Not really celebrating Christmas?

[rosesareredvioletsareblueaimverytiredandsoareyou]

Anyone else considering just 'not really doing' Christmas this year? We've always been pretty low key but done presents for DS and had a meal etc. I've never really enjoyed the whole experience that much, but liked to see DS happy. I had happy childhood Christmas times, mainly just with close family, but I realise how draining it was for mum looking back. DS is older now, he actually got his main present from us early last year (he was there to buy it to ensure it was the right one and so we just let him have it early), and has no issue not getting presents on 'the big day'. We're also in the process of decorating and hopefully upgrading the heating soon, so any 'extra' energy I have will be geared towards all that entails! I'm not expecting others to all agree with this approach - I am more interested in those who also do low key/no celebration, there's plenty of threads to talk about big Christmas celebrations elsewhere (feel free to vote though).
AIBU:
YABU - Bah Humbug, you sad eejit, you must celebrate!
YANBU - Low key/no celebration works for/appeals to me - there's better things to spend money on!

We're low key. We're broke so just focus on a few foodie treats on the day and spending time relaxing together. It works for us and we feel no pressure from anyone else to do differently.

Christmas can be as commercialised as you want it to be. I'd consider what Christmas actually means to you? Are you religious at all? If you aren't then what does the day look like for you? Do you have have any specific family traditions that hold importance to you? You should do whatever feels right for your family.

I'm muslim and don't celebrate as such (no tree or presents) but we have time off at Christmas, for me it's a nice time of year and we do a lights show with the kids and the irn bru festival in Scotland (basically indoor fair). We invite family around for Xmas dinner and spend time together.

How old is your DS?

I’m following because I try and make Christmas easier on me every year. I do love Christmas but I don’t want to run myself into the ground for it.

We are a small family. No small kids.
We buy gifts for one another all year round. We don’t give gifts at Christmas to each other because we can all buy whatever we want or need at anytime. Eg I buy someone a £50 gift, they buy me a £50 gift. They don’t need or want my carefully curated gift that I buy them and vice versa. Where’s the sense in that?

None of us are short of money to do Christmas but none of us particularly enjoy the hype.
We usually have a lovely celebration meal together, but not always.

We are not bah-humbug, we just don’t get drawn into all the hysteria surrounding the commercial enterprise it’s become.
Om glad when it’s all over.

Doesn't have to cost much. I have saved pins on Pinterest to make homemade decs this year instead of the usual top up the stuff we have!!

It depends on what Christmas means to you, as one of the posters above said.

To me, it's important, as a time to remind my family/ friends that I appreciate and love them. How that looks varies year to year, it's not always about presents or a massive meal, but I would feel sad to just not bother.

And I do think if you have children, it's important (for me at least), even if they are older. I would want my kids to have the same Christmas memories that I had. Feeling loved and appreciated and coming together at Christmas is really important for me/ those close to me.

YANBU. We haven't done presents for years (except for little kids and there are none in the family atm). We don't have crackers or a cake or mince pies. We just have a lovely dinner with food we like. Any family member who wants to come attends and there are normally 8 or 10 of us. We play games, sing karaoke, make cocktails and it's lovely.

Both my DC are getting married next year so they might well want to spend Christmas in their own homes or with the ILs. I will be making the most of our last low key family celebrations. Next year we might be on a cruise!

Answers to questions:
DS is late teens.
We're not religious (DH is perhaps more so than me/DS).
We can afford it, I just don't understand why all the celebration/gift giving has to be focused on that day.
I love lights, especially on darker nights, and so we'll likely put some lights around various bits of the house (if they're not being decorated).
We might also get a Lego advent
calendar (as excuse for us to have more Lego).
Also, I have no issue with others celebrating how they choose.....each to their own. 👍

I feel like it's possible to make someone feel loved and appreciated at any time of the year, and try to do that, it's definitely important.

What's the irn bru festival?
If it involves free irn bru I'm in ha ha.

Of course it is - but Christmas is particularly special, to me, as a time to feel warm and cosy and filled up. Most other people are feeling similarly around that time, reflecting on love and those they care about, and it makes others especially receptive to love as well.

It is a particularly special time to me and many people I know/ love, so it has meaning and I wouldn't want to miss it or not bother.

