My name is Erin Christmas. Yep, that’s actually my name! Now don’t get me wrong, I love my festive surname, however it does have its annoyances. This piece is on the most annoying aspects of having the surname ‘Christmas’.

1. Jokes. Everybody seems to feel like they must make a joke about my last name being Christmas, they also all seem to think that each joke they say is original. They are NOT original! I have heard them all before. Some of the most common ones of these include:

• You must be festive all year round!
• OMG your dad is Father Christmas!
• You should be called Mary Christmas

My usual answers are:

• No, I’m only festive in December.
• No, my dad is called Paul.
• It would have been truly cruel to name a child Mary Christmas.

2. Nick names. I’ve been called so many nick names relating to my last name e.g. Santa’s fairy helper, Tinsel and Christmas tree – I don’t mind the occasional use of these names but it annoys me when it’s all the time.

Stupid questions. I get asked A LOT of stupid questions such as…

• Do you know each elf and reindeer personally?
• Do you call your pets Mr/Mrs Claws?
• Were you born on Christmas day

To which I reply:

 

• No, I have never met an Elf and I don’t know reindeer personally!
• No, my cat is called Squeaker and my tortoise is called Toddles!
• No, my birthday is in September

 

However, overall, the most annoying part about having the surname Christmas is…

3. That people simply don’t believe you. They think you’re joking. This is at its worst at Christmas time when trying to order a taxi. The conversation tends to go like this:

Taxi service: “Hello, can I help you?”

My family: “Yes, we would like to order a taxi from … to …”

Taxi service: “That’s fine. What’s the name, please?”

My family: (glance at one another and then say nervously) “Christmas”

Taxi service: “Ha Ha, very funny. What’s your real surname?”

My family: “No, Christmas really is our last name”

Taxi service (still chuckling): “Ok then, we will be with you in 10 minutes”

But they tend to never show up! Because of this, when out with other people (especially over Christmas) we order the cab in their name. However, things are just as difficult when out with my mum’s side of the family, because their last name is Outlaw! It’s no easier ordering a taxi when we’re with them!

When people find out my mum’s maiden name is Outlaw, they are particularly fascinated as they draw the conclusion of what my name would have been if my last name had been double barrelled – Christmas-Outlaw, or worse still, Outlaw-Christmas. Neither is great and the latter sounds like a protest group!

In conclusion, whilst there is much annoyance that comes with my last name there is also a lot I love about it. It makes people smile and say what a lovely name it is and so, all in all, I would not change it for the world!

 

 

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