Do you actually enjoy it or do you fake it a bit?

[MerryChristmasyouarsehole]

Christmas…

I hate it hate putting up the decorations and taking them down. Hate the expence but most of all I should stay off social media. I hate seeing happy families sat together for Christmas dinner. Our family isn't like that. Mainly thanks to our narcissist brother.

As as adult I find it a) hard work and b) usually disappointing. There's bits I enjoy, but mostly it's just a bit of a grind and I plaster a smile on and look forward to the 27th or so when everything's cleared up and calmed down, and I can relax and eat the leftovers.

I don’t personally enjoy it. I get very down from around October but this year has been a particularly bad spell.
I also miss my family who are no longer here, people I had good Christmas memories with. People I wish I could have one more Xmas with

growing up my father made every holiday a nightmare. He would gear up to the big day with bad moods, silent treatment, rows, us walking on eggshells trying not to upset him. Then at some point he would explode with rage filled outbursts generally at me or my mum. It meant there was never enjoyment in holidays, birthdays, any sort of event. It was gnawing sense of dread that I still feel at holidays and birthdays through the year.
mum would get pissed drunk and they’d both gang up on me telling me how horrid I am and how I would amount to nothing.

my own kids have a calm, safe home, we go look at Xmas lights and spends lots of time with my in-laws and our friends. I don’t worry about making memories or over complicating everything so they can relax at home, bring their pals over etc.
my son is a fussy eater so he’ll have chicken nuggets for Xmas dinner while we have turkey and ham. it’s all about what suits us and I will do everything in my power to keep it that way so their memories are of calm, fun, family time.

I would like a shorter run up to the day itself but I have accepted that the retail / advertising world jumps from Xmas to Easter to summer hols to back to school then Halloween. if they could convince us all to join in thanksgiving and 4th of July they would 🙄

I fake it. I just can't be arsed with it at all. I'll answer the usual 'Are you all set...' questions cheerfully, nobody likes a miseryguts after all but in reality I think it's a massive pain in the backside.

I love the idea of it, the preparation, the planning, the seeing peoples faces when they open their presents, the idea of being excited for a present of my own, the possibilities for making lovely food and walks...

Then reality hits and none of those things ever happen, which is very much like my childhood; boring, lonely and not the slightest bit like the marketed dream.

I like it but I don't do much, just spend it with my partner. I love the lights and decorating the tree. I even like writing cards and wrapping presents but I don't have many to do so it's no big chore. I don't eat Christmas dinner if I don't feel like it, I just cook whatever special meal I fancy. It's so nice having a break from work as well, I'm normally exhausted by this point in the year. The tree is my favourite part, I love getting out my ornament collection every year and looking at them again. If I had to host ppl I probably wouldn't like it.

I don’t like it.
If I didn’t have dc I’d not do it.
It is SO BORING. The same every year and it just feels flat. I will fake it I suppose but I have zero interest in it and really I just want to go to bed and stay there until life is normal again.

@AnonWeeMouse my sentiments exactly. I knew I wasn't alone. Roll on January.

Example of another reason I eyeroll Christmas. People like this who seem to think just because they love Christmas and other people don’t like it they have to resort to name-calling and faux pity. Not exactly the spirit of Christmas there.

You could have easily said you enjoy Christmas without resorting to calling people miserable for not liking a holiday. Most keep such things to themselves unless asked in real life and say honestly how they feel on MN where they’re anonymous. No one is stopping you from enjoying your Christmas.

I love it. I have had my fair share of shit Christmases as a child and as an adult and, yet, still I love it. I love the magic of it all. I used to get very anxious about making it perfect when DD was younger but now my anxiety is under control, I realise I don't need all the extra bits that I put myself under pressure for. I work in a church primary school and always go to church on Christmas Eve and that helps keep me grounded on why Christmas is celebrated (even though I'm not a regularly practising Christian) rather than being purely a commercial festival which I think helps massively.

We also live close to family (max 50 mins away) so no need for extended stays at anyone's house. It's all manageable within a day. And everyone is very sensible about seeing each other. In laws get on with my parents so if we host, it's fine for everyone to come together so we don't have to tie ourselves in knots trying to see everyone at different times.

I enjoy it. Christmas is, and always has been, my favourite time of year.

Even pre kids it was always special.

I like to spoil people at Christmas. I love the food. Christmas dinner is my favourite meal of the year! I love Turkey and I love all the trimmings. I love bread sauce and cranberry sauce. It is my idea of food heaven!

