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

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Former_MSE_Naomi
Former_MSE_Naomi Posts: 519 Forumite
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Poll started 17 December 2019
Christmas is nearly here. For some it conjures a picture of family, fun and festive frivolity; for others it means stress, present pressure, debt and chores.

So if you had a CANCEL CHRISTMAS button that'd make the whole thing disappear (and just add days to your holiday entitlement), would you press it?
Click here to vote in the poll
Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below.

If you haven't already, join the forum to reply.

Thanks! :)


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Comments

  • pollypenny
    pollypenny Posts: 29,394 Forumite
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    Wow, surprising number of grinches here.

    It's lovely to have something cheerful in the middle of winter. I'd like to keep light up until the middle of January.
    Member #14 of SKI-ers club

    Words, words, they're all we have to go by!.

    (Pity they are mangled by this autocorrect!)
  • Molly_Mulldoon
    Molly_Mulldoon Posts: 10 Forumite
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    Interesting that the only clear cut response for keeping Christmas, comes from men with children at or under school age. Is that because, even in this day and age, the biggest workload falls to women?
  • AlanRalph
    AlanRalph Posts: 23 Forumite
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    I think the thumbs-down is on the commercial, in-your-face side of Christmas. That's where I stand, anyway.
  • cogder
    cogder Posts: 4 Newbie
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    pollypenny wrote: »
    Wow, surprising number of grinches here.

    It's lovely to have something cheerful in the middle of winter. I'd like to keep light up until the middle of January.

    "something cheerful".... Maybe if you believe in Father Christmas or it was 1920's TV Christmas. But generally it's the most stressful time of year.

    Money being tight, people getting into debt and can't cope, pressure to achieve "the perfect Christmas", get "that" present. The corporations have taken over, so it starts 2 months+ in advance. Same Christmas songs every year played 1000 times a day everywhere, TV, radio, in shops... no escape.

    It's a suicide high point, due to this... not very cheerful.
  • Takmon
    Takmon Posts: 1,738 Forumite
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    I can't believe so many people want to cancel christmas just because they don't like it. I hate the "I don't like something so I want to ruin it for everyone who does" attitude and these people must live very sad lives to want to ruin other people's fun.

    There are lots of things I don't enjoy personally but i would never call for them to be cancelled.
  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 7,905 Forumite
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    I don't want Christmas to be cancelled from other people's life, just mine. I don't like the fact that the shops are full of it from 1st September, but then I have already seen Easter stuff. It is all just too much & causes too much stress, it isn't even the money side from my point of view, I can afford it fortunately but there are many who can't.


    Are we all so down now that we can't cope unless we have the next celebration to look forward to?
  • pollypenny
    pollypenny Posts: 29,394 Forumite
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    cogder wrote: »
    "something cheerful".... Maybe if you believe in Father Christmas or it was 1920's TV Christmas. But generally it's the most stressful time of year.

    Money being tight, people getting into debt and can't cope, pressure to achieve "the perfect Christmas", get "that" present. The corporations have taken over, so it starts 2 months+ in advance. Same Christmas songs every year played 1000 times a day everywhere, TV, radio, in shops... no escape.

    It's a suicide high point, due to this... not very cheerful.



    I love it- the cheerful lights around the place, the carols, buying presents. We've never subscribed to over the top presents, just tried for something appropriate.

    I don't like over-hyped stuff, though. And I used to organise the readings for the school Nine Lessons and Carol Service, which was stressful in the build up, but always worth it.
    Member #14 of SKI-ers club

    Words, words, they're all we have to go by!.

    (Pity they are mangled by this autocorrect!)
  • paul2louise
    paul2louise Posts: 2,427 Forumite
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    I love the traditional part of Christmas and the religious part that is often lost to the commercial side of it. It is stressful, expensive, glutinous. It's also very lonely time for people who have lost someone.
  • Takmon
    Takmon Posts: 1,738 Forumite
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    badmemory wrote: »
    I don't want Christmas to be cancelled from other people's life, just mine. I don't like the fact that the shops are full of it from 1st September, but then I have already seen Easter stuff. It is all just too much & causes too much stress, it isn't even the money side from my point of view, I can afford it fortunately but there are many who can't.

    Are we all so down now that we can't cope unless we have the next celebration to look forward to?

    You don't need to participate in any part of Christmas if you don't want to. Yes the shops may be decorated differently but what's wrong with that?. It's nice to have different themes in the shops at different times of the year.

    It's only stressful if you let it stress you out. People need to relax a bit and just be happy when other people are enjoying themselves.
  • jackieblack
    jackieblack Posts: 10,319 Forumite
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    edited 19 December 2019 at 2:44PM
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    Takmon wrote: »
    I can't believe so many people want to cancel christmas just because they don't like it. I hate the "I don't like something so I want to ruin it for everyone who does" attitude and these people must live very sad lives to want to ruin other people's fun.
    Maybe some of us wouldn’t feel that way if it wasn’t so unrelentingly shoved in our faces constantly from October every year. If Christmas preparations dominate some people’s existence for 25% of the year, that’s their choice, just don’t inflict that nonsense on me!
    I lost count of the number of conversations I had during November which began ‘are you all set for Christmas?’ - honestly, it’s all some people can talk about!

    At least this year we had the General Election as a distraction (and I never thought a General Election would bring welcome respite from anything!)

    My solution is to avoid the High Street/shopping centres after September. I’m not subjected to Christmas ‘music’ when shopping online.

    When the day comes, I will have a very pleasant family day with my daughter and son-in-law, my parents and my brother and his family, but we do that several times a year anyway. We will exchange gifts - nothing too expensive/extravagant - and enjoy being together.
    As for the rest of the nonsense - count me out!
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