There are lots of lovely inspiring and beautiful blog posts and pins at the moment about Christmas, homemade crafts and festive traditions galore. I enjoy them but I read them thinking “lovely – I wish I had time!” It’s not all homemade decorations, baking and paper chains, it’s a really hard time of year for everyone in my opinion and especially for parents. I find it expensive, stressful and really very hard work. Here are just some of the things I hate about Christmas to balance the festive whimsy of the blogosphere! So here’s my hate list!
1. Coloured lights – fairy lights should be white. End of.
2. Flashing lights – just because they have that setting doesn’t mean you have to use it. Most hated is coloured flashing lights, obviously!
3. Artificial spray snow – especially drifted into the corners of windows – tack, tack, tacky. No, no, no!
4. The statement “let me know what to get the children for Christmas” i.e. I get to do everyone else’s Christmas shopping before my own. Super! It’s not that we’re not grateful of course!
5. Faking it – from pretending to be cheerful in the run up to Christmas, to faking enjoying the company of those you challenging personalities especially after one too many sherberts, to pretending to be pleased with crap useless presents you wouldn’t even regift. All of it!
6. Shopping anywhere that’s not online. Involves the general public who are all grumpy and pissed off in queues, enthusiastic shop assistants who force me to say “no thanks, I’m just looking” & crap Christmas songs. No joy to be found. Ever.
7. Festive fashions – why do holiday jumpers even exist? No one looks good in them? I don’t wear things I don’t look and feel good in so I don’t wear holiday jumpers.
8. People who have finished their shopping in October and are smug about it. There’s organised and there is ridiculous.
9. Secret santa. It’s pointless. Christmas is such an expensive time and busy time, I don’t have the headspace for an another gift and why spend a few extra pounds if you don’t need to? I hope there is a special place in hell for the creator of this tradition.
10. Travelling – always a nightmare by road, rail or plane, busy, expensive, delayed. Kids just want to open presents and play with them, not pick one and get in the car. We are home for Christmas for the foreseeable. For those that are away I will unsubscribe from your Facebook beach and poolside photos because I am jealous that you’re there but not enough to endure the journeys you have!
So bah humbug! Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy Christmas from 4pm on Christmas Eve until 27th December then I’m quite happy to be back to normal thanks all the same. So what did I miss? I’m thinking wrapping and the search for the end of the Sellotape should be here! What do you hate about Christmas?