I guess you just need to decide if it matters for you or if you aren't that bothered about it - it's up to each individual what they want to do :)

It doesn't matter to me what time of year it is. I also reflect on how there's pressure to feel all loved and happy at Christmas, and that pressure isn't always helpful. I appreciate your thoughts though and am glad that it brings you joy - there's no right or wrong. 👍

We have a relatively simple Christmas and always have. When DC were younger they may have seen Santa at school and we might sometimes driven round to look at the lights.

a few nice presents for the kids, DH and I exchange little gifts, a book or a decent shower gel etc. a family meal with good food and some nice chocolate to finish it off.

the main thing my older teen children remember is playing charades! I don’t make a statement about having a simple Christmas, it just is!

We haven't celebrated Christmas for years. I like a few carols, and I respect the religious significance, but otherwise it's just pointless consumerism and nonsense. And everyone so stressed and pressured. No tree, decorations, turkey, family gatherings etc. Just a quiet few days at home at the darkest time of the year, and looking forward to January when it starts to get lighter and we can plan for the next year.
Do it, OP - keep things simple and you won't regret it.

I love Christmas and don't really understand how it's stressful, I'm about as far from a perfectionist as you could get though so I'm sure that helps.
I think a tree is fun to get and decorate, so no stress there. Christmas dinner is only a roast, also, I do loads of prep in advance so not much to do on the day. Tip - parboil potatoes, carrots and parsnips in advance and freeze, you can then just tip into hot fat and roast straight from frozen. You're going to have to eat something on the day anyway, might as well be a roast.
The older I get, the more I think you should celebrate everything in life. And celebrations don't have to be big or expensive. When people look back on their lives, it's parties, first days at school, get togethers and holidays etc people reminisce about. I've never heard anyone reminiscing about dream kitchens or wallpaper they had.

Thanks for all the replies so far folks. We'll definitely be keeping it simple and low key, and it's reassuring to know others find this works for them too. TBH I don't go around announcing my feelings on Christmas celebrations, but so many folk seem to ask 'what are you doing for Christmas?' and when I (politely) ask back some of the replies are quite full on compared to me! I'm not judging that, more wondering if there's more low key folk like me. 😬

hi, I pick out the bits I like. I have lots of home made decorations which I will put up. I love the smell of Christmas, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, so will do baking which uses these. We have on teenage daughter who will be in bed tell 2pm, I will be working nights over the holidays. We don’t drink, we don’t visit family and no one visits us, which makes us sound miserable but we like it that way. I don’t buy for anyone except our daughter. The holidays are stress free, coast very little and are fine for us. We may have frozen pizza on Christmas Day.

We love it here, and even with older teens they love it, playing games, nice food, presents, Christmas movies. I'm going to keep it going for as long as they want to.

Haven’t done more than a meal (somewhere between November and Feb) for 20 years. DD is 13. It’s very much not compulsory.

We also don't 'celebrate' Christmas but we'll still make it fun because generally it's cold and dark and winters can leave people feeling low.
We'll go to see some lights, go ice skating, watch films, meet up with friends and have a get together with family. Everyone cooks a dish or two and everyone takes their dishes back.
Lots of fun and less stress.
When we had Christmas on our own during the pandemic, we just did a simple roast dinner, had sweets and snacks, went for a walk and watched films. Low key but still nice.

Thanks for the reply - just to clarify, I know how to make Christmas celebrations easier/less stressful, I'm just not sure why I'm doing it all on that one random day. If you love it then that's great, I don't begrudge you it one bit, it just doesn't interest me. 😬

It's interesting to read so many responses to get a balance! I absolutely love Christmas. No small kids here, but 4 grown sons & DH who all come back home on the day & usually a day or 2 either side, depending on their work. So basically a family time in which we indulge in Christmas traditions, such as singing carols round the tree in the town centre on Christmas Eve, which happens to be a stone's throw from the pub, where we might pop in for a drink afterwards. Christmas stockings, a few presents round the tree to be opened at various times throughout Christmas Day, church, breakfast martinis, big turkey dinner with all the trimmings, crackers with their silly jokes & hats, Christmas cake with cheese, mince pies &/or Christmas pudding when we have room in our tummies to eat again. Christmas TV. Boxing Day walk & eating the leftovers with roast gammon in a sandwich.
I think we're providing happy memories for DCs & I think they'll carry on the traditions.

I agree with your last sentence. 😬

I have no issue with you doing all of this, if it makes you all happy.
I just don't feel that it's the only way for me to be happy or make memories. 😬

You don't sound miserable at all - you sound like you're doing what works for you and what you enjoy! That's a great approach. 😬