Have you ever cancelled Christmas?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
December 14, 2009 5:44pm CST
I've made that threat to my kids everyday for the past month or so! They are far too wound up lately! Constantly fighting, picking on each other, never getting along even for a second, ignoring their chores, taking things from each other including food! I caught one of my kids eating off one of the other's plates today. I'm beyond stressed out right now. I keep telling them if they don't start behaving, Christmas will be cancelled! At the rate they're going, and the rate I'm remaining stressed out, I would be truly surprised if we do get a Christmas this year!
Have you ever cancelled Christmas because your kids were misbehaving so much?
2 people like this
16 responses
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@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
Homework was always a headache around here as well, but I found a way to eliminate that stress factor! I make him stay after school with a teacher and do his homework there. He's been doing that for 2 years now and it's been working out fairly well, except sometimes he's still messing around in school instead of doing the homework. The only day he doesn't stay is Tuesdays because all teachers have an after school meeting, but if he has homework that night he'll do it first thing and I've learned to not bother checking it or else it will start WW3.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
It would probably be cruel to really cancel Christmas, and I know I wouldn't do it, but my gosh what I wouldn't give for just 1 day of them behaving and not making me yell at them!
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@okkidokitokki (1736)
• United States
15 Dec 09
I would let them open their presents and then lock the presents in a closet, one day for everytime you had to remind them to behave. Put a calender on the fridge that marks the days after Christmas, do not tell them what it is until the day after you put it up and mark on it. They will have a few days marked and will either ask or you can tell them and then they will know about all the cool things they are missing out on.
You could also add days after Christmas if they do not get their act together.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
They'd never get the presents. No matter what, I have to remind them on a daily basis to behave. I've tried every approach and nothing works.
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@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
We don't have the kind of money to spend on toys just to donate them! If I do not plan on giving them the toys, then I will return them to the store and use the money to pay my bills that I'm putting off in order to have a Christmas for my kids that they aren't going to appreciate anyways.
@okkidokitokki (1736)
• United States
15 Dec 09
If nothing else is getting to them you could always let them open the presents and then take them all to a donation place and give them away and not replace them.
My mom would have made us suffer, we would have got to enjoy opening everything and then she would have taken it all away until we could behave. The hard part is not giving in.
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@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
15 Dec 09
We've been going through the same thing here. I've been yelling so much my throat is tired. I threatened the same thing too but they either don't believe me or they don't care. We had to return some stuff to the store and we even told them it was some of their toys and they didn't bat an eye. I said maybe we should not put anything under the tree and see what their reaction is when they come down to an empty tree. If they keep this up then next year they are definitely not getting much.
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@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
Mine are the same way, they don't care. I do take things away from them and it gets no reaction. One year when the fair was coming up they all knew we were going on Sunday, but they weren't behaving. I kept saying if they didn't behave they wouldn't go. They didn't behave, so when Sunday rolled around we got their grandparents to come watch them while just the adults went, then we brought them on Monday or Tuesday.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
15 Dec 09
We don't have kids yet, but I'm sure I'll have to threaten something like that when we do have kids. I know I was a rambunctious one, and I think my husband was the same, so I'm sure we'll make some very interesting kids, lol.
1 person likes this
@snafushe (791)
• Canada
15 Dec 09
That is just cruel to threaten your kids with that. Don't toy with their heads like that! I don't have any kids so I can't say I have the power to cancel Christmas yet. My family has just not celebrated Christmas before because we were in so much turmoil and conflict. We simply just didn't celebrate it, plus none of my family was together. It didn't seem to matter that much since me and my brothers and sisters are all too old to believe in Santa Clause anyways. Yet Christmas isn't just about presents, it's about togetherness and family. Maybe instead of canceling Christmas, you should just not give presents and practice being together as a family and enjoying each others company. Them realizing the real meaning of Christmas could be a present all in its own.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
You'll understand when you have kids of your own, and I'm sure you'll threaten it too someday.
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
15 Dec 09
LOL don’t kids just know how empty their mom’s threats are! Kids are real smart and be sure that they all know that mom cant really go ahead and do the worse and they are just taking you for a ride LOL
No, I’ve never cancelled any celebration though like you, I keep on threatening so many things that my son is now immune to my *gimmicks & tantrums*
BTW taking this opportunity to wish you and your family merry Christmas in advance!!!
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
15 Dec 09
We did that this year. We have no fighting children, but we have other family drama. When we were suddenly un-invited to the BIIIIIIIIIG family get-together on one side, we decided "to hell with it," and booked ourselves into an awsome hotel room in Toronto. We already had the presents bought when we were un-invited, so we gave them to my AWSOME sister, who was still on the guest list, and asked her to please distribute them. If the rest of them have something for us, I'm sure we'll come up with something. My sister and brother-in-law, Hubby and I exchanged our gifts today, and Mom and step-dad and hubby and I did it yesterday. Mom is not affiliated with the branch of the family that uninvited us, but we're not going to her place for "religious reasons" (mainly my step-family is more conservative than we are, and Hubby and I are not going to adapt, since they are not the only religious conservatives in our family, and if we kowtowed to them, we'd have to kowtow to my HUSBAND's extremely religious family).... In other words, we're just not going to play favourites, so we decided to see everyone family-by-family, instead of at the BIG gatherings.
There will ALWAYS be a place for us at Mom's Gatherings, and we appreciate that. We just don't want to be more accomodating to one branch of the family than we would be to others. So it's nothing personal, nothing person AT ALL!
Does that make sense?
So Hubby and I have decided to make our own traditions.
Christmas eve with a friend of ours who has no family in the area, and Christmas day just the two of us in a nice hotel.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
15 Dec 09
That sounds like a very enjoyable way to spend the holiday. Hope you have a good day!
@dreamweaverjan (3471)
• United States
15 Dec 09
HI Kats: A friend of mine is having trouble of late too with her kids
they are misbehaving so badly;
I wouldn't blame you if you did cancel Christmas it might teach them
a thing or two and then again it might make things worse??? Who knows?
Good luck to you;
I'd like to cancel Christmas myself just to ignore some of my so called
family members that I'M FED UP WITH;
Thanksgiving was a nightmare and truth be told I want nothing to do with
some of them for Christmas;
I'd be perfectly happy right here at home with my pets and that's it!!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
19 Dec 09
Well, I've never cancelled Christmas, but I did cancel my daughter's birthday this year because she would not clean her room. We are, however, this year it is starting to also look like a possibility that we will be cancelling Christmas as well. We told the children to clean the downstairs so that we could get the Christmas tree put up, and they have yet to do it. We have repeatedly told them that Santa does not visit houses that don't have Christmas trees up.
@calai618 (1773)
• Philippines
15 Dec 09
Never did that happen or will ever happen. Christmas is really such a huge occasion for u and we prepare for even from the middle of the year. I really can't think of any reasons to stop us from celebrating it. It's also my sister's birthday so whatever happens, we have to celebrate it. It's also the time of the year when our clan reunites so it's something we all look forward to. :D
@Apple3Cranberry (678)
• United States
15 Dec 09
No, Christmas has never been canceled at my house! It has been a come again holiday with all the stuff and windows to see snow from as well. I hope you do get a Christmas! It is so fun, isn't it? It is a fun holiday.
I don't think canceling Christmas due to kids misbehaving is anything I would ever do. It doesn't sound great. I wonder why. Did they have a fun time anyway? I probably would if I were the kids. Anyway... just because it's Christmas! Go and play in the snow!
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