Not really celebrating Christmas?

TBH ‘celebrating’ or not can often have very little to do with religion nowadays. For many people it’s an updated version of the old pagan Midwinter Festival - food, drink, warmth (the Yule Log), making merry….

But even if it’s basically that, quite a few people still enjoy a 🎄 Eve crib service with the children, traditional carols, etc.

You can do it (or not) however you like. And despite what many like to say, absolutely nobody has to buy into extreme commercialism/excess - huge piles of presents for children, too much food that will be wasted, etc.

Very low key, just my (three decades older) husband and me.
When on my own, I won't bother at all.
Christmas has lost its meaning long time ago.

Always just dh and I on Xmas day...just how we like it. We see adult dcs before Xmas.
Never cook a traditional dinner...we either go out walking, go to the pub or just chill.
Dh has gc who we see Xmas eve morning. We go out to the theatre in the run up, go to London and generally have fun. But don't decorate the house, do cards or buy Xmas food

I'm not doing it this year. I don't have any close family or children, and split up with my partner this year. I usually go to friends but it's so full on, and overwhelming that I find it extremely difficult. I have been away before on group trips which have been really good but you do really need long-haul which I can't afford this year. Ironically, I am catholic (not a very good one!) but Christmas does have meaning for me that way. This year I've decided to stay at home, eat something nice, read, walk, and count down the days to 2025. I miss my lost nuclear family so much, and volunteering or spending it with friends just doesn't make that any easier. For me, the whole thing is something just to endure and get through.

But there's no reason at all why Christmas needs to be either stressful or expensive. I mean, it's not a choice between (1) some kind of commercialised extravaganza of having Lapland visits, a giant dinner and presents for 30 in a house dripping with fake icicles and inflatable Santas, and and (2) being all 'Bah, humbug!' over a single cheese sandwich.

I would say we've been traditionally fairly low-key in the sense that we never did Father Christmas as literally real, and when DS was little we lived in a different country to all our families, and DH's job always involved working on Boxing Day, so it was just the three of us with a tree, presents, racing those clockwork Santas, a nice meal, Christmas films etc.

These days, the things I enjoy are generally free or inexpensive -- a tree, some holly, a small solstice celebration at a stone circle, the Christmas morning swim at a local beach, the Festival of Nine Carols and Lessons on Christmas Eve, some extra-nice meals, watching old films, seeing friends and family. But in a very low-key way. Other than for 12 year old DS (who adores Christmas), presents are pretty token.

I used to go all out but my kids are older now, still at home but the older get money and a token gift, the youngest 15, get 1 main present and a few stocking fillers. I used to stock all the cupboards, all the nice goodies, all the decs up and the full works Christmas meal every year. Year before last, eldest didn't come out of his room as he was hungover, the other 2 came out, opened presents, went back to room. I had enough food and leftovers for a week. This year we are having a wreath on the door and the tree (I will still do stockings as I like the tradition). Last year the same and they had practically finished their dinner before I sat down. They won't even let me do the Christmas PJ's anymore after years of traditions.

But, we will be having a Sunday dinner this year and I will be defrosting a chocolate cheesecake. No one wants a starter. There will be crackers on the table 😂. I will then be opening one of the bottles of wine I will have chilled and will be watching the Christmas soaps and Gavin & Stacey finale with a box of chocolates and a box of tissues at the ready in my Christmas PJ's and Christmas novelty slippers I get every year off the MIL.

Prime example of what I was saying. Your Christmas sounds lovely!

I'm amazed at how many posters have said they don't really celebrate Christmas then go on to list doing all the lovely things you have. Yours sounds like a brilliant Christmas. If this isn't celebrating Christmas to you, then what does celebrating Christmas look like? Is it a religious thing I wonder? Without the religious element it doesn't count as celebrating Christmas?
I'm not religious at all btw. I am white British though so culturally Christian and I do love a Christmas Carol service 😀

Christmas is always low key here. I do feel people do what they want to do these days.

Very lowkey for us also. There's only me and DD and since we had to downsize two years ago, the flat we now live in is too small to do our usual Christmas feast. We don't even have a proper dining table anymore. Yet there's always a real tree with lights and my precious baubles (some of which belonged to my grandparents). We have candles everywhere and an advent wreath, and I still decorate the framed pictures and mirrors with sprigs of holly and mistletoe. We have baked ham instead of turkey and Christmas pud with brandy which I flambé. And music! Lots of carols and songs.

I only ‘do’ Christmas Day for the benefit of my elderly parents. I do a nice meal but not a roast (they both dislike a roast dinner) and we buy small presents for each other.

I have a great circle of friends but decline all Christmas meets, drinks, parties (especially the work party!) and meals - I find it a deeply depressing time and just white knuckle through December. I ADORE New Years Day when it’s all over!

Do the Christmas you want.

It's interesting to read so many responses to get a balance! I absolutely love Christmas. No small kids here, but 4 grown sons & DH who all come back home on the day & usually a day or 2 either side, depending on their work. So basically a family time in which we indulge in Christmas traditions, such as singing carols round the tree in the town centre on Christmas Eve, which happens to be a stone's throw from the pub, where we might pop in for a drink afterwards. Christmas stockings, a few presents round the tree to be opened at various times throughout Christmas Day, church, breakfast martinis, big turkey dinner with all the trimmings, crackers with their silly jokes & hats, Christmas cake with cheese, mince pies &/or Christmas pudding when we have room in our tummies to eat again. Christmas TV. Boxing Day walk & eating the leftovers with roast gammon in a sandwich.
I think we're providing happy memories for DCs & I think they'll carry on the traditions.

We also don't 'celebrate' Christmas but we'll still make it fun because generally it's cold and dark and winters can leave people feeling low.
We'll go to see some lights, go ice skating, watch films, meet up with friends and have a get together with family. Everyone cooks a dish or two and everyone takes their dishes back.
Lots of fun and less stress.
When we had Christmas on our own during the pandemic, we just did a simple roast dinner, had sweets and snacks, went for a walk and watched films. Low key but still nice.

Haven’t done more than a meal (somewhere between November and Feb) for 20 years. DD is 13. It’s very much not compulsory.

We love it here, and even with older teens they love it, playing games, nice food, presents, Christmas movies. I'm going to keep it going for as long as they want to.

hi, I pick out the bits I like. I have lots of home made decorations which I will put up. I love the smell of Christmas, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, so will do baking which uses these. We have on teenage daughter who will be in bed tell 2pm, I will be working nights over the holidays. We don’t drink, we don’t visit family and no one visits us, which makes us sound miserable but we like it that way. I don’t buy for anyone except our daughter. The holidays are stress free, coast very little and are fine for us. We may have frozen pizza on Christmas Day.