Weirdest, least christmassy Christmas ever

We usually have a quiet family Christmas but this year definitely felt very strange. Even as we were doing the final preparations on Christmas Eve we agreed that it still didn't feel remotely Christmassy.

Same here!

I also find that most of the the Christmas activities are overpriced, crowded and disappointing.
Honestly, people complain about COL but they then queue to buy overpriced hot chocolate, mulled wine or mince pies, that will without fail disappoint.
They then pay a large amount to queue to see Santa and receive a plastic toy - the best Santas in my experience are the free ones!
Same with party food, I used to buy some but it is never amazing, and you can easily cook a better version for a fraction of the price.

The only paid-for activities we do are the Christmas at Kew walk and one afternoon of ice-skating. The rest are festive crafts and baking.

Yep our Christmas didn't 'gel' somehow. Presents were nice, Food & drink was good, tasty and a variety. Pleasant meet-ups with wider family
TV total Crap. Netflix will be discontinued soonest. Either we get actors just cruising, Adrian Dunbar at 80% effort or a new tough Cop show with the F word in every sentence. NO NO NO.
As soon as last visitor leaves we start declutter ready for some work on house.

Yes, I said it felt like we were pretending it was Xmas eve and day. I presumed it was because my kids are older now and the previous Xmas excitement we used to have from them wasn't there anymore.

That’s great news 🩵🩵

I felt like this as well

None of the consumerism and Christmas stuff available in August/September is new... The weather is the same as always...

I think it's social media is the problem.. constantly being shown the "perfect" Christmas, more and more events/"things" being created.and perpetuated by social media
Christmas markets are now "a thing"
light trails...

Massive over produced "visit Santa" things that cost £££ (Lapland UK),

Matching pyjamas...

Christmas jumper day...

North pole breakfast.... 1 Dec boxes,, elf on the shelf... Ridiculous advent calendars (and the inevitable unboxing videos)... Christmas Eve boxes....

all sorts of people showing you how they do Christmas... Making you feel like you're not doing enough.

When actually kids are just happy with maybe seeing father Christmas on a charity float, eating chocolate and looking forward to presents!

So pleased to have found this thread. It has felt very different this year. The weather, the sheer state of the world and the uncertainty of 2026, the cost of living in the UK and yes, the relentless consumerism that means shops start pushing mince pies and Christmas cards in August. I really hope it is different next year.

This is very true, the Christmas tv these is very below par, you can’t match the 70’s/80’s/90’s . I got very nostalgic this year until I read the radio times, I’ve pinpointed it to that, I felt very deflated, no repeats of the tv old. Was very disappointed. Only thing I managed to find was the goodness gracious me Christmas special. Which I throughly enjoyed 🙃

Mixed feelings. We had a lovely family Christmas i(hosted n-laws) in some ways, with short walks, family board games, carol service, midnight Mass, nice things to eat and srink and a house that was decorated in a way that should have :felt like Christmas.'

DCs are now old enough that there is no early morning scampering down the stairs to retrieve stockings - I appreciate the extra sleep but miss the irrepressible excitement of Christmas morning when they were young.

Mainly I feel nostalgic for my childhood Christmasses with my parents, both of whom are no longer with us. It's not that there's something wrong with our family Christmas and traditions but I miss my parents and the tiny little things that were part of what we did every year. Mum and I used to walk into town on Christmas Eve, listen to the local brass band while drinking hot chocolate in the town square, then walk through the Christmas lights on the way home. Sometimes I manage to do the same, albeit in a different town. But this year there was no real gap between the end of school term, my last day at works, and in-laws arriving. Making a mental note to self to carve out some time to myself a few days before!

The telly has been absolute rubbish, which doesn't help either. Bring back Top Of The Pops and The Two Ronnies.

It feels like Christmas to me but that's because my son was in hospital last Christmas and despite making the best of it, it didn't feel like Christmas at all. No Christmas tree, no time at home together, no Christmas dinner.

This year has been perfect. All together at home, a Christmas tree, Christmas dinner and no more hospitals.

Christmas Day hasn’t felt like Christmas for years!

I don’t think OP meant the weather on Christmas Day. I think she was referring to the run up. It was unusually mild for weeks, then dropped a few days before.

