So I said to my partner, "You do the parties. I couldn't see why it all had to be my problem to solve. There was a 10-year break between babies and with the next two I just… couldn't. Set the date, chose a venue, worked out which kids were my kid's friends, made invitations, issued them to the right people, scouted for guest allergies, sourced affordable but good food, shopped for meaningful presents, baked, stressed, spent, wrapped, googled or invented other games, packed cars, unpacked cars, blew balloons, lost sleep, iced cakes and eventually, breathlessly caught glimpses of my kids enjoying themselves at the actual parties while running to keep everything running. Yumi Stynes has done a bunch of interesting things, but the one that everyone wants to talk about is the party she recently hosted at her home for her 17-year-old daughter and her friends. Guys, do more than make gravy and 'man' the barbecue Even from a young age, women - girls - are socialised to do the work of Christmas like dogged little elves. He stands up, grabs a plate, and piles delicious treats upon it. Oh, to be a man who sits! Can you imagine it? A drink in hand, chatting, a kid runs over.
I see women standing at the stove, working and chopping, cooking, preparing, delegating, washing, drying, putting away, organising, ensuring all are cared for.Īnd on Christmas Day, what I usually see is men sitting. Here's what I usually see:Īnd on the actual day, what I see is women WORKING. But what you'll see on a Woman's Strike Christmas that you don't usually see is - women sitting down and laughing together, eating at leisure, smiling, putting their feet up, enjoying the day, enjoying their families, enjoying the joy of their kids if they have them. And if you want, the family gets together. Christmas, for once, doesn't happen on our labour. Our silent and mostly invisible toil ceases. It's pretty simple and it goes like this: We quit being the Christmas elves.Ĭhristmas still happens. I propose that women go on strike this Christmas.