Christmas: it’s Woman’s Work?

Hubby and I were having a “discussion” yesterday about everything that needs to be done over the next couple of weeks as Christmas is really just around the corner and, as ever, I have been slow off the mark.

Note I said “I” and not “we” because I seem to end up doing almost everything.  I don’t believe I’m alone either, as friends’ comments have varied from “he thinks being ‘Chief-Battery-Monitor’ is enough whilst I run myself ragged” to “I cook the meal and he takes all the glory just because he carves the bird!”  Does that sound familiar ladies?

Certainly in our house I decorate the house and tree, write and post the cards, arrange visits to and from family over the festive period, do all the food shopping and cooking; although I must admit that Hubby is very good at helping buy pressies and he’ll even help with wrapping them, for which I am very grateful.  He would probably even do some of the clearing and washing up post Crimbo Dinner if I asked but I must admit to being something of a control freak in my teeny kitchen and prefer to do it all myself…….being helped along by a glass of cava or three in the process of course!  (In reality, anything to avoid the sport on TV that step-sons have an unerring ability to find, despite the squillions of available channels and my hiding the TV guide!)

And it turns out that my friends and I are not alone in feeling that we take on most of the Christmas toil.  A recent survey by Battery Station found that mums take on almost five times more Christmas “jobs” than dads.  The ‘mum list’ covers buying, cooking, wrapping, cleaning, writing, delivering pressies etc.  – all too numerous to mention but we all know what goes into the lead up to Christmas and if you have small children, factor in presents for teacher and the dreaded nativity costume.

The ‘dad list’? Carving the turkey, topping up drinks, taking the toys out of boxes and putting batteries in, playing with the kids and putting out the rubbish.  10% of men admitted to doing nothing at all and leaving absolutely everything up to their partners.  The same survey concluded that 45% of couples row about this, with 60% of women wishing their menfolk would do more and  55% of men admitting that they should!

The truth is that I actually quite enjoy the chaos and the hard work, as it all seems worth it on the Day when we all sit down together without a mobile phone or a tablet in sight, all wearing daft paper hats and reading out stupid cracker jokes.  We do Eat, Drink and be Merry – and that’s just as it should be!  After lunch, I do take on all the tidying and cleaning but it’s my choice and it’s “me time” as I sing along to Bing and Frank and know that I have a really good excuse for not watching anything I don’t want to on TV and afterwards I can join my family and pull the “I’ve been working sooooo hard” card, so that they have to let me watch what I want on TV.  Genius! Downtown Abbey here we come!

Is it like this in your home too? Let us know by commenting below.