Things you don't like about Christmas

[lorettalemon]

I know lots of other people must find it a stressful time - family dramas, having to see in-laws if you don't like them, getting food in, feeling obliged to go to things, the extra expense. If you don't like Christmas what are the things that bother you/you dread?

Everything feels such a rush and every day seems accounted for. I'm working until 3pm Christmas Eve and am back in on New Year's Eve - obviously lots more time off than essential workers and retail, but I feel as though there's not much time to enjoy the Christmas season and have a proper rest.

Yes, A1A1 - I always feel lonely at Christmas. Both my parents died a long time ago and my sister is in another country with her DC. I find it hard spending all that time with my in laws, when I am wishing I could be with my own parents and sister. I often end up feeling quite resentful.

The constant countdown for it and having to hear about it for months and even after Christmas is finished there are adverts talking about saving for next Christmas. F**k off.

The fake cheeriness where people decide they want to be decent one day out of 365 because it’s “Christmas.”

The people who love Christmas who get pissy when others don’t love it or enjoy it as much as them:

The amount of stress people place on themselves for one f**king day when they can likely see people on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, and around New Years.

I find in the run up to Christmas people seem short tempered and stressed for a variety of reasons such as money and buying presents ,work being busy having to juggle events and it puts me right off .

@Fishcakey I hear you. Every year.

Except one year I did get a bug. We just postponed Christmas Day for a couple of days and it genuinely felt like the real thing

The waste. Too much food, unnecessary presents, traveling the length and breadth of the country to visit family you don't want to see all year but feel obliged to because Christmas...

I love the break from work and a chance to spend a chunk of time with my children and husband, it's everything that comes with it that I could happily knock on the head.

The determination to ‘have a great/wonderful time’ BECAUSE it’s Christmas. So much stress to be perfect. The worst bit... in as guilty as the next person.

All the food. Just complete overindulgence in food that in the cold light of day I don’t really like that much.
I’ve just typed out a recipe for a trifle for my sister and oh my god it sounds just grim. I’ve made the damn thing twice before and I’m looking at it now thinking what the fuck. Shitey awful chocolates like roses and celebrations, manky drinks like Baileys, greasy horrid party food. Booze booze booze booze.
No wonder gaviscon sales go up.

I’m not playing this year. Christmas dinner and some nice cheese for a couple of days and that’ll be fine.

The fact I still don’t have a child.

Might be quicker to write a list of what we do like about xmas. ... cays off with our family.... er.... that's it really

The pressure parents put on themselves to impress their children who get overwhelmed by overindulgence. consumerism stole the magic.

@BadMoon can’t you go and stay where your sister is?

Waste
People buying tat
Everywhere is too crowded
The cost - we're not especially extravagant but we really can't afford it all
The shops being full of seasonal stuff so you can't just do your usual shop
It lasts about 2 months
It's no longer a religious festival - more of an excuse to eat/drink too much

The waste . Can’t bear it

This sounds ridiculous but the constant need to say "thank you"
Yes I'm probably being unreasonable but I hardly hear it come my way so I feel like I over compensate.

Christmas Chest Infection.

I literally get sick once a year and it's now. Every sodding year since I had pneumonia 8/9 years ago.

Started Saturday, today I feel like shite and tomorrow I have a job interview. Yay.

By Wednesday, maybe Thursday I guarantee I'll be on antibiotics so no Christmas booze

DS being off school for two weeks at the same time as DH being off work 🤯

I feel lonely too
My parents are both dead
Sister and brother live 100's of miles away and often socialise with each other and their families
I feel left out

The Facebook over competing with huge stacks of presents.
Buying gifts for family members who never acknowledge it or say thank you.
The madness of the shops especially supermarkets when people buy enough food for a month when they are only shut for ONE day!

I used to enjoy the excuse of seeing extended family, fussing over them and such like.
Convincing family to go to midnight mass and then "oh it's Christmas Day now we're home, we need to start opening just one present each"
The long dog walks in the bitter cold with everyone laughing at each other trying to keep warm before dashing home and the competitions on who had wrapped their gifts up so much that you might need a chainsaw to get into them.
I loathe duvet days with other people especially surrounded by the wrapping paper and it just seems that's what Christmas seems to be about these days.
I also hate the "so what did you get?" Lines when you return to work.

I relate to a lot of these.

I really like the time off, Christmas tv, seeing family and friends, and the food.

I really dislike the tat, clutter, waste, glitter (why must everything be covered in glitter which goes everywhere?) and excessive present buying. Like a pp, my DP loves the DC to have mountains of presents, which I am constantly trying to talk him out of. When they are older I am hoping to really clamp down on this and get everyone to agree to just one or two presents each. Like another pp, I agree presents should generally be left to birthdays - at least for adults.

I detest it, full stop.

I do like the church music, though (I am not religious, but the music is wonderful).

I had to switch off the radio in the car today because honestly it became over obsessive, with the amount Christmas chat/adverts/music and it was quite nausiating!
I cannot stand the busy places.
The fact some people are really going through hard times such as homeless/a death and "Christmas" is so in peoples faces.
I also dont like the fact people over buy and shelves are always empty.

Real Christmas trees, Christmas Card Dynasty...send loads out in the hope of being validated by getting as many back, people who compulsively shop and then moan about paying it off in the New Year, parents who buy 5 million presents for their kids and expect them to appreciate the gesture, pretending it is alright for kids to sit on a 'Jolly' Santa's knee and accept presents from strangers, mince pies, turkey, Christmas pop songs...especially Mariah Carey root canal crooning, the Boxing Day sale, tinsel flakes that block my hoover, recycling afterwards, New Year resolutions no one keeps, fruit cake (yuck), making room for Christmas pudding after the dinner, wrapping presents with bows and all that stuff people do with too much time on their hands, unexpected visitors who need catering for...roll on 2020!!!

And the expense!!!! Omg