I don’t like Christmas!
My ideal Christmas... Spending all Sundays around Christmas and
Christmas Day in Church. Spending
Christmas day at home, feeding the children whatever they want for dinner (not
trying to persuade them to eat a roast dinner that they point blank won’t eat
or aren’t keen on), me and Paul having a roast chicken dinner. Visiting the family for a few days in
Bournemouth and a few days in York avoiding being away for any Sundays. However this rarely if ever happens. Some years we may miss one or two out of the
3, but this year it’ll be all 3. Everyone
getting a few presents of things they want or need.
My actual Christmas... 20th – 24th in
Bournemouth at Paul’s dads. Going round
visiting grandparents, aunties and uncles and Paul’s dad of course. I wouldn’t bother but the grandparents (great
grandparents to the children), aunties and uncles are so appreciative that we
go and see them for an hour or so twice a year.
Paul’s dad would moan loudly if we didn’t go, yet we do go and his dad,
step mum and older half siblings spend most of the time playing on phones,
computer games etc and don’t actually talk to us. Saturday it rained all day. Sunday, Me, Paul, Paul’s half brother age 14
or 15 and half sister age 4 took the dog for a walk and took the younger ones
to a little park round the corner. We
had a discussion as to whether we were having a roast dinner on Sunday or
Monday and doing Christmas Presents. We
didn’t decide. We went back the next day
and said we were going to church on Sunday evening with Paul’s auntie, they we
were moaned at because we were supposed to be having Christmas dinner on
Sunday, when actually it wasn’t decided.
Took us 6 hours to get home instead of 4 on Christmas Eve. Took us 2 hours in a queue to drive through a
flood. There were lots of police and
fire service there. Eventually we were
directed to drive through the shallowest bit then the wrong way round a
roundabout and through another shallow bit.
Then the normal 4 hours to drive home after that. Plus about 4 stops instead of the usual 1. Joel was travel sick, Esther needed a wee,
then another 2 stops to see what the warning lights on the dashboard meant,
then a stop ‘cos I couldn’t work he children’s dvd player ‘cos I couldn’t see
the buttons properly so Paul stopped to sort it, then a stop for tea as the
children were hungry. So the car, 3
orange warning lights came on, turbo stopped working, Paul said it was in “limp”
mode, but it got us home.
Paul then didn’t want to drive the car to York on Christmas
Day. I phoned mum and said we’ll come on
Friday when we can get a train. Mum says
no you have to come, Dad can pick you up.
So then, instead of going to bed at 9pm on Christmas Eve, I had to
repack 3 cases into two and decide what food and toys to take. Dad wouldn’t pick us up at 11.15 after
church, he wanted to come earlier. So he
turns up at 9.30am and we’re not allowed to go to church! L The car is packed and we drive up to York. Instead of going to church, feeding the
children lunch that they will actually eat and driving to York. My parents always have the neighbours round
for drinks on Christmas day. This has
been happening for at least 20 years if not longer. I used to like it and now tolerate it but
Paul doesn’t like it ‘cos he doesn’t know anyone. None of my friends came this year. It was my friends siblings, my siblings
friends and my parents friends, so I couldn’t really be bothered to be
sociable.
Mother actually didn’t moan at me for the children not
eating Christmas dinner. They had a
sandwich at lunch time and dinner at tea time where as we had Christmas dinner
about 3. They had sandwiches for lunch
and Esther had a sausage, mash potato, carrots and peas from the Christmas
dinner for tea, that’s all of it that she likes. Joel had sausages, bread and butter for
tea. I did offer to cook him waffles,
but he wasn’t bothered.
And then come the presents.
All good apart from my big brother.
My mum is buying me boots and clothes, so I didn’t have anything from
her yet. My little brother bought me
thermal socks, which I asked for and will be great to wear with my wellies. My older brother always buys either things we
don’t want or need or things that are just totally inappropriate. They bought me a top / dress that was a
hundred and something pounds reduced to £30 or £35. I know I shouldn’t be so ungrateful, but I
don’t like it, wouldn’t wear it and am not interested in designer clothes. I’d rather have 2 or 3 things from the same
amount of money that I’ll wear everyday.
He bought Paul books, that he won’t read. And he bought the children games that are
several years too old for them and that they won’t play. He never even text or emailed me to ask us if
there’s anything we’d like for Christmas, he just buys us random useless
things. He has no concept of the value
of money, or that we’d rather have things we want or need than random
stuff. I realised my mistake though in
that I forgot to email him links to our Amazon wish lists. Fair enough if he doesn’t like Amazon he
could take an idea from their and buy it somewhere else.
Thankfully just about everyone else has taken note of things
we’d like, want or need. I’ve had a dvd
and book from Paul’s dad and step mum.
PJ’s and chocolate from Paul’s mum.
A text book from Paul’s brother and his wife. A muffin tin, coffee and a coffee cup from a
good friend. My older brother just
annoys me intensely as he does it every year and it just strikes me as a waste
of money.
I have a strong dislike for Christmas shopping as well. I would quite happily give everyone money or
vouchers. Nearly all the shopping this
year has been done on Amazon or in Asda.
I’ve been into town once and that was only to pick up something I
ordered online. In my book, if you don’t
tell me what you want you don’t get a present.
I don’t do random presents. My
older brother and his girlfriends didn’t give me any ideas as to what they
wanted, despite me asking them two or three times via text or email and I was
very tempted to buy them nothing at all.
Mother said I could buy him work t-shirts, it was £10 I wasn’t buying
him 2!! And bought his girlfriend a cardigan. Both from Asda. I find it amusing that my family would never
go to Asda to buy clothes, but when I buy them clothes in Asda they wear
them.
Christmas is about celebrating Jesus, his birthday and
everything he’s done for us, with a bit of food and a few presents on the
side. I don’t like Christmas being all
about food and presents with Jesus pushed out and not going to / missing
church. And that’s why I don’t like
Christmas! I’m such a scrooge!
