There we are all happily sitting around as a family at Christmas, no fighting, no arguments, everyone is smiling and happy and showering each other with love and compliments. Hold on, that image is getting a little hazy …
Take off those mulled wine induced, Christmas tinted glasses for a minute and let’s take a long hard look at the reality of family Christmas. Sometimes the reality is somewhat different to that warm hazy image you have in your head…
Oh, that Christmas jumper is so lovely, they will get so much wear out of that.
No, no they won’t. I have an irrational dislike of Christmas jumpers, what possesses people, who wear perfectly normal clothes the rest of the year, to suddenly wear a jumper with Rudolph emblazoned across the front? Having refused to buy Christmas jumpers in the past (yes, bah humbug and all that,) I relented last year. The boys were having a Christmas jumper day at school and whilst I did consider sewing some festive novelties onto jumper they already had, I figured that this might cause more harm than good. So off we went to our local Next and paid what I would consider a small fortune for two Christmas jumpers. They were very cute and festive but did they wear them throughout the festive period? Absolutely not. One day. One day!! I kept suggesting enthusiastically that maybe they could wear them again, but it just didn’t happen. We may have possibly squeezed another hour out on Christmas Day, but that was it.
As Christmas jumper day is fast approaching again, I have tried the jumpers on this week and both boys complained that they were too small and tight but I have assured them that for one day it will be fine. I am NOT buying anymore (well until next year maybe).
Being organised and buying the perfect present for your children months in advance.
It is the present they have wanted for most of the year. They will love it. Ho ho oh no they won’t. One thing that years of being a parent at this time of year has taught me is that they will want one thing for 11 and a half months of the year and change their minds just about now, mid-December. You think you’ve got it all covered and then they throw you a massive curveball and you start to panic. What to do? Should you change it? Should you buy it as well? Will it ruin their Christmas if they don’t get the ‘one thing’ that they want?
Shop on Christmas Eve people, that way you might get a few pre-Christmas bargains and you may have to elbow a few people out of the way to get what you need, but that way you know that you can’t get it wrong, well unless they change their minds on Christmas Eve. If that is the case, it is tough luck, even Santa can’t remedy that at such short notice.
The joy of sitting down once the children are all asleep on Christmas Eve and everything is done and dusted
Ha. Really? Is that how it is meant to be? Last Christmas Eve was probably something to smile about, now, when I am looking back, although, at the time, I didn’t find it particularly amusing. As the children are getting older, it is becoming more and more difficult to get them to bed early. Of course, they are all excited on Christmas Eve, I do get it. Added to that, one child who sees things very literally and will not comprehend doing something for the sake of it, if he can’t see why he should, it is a recipe for disaster before we start.
Let’s go to bed nice and early ready for Father Christmas to come. Of course, the boys don’t want to go to bed early, quite the opposite. Spreading the magic oats becomes a mud fest with mud pretty much everywhere. My husband has a special Christmas song that he sang on the way to bed on Christmas Eve and so we have to do it with our children. Again, the boys are less than enthusiastic about this idea. Once everyone is finally in bed (and this can take a few hours) we wait patiently for everyone to fall asleep. At around 2 am, the final ‘sleepy head’ finally gave in and went to sleep last year. By that time, I wouldn’t have been overly surprised if Father Christmas had himself fallen asleep and not bothered with that particular stocking. He did though of course, being the dutiful man he is.
Christmas Day is the one day each year when you can guarantee that everyone will get on and enjoy each others company
Will they? Will they really? Oh no, they won’t. Mine manage to argue about who will open the first present, getting dressed before lunch, eating lunch, what to watch on the telly, who had the most presents. They will always find something. Christmas Day does not change that.
All of this is part of what makes Christmas what it is, however, and we all love it with the arguments, the stress and everything else that a family Christmas throws at us. It may not be that hazy image we have in our heads, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Have a lovely Christmas and I will be back in the New Year.
Merry Christmas! I bought my son a Christmas jumper for Christmas jumper this year. It cost £19 and I told him it had to be worn for several days this year, plus next year too. He put it on (it was very comfy), said it was uncomfortable and asked if he could take his hoodie to school too. The jumper went straight back!
We’ve always been lucky with kids going to sleep on Christmas Eve – they actually usually go to sleep earlier than usual, but as my eldest has been awake at 1 several times this week, I suspect this won’t happen any more!
Hope you all have a lovely Christmas, however it pans out!