Does anyone else hate xmas?

[grinchapparently]

I don't like Christmas, in fact I totally dread it.
I used to love it as a child, but now all grown up it makes me feel more alone.
It highlights that I have no family around or who care, it throws in my face that I should be happy when I'm not, and I constantly get bombarded on social media pictures of happy families.
(I do know I shouldn't look)
But seriously why is it thrown down our necks?! Heat xmas radio has literally been an option since pissing September. ( i flick through it).
Every time someone mentions xmas or I hear a xmas song I get a lump in my throat. I literally dread this time of year.
Is it just me?

I have always hated that it's in summer here in Australia. I would like to have experienced a sort of Dickensian Christmas.

I'm in NZ and love that it's in summer. I like the idea of a winter Christmas, but when I think back to winter weather here I go off the idea pretty quickly! Also, the thought of people being ill with winter ailments is enough to put me off - I had a cold one Christmas when I was in my teens and it made the day horrible.

That would have been unpleasant!

I'm not a fan of summer at all, I much prefer winter (I'm in the southernmost part of the mainland, so we get cold but not bone-aching cold winters, and snow is vanishingly rare). I'd love to do a picture-postcard Christmas, but of course that's probably all it is! 😄

A picture-postcard Christmas does sound nice, but I suspect you would have to go somewhere other than the UK to be guaranteed one.

I did actually mention I would enjoy a winter Christmas to someone from England many years ago, and they pointed out that a lot of people are sick with winter ills at that time of year.

Where I live we actually rarely have a very hot Christmas day. Cloudy, windy, cool, yes, but only occasionally hot.

Yes, I doubt there's much pristine snow to be seen there really!

Do you do the "Christmas in July" thing in NZ? That would be fun if one was up in the Alps. Unfortunately when it's held here at my retirement village (no snow, and noisy, talent-free "entertainers") it's just cringeworthy.

I have relatives in Australia. On the Christmas phone call they would ask, "Is it snowing?".

A couple of years ago my cousin's partner took her to Korea, she is fully over the idea of snow and ice.

I have been to one mid-winter Christmas dinner, I think that's all. It was a thing for a while, but I haven't heard about it in recent years. I'm not in the Alps, but I can see them!!! I'm happy just to have Christmas at the usual time really.

😁😁

We are always fed this "Christmas in the snow" theme aren't we? I love snow, although we rarely see it these days, and while one snowy Christmas would be magical I think back to the last time we had more than a brief fall. In actual fact, snow is only lovely for the first day, after that it freezes and I don't particularly enjoy trying to navigate the icy footpaths, or it rains and gets slushy and dirty.

OP I'm 100% sure it's not just you. I don't hate Xmas but there are other times of the year where i DO totally get FOMO and feel like it's a slap in the face of not having the same experience as other people.

I wonder if you would consider volunteering on Xmas day?? I feel like if I was on my own on Christmas Day this is exactly what I would do. Either with the homeless, the elderly or with a church or something like that?

I hate it because my DH works in the warehouse of one of the major supermarkets and I barely get to see him from the last weekend in November up until the first weekend in January. He's not allowed to take annual leave during "peak period" either.

I’m not a fan either. I had great christmases growing up, but it highlights ti me that I’m not as close to my family now. They never want to come for Christmas Day, & I do feel it when I hear how others have plans to meet family.
I don’t want to travel for Christmas as I’m trying to create happy Christmases at home for my own children. Just wish family would like to get involved, but hey ho. Also I hate the spending and the fact that “big presents are better presents” that in-laws seem to think. I totally disagree with this and say money& something small would be far more practical. But we have differing views

I use to love it, but realising I'm from a Narcissistic family it's dreadful, Ive never been able to celebrate it my way for years, I'm a single parent and my parents always, I mean always have to do it there way, meaning I go to there's every single Christmas day, they have never seen my daughter's open their presents at my house, it has to be at their house, if i don't go, my parents go into a major huff with me and give me the silent treatment for a good 4 to 6 weeks until I ring them to apologise, i had a blow up with them the other day saying I'm staying home on my own with my youngest daughter she's 14 my other daughter is 28, they try and guilt trip me saying what about my youngest daughter blah blah blah, because there presents for her are far more important then what i get her and im having a chill quiet day, instead of rushing around to their house, I said i will see them boxing day, the phone put down on me, im 47 for god sakes, its all about controlling me, im done.

