Excellent, I feel I’m starting some kind of support group here where people can come and share their gripes with the so called ‘holiday’ season – for some it’s not! I agree totally on the spending money thing as well, all that worry for those people who go into debt over it, it’s terrible. Roll on Boxing Day 🙂 Ooh and I’ve never been known to turn down a G&T either Rose 😉 Many thanks for stopping by and I wish you all the best for the festivities!

I am totally with you on that Linda – minimalist is the way to go, and you can do this once the kids are older, as I am finding!! But sherry?? No, no, no, I had a nasty experience with that in my early years of alcohol testing and it’s put me off for life. However I hope you have your Christmas stocks in and have a very merry time 😉

Thanks T! Oh this was a common thing at primary school Terry, but peaked at Christmas. I remember they never tried to fit in a book day again at that time of year I think that was one step too far for many. I think at that time that the pressure was on for stuff to be homemade as well, like the mince pies and the cakes whereas now no one would think twice about turning up with a box of Mr Kiplings. I’m just relieved that those days are over though I feel for those parents still going through it, although I’m sure most cope with it all much better than I ever did 🙂

There’s a time and place for mulled wine Terry and it can be delicious when done right! We have it after the carol service here and it is very tasty 🙂 A Christingle is the orange thing and each part of the decoration of it demonstrates part of the Christian story though generally the children are more interested in the pointy cocktail sticks with sweets on them and of course the candle which I hope is still allowed to be lit in these days of health and safety. The church filled with tiny children each grasping a flaming orange is a sight to behold although, of course, a major fire hazard. My angel nearly lost her fringe one year because she wandered off into some dream world 😉

I really enjoyed this post!!!

I can’t believe the cheek of that letter. Even for the ‘professional mum’ types, it’s a lot to fit in. I think I’d have been tempted to send it back to the secretary with a rude word written across it, except that, of course, it would be the children who suffered.

Being childless I have nothing with which to compare this except for my own childhood. Look, this wasn’t so long ago, ie the 1960s. I went to a church school, and even then they didn’t do all this STUFF – a select few were in a nativity play and those who didn’t get picked…. weren’t. That was in the days before the culture of encouragement, of course, when every child had to be made to feel ‘special’ (that SO prepares them for the real world, of course). We had a the nice carol service and possibly a bring and buy, and that was that. I certainly never remember being taken the piss out of for my crap angel wings, and I know my mother would have thought ‘stuff that’ about making any!!

The point I’m making is that the pressure on parents from television, internet and now schools is all part of the have-have-have-until-we-explode culture…. which I loathe and refuse to buy into, too. So glad you’ve found a way to do it in a low key way too! I just have 2 more things to say – I think mulled wine is disgusting, and WTF is a ‘Christingle’????

I imagine probably many Sally, the amount of pressure we put on ourselves is ridiculous but at that time in our lives it didn’t seem to be an option to just say, ‘No, I’m not doing that.’ I guess it’s because it’s all for the children and I do like twinkling lights that brighten those evenings but find I’m able to appreciate them a lot more now. Many thanks for commenting Sally and I wish you all the best for the festivities 🙂

Thanks for stopping by Wendy and I’m glad it’s not just me that found all of this overwhelming. My son generally went as an urchin to most things following a production of Oliver although I do remember a Professor Lupin/Werewolf get up as well which must have been for another book day – probably once he’d grown out of the urchin one. I’m very envious of the fact that nowadays fancy dress outfits are pretty easy to come by so that is one of the pressures off! I hope you are finding it all much more relaxing these days as well and have a very enjoyable Christmas 🙂