Some of it is tiring - I hate wrapping the presents but I like buying them. I do put too much pressure on buying my kids gifts and I’m trying to get better about that. I no longer buy for the sake of buying.

It’s also hard to get in to the festive spirit when work is so busy! And when I have to clean the house for family visiting on Xmas day. Lockdown was definitely less pressured. But overall I genuinely love it.

@BamBamBilla I’m intrigued as to why you feel you need to be dishonest with work colleagues about not celebrating Christmas?

@WhistlingInWhistler ah this sounds hard. I have no parents left - my beautiful mum died in 2021. We will celebrate with the in laws and it will be a good day. But its
not the same as being with my own family

I just run with it. I don't love or hate it.

I join in when it's something I like or I don't need to put myself out too much I enjoy the extra socialising at a time of year when otherwise I probably wouldn't get out much, but I don't put loads of time or money into Christmas stuff. Presents are relatively modest and I don't do jumpers, loads.of decorations or any of the gimmicky things that seem to get more and more prevalent every year and I don't ever feel stressed about it. It's not that important.

I 100% enjoy it! But I totally get that there are plenty of very valid reasons why a lot of people don't. I am just fortunate enough that none of those reasons apply to me. It's very unfair to just label all non-Christmas-enthusiasts as miserable grinches.

I enjoy it 98%. When I prioritise stress over things that need doing, it's such a joy killer. When I chill out and accept that not everything has to be perfect, it's quite nice time. Obviously only when I don't get to spend Christmas with my mum, because it's awful then. Luckily I don't do it anymore.

I love this time of year.

But that's because I close my business for two weeks (seventeen days this year due to bank holidays) and I also don't have children so it's two weeks for DH and I to do whatever we like.

No early starts, no spending all day outside working in the freezing cold or the pouring rain - it's heaven!

Why do you do it then?

Honestly, I see this so many times and I’ll never understand why people don’t just put their foot down.

Don’t buy presents for adults. Don’t visit or host people. Have the Christmas you want with just you and your daughter.

I've been married nearly 30 years and have two adult children, and I can count on less than one hand the times we’ve spent Christmas visiting anyone. We’ve certainly never had people to our house. We slob around in our PJs, watch crap films, eat chocolate, open presents from each other and I might cook a roast or I might do it on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day.

We see my parents sometime in December and the in-laws sometime in January. We give token consumable gifts to our parents and DH’s sister.

The levels of angst on here surrounding a couple of days is insane.

I enjoy the run up such as December and the later days of November when things are just starting to get Christmassy. I love watching Christmas movies and doing all the fun festive things at work and the school. I adore Christmas Eve. But, to be honest I grin and bear Christmas Day a little. I find it exhausting and a bit dull in the afternoon. I provide drinks and nibbles and wear a paper hat from a cracker but I really want to have a hot bath and a lie down! The day can be long but I'm always a bit sad when it's over.

Oh Christmas, hmm thought you were on about something else

I do love it, the actually day is lovely
but the decorating this year nearly sent me over the edge, I felt like cancelling everything. and I seem to have completely lost my imagination when it comes to present buying. I hate shopping so that doesn’t help

l love it even with all the hard work but I grew up with parents that Love it and really went to town at Christmas time. Last year we went to Tenerife for Xmas and New Year's first time ever away from home at xmas which was fantastic l enjoyed no cooking l only wish l could go away every xmas for the Christmas sun but l cannot due to my job. Well anyway 🎄Merry Christmas to you all🎄

I love it. Everything about it. Nothing is fraught, nobody causes a fight. On Christmas Day everyone is perfect, we spend the day watching tv, listening to music, playing games and eating.

Sad to say the only time it isn’t great is when we have to spend it with my dad.

always disliked it, I think due to family history around it. plus I hate the pressure that's put on people to consume, to run around buying, to buy useless tat, to pretend to want useless tat when it is given, to all the wifework involved in Christmas (the men I know do sweet FA to prepare for it). So in general I think it's overhyped, consumerist and lost its real meaning. I also find it too hectic with all of the chaos involved. If it was a quiet one without pressure and with a shared load I would probably enjoy it. I love that my DD loves it though.

We didn’t celebrate growing up, but still had a Xmas day dinner. So now we are low key and prefer spending the day just with our nuclear family. I find the big gatherings with friends stressful as we don’t know the etiquette. This year we’ll meet a few new friends next week for a catch-up and play for the youngest who are school friends.

A Christian here. I sing carols with other church folk, eat Christmass food even before Christmass, share gifts, mainly to our daughter , take pictures, work actually in christmas week, love the Nativity scenes etc. Just life as usual