Christmas gluttony

When I was invited to join a family for Christmas this year I was forewarned that the lady of the house would not be spending hours in the kitchen before or on the day and I was delighted. She then added that it was my company she wanted. How happy that made me and I reciprocate entirely. Maybe some of the younger generation are starting to prioritise this time of year more - not quite sure of the correct word - accurately/sensibly/personally?

I never know why people get so much food or get into debt. I think we all have this perception of the "perfect" Christmas but it's all a lie! It's been made up by the advertising companies to make us think we have to live up to that image.

Although I think that peoples have celebrated with feasting and drinking over millennia, I do think that over-indulging and getting into debt has become worse as Christmas has become more commercial.
There is far too much pressure on people to spend and to take out loans if they don't have the cash to buy what they think everyone else is having.

God bless us, every one!
Where’s the roast goose?

I am with Pixie601 never watch tv live if it is an advert channel, tape them all and FF through adverts
I have a great reason not to over indulge, I have far to many food allergy issues and cannot eat all the joys of the season so save myself a fortune

I don’t see many adverts so a bit puzzled about VIPoo. Think I can guess.

Bah Humbug as Scrooge would have said, waste of time and money - unless of course you are making money out of Christmas and paying taxes accordingly (unless you are Amazon and other multinationals).

Regardless of the origins Christmas is a time when families come together, the season of good will and all that, all religions have their feast days. You should spend according to your means and lavish spending does not ensure a happy Christmas, good company does that.
Don't forget, having good company is not the only factor, being good company is important, not a miserable frump.

My Christmas with DD and family will be fairly abstemious. They’re vegan, which is ok, but I do hope that DD won’t do roasted sprouts!

I try not to overprovide. We have plenty for those who want it but I never overindulge as, being small, it takes weeks of dieting to get as much as one pound off.

I manage the Christmas season by substituting. If I am going to have a large meal or pudding or extras I skip something else.

However, I do this with the caveat that I pretend that Champagne has no calories at all for the Christmas period and aim to drink enough of it to launch a battleship. It is such a pity that two glasses of the nectar send me to sleep.

I don’t mind the Christmas food adds.
As some one else said, you only go mad if you allow yourself to do so.And yes they are selling the tale that more means better, but most of us can see through this.
I feel sad for people who are really struggling to feed their families every day, Christmas must be very difficult for them.

Beyond adverts, what is the evidence that people are spending more and more on Christmas and getting into debt?

I always reckon that peak Christmas, from the spending point of view was in the late 1980s and it has been very slowly in decline since. Yes, of course it is a big festival and people are out spending, but the retail sector is doom laden at the moment, November was their worst Christmas sales month for years - and most of the big High Street retailers have big online presences as well.

The only thing that is growing is lights on the outside of houses, which is why trees and lights now go up in early December. That is because of the introduction of LED lights, which are cheap to produce and cheap to run, compared with what came before.

I can remember people complaining about the commercialisation of Christmas in the 1950s

Haven’t seen any adverts about gluttony or anything else. Or betting or Bright House or anything like that. Much more restful.

I have friends in Australia and they have a wonderful hot Christmas. They tell me they have a barbecue with meat and fish etc and lots of fresh salads. Sounds pretty heavenly to me, the men do a lot of cooking!

But for me Christmas is all about being over the top (within my means), although my young lot (two boys late to mid 20's) have requested no presents this year, they both think that it is wasteful. I'm a bit disappointed, but my presents are usually way off the mark so probably a saving anyhou!

Merry Christmas everyone tchsmile

It’s a Sunday roast with crackers and a few added extras, I have no idea what all the fuss is about.
My mother and mother in law peeled enough veg to feed an army the night before and got up at some unearthly hour to put the turkey in the oven, it was always such a song and dance.
They would cook roast pork on Boxing Day and ham on Christmas Eve.
How much food can a family eat?
I make the bread sauce and canapés in advance then freeze them. The rest I do on the day, we eat at 4ish and enjoy cold turkey until it runs out.

Bubble and squeak on Boxing Day!

I agree about the ads, ditto the endless Christmas cooking shows on TV. However the thing that upsets me the most is the gigantic piles of food for sale in the supermarkets, towering heaps of tins of sweets and boxes of mince pies plus huge heaps of fruit and veg. They look obscene when there are children starving in places like Yemen and families in the UK needing food banks. I find I rebel by buying the bare minimum when I’m
in there!

I suppose it used to be a great contrast to everyday normality. But now many people are consuming constantly and shopping has become a national hobby.

It is a challenge to keep ourselves sane in these times.

I suppose it used to be a great contrast to everyday normality
Spot on oldbatty.

Sandelf
I have to disagree: I find in life you can make people happier if you do this or that

I think Sandelf was saying the simple pleasures are the best and there is no need for anyone to be OTT. We don't need the excesses of the advertisements to be happy at Christmas time.

Clearly this thread has driven all the shoppers back home.

I went to Reading today (not to shop). I have never seen the place so uncrowded. It was more like a mid week afternoon out of the Christmas season. I cut through several shops on my way back to the station, to keep out of the rain, I walked straight through with no break in speed, because there was no-one in them to get in my way.

Monica, they were all in Hamleys, Regent Street, as I know to my cost!

i dont get tempted because i dont have the money for all these fancy foods. and besides my tummy would be upset for days ,so maybe one or two cakes or cheese straws.and pringles.. but thats it....plenty of fruit though...satsumas are a must they remind me of christmas childhood memories.