Likes:
1. Time off work to spend with wife & kids
2. As above
3. As above (is there a message in there....)
4. Kids excitement re Santa (though this isnt all you'd expect - think had a thread on this last year)
5. Reading by the fire
6. Meeting rest of the family (lucky that we all live nearby & meet up regularly so not a reunion in that sense)
Dislikes:
None really - the shopping bit doesnt stress me too much - I'm sure wife has a theory on that.....
Christmas party could take or leave - depending on the form in the week or 2 preceeding!
I'm not mad into all the kitsch & campness (or the socialising - I'd average 1.8 nights per Christmas over the last decade) but it doesnt bother me either.
On the spending issue, the kids do pretty much get what they look for, and then some, BUT they're kids, Santa doesnt go on forever, its not borrowed money so I've no guilt about spending it - in my book pressies for the kids would come only after the food, mortgage & utilities in terms of priority & this year Done Deal has come into play, so value for money too! Overall I dont see why other peoples spending should be such an annoyance, assuming you're not suffering unkind comparisons for your relative thrifyness (sp?).