I used to love Christmas, would literally look forward to it and the build up to it from Sept 1st.

My partner passed away this year and the thought of it just makes me cry. I’m trying to do all the things I usually do for my DC, but I’m struggling so much. Then the impending New Year's Eve. Never been a fan of that, but the thought of starting a whole new year without him is soul destroying.

I’m so sorry @Goldenboysmum & @stitchinguru and anyone else that has lost someone. This time of year just amplifies the loss x

I have always hated that it's in summer here in Australia. I would like to have experienced a sort of Dickensian Christmas.

My cousins are in Perth, as children the Xmas phone call always asked about whether we had snow.

One of them went to Korea on holiday, experienced snow and ice for the first time and is now cured of any thoughts of wanting snow.

I lost my Dad October 2021 and my Mum March 2022 and we don't have much contact with my extended family as they're spread all around the UK. Christmas will just be me, DH and our two DC (both grumpy teens). I really don't enjoy this time now that our DC are older. All the tv adverts show happy families all sitting around a huge table full of food etc. but it is not everyone's reality

I hate the pressure of presents most of all. I hate the worry about money, the trying to find out what people will like, the being put on the spot about what I would like. I hate the way it causes you to think you're only "worth" x amount, if your partner's present isn't what you wanted, even if you don't want to feel like that.

If it wasn't for this insanity I would enjoy it - twinkly lights, carols, nights out with friends. But the present shit is completely out of control.

yes, but its gets better when you start to scale it back, no presents, cards, no tree, etc. People are brainwashed from birth to think they have to celebrate and give presents, see family, have a tree etc you dont.

I’m really sorry. For a lot of people it’s a really difficult time where all the things that are celebrated are the things people are missing, grieving or living without.

It has become such an all-encompassing thing that it really does run for a whole season. There’s no need for it! The month of December is more than sufficient to celebrate without it becoming an exhausting marathon that exhausts and upsets people.

I hope you’re able to spend the rest of the season in a peaceful way, putting your own wants first ♥️

I love Christmas but I also don't go on social media over Christmas or New Year AT ALL.

Mark it in your own way, however that pleases you.

I pretend I like it because I don’t want other people to feel awkward. Being alone is hard but at Christmas when we are bombarded with how wonderful it is for families to be together it’s extra hard to keep a smile on my face.

id love a sleeping pill which would last 72 hours and wake up when it’s over.

I agree that it's women who have to take up the flak every Christmas and ' make it happen '
It is a stress

I don’t hate Christmas itself, I heavily dislike the way people act about it and around it. I think a lot of people bring stress onto themselves to keep up with what they think everyone else is doing or they are “supposed” to do. The emotional manipulation and entitlement about and over a few days in December is even more ridiculous. It’s a tiny part of the year at the end and people place so much onto it and it baffles me why.

I just don’t think it’s worth the unnecessary angst that people place on it, don’t think any holiday is.

So true re the burden on women. Every year my husband turns his attention to it on about the 22nd when he buys a few presents. Meanwhile I start planning in early November. Now I'm sick and rather bitter about it. It seems I'm not alone and most men do that apart from a few.

It's the loneliest and dullest time of the year

Somehow mum manages to want all the fuss even though she knows how miserable I am

Hoping to keep visit to 4 hours max.

Cannot wait for Xmas and New Year to be over. Really miss the days it wasn't such a big deal, more recent workplaces are closed at a time when I really don't want to waste annual eave.

Going to guess suicides increase at xmas?