20 Christmas Time Dreads

Well Christmas is on the horizon again, and the Christmas Dreads are looming:

1) Cheesy Christmas Pop Songs - They do actually make you feel upbeat and happy. You get the urge to have a little boogie and two step with your fingers clicking from side to side to begin with, but hearing the same songs over and over and over again, so annoying!

2) Christmas Lights - There is nothing more magical than a place full of twinkly lights, but why do they always tangle? It takes longer to untangle the lights than it does to clean and decorate the whole of your house for Christmas! In fact by the time you have untangled all the lights you've pretty much lost the will to live and the excitement of dressing the tree has well and truly gone out of the window.

4) Crowds - You cant go anywhere in December without crowds and queues being so overwhelming! You even have to queue to get on board an escalator! Shops are hotter than usual, the shelves are under stocked and messy, children are tired and fed up and you're left trying to remain positive but are also questioning why you bother!?

5) Online Sales - You know the types of sales where items are promoted but when you go to buy them they are out of stock? Why don't they just take the item off their sale list then? False hope and time wasting!

6) Pleasing everybody else - Don't get me wrong, I do like to please people but it is impossible to please everyone! There is always someone who has something to say about what your doing over Christmas! No matter how hard you try to make everyone happy there will always be someone who has a bee in their bonnet!

7) The Unsuspecting Gift Giver - You think you have Christmas all sorted then 'ding dong' a visitor bearing gifts turns up out the blue which fills you with embarrassment and horror as you haven't brought them anything. Awkward!

8) Snow - I love snow! But why does snow never come on Christmas day? The day comes and goes without a flurry and I always think how magical it would be if we could spend some time on Christmas day building snowmen, having snowball fights and making snow angels just like they do on the television adverts!

9) Christmas Television - Always rubbish, yet every year we actually expect something different? Line up the Christmas DVDs and if all else fails Only Fools and Horses is usually on Gold.

10) The super organised and super prepared - You see I am pretty organised and prepare in advance but I dont go on and on about it! You know the people who go on and on about how they started Christmas shopping in January and have everything wrapped by June. Oh go away already!

11) Turkey Terror - It does make me smile how relieved people get when they get their turkey home, all safe in their fridges. I cant stand the swarms of customers who launch as soon as a new stash of turkeys is pulled out of the warehouse.

12) The Key Gift Disaster - Its the number one gift on your children's lift, you've trawled through shop after shop after shop and they are all sold out! You finally find one left in stock 70 mile away, because you love them you go and get it.

15) Hiding gifts - The stressful job of finding hiding places for all the gifts you buy.

16) The Christmas Tree being attacked - You spend hours perfecting the tree, everything is beautiful and in place but you know it wont be for long. Whether its your toddler pulling things off the branches or your cat jumping into it, you just know its a matter of time before there is an array of baubles and beads all over the floor.

17) Wrapping - You have a million and one gifts to wrap, you can only wrap once children are in bed. The tape dispenser is temperamental, the sellotape runs out the minute you start getting into it and don't even get me started on gifts that aren't square!

18) Christmas Carolers - Its been a long, hard day. You settle the kids off to sleep and you sit down with a brew, ready to put your feet up by the fire. DING DONG "We wish you a Merry Christmas" - No no no! I shall be putting my "Baby sleeping please do not knock the door" sign up this year!

19) Strawberry Flavoured Quality Streets - Nobody likes the Strawberry flavoured quality streets! You visit the tin looking forward to a little sneaky treat and frown at the discovery of only these chocolates left!

20) Christmas Markets - They are the most delightful events but why do they only last for a weekend? The stalls are crammed with beautiful Christmas nik naks, The aroma of delicious foods fill the air, everyone is wrapped up nice and warm sipping their favourite hot drinks having a stroll around with their families, but there is that many people there you cant get anywhere near the stalls!