The little annoyances of Christmas

daisiegg

Georgiegirl256 wrote: »

I've never come across that before. Not saying its wrong or anything, definitely not, as that's what your family does (or doesn't do!), but I find it unusual that you find it strange that family members would give each other cards!

I think older people (in general) appreciate the giving and receiving of cards. My Mam and the MIL in particular like to receive a lovely card with a nice rhyme inside.

No one in my wide extended family (amounting to many, many people) sends cards to immediate family members. I asked around in my department at work about it actually earlier in the month because we were talking about the horrendously tacky 'to mum/dad/brother etc' Christmas cards you can buy. None of them do it either. To me, a Christmas card is the way of sending greetings to someone you do not really see or speak to much. As such, I would send one to my Granda in Scotland who I only see once a year (if I did cards!) but not to my grandparents who live 10 minutes away and who I see almost weekly.

But everyone is different and there is no right or wrong And to be honest, and to completely contradict everything I have just said, I actually got my husband a 'to my husband' Christmas card this year - just because I was excited about it being our first married Christmas! He has not got me one and I think he thinks it is slightly strange :cool:

daisiegg

Cloudydaze wrote: »

I'm another one that doesn't send cards to immediate family. It does seem strange to me to send a card to someone you know you'll see on Christmas Day.

I also don't get the need to buy the 'relation specific' cards. Ie 'To My Darling Boyfriend'. My friend got very upset that her new boyfriend gave her a regular card that failed to acknowledge her status as his girlfriend. I had to bite my tongue on that one.

Glad I'm not the only one (though I did get my husband a husband card this Christmas......purely through excitement at it being our first married Christmas. I will never do it again! )

codemonkey

I send cards to friends I don't see often, family members, DH and my parents. It's a part of preparing for Christmas. I do not give them to my colleagues because I can't be bothered and neither can they.

My biggest annoyance at Christmas is supermarkets. And one in particular. There's a big Mr T nearby and for months and months they have Christmas stuff in - from before Halloween. But go in 2 weeks before Christmas and they have nothing and they don't get any more Christmas stuff in - they have very little wrapping paper, no gift bags, no candy canes, no chocolate Santas, no selection boxes, only the expensive tins of sweets (even though the cheaper ones will reappear in January), they ran out of chocolate coins at the start of December and there have been no more since then. I don't expect them to overstock so there's loads left after Christmas, but they really should still have stocks of these things in the weeks leading up to the event as its the kind of thing a lot of people buy at the last minute. It's not just Christmas - the week before Easter they had no easter eggs, at Halloween, they didn't have sweets or apples or costumes the week before. It's like they're on a different calendar to the rest of us. Also whenever you go in, even if its at 8am, it's really, really, ridiculously busy full of stressed people, shoving and pushing and being annoyed that the supermarket don't have what they need.

And don't even get me started on the Christmas eve fights. I did some seasonal work for M&S when I was a student and on Christmas eve, all spare hands were put to work in the food hall. I couldn't believe my eyes - all these wee old ladies with their set hair and tweed skirts, and upper middle class housewives doing truly dastardly deeds. They were lifting stuff they wanted from other people's baskets, shoving people out of the way to get to the stuff they wanted faster, the last net of sprouts was broken and people were scooping them off the floor and an actual fight broke out over the last tub of double cream, and the police had to be called. There was another supermarket about 100 metres away, so it seemed a bit unnecessary.

ash28

BritAbroad wrote: »

What are your minor Christmas irritations?

Christmas Day and Boxing Day!!!

Just kidding.

Georgiegirl256

daisiegg wrote: »

But everyone is different and there is no right or wrong And to be honest, and to completely contradict everything I have just said, I actually got my husband a 'to my husband' Christmas card this year - just because I was excited about it being our first married Christmas! He has not got me one and I think he thinks it is slightly strange :cool:

My husband doesn't really do cards either, I usually end up buying one for his Mam! His brothers just get normal ones, as do we off them.

As it's our first Christmas as a married couple too, I know how you feel! :rotfl: I spent ages picking a lovely one with husband on, and told him that I wanted one with wife on, and no, I wasn't picking it myself!

SailorSam

The saddest part of Christmas, is waking up in the morning and not being a child.

(Erma Bombeck).

Tiddlywinks

Person_one wrote: »

A bit of a moan every now and then is good for you, its very British!

'Tis the season to be jolly, don't you know !

DigForVictory

Finding that I do care about Christmas stamps, when they've sold out.
I'm falling out of love with cards, and so feel that at least if I have to pay several times the price of the card to post it, I can at least send it with a nice stamp.
Nope.

Then I think of some of the children at our school & some of the scouts & think I am so darn lucky to be able to fuss over The Right Stamp...

MrSmartprice

Brighton_belle wrote: »

My bug bear is receiving cards from people I haven't seen for ages with just their signature in it - what is the point in that?
It doesn't make me feel 'thought of'. It makes me feel they've spent 20 seconds out of a tedious hour or two going through a box of cards and probably finding it a tedious task. I' rather not receive one at all.

That's right. We went through our card list this year, since it is 50p a time to post them, and culled quite a few people whom we haven't seen for years and have no contact with other than a meaningless annual card. This included a few relatives.

From that list, I think 2 or 3 have sent us one, but hopefully will get the message. Maybe others have cut their lists too. But the upside is that the number we've posted has been reduced to single figures.

The whole card industry is one monumental rip-off. I absolutely refuse to pay more than £1 for a card for any birthday or whatever, so it's Card Factory every time. Why would people pay £4-5 just for a card?

mountainofdebt wrote: »

I hate being asked why I'm not going to the works Christmas do.....I don't mind the team bash as much but any larger than that you can stick it

Getting the looks of sympathy when I say Hubby and I don't do presents - the money comes out of the same account and if we want something (and can afford it) we get it when we want it regardless of time of year - so don't need or want anything so why spend money just because we have to????

We don't exchange presents or cards either. Like you, we buy things when we want them. I know one old friend whose wife insists on him spending vast amounts every Christmas and birthday, usually jewellery, and he wouldn't dare object. Pointless materialistic greed!

As for the works Christmas do....don't get me started!

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

'Tis the season to be jolly, don't you know !

'Tis the season of Bah Humbug! :rotfl:

balletshoes

daisiegg wrote: »

Why would you send a card to someone you see and are in contact with? Can't you wish them a merry Christmas in person/on the phone if you are in contact with them?

I never understood this. In my family you never gave cards to immediate family or people you see regularly. Cards were for sending your greetings to people you do not see regularly. If you see them, why do you need a card? Why not say happy Christmas?! I know everyone is different but this is something that I never came across until I started to read these forums. In my real life I don't know anyone who gives cards to close family members and people they see often.

Christmas cards as a whole annoy me. We do not send any and don't receive many, but any we receive make me feel guilty that we don't send them.

Apart from that, there is very little that actually annoys me about Christmas, as I love it! Actually, to be fair, I get annoyed by people moaning about Christmas and how stressful it is or how many things annoy them.

you're right, we all do things differently . Sending cards to family and friends (ie people I'm close to) is the tradition among those i know.