I hate Christmas. Who's with me?

oystercatcher

BarryBlue wrote: »

We have gradually phased out all Christmas-related activities over the last few years. We are not buying cards this year but we have a few left from previous years for any close friends who give us cards, very much a token effort. Last year we cut several out of our already small list so hopefully they will have cut us off theirs for this year.

I can understand how people get so stressed worrying over various preparations for one so-called big day. The answer: don't bother. We don't, and it actually makes no difference at all. By Boxing Day you will wonder why you ever made such a fuss in the past.

Christmas has no meaning for us and we don't enjoy the pointless exchange of various rubbishy presents. We plan to give no presents this year. My wife and I haven't bought each other Christmas presents for years. We shall have evenings out with friends but we do that all the time anyway.

Our ambition is a Christmas-free Christmas this year.

I think subconsiously I have been doing this, I've been sending fewer cards each year as it does seem pointless sending to relatives I don't see from one year to the next when the only message is from xxxx and xxxx. The 'round robin' newsletters seem pretty pointless as my mother has told me all the major family events that have happened and I really don't want to know about other families trips to Florida/Spain/wherever or to know that 'Little Thingy' has joined brownies and 'Big Wotsit' did so well in their exams , no-one ever mentions all the failures and illnesses they've had over the year.

I've also greatly reduced the present list, small meaningful gifts of things that the people I care about will actually enjoy such as a book or DVD. I am lucky in that my family aren't materialistic or competitive so we circulate lists of the titles we would like so we do all actually recieve something we actually want!

CH27

lostinrates wrote: »

For the last two years we cut down severely on our Christmas feast. I was cooking ALL the family must haves, things it wants to have and things DH thought were necessary. It was ridiculous and the fridge groaned and I didn't need to cook till the new year really on the left overs.

Then I spoke to DH and said lets have my family's must have stuffed veg for supper the day after Boxing Day, not for Christmas, and pigs in blankets for supper on Christmas Eve, delicious and hot, and so on and so on, so our Christmas meal, though still excessive is much simpler, more elegant and IMO much nicer. The favourite things take their star roles as meals in their own right in run up to season or NYE. They are fresher than as leftovers and its nicer.

Its one of the only times of year we are usually very very likely , almost guaranteed to get a long run of time together, over a week, so its fun to spend the time thinking of other family through old favourite recipes too.

That sounds lovely.
My elderly Dad is very traditional & has a canary if I dare mention changing anything about xmas day, boxing day or new years day.

I've cut back massively on the sweets, biscuits, nuts & cheese that I used to buy.

lidlest

pleasedelete wrote: »

What I really don't get is buying presents for people you don't really know/ don't like/ only see at Christmas. the threads on here- oooh it was such a bargain- so thats another 3 presents done.

If you don't know someone well enough to buy them a carefully thought out personal gift (doesn't need to be expensive - a favourite bar of chocolate) then dont' bother. Call a family gift truce. No-one wants a last year left at the end of the sale reduced by 75% in Boots gift set. Honestly they don't. They will only regift them (to spread the misery for further years) or send them to a charity shop.

Oh I so agree with this, and I LOVE christmas. But really, no one wants those random gift sets ( ok maybe some do, but most, no). Buy something meaningful, buy something useful or buy a book. Unless you know the person loves the stuff in the gift set - for instance I once got the john Frieda hair one, which was great because I use that, then don't buy it.

It looks like a great gift, because it's bulky, but to me it just says 'I don't care enough to buy you something you'll like or I don't know you well enough to be buying presents for you but weirdly I am anyway.

I like to think about people's hobbies and interests and start trawling ebay/amazon this time of year... You can often get cheaper gifts related to interests on ebay, often something that a person hasn't thought about getting. This is particularly good for teenage boys who want a big ticket item but you want them to have some presents to open to.

seven-day-weekend

pickledonionspaceraider wrote: »

Am I the only person who doesn't actually like Christmas?

I am not religious so do not celebrate it any more than I would any other religious festival, it all just feels fake to me and rather competitive.

Not meaning to cause WW3 btw, just a place where other Grinchers can come and moan along with me - and I have no qualms with others celebrating it. The only positive I can see to Christmas is spending time with family, but you can do that any day without using Christmas as a reason

We don't have little children in our house, there is just me and Husband, and can understand the excitement for little ones

For christmas lovers there are other threads where the joy can be spread x

Hate it. Hate the bling and conspicuous consumption I am a Christian, but Christmas is very little to do with Jesus. Would hate it even more if there were little kids screaming all day. Always glad when it's over.:T

natbags

I hate Christmas, so much so, we go away on holiday! I have a son (12) and when he was about 7 he asked what a Christmas dinner was???
So, we had one Christmas at home, which I hated as I couldn't wait to put the house back to normal. After this 1 Christmas, my son said actually I prefer to go away, so we have for the last few years
However this year there is another family celebration at New Year and he would like to go with my parents, so he's staying with them for Christmas and OH & I are going away
I also hate, Turkey, dried or cooked fruits of any nature - mince pies christmas cake, marzipan, christmas pudding, bread sauce, christmas trees decorations in fact all of it - YUK!

purpleshoes_2

I dont mind Christmas, not a fan of all the Christmas tat that goes in the shops around now, nor people putting trees up in November. Sometimes I put a tree up and sometimes I don't. Mostly a don't. I dont spend loads of money on presents, Ive bought people stuff from pound shops, charity shops, ebay along with a couple of bigger presents I knew they wanted. I dont eat turkey and theres only a few of us in my family so we dont cook, we just order food in. I like to spend a couple of days with family but we don't overdo the fuss. I dont buy in food for my own house like there's no tomorrow, I more or less buy as normal with a couple of extras.

I only give a christmas card to a couple of close relatives, that's it. It can be as fussy or fuss free as you make it. I also don't have a tv so I dont need to endure all the adverts.

Wait until the christmas ding dongs start on these forums, the I didnt like my turkey threads who can I complain to

marvin

I don't like or hate it I simply ignore it and always have.

HPoirot

I love an excuse to celebrate, love unwrapping gifts (even if they turn out to be duff ones) so I'm in for xmas really

aileth

I'm really on the fence about Christmas.

I love spending a whole day getting slowly sozzled and stuffing my face with my family.

I hate the inevitable family politics that come with it and the 'bargaining' over who is going where.

We never ever buy a tree, there's only two of us at home and neither of us could care less and view it as a waste of money. I'm sure if we had kids it'd be a different story. Never do decorations either.

I love buying gifts for everyone, but hate how a few people in our extended family 'judge' you by what you buy them, so present-buying is a nail biting affair.

So yes, fairly neutral, I don't swing too far one way or the other, but if one day Christmas 'disappeared' I wouldn't shed a tear.

raven83

Another thing I don't like about Christmas is the fact that some people spend it all alone and have no one to celebrate it with, I always think of people like that, it must be really lonely for them and they must dread it.