Christmas - I just don’t get it?

[BasinHaircut]

I am 40 years old and I still don’t get why people go mad for Christmas.

Im not talking about religious aspects, and of course kids love the idea of Santa etc, but for everyone else I just don’t get it.

I try really hard every year to get into the spirit but I haven’t yet found something that ignites a spark.

I go through the motions for my son and we have our ‘traditions’ like going to the panto, seeing the lights etc, but I just cannot get excited about any of it.

Is it just me?

Everything was open as normal and the beaches were full.

Do you have young kids/kids?

True . I think the question or post should be .
Why can’t we seem to make the call and change it.
Why do we still need to do it ?
Why ?

I actually love Christmas. However, my best friend hates it and it brings a lot of sadness and misery to a lot of people. I've reached the conclusion that there are 3 main factors influencing how you feel about it:

1. Memories of Christmases past. If it's associated with happiness and excitement as a child, you're more likely to enjoy it as an adult.
2. The present. One of the central themes of Christmas is family and togetherness. If you're alone/things are dysfunctional, it's hard to reconcile that theme with your own situation. OTOH, if there are LOTS of family to accommodate in a short space of time, that can be exhausting in itself, even if you like being with them ordinarily. if you're an introverted type.
3. Responsibility. If someone else 'creates the magic' (I.e. does the planning, shopping, wrapping, cooking, etc). it's a lot easier to enjoy things unless you love doing that sort of thing.
4. Personality. Some people love the business/organising/doing/socialising. Others don't. No right or wrong but leads to a very different experience of the same situation.

For those not loving it. 💐

'Aw this is sad. You don't know what you're missing. A Christmas done properly is magical.'**

This sort of response really grinds my gears!!
My sister really hates the whole Christmas consumerist shit and just doesn't buy into it. She spends the day, happily alone, with her cat. Her friends think she's nuts and missing out. But she really isn't. She works hard as a cleaner and also in a school kitchen and come the Christmas holidays, just wants to decompress in her own way.

We escaped to the sun for three weeks. Missed the frenzied run up and the mad hype. First time ever away from home at Christmas, but I will do it every year from now on as long as I can. We have no children, so it's a bit easier I suppose. Had a great video call with the gathered family yesterday, and then went back to the sun bed and a cocktail.

I love lots of lights, cold frosty walks, smell of real tree, colourful displays at the shops and fancy food. I do hate different pressures which come with Christmas and try to make our Christmas as simple as possible. I don’t buy many presents and don’t have relatives to visit so complicated travel out of the question, anyway I do what I want, it makes things easier, maybe it’s a secret for enjoying Christmas.

I do become stressed in the run up for Xmas with many activities to manage but in a way it’s normal. I would be stressed planning and packing for Caribbean trip as well,

I enjoy it, actually I love it! I can however see why some people would dislike it. It can be stressful but to counteract that somewhat, I buy gifts for my little one from about August onwards and wrap as I go. Then it's just a few things for my brother, sister, nephew and mum.

I've no interest in it despite my user name!
It's just been 2 days off work for me like a normal weekend. Spent it alone, watched some films, did some exercise and that's it

As an adult it can depend on what life stage you are in - if you are in the position where you are the family host (elderly family and siblings live away) and have DC and extended family to buy and wrap for - then Christmas can just seem like another list of chores.

I quite like Christmas now. In general I don't like the dark and cold of winter and the lights and social events of Christmas cheer things up for a while. I don't have many people to buy for now, and since DH no longer works long hours, we both split what needs to be done. Only immediate family for Christmas Day - and we are all pretty relaxed.

You’ve lived on this earth long enough to know that many people despise Christmas and find the often forced jollity difficult. Lots of people struggle through it.

I love it, but I’m lucky to not have complicated family relationships or financial issues to contend with. People like what they like.

Disliking Christmas does not make you unique. There are many threads on here espousing the same sentiment.

I got back from Barcelona on the 23rd, Christmas was extremely low key.

I hate it more and more each year. My kids are mostly adults and non grand kids. I hate the decorations, the horrible songs, the crazy queues to get into supermarket car parks for weeks before hand. The money spent. I actually find it tortuous and if I had no family obligations I would not do anything at all.

