Anyone else not bothering with Xmas?

[Touty]

No decs or presents cards etc?
load of nonsense?
Anyone else?

I’m doing Christmas in a very low key way - I’m feeling very flat and can’t really see the point. This will be my third Christmas since DH died suddenly - he loved everything about Christmas (he was Australian and said Christmas only really made sense when he moved to the UK so once here he threw himself into the Christmas spirit). I’ve actually spent a fortune on presents but they’re things I was going to buy for my adult children anyway and they’ve all had them before Christmas. But I’ve not done cards, I do have a tree but haven’t put it up yet - just feel meh about it all. I’m thinking of going to a carol service in the cathedral but it’s the kind of thing I’d have done with DH and I don’t have anyone else local to go with.

Oh behave 🤣🤣

What I love about Christmas and being an adult is that you can dip in and out to the bits you want, surely?

I like decorations, but we don’t go over the top.

Presents are for children only really, with a few small token presents to family members. DH and I don’t buy for each other. I think when we were younger and had less money we needed a justification for getting something nice we wanted. But we don’t now and honestly, that’s fantastic.

I like cheese boards and chocolates etc but not the main event so much. We do do the whole turkey dinner but we don’t find it a stress and we don’t worry about people eating it - if the kids (and I!) pick at it and then just mostly eat Celebrations, that’s absolutely fine.

And that’s it.

Scroll on? Stop policing other people's feelings. Not performing the fakeness that Christmas has become does not equate to being a miser. Bore off.

I think it’s fair enough as an adult if you don’t want to partake but I think it’s a bit sad if you have young children.

Would you say that to a Jewish or Muslim family?

I just ignore it, as much as I can.

I agree.
I do bring in some large pussy willow stems tho, as I feel it’s an ancient tradition to have something natural indoors that’s looking forward to the next season!
And also have some lovely naturally red & yellow stems in a huge pot outside the back door

Years ago, through a combination of having massive debt and made homeless by divorce,new partner, complicated nasty divorce,big family history,big mortgage, redundancy 5 times in 8 years, I was so stressed worrying about buying presents for his family,3 siblings and their kids. Mil from hell, I would be crying in October about not being able to afford presents. Every year we got into debt, buying on a credit card which took 6 months to pay off. We told his mother,we weren't buying presents she went ballistic! Didn't speak to us for 23 months. She ruined Christmas, I worked every year anyway, night nursing. We just had one young DC between us,we let her choose,if she wanted decorations we would do them, she didn't. We started again when the dgks came along, went NC with his family 17 years ago. It's cancelled this year, I've been ill all year and my oldest DD is having abdominal surgery on 23rd, she's alone,so I will go and stay with her.

I fucking love Christmas and given a choice I'd opt out of every other day of the year instead.

I work in a school so I've got two weeks off now. Hurrah.
It's also my ds2 18th birthday today. December is a very expensive month for us.

I am knackered honestly. When our lot have eventually flown the nest it'll be a tasteful little tree, cheese and chocolate and the radio on. Wine. A book. Films I never get round to watching. Well chosen gifts.

Feel like it has all become too much for me. So brash. Year after year. Would appreciate a scaled down version a lot.

I would love a really simple Christmas, just a few extra goodies and some time to relax. Instead I have the opposite as my family are Christmas crazy so I put up with it for them. I will be cutting back where I can, though. I sent a lot of cards this year but received very few so I'm opting out of that next year which is a relief.

We never do cards or decorations - just a basic tree with lights, and a roast dinner on Christmas Day. We don’t have children though, which makes it easier.

We do gifts (just small tokens) and we’ll go for a long walk on the beach with the dog on Christmas morning as we do every year - I adore Christmas 🥰

How old are yourGC?

🙄

Its my ds2's 18th birthday as well today

We have definitely scaled back on Christmas this year. Just a few presents for the dc this year. Youngest is 14. We are going on holiday abroad on 27th. First time we have been away in xmas hols. It seems a good time to scale back.

No. Because they don’t celebrate Christmas.

We've sent cards out to family and friends , no decs , no extra festive type food , no gifts to each other ( no kids ) we are just going to have a few lazy days and a potter about .

Our decs are in storage due to a house move, and adult dc was invited to partners family for Xmas so haven't bothered (just me).

We're now a long way from family and friends and don't drive, so it'll be a 'normal' day here.

Not sure why some people get so offended by others lack of Xmas celebrations?!

I fucking hate christmas, its a combination of religion and consumerism, which if you are being honest with yourself are a load of man made bollocks and responsible for all the bad things that our happening to our planet right now. Child free by choice, so no children to consider. I have an elderly father who would like me to visit, but he expects the women in his family to play subservient little women and the expectation is that I would cook him a christmas feast... so thats not happening.
The whole lot needs to get in the bin.

😂 obviously not

I only do what suits the small grandchildren so nothing Christmassy in my house. I enjoy the feeling of the year turning once we get to the 21st, looking forward to a new year. It's not performative! Other members of the family go all out, I just say no thanks.

Hey me too, spot on 😊💯👍

I’m paring back as much as possible, and offending people in the process. I don’t get it - we’re all adults - why the sulky sulky about my lack of Christmas? MIL is the worst, it’s like having a child, she wants the entire season to be all about her. It’s interesting how certain people react to boundaries.
So far I’ve managed to stop doing gifts with almost everyone. I’d like to stop doing cards as well, as there’s absolutely no point to them.
On this note I wish I didn’t have to listen to any Christmas music, but it’s pretty much unavoidable.

Missing out? Not everyone celebrates Xmas. I hardly think the 3 yr old currently holidaying in GC deprived