would you cancel Christmas if you could?

[ffsfindmeausername]

It always surprises me each year when engaging in conversation with people about Christmas at how many people say they really dislike Christmas, myself included if I'm honest. Everyone seems to say the same things that it's so stressful,expensive, pressure to make everything magical etc. Lots seem to say they wish Christmas didn't exist! I also feel this way and I actually dread Christmas coming around each year and feel huge relief once January comes around.
How many actually feel this way and if there was a national vote to cancel Christmas then would you vote yes?

No I love Christmas. The togetherness and enjoying time as a family. We do give presents but have never done then over the top stuff.

However if you don't want to do so I would be fine w you saying not for you. My brother did for 10 years.

These days he will at times joing in but he is ntt fussed. That's fine as long as he is fine w us joining in.

Agreed!

I like a scaled down version.

A 1980s/1990s Christmas I guess. None of the stuff that’s been invented since then.

We also ditch Christmas cake/pud as nobody really likes them, and most of the “trimmings” and just have a nice roast.

And we only do gifts for children. This makes an enormous difference.

One of the things that adds to the chaos in my life is 4 birthdays at Christmas. I'm sure they'd be much more enjoyable if they were spread out during the year.

Instead it's trying to come up with double ideas for all of them. And make those days special.

I think that gifts for kids in the family should stop at 16/18. We are still buying for nephews that are mid to late 20’s that we only see at funerals. DH also buys for his adult siblings, and he spends too much on them IMO.
I’d be happier if it was just our parents and kids, it gets too much.

Nope, I love it. I can ignore the early commercialism and just love the season, the run up. People in colder climates have always had some form of midwinter festival to cheer themselves up and (eat the excess stock so they don't have to feed them in winter) so a celebration is an old and magical thing to me. I've got a toddler now so it's even better, we don't do elf on the shelf or christmas eve boxes etc, more like my 90s christmas but it's one of my favourite times of year and always will be :) I can see there's lressjre from social media and I'm sure when my kid is in school ill feel it but for now enjoying our version of Christmas.

@DustyLee123 I agree re kids. No one wants to be first, I think our fear of being called tight affects our behaviour. I remember being very upset in my 20s that my uncle was giving me presents because my Mum was buying for my 18 year younger cousin. It wasn't even him it was his wife, i was mortified but they wouldn't stop.

I now see it with the next generation. We do godchildren only one my side but DHs side don't so we have to get gifts for teens I see once a year

Yes. I dread Christmas every year. I usually fall into a black hole as soon as they start playing Christmas music in the shops. If I could flick a switch make it go away I would.

There's just me and DD so at least I don't have the huge expense that others worry about. No family to host or buy for. But then equally no family to host or buy for us either.

That's a real downer, I agree.

I've shaped the days to include board games which always get a groan but then everyone ends up laughing and loving it. We have 3 AC, one with SEN

I always ask for a shared TV film - it didn't happen last year and it made a difference so I've told them to think of ones this year!

I also love the carol services

You can't actually cancel a date. 25th December was a pagan winter festival,date taken by Christians to apparently been the birth of Jesus, but according to science,if he was actually born, the position of the north star, said he would have actually been born in June. It's become ridiculously commercialised. Back when we had small kids,big mortgage,long working hours,we got into debt every year with a credit card buying for DH family, ironically they only bought for our DC, not mine,who were only young. We spent the next 6 months paying it off. By October, I am crying at work, how are we going to afford everything.. then we said enough, don't buy us presents,we aren't (just for our dvd) omg, the flack, the anger. Mil didn't speak to us for 23 months. The whole thing actually killed Christmas for some years,we said to young DC,we were happy to decorate if she wanted, she didn't. Then we got dgks, we decorate, presents for kids only. We don't go mad,get into debt anymore.

No. I really don't 'get' this notion at all. Plan Christmas so it only contains the 'bits' you actually like.

We have a pretty minimal Christmas that only begins on Christmas Eve. It doesn't take over our lives. We don't spend heaps of money. We don't buy into any commercialism.

It's enjoyable. It's restful. It suits our family.

More likely it was 21st due to the solstice.

So pretty much everything about the 25th is bollocks. Scientifically speaking.

I’d be more than happy to cancel Christmas!

I do my best to ignore it but it’s impossible to escape it.

This exactly.

I have been abroad in Asia and Africa for some Christmases either living there or on holiday and it was so nice to have a far less commercial Christmas. Hard to get away from when you’re here.

