MSE Poll: If you could cancel Christmas, would you?

AlanRalph

I'm definitely favoring cancelling the commercial aspect of Christmas — especially the compulsion to buy stuff, eat huge meals, have parties. If people want to have a big family meal on Christmas Day, that's fine by me. Personally, I'll be celebrating the Winter Solstice because that means the days start getting longer once more, and who wouldn't celebrate that?

Molliemarg

We have cancelled Christmas!  We are a small family group of 6 people living in 5 households who have managed to keep ourselves (1 aged 93, 3 who are 65+ ,1 with a lowered immune system and a healthy 17 year old) safe thus far.  We will spend Christmas in  our own homes and hope to meet up in the spring once we've been vaccinated, transmission rates are much reduced and it is deemed safer to do so.

grannyg

Looking at all the posts it would seem that the majority favour cancelling Christmas. 
Surely Christmas cannot be cancelled as it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. What we need to cancel is the greed of people who want bigger, better ? and more of 'stuff'
What has happened to the spirit of Christmas. ? The same thing is also happening in a few months time over Easter. The world has gone mad. :O(
I am NOT a religious person either before anyone accuses me of spouting religion at the world. Just a fed up person who is skint anyway, but I buy a few presents for special friends and relatives through the year starting in the January sales. 

Takmon

The people who voted to "cancel Christmas" are the same sad people who want to cancel and ban everything that other people enjoy but they don't enjoy themselves. 

Personally I have no interest in religious celebrations but that doesn't mean I want Christmas "cancelled". I just enjoy it how I want too and anyone who wants it "cancelled" can just choose to ignore it and do whatever they want too over that period. 

sandyd51

I voted to stop Christmas this year because as a family we agreed that everyone was safer in their own home. However next year we will hopefully be able to celebrate the birth of Christ without restrictions.

wildthing01

I don't think we should cancel it, but I think we should make it the day we want it to be (as far as possible, acknowledge many work on the day etc) - I think what many are objecting to is the commercialism and pressure,  not the actual concept of Christmas.

A few years ago we decided to stop carting the kids around the countryside on Christmas day to see all the relatives, and overwhelming them with too many presents. It was too stressful for all of us. We now stay home, have my mum over as she's on her own (and she's in our bubble now) and have a lovely calm day. I still cook a dinner (the only roast I make all year) but I don't stress about it being perfect. We've reduced the number of presents. We try to do some nice family activities. Some years that's been the panto or a santa train, this year many local villages are doing Christmas lights trails so we'll get out and see those.

For me, I love the lights, the cosiness, the chance to have some time off work with family and the chance to eat chocs for breakfast. I can do without the plastic tat, the crowds and stress of shopping, so I just try to avoid all that as much as possible.

Takmon

sandyd51 said:

I voted to stop Christmas this year because as a family we agreed that everyone was safer in their own home. However next year we will hopefully be able to celebrate the birth of Christ without restrictions.

This is the kind of selfish attitude that i referenced too in my post above. So just because your family have decided that it won't work for them you want to cancel Christmas for everyone when other peoples circumstances are completely different. 

wildthing01

sandyd51 said:

I voted to stop Christmas this year because as a family we agreed that everyone was safer in their own home. However next year we will hopefully be able to celebrate the birth of Christ without restrictions.

I don't think you need to cancel Christmas altogether though because of that? You could still do the bits that are meaningful to you, albeit perhaps in a different way? Whether that's putting up some lights, having a zoom get together or attending a church service (in person or online)? Or just enjoying the chance to put your feet up for the day? I don't think it has to be a binary choice. In a more typical year, we can choose to make Christmas what we want it to be. If that means doing nothing Christmassy at all and it's just another day, then fine  if that's what you want. But if you still feel Christmas is meaningful to you in some way, then celebrate it how you want (I know this year that may need to be different to other years).  But I don't think people should feel forced into complying with the expected norms for the sake of it.

[Deleted User]

I'm amazed that each group's majority vote was to cancel christmas - it's like everyone has let a viral issue win, for goodness sake, think outside the box and adapt 😡

Silvertabby

Christmas day itself won't be any different for us this year.  Just the two of us (plus feline madam) and facetime sessions with brother in laws family and friend in Oz.

We would both have loved to have hosted our parents for Christmas, but it was never to be, even before Covid.