Any Christmas converts here? *title edited by MNHQ at OP's request

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I mean people who used to dislike Christmas but now love it.

It’s never been a relaxed or fun or even particularly enjoyable time for me (divorced parents, associated guilt as a kid leaving one set of parents to go do the other bit of Christmas with the other set, running round trying to please everyone as an adult etc etc).

I find present buying and receiving stressful and a bit unnecessary.

This year will be tough as it’s likely to be my dads last one and it’s been hard trying to muster up the sense of magic for the kids whilst getting to grips with his prognosis. But even before dad’s health issues I’ve struggled to get in the spirit.

The kids will only “believe” for a little while longer (6 and 3) so I don’t want to miss that stage all together but the whole thing feels like a chore rather than something to really feel wonderous and excited about.

We do the elf and and decorate and stockings and mince pies out and all that and I do want the kids to have happy warm memories but I don’t really know how.

I have friends who have a great time every year and do all the days out and have wonderful large family get together and feel off fantastic lists of presents both given and received and love to see how much they enjoy it. It just doesn’t work like that for me. Our families (my two sets of parents plus PIL) either get highly strung or seem underwhelmed and it flops.

If it fizzled out into a custom of yesteryear I wouldn’t miss it. I’d feel relieved. But I also have a sense of wishing I could enjoy it...

So if there are any Christmas converts out there I’d love to hear what and how changed your mind?

Clearly the title should be “any Christmas converts here?”

Hi OP, we've edited your title for you now, as requested.

Lurking as I feel exactly the same. I hate it all, the expense, stress, planning and family guilt. I try and make it special for the kids but every year is the same, would prefer it once every 4 years, like the Olympics!

I hate it too, all of it tbh but go through the motions for the dc it just seems so unnecessary.I used to say when the dc were grown I'd stop and ignore it all but most are grown and they come back for Christmas It doesn't help that it's my birthday on Christmas Day too so it's difficult to enforce ignoring Christmas.

Oh no sorry to hear you don’t like it much either.

Every 4 years would be amazing!!

I would love my children to grow up with wonderful Xmas memories, but I have no idea how to get in the spirit. And if I’m honest this is the first year I’ve felt I’ve been able to admit all this, and acknowledging it somehow pushes me even further down the Scrooge bah humbug path.....

Could you use it as an excuse to do lots of things you love? So we take DSs to Legoland for the Christmas Bricktacular and I thoroughly enjoy lazy days that I get between Christmas and the New Year. We watch Xmas films and see family very gently (so not on the day).

My dc know I don't like Christmas but they all say we have lovely Christmases so faking it seems to work for me. I've still not put the tree up though but will persuade dd that she wants to do it if tomorrow is a snow day

That’s a good way to look at it @delurkingAJ. This year is a bit different due my dad’s illness but I think we do need to be a bit more selfish and just do what we want. —The people pleaser in me makes this tricky in reality though—

@fleshmarketclose glad to hear faking it works! I just feel that warm fuzzy big christmas doesn’t apply to my life and that it’s a bit naff for my kids to inherit this too.

Honestly, it’s only recently that Christmas has become so big. My parents made an effort but knowing them as an adult, they weren’t that into it. I still have lovely memories of Christmas. I think they are just general warm, fuzzy memories of excitement, nice food and the house looking a bit festive. I have teens and think mine could only name a few things we have done over the years (I’m a Christmas nut)

I grew up with a dad who hates Christmas, he was a junior school teacher and by Christmas he was fed up with it Now he's been retired for nearly 20 years he's finally starting to enjoy it, but he usually gives everyone money plus a couple of small presents