Grinch Corner

When our boys were little I loved doing all the different things for Christmas. As they got older the stockings stopped and the presents became just the one that they wanted but not expensive. As a child myself when I went back to school I would "lie" about all the gifts I had had as the other children always had so much and so expensive gifts. Our family didn't have the money to dole out like that.
When we were working we decided sending cards to people you work with was getting too expensive. So each year one of the staff would nominate a charity buy one large card and those that wanted to would sign it and donate money. This worked really well with many charities over the years having a nice amount of money during the christmas week.
Since last year when our younger son died we haven't been able to cope with cards/presents. Our older son spent a week with us which was brilliant. We managed in between the rain showers to go out for walks and just be together. His gifts now for birthday/christmas are to pay for an experience when they go on one of their travels. Makes so much sense.
Lights etc around houses...yes they might cheer many people but the extra cost of the energy when we are all supposed to be in a cost of living crisis.
Yes I hate the constant music but not just at christmas.

 

My condolences to you and your family @On the Levels - this must be a difficult time of year for you. I love that your gifts are for travels and experiences - really thoughtful and practical.

I’ve always thought lights and illuminations scream - look at us, we are affording all this extra energy, aren’t we fabulous. Boo.

 

At least since the advent of LEDs it's lower consumption than it used to be You're making me feel guilty about the string of red chilli lights round the kitchen window frame which is probably what the decorations here will add up to

 

I like a few lights inside and maybe even a few out, it’s the ridiculous National Lampoon ones I scoff at. My decs will be fairy lights in kitchen and snug, a small potted tree, and few bits of festive china that are sentimental. See - I’m not all Grinch.

 

That may be true for some people but certainly not all. My nephew really goes OTT with Christmas decorations but that's because his little boy was very ill from birth, thankfully now fully recovered, but he loved all the twinkly lights when he was in hospital. Don't assume everybody is the same.

 

I think it is the lights all over the outside of houses and all over the garden that blind you as you approach( from 5 miles away) that announce their presence with a scream. Thankfully I have seen much less of that this year. Not good for wildlife when blaring out all night outdoors.

 

I'm very glad I don't live anywhere near this guy:

Blythe Bridge Christmas lights keeping neighbours awake at night

Some neighbours have complained about light pollution after Michael Stonier switched on his annual display in Blyth Bridge in September.

The 21-year-old was told by Homes Plus Group the earliest he should switch his Christmas lights on was 16 November, and that they must be switched off by 22:00 GMT each night.

Mr Stonier said his family felt "victimised".

 

What a nightmare for the neighbours and wildlife @Escarpment ! Hideous and I agree with the commenter about the potential fire hazard. Had to laugh that 16 November was deemed an acceptable calendar moment to put them up...

 

One whole area of our former town in UK being Hindu, the pragmatic Town Council used to put the lights up at the end of October or beginning of November and call it Diwali

 

I think it's far too easy for people to forget that it isn't a wonderful, joyous time of year for everyone @On the Levels . I hope you can manage to find a way through it all.
It's become a hideously overblown, commercial enterprise nowadays.
I remember when I was in my late 20s, and I was at my parents, along with my partner, and my sis and her hubby and children were all there too. I said to everyone, could they just donate to charity instead of buying me stuff, as that's what I wanted to do as well. You'd have thought I'd suggested going out murdering people. I had very little money to spare, and it just seemed sensible, but for some reason, other people don't understand that. No wonder so many people are up to their eyes in debt because of it all.
We had very little money to spare when my older daughter was young. It didn't stop us having a nice time. We just didn't wang on about it all for months beforehand.

I don't have a problem with the folk that do all the lights and collect for charity, but even then, a bit of courtesy about the timing of switching them on and off is needed.
All those flashing lights play havoc with your senses too, especially if that's a problem anyway, as it is for my younger daughter. I hate them too. We have a neighbour who has every colour of light, flashing at different times, all over his front garden and on the house. It's truly awful.

 

There are always exceptions in life and your example just goes to show that people have a backstory often. I was making a general statement, but I accept that for that family there was a bittersweet reason for the decorations.

 

I caught some of a tv programme called ‘1970s C’mas’ Ch5 last night. Wow - you can really see how all the tat and performance came in around this time. The era of power cuts and strikes, but people loved to go OTT with gaudy tinsel, plastic trees and all the trimmings like crackers. I was thinking that all that stuff is still trying to rot in a landfill somewhere!

 

My only real gripe about Christmas is that it all starts far too early - most of the shops and public places have had decorations up for a couple of weeks now and it's only just December, and the annoying music everywhere - I wouldn't mind if it started on, say, 20th December!

We do have decorations and lots of lights up, but they're all low voltage LEDs now and don't cost much to run. The big extra cost is the heating because we have my parents to stay for 4 or 5 days over Christmas and they need it warmer than we do, so the thermostat goes up to maybe 22C (we normally have it on 16C in the daytime, 18C in the evening, 5C at night so it goes off unless it gets really cold). In the grand scheme of eco-things, it's not so bad because their house isn't being heated for that time (only enough to keep the pipes from freezing), but it means I need to dig out lightweight clothes or I'll be too hot!

 

My preference, on Christmas Day, is to go for a long walk with only the sounds and sights of nature to enjoy and not see anyone else (a normal day for me actually !). However, I show willing and attend a small family gathering, having gained agreement with the rest of the family that no presents are bought, apart from for Maisie the 9 year old Labrador who collects squeaky toys . I make it through the chaos of December by trying to keep away from shops and roads as much as possible and looking forward to longer days and the first signs of bulbs appearing .

 

There will be just the two of us on the day; I know I'll never part DiL from her family.
We 'pull up the drawbridge' on Christmas eve and hunker down with our dogs (we have a Maisie, too @Plantminded)
We don't have tubs of chocs, mince pies, stollen, cake, but we manage to get by!
One thing that I cannot get my old head around, is 'Elf on a shelf'. There are even elf rules!
Just another way to part parents from their cash.