Christmas is so very overrated, and expensive and stressful by trying to make it „”perfect” for everyone else. The expectation to spend a shed load of money, just for one day, is maddening, and makes all the companies selling everything very rich, whilst a lot of people get into debt because they want to make Christmas „”magical”.

I think the issue in the UK, it's rammed down your throat from October...so once it arrives everyone is so fed up with it all . I live in Spain and it's just not obvious that it's 4 weeks away. Maybe mid December the tunes will start in the shops and the lights will go on .
We have everyone coming to us this year ... I'm so excited. The weather can be glorious so I suspect we'll be down the beach with a few bottles of champers before we cook the dinner 😁

Flippin eck, @HurdyGurdy19, you need your own thread for that annual scenario 😱PM me if you do start one, and I'll join you. My tentative 'arrangements' are already venturing into the territory and style of Mike Leigh. Sympathies

I love Christmas but I hate how the adverts shops etc start as soon as Halloween is over.I also think this long run up jade's people's who are almost over Christmas before the 25th.
In relation to the huge amount of posts from people running about after everyone and doing everything . I know its difficult but get people to help tell them what you require from them if need be .
I'm used to really big get to togethers up to 18 some yrs but everyone does part of the meal , everyone clears up shares the costs .People even offer to help with the pre clean .It's only fair .
I don't buy nor write dh cards nor buy gifts for his family , work mates etc .
We are a team so it's up to us both to sort Christmas. Make life easy for everyone help .

No but I don't put any pressure on myself to be perfect. My Christmas tree was decorated by my 4 yo and 12 year old and the decorations are incredibly dipoportionate especially where my 4 yo put them up but I'm happy as I have a tree in my house.

I set a reasonable budget for each of my kids and stick to it. I don't do adult presents as at this point in our lives if one of us want something we buy it unless too expensive. But if I can't afford a kitchenaid I'm not asking my relatives to get one.

We do baking, crafts, lego and play board games, things that we like ( kids and adults). I don't do things like elf on the shelf or Christmas eve boxes as can't be arsed.

I think you have highlighted the biggest issue with Christmas and it's the need to be perfect. I'm not perfect and just enjoy spending time with my family and hanging out.

Love Christmas but companies trying to sell shite have completely taken it over.

I'm up for ditching presents completely and just having the festivities, parties, eating, drinking and general merriment.

I used to work for Woolies so Christmas was in my face from August (I was stockroom for several years so the stock was arriving then). The in-store music was played from November and was essentially the same CD on a loop.
Customers were rude, demanding and fighting over "must have presents".
We had to work late Christmas Eve to set up the Boxing Day sale..Got Christmas Day off and then back at work the next day giving refunds on ten million unwanted presents.
As a result I hated Christmas with a passion for a long time.
Now I don't work in retail and I find it very easy to avoid the chaos.
When you aren't in a shop every day it's easy to avoid the music and merchandise. When I do go in a supermarket I tend to blank the music anyway and just don't go down the "seasonal aisle" unless I want too.
Obviously if you have young children there will be school Christmas plays, jumper day etc but it's very easy to just ignore everything else.
If you don't like it - ignore it.
Compared to the amount of stuff Woolies sold (and other dead shops like BHS) I don't think there's as much stuff in the shops as there used to be.
Places like B+M start off with loads but usually sell out fairly quickly and it isn't replenished. Woolies would constantly getting more stock in right up until the end.

I’m an only child.
I don’t and have never spent all my Christmas with my parents.

Some have been on my own, some with them, some with PIL. Some with both parents AND PIL.

There are no rules that you have to be with them.

Yes, I absolutely loved that Covid Christmas where mixing wasn't allowed. It finally gave us a break from the obligatory works xmas do's, family parties and all the fuss over which relatives are going where for Xmas dinner. It was absolute bliss just to have our own quiet family Xmas, just the three of us, with no family rows, no pressure to invite great auntie Mabel, and all the other nonsense. It allowed us to break habits/traditions and each Xmas since has been a lot easier/happier as we vowed to keep things simple subsequently.

Xmas is for children in our opinion and that's what it should be all about. Not grown adults getting drunk and being generally obnoxious when they weren't invited to a non existent Xmas Eve Party that we've not hosted for years!

And I'd happily ditch all the "general merriment" and just have a quiet couple of days with just OH and our son, watch a bit of telly, have a couple of nice family meals, and generally chill out doing not very much.