I can relate. I’ve lost far too many loved ones in the last couple of years and have really noticed their collective absence this Christmas. It’ll never be the same, the magic really is about who you spend it with (for me).
More generally I agree the build-up probably starts too early, and re cost of living. Also the political and economic climate feels awful going into New Year. But it’s the personal side i think for me. Solidarity to others feeling flat. X

We had a lovely Christmas spending time with family and a few days out, but none of us felt particularly Christmassey this year as we've all had the horrible cold going around which put a bit of a dampener on things :(

I didn’t feel ‘Christmassy’ once:
Mild weather
Christmas tat and terrible Christmas music in all the shops far too early
Kids all grown up and married - no grandchildren yet so no little ones around

It's been an awful year.
I've spent 12 months supporting an elderly frail relative,
2 x dc who had serious issues due to stress and college/uni work,
Dh who is stressed with work,
supporting a bereaved fanily member...
I'm utterly done in.
We had a nice Christmas, but I'm really tired.
I think I need to step back a bit from supporting next year...I don't have anything left to give tbh.

I honestly think the structure and traditions of Christmas Day are kind of shit.

The centrepiece of the day is…a roast? Then we sit around for hours on end with family who we likely see or at least talk to very regularly? And if we’re very adventurous there may be…a walk.

I mean, what is to get excited about? I’m pretty sure it cost me a grand and I didn’t enjoy a single minute. I’m not doing it this way ever, ever again.

I'm glad you had a lovely Christmas. "Cultural Christianity" is far more than stories. It's the values our civilisation has been built on.. People think they're only stories but don't realise the water they're swimming in is actually different from other waters.

I've loved it. We have one DD who is 17 now (Xmas eve birthday), but I still love seeing her face opening her presents.

Still have plenty of little ones in the close family to see their excitement of Santa being real.

I love having the free time and visiting friends and family who have time off the same time as I do.

I love cooking Christmas dinner and feeling so super relaxed, not commuting to work for a couple of weeks.

Eating decadent food (which I know you can do any time, but it seems more special at Christmas).

Lots of the things we do at Christmas are things which were done at Yule, which pre-dates the Jesus-based festival. Lights, feasting, drinking, singing, Yule log, giving gifts, evergreen decorations. And telling stories. To many of us who are 'culturally Christian', the birth of Jesus is just a traditional story. Personally I very much enjoyed my family Christmas. I don't think there was any tat tbh.

We are having the best Christmas in ages.

Late start, tree up on the 20th, visiting adult children and partners arrived 23rd. Long walks, country pubs, board games, fabulous Christmas dinner at home, family visiting for food and drinks.

Tonight, cosy sofa, fire and candles on, left over food, a Baileys and chocolate.

Looking forward to a couple of days of tv, jigsaws, before the NYE firework event.

Bliss!

B&M was stocking Xmas products from August so it fees like the longest run up to Xmas this year and by the time it came I was just ready for it to be over

I think there are a few factors contributing to this.

1. Nobody has any fucking money, except the rich. So it was either scale down your Christmas or take on debt to provide some extravagant Christmas. Most of us chose to scale down.
2. Damn near everyone has been sick in either November or December, and a lot of the effects lingered even to Christmas.
3. People are getting more… insular, maybe is the word I want? I became a lot more gregarious and cheerful once I knew I wouldn’t be around much longer (might be my last Christmas) and I noticed 95% was me wishing people a happy Christmas and not them starting the greeting. (To whoever said no one said “merry Christmas” to them on their morning Christmas walk).
4. People, especially mums, take on SO MUCH in December. Wife work and the mental load seems to be increased by a factor of ten (everything from sending Christmas cards out to finding a present for Great Aunt Edna). Mums, and especially working mums: do you think Christmas would be better if your DH or DP took at least half the Christmas-related extra work?

Since I got ill, I have had some TRULY horrible Christmases, stuck in a flat with my exDH and the OW (I wish this was a joke, but I was disabled and he was my carer so we couldn’t just separate). In comparison to those, EVERYTHING feels festive. I don’t even get angry about stores starting in September - it’s just something to have a laugh over, as most of life is. And sometimes, yes, it is a choice of “if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry,” but even then, a laugh helps me through.

I’m absolutely not judging anyone who struggled this Christmas. It was a tough Christmas, for the reasons I’ve mentioned. It’s a tough world right now. I mean, we turned on the news Christmas Day and it was about Russia bombing Ukraine; no, that’s not going to make anyone feel festive. But every day is another chance to do the things that make Christmas special - have a nice family meal, think more about being kind and compassionate when dealing with others. The true meaning of Christmas IS something that can last all year, I promise you.