Parenting in Sussex: Am I Scrooge, or am I preserving the magic?

I only know this because I basically wanted to write the same thing this week, but a quick check of the archive showed I was feeling exactly the same way in 2025.

I don’t want to go over old ground too much, but if you’ll indulge me just a little bit...

My family calls me Scrooge because I don’t want to start walking around in a festive bubble from November 1, singing Christmas songs and generally acting like Santa’s little helper.

But is that really Scrooge-like? It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. On the contrary, I love Christmas – I just find that my love is watered down if I have to spend two months (a sixth of the year!) talking about nothing but.

Christmas is much more exciting if you wait before going full-throttle on the sparkle later in November. I can only imagine if I had put my tree up at the beginning of this month, as I know a fair few people have, that I’d be sick of it by the time the Big Man was trying to leave presents underneath it.

Perhaps this seemingly ‘grumpy’ take on the season of Father Christmas is because as I get older, I dislike throwaway culture more. I enjoy giving people gifts, but only if they will definitely like and want them.

The thought of buying novelty gifts and items, with a view that they might be thrown away fairly soon after Christmas, feels ‘icky’.

As does the idea of buying decorations that only last a season and will likely end up in landfill before 2027 is out.

The excess of everything can feel a bit overwhelming, and I have to remind myself that that isn’t what it’s truly about.

What I love about Christmas has nothing to do with the gifts – it’s the togetherness, the gatherings, walking to see the lights, enjoying festive foods, watching a predictable Christmas movie and the odd mulled wine.

All that I can very much get on board with. But until the end of the month, you definitely won’t find me in a Christmas jumper. Scrooge, over and out!