Spring time?

Well, it has been suggested by learned academics that Jesus Christ was actually born in May.

The weather would probably be better, good enough for a posh picnic!

Rocketstop. No it's a very pretty little village in Northamptonshire. The relative has had Christmas cards made of pictures of previous years windows and they are lovely.

Such a good idea and as a PP said above it makes for an exciting walk round the villaage for everyone not just the children.

We have done Christmas in Australia, France and Spain.

Always with the children and family, all different, special in their own way/customs, we still remember them with fondness as do our now AC

WithNobsOnIt

My father commeted in 1963. That he thought Chistmas had become far too commercialised.

I have stayed in other countues over the Christmas period and none of them go as mental as the UK.

Christmas would be much better if it was celebrated in the Summer.

I expect that the Normans said much the same about commercialisation of Christmas when they saw the Anglo-Saxons celebrating Christmas.

Cjristmas is the great winter festival based on the winter solstice when the nights have grown darker and darker and now the light is slowly returning. It was the astronomical fact of the depths of winter tha engendered the winter celebrations no matter what you call them. If you moved it to summer it would not be Cjristmas anymore. It would be a celebration of the longest day in the year and that days will now grow sshorter, profoundly different.

Christmas is as commercial as you choose to have it. If you do not want a commercial Christmas you do not need to have one. Nobody is making you, nut I can see no reason to rain on other people'sparades.

Christmas can't be done abroad or in the spring.
How would we smell the log fires
The pine needles
The hot chocolate
The mulled wine.

Surprised at people putting Christmas trees up early and leaving them till March! I can’t wait to take it down every year and get back to normal. Enjoy it when it’s up but it’s for Christmas - which is not that long a period. I’m also a bit superstitious about leaving it up after 12th night. The one year I did that and ignored it I the most horrendous things happen all year - I’m not normally superstitious!

With normally having a real tree we didn’t used to put it up until about 17th December anyway. This year with the fake one it’ll be up on 1st Dec probably but then it makes the whole Christmas thing feel so long. Personally I’d rather go on holiday somewhere sunny for a month!

My father commeted in 1963. That he thought Chistmas had become far too commercialised.

I have stayed in other countues over the Christmas period and none of them go as mental as the UK.

Christmas would be much better if it was celebrated in the Summer.