Which Christmas tradition would you get rid of?

[Fantina]

For me, it would be wrapping presents. I know they can look pretty and when I make an effort, mine do. But it feels like such a waste of time and paper. I’d like to normalise not wrapping them and using gift bags with whispy paper instead.

what would you get rid of and why?

I'd prefer to ignore it all and head to the southern hemisphere for some goddamned light.

I'd get rid of the dark if I could. I like the cold but the dark.......

False -all of it. , come off it you know what I'm saying, Let me spell it out for you....

Never eat turkey except Christmas, nobody really likes it but we have it anyway .(+false)
Presents ,cards, decorations - stopped all of that ,just fed up with all the materialism and the constant adverts in TV by supermarkets to buy more food all the time.(+ False)
I hate that for 2 days I can't go anywhere because everything is shut. Try to make the best of it,going walks,watching a film,etc buti hate it, all the pressure to be merry - (false)
I don't think I've heard or seen any reference to Jesus at all this year.
Same for new year. , enforced jollity by many,
Lots of booze in order to get merry so even if you're not merry hopefully booze will cheer you
+(False)

Understand now?

Please read and digest the above

The fact that there's a societal expectation that Christmas should be inescapable for weeks stops people from being able to ignore it.

I’ve been doing this for years. I don’t understand why anyone would think they couldn’t 😂.

None of the stuff is ccompulsory though?

Cards: I havent sent cards. Most people I see in RL and wish Happy Christms , wish friends Happy Christmas on SM and a few friends/family I don't see I sent flowers/a hamper that had a card with it

Turkey or sprouts : no one checks, you're allowed to cook something else if you don't like them
and you can serve food at any time (we had Xmas Dinner about 4.30pm)

Christmas eve box/elf on the shelf/matching pjs : all optional

Wrapping paper : if you don't like it use gift bags or tissue

Xmas eve boxes. Waste of money.
Elf on the shelf. Waste of time.

Strobey flashing lights in public, of the sort that trigger migraines and distract drivers.

People buying copious amounts of food and sweets that we will never be able to eat! Seems a bit sick and wasteful really. Try and reign in DH but it was very much how his mum and dad did Christmas!

The expectation that it is going to be joyful and magical, especially for children.

I hate the adverts and pushing of the beautiful everyone dressed to the nines in velvet, massive house and a table fit for royalty.
Everyone is having a massive party with champagne and expensive nibbles (say the supermarket)
Look I know some people have that Christmas but it's more about marketing than anything.
Most of us have a lovely Christmas with our ordinary table jazzed up and a smartish top or dress and a festive meal of some sort.
Why can't the ads get with normalising different Christmas/smaller or less showy.
Anyway that's the bit I hate as I think it makes people feel less about what their Christmas looks like.

we’re a small family and have agreed no presents next year, I’m relieved.

Everything else stays the same, decorate the house lovely, spend time together and have some nice meals together.

I love the sparkle of Christmas, I wish outside lights stayed up for the whole of January.

I have never done the elf for my kids. Just an extra ‘tradition’ to think about that only seems to have come about over recent years. This sort of thing was never heard of when I was a kid, my parents never did it for me. I don’t see the need to have to do it for my kids - it’s just an extra chore to have to spend time messing about with after they have gone to bed then have to spend time clearing up all the mess again. Cannot be arsed with people who post it all over Facebook day in day out and everyone trying to ‘outdo’ each other with the most messy, outrageous ideas they can think of 🙄

I’d get rid of the default tradition of giving chocolates and candles as Christmas presents when you can’t think of anything else! Book tokens or vouchers would be so much better. I’d introduce a tradition of a maximum of one present per unrelated person and three per person to family members! I hate the tradition of ‘everything to excess’ at Christmas. It’s overwhelming.

Nothing...We've tweaked our Christmas preparations and celebrations over the years and it works perfectly for us now.

You don't have to have turkey, in fact have pizza if you like, it's fine.

Send a hundred Christmas cards or just a few or none, it's fine.

Just because the adverts portray "the perfect Christmas" doesn't mean that is what your Christmas should look like. Do what makes you happy.

Ignore vacuous influencers on Social Media, its their job to make you spend money on stuff you don't need.

It’s always referred to as Christmas lunch on TV etc and I always wonder why as we have never eaten it before 3.00, usually later. Who wants to eat all that food at lunchtime?🥴
Gift bags have gradually replaced paper in my house for sure.

Devout Christians aren't forcing you to celebrate Christmas. They're already leaving you alone. If you choose to take part in Christmas celebrations and all the commercialism, that's on you. Own your decision and take responsibility. If you're not happy, change it.

Rubbish, none of it is compulsory.

Flashing blue lights. Actually any kind of flashing lights but particularly the blue ones.

Nothing festive about looking like a bloody fire engine.

Also, I'd ban all paper and cards with foil on them that can't be recycled.

We’ve developed our own traditions over the years. No one likes a traditional roast so we don’t have one. We have a huge cold buffet - easy for everyone to set out, enjoy and pile the plates into the dishwasher - no mess or effort required.
We don’t like dressing up at home so have a pj day with everyone (three generations) coming up with an unusual design - definitely nothing Christmas themed.
We love it - low key and no one gets stressed.

The whole lot. Although I realise it’s all in my head. There is no expectation except mine.

which Christmas tradition would you get rid of?
Miserable people moaning about Christmas.

Cards
Presents
Shit tv programmes and films that are repeated every year
Christmas decorations although I only put up 2 and I don't have a tree.
Cranberry sauce
My mother's dissolvable sprouts
Christmas supermarket adverts telling you you must have this that and the other
Calling Christmas "the big day".
Being asked "are you ready for Christmas?"
Being wished Merry Christmas until the middle of January.

Everything really although I enjoyed a village Carol service, that can stay.

Crackers! Too much packaging and full of tat.

December 1st box, Christmas eve box, elf nonsense.

But mostly, the expectation that we have to invite folk round be sociable with people who are, every other day of the year, insufferable picks who quite frankly deserve to be on their own as they and their behaviour is intolerable.

'But it's your mum/dad/brother/sister/aunt/uncle/grandparent, you can't leave them on their own at Christmas'. Of course you fucking can. Hundreds of posts on here from folk who have been forced to host relatives despite awful behaviour on their part (in one case childhood sexual abuse minimised by another relative, wtf?)

Nah. Even if my own Christmas isn't the fairytale it is portrayed in the media, uncle Tom can fuck off if he thinks he's owed a Christmas dinner because 'family'. Bollocks.