To hate every single advertisement that refers to the "perfect" Christmas?

Etheltbags Yes you have that scenario spot on. I hate those images, particularly huge jolly family parties. It does not fit my Christmas images in recent years.

I like that Heathrow one.

I dislike all these mushy and expensive Christmas adds. I would be more impressed If they gave a substantial amount to charity instead.

Not many of us can live up to those "perfect" family lives the magazines would have us all believe. Do they do it deliberately to make some of us feel totally inadequate or do they think people really live like this?

Take Christmas. Who really can afford to change their "theme" every year? The perfect colour coordinated tree, with the perfect matching decorations, The perfect Jo Malone candles (nothing else will do daaaaaarling) smelling gorgeous in the background. Everyone dressed up to the nines with their perfect £500 dresses and £300 shoes. The children are all seen (wearing perfect little outfits) but they are never heard. they probably never drop a carrot on the floor or spill their gravy on the perfect Egyptian cotton table cloth Everyone drinks the best Champagne from the most beautiful Chrystal glasses and the perfect Canapés are passed around while the totally unflustered, beautifully made up, hostess glides seamlessly in and out of the kitchen. The dinner table is set exquisitely and the food (Do Fortnum & Masons deliver?) is cooked to perfection. There are always at least 20 matching chairs around the dinner table and no-one is perched on the little stepping stool with a cushion on top. Everyone congratulates the hostess and she smiles knowing that they are right... she really is perfect. Then they all open their perfectly gift wrapped presents and Ooooh and Aaaaaah at the diamond encrusted bracelet or the expensive underwear or handbag. The adults then retire to play charades and the children play quietly in the corner with a lovely little rag doll fairy or a wooden train set. No play-stations or Nerf guns here. AND DEFINITELY NO MELT DOWNS !

If anyone is left wondering. I thought I would just share a tiny snapshot of MY usual Christmas day. I decided (in the interest of not bragging) not to mention in too much detail the fact that we always fly off someone warm and exotic on the day after boxing day, just to give the cleaners a change to get the house put right again.

Gillybob Well put.

'Perfect' is so subjective - to some it's a couple only, pyjamas and telly all day and everything ready made from M&S.
To others it's a big family party, everyone in Christmas jumpers, and everything home made - even the crackers.
Or ditto with everyone dressed up, champagne cocktails, goose or Guinea fowl and nothing as unsophisticated as turkey or crackers.
And all permutations in between.

The thing I find mildly irritating is articles by the style police (or journalists who fancy themselves as such) trying to tell people how they 'must' do their tree/decorations/ table setting, etc. - so as not to have any style police thinking you are naff and clueless. If you actually give a toss about such things!
Ads are always best ignored anyway, IMO.

Though I must say the utterly ludicrous perfume ads that appear every Christmas do make me laugh!

I still do not understand why people get so exercised about these Christmas ads. They do nothing that advertisements do not do the rest of the year: The perfect family, perfect holiday, perfect children, perfect house. perfect car, perfect relationship, perfect friendship group.

That's what advertising does and always has done. Nobody real lives in advertising land and I really cannot believe that anyone seriously ever compares their life with an adland life.

Nor can I Monica they are just ads designed to sell us things, and we know it.
The reason the Christmas ads touch a nerve must go deeper....Dickens was the first to sell us the big family Christmas scene, and people have been aspiring to that ever since.If they fall short, then they blame themselves and their own shortcomings, or their families, and thus feel cheated.

'All fed....nobody dead ' was the mantra that got me through my childrens' early years

M0nica There is much more advertising presure at Christmas than any other time of year.

In particular the adverts push that "idea" "dream" "myth," of every one having a wonderful time far more at Christmas than any other time of the year.

At Christmas they are not just advertising a particular product they are advertising an image we are subtly encouraged to adopt of this often unrealistic Christmas jollity.

I suppose I am just obtuse, but I just do not comprehend how anyone cannot not see the gap between the myths surrounding the 'perfect' Christmas, whether promulgated by Dickens or Adland and what real life is like.

Most people looking back over a lifetime of Christmases will see no correlation at all between their best and worst Christmases and the extent to which they replicate an Adland Christmas.

I suspect that part of the problem is that I actually would hate to have the kind of Christmas shown in ads. All those huge family groups all shouting and making a lot of noise and in particular all the excessive spreads of food and alcohol, with people grabbing at the food and drink and wolfing it down.I think they look quite revolting and it make me feel quite ill.

I love round Robin's sometimes for the wrong reasons. We usually get one from a couple we knew years ago who manage endless detail about every visit, coach trip, afternoon tea etc that they have been on all year, and endless accounts of all their family and friends who we have never met. I am ashamed to say it gives us the best laugh of Christmas.

I did not misplace that apostrophe. Autocorrect has a lot to answer for. Robins.

Maggiemaybe we've had Christmases like that too! The card idea is hilarious!

Let's hope both our Christmases are less eventful this year

The National Trust keeps posting delightful pictures on my FB page - today of enormous dining tables, all beautifully laid according to the customs through the ages. Lovely!
If we manage to get the food on the table without dropping something it will make a change!

Monica .... you are applying logic to a subject which is entirely illogical.

Maggiemay, thank you so much for the Heathrow ad link (and sorry for the delay in thanks).

Not sure why it gets me in the spot marked X ... could be the Chas & Dave soundtrack, but I think it's that they remind me of my dear departed Mum & Dad.

You're welcome, gulligranny. Links I can do, achieving that perfect Christmas takes a bit more effort.

I've remembered another two, Jalima. 1988 when Grandma's grand entrance saw her stomping straight across the new Hornby train set. It had only worked for half an hour and never worked again (I'll resist mentioning Southern Rail here). And that bitterly cold December (2010?) when our only toilet was out of action for three or four desperate weeks, despite DH and various workmen tapping hopefully at the frozen wastepipe with hammers. I won't go into detail as to how we managed Christmas Day with a houseful of guests and no sanitation.