I love it as all 5 of us ( including 3 adult children) can chill out together and watch things we'd probably not normally watch, play silly games ( I'm looking forward to learning a new one today), eat delicious food and generally make it a few days of us. No hosting. The youngest has SEN and his love of Christmas is infectious. Probably gets it from me. Plus, several of us are Christians and the services and local Christmas monologues play have been joyous.

I also love the lights and festive decorations in our neighbourhood and am looking forward to Kew Gardens' lights trail, deliberately saved so it extends the Christmas period.

Talk to me about summer and you'll get words of despair! I loathe it. This though is my happy place

Lots of Mumsnetters feel like you though

if I had no family obligations I would not do anything at all.

Agree with this.

I think as we get older and away from Childhood ,Christmas becomes more and more of a shopping fest.The true meaning of being with Family and friends is lost .I think its sad .For many women its just more and more slog on top of normal busy life

Maybe do less, but the bits you like?

Table decorations
Christmas crockery
matching pyjamas
Time
Bannister decorations✅
Front door decorations✅
Front garden decorations✅
Expense
Christmas Eve boxes
The bloody elf✅(we take it in turns so not all me)
The tree✅
The gifts✅
Time
The wrapping paper
The choice of meats
turkey and ham ✅
Three desserts
one dessert, normally eaten Boxing Day!✅
Expense
Crackers that contain useless tat✅
Stocking fillers✅
Visiting the shops✅
Ordering online✅
Time
Organising a slot
Online food shop
Expense
Wrapping✅
The panto
The Christmas market✅(between Christmas and new year)
Santa's grotto
Christmas party
New outfits
Time
A birthday in December
Expense
People staying over
Staying over somewhere else
Petrol

santa delivering overnight ✅
having family for Christmas dinner ✅
excitedchildren ✅
walks to see lights ✅
having the fire on and candles lit ✅
not needing to cook for a week (Christmas sandwiches, leftovers, cheese and olives etc)

I'm also dreading work tomorrow as I know it'll be angry customers who are annoyed we have been closed!

I think there’s a lot of pressure on it, and that is inevitably difficult and upsetting for some people.

For so many reasons.

Ive been ill this year so that’s been that!

I don't get it either and it disrupts the whole country in a way that's ludicrous in contemporary society.

I get that people should make the effort to connect and reflect etc but this cannot be prescribed by the government. We live in a largely atheist / agnostic and multi-faith country. To disrupt the entire country over a religious ceremony that the vast majority of people have no connection to is insane IMO.

Yesterday, I took an Uber and the muslim driver asked me what sort of things happen at christmas and if us Brits fast and pray on christmas day. It made me laugh and I sadly had to tell him no for the most part people drink too much eat too much and feel obliged to buy expensive presents for their family members and for the vast majority there is no spiritual aspect.

I've never cared much for the family togetherness, gifts and food however the decorations are what makes it for me. I love getting the trees out the loft, putting all the twinkling lights up and seeing everyone else's decorations on the way to work in the evening

It's all pretty pointless to me too.

Once the solstice is over I'm ready for January. I enjoyed the time off work between Christmas and NY when I was employed but now I work for myself it really is just a disruption to my life. The creep into January is also annoying. So many people not returning to work until the second week!

God alive

I kind of agree, if if didn't exist and somebody wrote it in a story we'd all think what a load of old shite, who'd fall for that?

A tree in your living room
Flying reindeer
A creepy looking bloke breaking into your house leaving gifts.
Make believe Elves who also mess with you

The worst ;
A virgin birth - how dare she be sullied by a penis to have a child. 😆

Yet here we are. Every year while the shop keepers keep their eye on the profits.

I like the turkey though. And Christmas pudding, time off and being with my family.

I like Christmas. It’s nice to see family, friends and neighbours with smiles and good wishes.

But I can’t get into the family ‘traditions’ stuff. I’ll be pleased for the coming months when we see fewer references to pyjamas, hot chocolate and elves on here.