Santa

[push-pull-mum]

I was quite happy to lose Santa.

Made valiant efforts in the early days, even nibbling Rudolph's carrot for authenticity (a mistake -."Mummy! Why was Rudolph in the house?!")

We have enjoyed Christmas more as a family since we dumped Santa. The children are involved in all the shopping and wrapping and hiding of gifts and put everything under the tree at bedtime on Christmas Eve and reward themselves with a drink and a biscuit as "Santa's elves."

I would wonder how a 12 year old Santa believer had rationalised child poverty ...

[Brum Mum]

DS is in the middle I think. I think he's swayed towards beleiveing in case not believing results in no/less presents.

[stroudydad]

Ds1, nearly 13, still firmly believes, even though we have hinted for a long time that he isn't real, DD(11) has a much more questioning attitude in general, and we think she probably knows but isn't saying, maybe because she doesn't want to say, in case she is wrong, but knowing her more probably because she doesn't want to spoil it for her brothers...

[Amber]

I was quite happy to lose Santa.

Made valiant efforts in the early days, even nibbling Rudolph's carrot for authenticity (a mistake -."Mummy! Why was Rudolph in the house?!")

We have enjoyed Christmas more as a family since we dumped Santa. The children are involved in all the shopping and wrapping and hiding of gifts and put everything under the tree at bedtime on Christmas Eve and reward themselves with a drink and a biscuit as "Santa's elves."

I would wonder how a 12 year old Santa believer had rationalised child poverty ...

Yes I agree. It's something I ended up wishing I had never started quite frankly. All the misty-eyed stuff about 'the magic of Christmas' soon became incompatible for me with the rampant materialistic orgy which now only loosely masquerades as a religious festival. This morning our children asked us if they could please just have a stocking this year as there is nothing they really want and it 'kind of feels wrong' ( that's my youngest) to have big, expensive stuff which isn't justified. We are taking them away for a couple of weekends in December, and they had decided for themselves that this should be in lieu of presents.

Personally I would be happy to see the back of the whole thing- forced jollies, Christmas parties, being nice to relatives and gorging on cruelly reared birds, plus the pressure to spend in order to 'have fun'- except for those whose religion compels them to celebrate it, like Eid and Diwali. And every year I feel worse for those who have no one or are lonely and must get so fed up of having images of happy families forced on them from the early part of October until it reaches a frenzied peak on the 25th. But I know that isn't a commonly held view and it alienates me from most people!

[Guest55]

Amber I'm sure most Christians would agree with you. It has been commercialised in an extremely grotesque way seeming to get worse and worse each year.

[Yamin151]

Personally I would be happy to see the back of the whole thing- forced jollies, Christmas parties, being nice to relatives and gorging on cruelly reared birds, plus the pressure to spend in order to 'have fun'- except for those whose religion compels them to celebrate it, like Eid and Diwali. And every year I feel worse for those who have no one or are lonely and must get so fed up of having images of happy families forced on them from the early part of October until it reaches a frenzied peak on the 25th. But I know that isn't a commonly held view and it alienates me from most people!

I'm tempted to shout "humbug"!!!!! But of course you are totally entitled to your opinion, and clearly your family feel the same, so thats great. Personally, we LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas, but your description is not one I recognise! I refuse to be a martyr to the Christmas dinner and it seems to me this is the main culprit for ruining christmas for most people, I take short cuts, love being with my family and all the sparkly stuff, the kitch christmas songs from 1st december onwars, the decorations, the buying and giving of gifts. But we don't buy big (one Christmas everyone got books from a charity shop, don't know how they felt but made us feel great!), we DO go to church and we spend time enjoying each others company with no electronics and no frantic present opening with no awareness that not everyone is so lucky! I don't feel guilty about enjoying Christmas so long as I feel i have been charitable the year round, and as a family I think we are. I do, however, hate the idea of forgetting why we celebrate Christmas (for pagan OR religious reasons, bbut acknowledge something!!), and also that it is indeed portrayed on TV and encouraged these days tojust be a frantic, vulgar and depressing consumer-fest, where not buying your child a £200+ electronic gift makes you mean!

[southbucks3]

Do not gorge on 'cruelly reared birds'...buy small, properly reared free range birds and eat less of it if you eat meat.

Each to their own otherwise....and father christmas is real, don't know who told some of you people otherwise but they are liars..as if...phew some people are so gullible!

[Amber]

Do not gorge on 'cruelly reared birds'...buy small, properly reared free range birds and eat less of it if you eat meat.!

Well to be clear I don't really eat poultry of any kind if I can help it and and any meat I do buy has to be humanely reared. It is not the act of preparing food which gets to me, it is the domination of media and public life by materialistic and 'perfect family' images, which I know is upsetting and depressing for anyone not fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who care for them at Christmas.

For those who can find some religious or other meaning in it that is great. For me the pressure to be having a good time is unpleasant - I love giving gifts but prefer spontaneous gestures through the year. Many see it as an orgy of spending and greed- I just find that distasteful. But we still do it- kids love stockings and presents of course, and I like the champagne and smoked salmon with our own hens' eggs for breakfast.

As I said, I know it's unpopular.

As you were- hope you all enjoy it!

[JSN]

We are Sikhs and love x-mas, diwali,eid and any other festival, any excuse for a jolly old ---- up with family and friends

[southbucks3]

I love giving gifts but prefer spontaneous gestures through the year.

I got bought a Cadbury caramel yesterday by ds2 and dad, as a thank you for planning a day out. Twas a lovely suprise.

We don't do big commercial Christmas in honesty, haven't for nearly 20 years! We do very low key, no extra food, a special dinner with one relative extra, and a complete train wreck of a Christmas tree, done by kids on xmas eve, including years of acquired tat, home made junk, choccy, and Sun lego bags!

Love opening my presents father christmas has delivered though, and watching others open theirs. Also love a good old blast out Carol sing and hot mince pies.
Also love everyone being at home, so do feel for the lonely as I am sure it is desolate, however Christmas does provide many opportunities for impromptu conversation as the barriers seem more relaxed for those few days, which is lovely.