5 Festive Things I Don't Do!!

I love Christmas!! Literally, LOVE IT!!! 

Some might say I'm a bit obsessed!! I starting shopping for Christmas in the Christmas sales, for Christmas the following year!! If a family member or friend mentions something they'd like or maybe a hobby they want to try, I'll make a note of it and keep an eye out for the perfect gift.

As a crafty mum plenty of people say I'm a bit extra and when you combine the crafty mum side of me with the Christmas one, it could easily implode to a tinsel type mess. 

But there are some very festive crafty or creative Mum things that I don't do at Christmas. I've seen so many people getting stressed on the run up to the festive period with many of these things, that I thought I'd share the ones that even a crafty, Christmas Mum like me doesn't do and that often cause gasps of horror when I share that I don't do them.

So, here's 5 festive things I don't do!


Elf On The Shelf
I saw a post on Facebook recently that said 'I don't do Elf on the Shelf, there's too many little arseholes in my house already' and it really made me chuckle!! I complete agree! Not that my child is an arsehole!! That elf on the other hand is a creep little sod that can stay out of my house. Like we don't have enough to deal with on the run up to Christmas, trying to remember a million things, adding that little elf and 24 scenes and set ups is not for me. I'd be the Mum waking in a cold sweat in the middle of the night because I've forgot to move it, and I've simply decided not to put myself through that.

A Special Christmas Day Breakfast
I'm a Pinterest Mum and I love the pictures doing the rounds of the amazing breakfasts people have lined up. Fruit plates arranged to look like Santa. Pancakes made to look like Rudolf. Full English breakfasts served on the best plates. They are great and I love them, BUT am I going to stand food prepping and cooking from the moment I get up all the way through until after Christmas dinner? No, I'm not. I'd much prefer to enjoy the time with my family, breathing in every possible moment with my excited little boy.

Have A House Full Of People On Christmas Day
Do I like the idea of having a ton of people round on Christmas Day? Yes! Do I like the idea of all the stress of keeping everyone fed and entertained? Nope, I do not! Luckily, this doesn't overly upset anyone as a tradition we have on my side of the family is to spend Christmas at home in your own little units. So, growing up was spent with my Mum and Dad, Nanny and Great Aunt, but my grownup siblings spent time at their own homes. Now and again this will change, but we usually spend our time at home, so everyone can go at their own pace, the kids can play with their new toys and in our case be as feral as they want without disturbing the OAPs!!

Bake A Christmas Cake
Yes, shock horror the blogger that bakes doesn't bake a Christmas cake!! Every year I think 'shall I bake a Christmas cake' and every year I decided no. To be quite honest we just don't like it, which to those of you that know that I love cake might be a bit of a shock. Plenty of people ask why I don't make one for guests. But really? Am I going to bake a cake from scratch, months in advance and feed it with booze every week until I finish it off with some fancy decorating, to then share it with someone who pops round once a year. No, I'm not. 

Christmas Eve Box
I was recently asked by friends for ideas for Christmas Eve boxes and when I said I don't do one there were gasps and open mouthed shock. Oh the horror! When I started to see these doing the rounds a couple of years ago I was all for it, but then I started to add up the cost. £5 for a Christmas DVD, up to £10 on Christmas PJs, £5 on sweet treats, a couple more quid on colouring books and then the box itself, which could be £5 upwards dependent on how lavish you want to go. So, something so simple could soon be at a cost of £30 and this when you've already bought Christmas gifts!!! To many this cost may not seem a lot but to lots of us it is. 

I realise on reading this you may think for someone that loves Christmas so much that I'm a secret Scrooge! But we do plenty!! We decorate the tree together, go to various Christmas parties, attend the school Christmas Fayre, see Santa, bake treats and watch a ridiculous amount of Christmas movies. We have a lovely festive time. Lately though I've decided not to overstretch myself, both financially and with time. I also don't want to overwhelm our 5 year old with various things to do.

So, if you've reading this and you've been beating yourself up that you've not perfected a Rudolph pancake ready for Christmas Day, that you've not filled a box with sugar high inducing treats for Christmas Eve or you just simply don't want to do anymore than you're already doing, THAT'S OK!!!!

You don't have to do every single festive thing every invented do you?

Mummy Snowy Owl
xx