Anyone else feeling zero Christmas spirit?

[Moreboxeslesswrapping]

I have to start by saying that I’m long past the excitement of Christmas but this year I feel nothing at all, not especially dreading it or anything but I just can’t be bothered.

Today is my last day at work and I’ve had a few Christmas things which have been fun and then we’re doing stuff as a family tomorrow but I’d be just as happy not doing anything.

DC have just finished school and DD (16) is just lolling around (although she’s had a busy term so I don’t blame her) and DS is ‘relaxing’ which just means sitting on his x box (although he does have plans).

Maybe I just need to accept I don’t get the feelings I used to about Christmas but would be nice to get into it a bit.

anyone else feeling like this and also any Christmas solutions would be great.

Merry Christmas 🌲🎄

It feels really flat this year, and I love Christmas. I think it's a general mood this year.

I don't finish work until tomorrow, kids are older so we don't have that 'magic' anymore, there are hardly any lights up around here so no point doing our annual light walk around on Christmas eve, the Rotary father Christmas truck doesn't come round anymore

Not a Christmassy sort of person anyway but am working until 9pm Xmas eve (nurse) then back in on the 28th and over new year which isnt too bad but god I would kill to just be able to have two weeks off or even just a week and just chill out. Dad died this year so our first one without him and DH have been off and on all year so he is spending it with his first ex wife and adult kids!

I just watched The Holiday with a large glass of red. Hasn't made me feel anymore festive but, oh my, young Jude Law is easy on the eye which has cheered me up a bit ;)

I've just added some disposable foil baking trays to my Tesco order thus eliminating my "suppose there's nothing to put the turkey in at the holiday house" anxiety and I wrapped all the presents today so I'm feeling slightly more festive. Now I've switched to worrying about how we'll fit everything in the car instead though!

I was, but a few things have happened over the last few weeks and now I think just fuck it all. Ds15 who has asd is having a hard time right now and I feel like I’m spending my time making sure people don’t piss him off so we have have a good Christmas. His birthday is after Christmas and I’m hoping his mood perks up before then. Last time he was like this (his 14th) he kicked off on his birthday and he had a shit day.
spirit has gone and I’m just done with it.

Yes I don't care anymore.
My child's behaviour is so bad I'm so exhausted mentally. Sure next door will hate us or make reports. Either one is awful.
And this is probably what my life is going to be like from now on. Full of violence and aggression.

I thought it was just me… I think that Christmas has officially jumped the shark. It started so early this year. It’s a commercial juggernaut. There’s nothing fun about anymore, it’s all so cynical. And most of it is a total waste of money & energy. Me & DH were just saying how DS is already overwhelmed with the amount of toys he has. And now we’ve bought him loads more… For what? It’s the same with food.

I'm kind of on the same page as you. I'm just looking forward to getting it over with. DS's behaviour (20 years old) has broken my heart this year. I don't have a marriage anymore, Just someone who used to be my husband constantly cajoling me into giving ever more into the bottomless pit that is DS.
I hope you get through it and that things change for the better for you.

I’m a carer for ASD child so I don’t work. I’ve had no Xmas lunch/night out/work fun. I used to work in a school so there would be a buzz about the place.
i used to always go shopping with a friend but our town has gone we haven’t bothered. ASD child is too old for Christmas activities.
feels a bit like nothing.

I am not feeling it this year either.

The house is decorated, presents wrapped and food shop is being done today. I just feel really 'meh' about it all.

Dc break up today but they are overtired and overexcited which is causing them to act up.

I'm not looking forward to Christmas Day nor am I wishing it to be over. It's an odd feeling.

I'm so sorry for all of you who have lost someone or have family members (or ex) who make this time of year harder.

This is exactly how I feel.

I’m struggling to feel it this year, but I’m going to just fake it and hope for the best.

My divorce is at trying to agree financial settlement stage and STBXH is the reason I’m not feeling it. As usual, he’s decided to make sure everything is as painful and horrible as possible (and then pretending he’s a nice guy - who definitely didn’t instruct his solicitor to do X, Y and Z). He’s chosen to have his solicitor send a bomb of a communication across yesterday, just before Christmas. With a tight deadline that doesn’t take the holidays into account. Bastard.

I was trying to do the right thing for our son and had invited him to come to my house for Christmas and do things on Christmas Eve (which the arsehole won’t contribute towards in any way, including paying his own way 🙄). I am very tempted to tell him to fuck off and enjoy the consequences of his actions when precisely no one wants to spend Christmas with him.

This is the last Christmas he’s spoiling by just being a nasty, selfish little shit. He’s managed to fuck up every single one since I’ve known him in some way (but, of course, it’s always drama caused by other people - not poor little him).

It does all rather dampen the Christmas spirit. I even found out this week that I have been promoted at work, with a pay increase (it’s not much of an increase but it is still an increase) and the same day received an email from my solicitor to let me know about STBXH’s latest dick move. She said that it’s amazing how many men on her experience do this kind of thing, because doing it just before Christmas maximises the hurt they can cause. So I don’t even feel like celebrating a promotion I definitely deserve.

Next year will be better. I will no longer be married to the bastard and he will have no ways left to try to control and upset me. This year, I’ll plaster on a smile for the kids and make sure Christmas is as magical as it can be for them.

Minor victory for me this morning - the grocery delivery gods have smiled on me for once! I opened the receipt for my Tesco order with some trepidation first thing, wondering quite how many weirdsubstitutions and non available items there would be. But nothing was unavailable and only one sub. Scrolled down the email and discovered that it was the parmesan crostini that had been substituted. WTAF? I hate parmesan and my DS is dairy allergic so I obviously ordered that by accident, whatever it is! So I was pleased it was substituted. Even better, the sub was plain breadsticks which is what I'd wanted all along!
Minor, but lifted my mood as its so often the other way around.
Virtual hugs to all those facing real problems this Christmas. I hope things pass as peacefully as they can for you and that 2024 is easier and happier for you all.

I don't have the Christmas spirit. Tbh I breathe a sigh of relief on January 2nd.

It's just a stressful time of organising, spending, end of year dance concerts, visiting family who expect you to drop everything because they've decided to come, constant events & often fighting over where we spend Xmas day. Then wondering where the hell were going to put the mountains of stuff the DC get gifted to them (that they'll never use).

This year I've got to spend Xmas day listening to everyone talk about the overseas trips they've just taken, or about to take. A reminder we can't afford holidays at all.

It's just getting through it, really.

I'm struggling this year. It's been an exhausting, stressful 6 months and menopause is currently wrecking my sleep so I'm just not feeling it at all. Got folk coming round tonight and wish to God I could cancel...

I feel very very miserable. I haven't been able to get into the Christmas spirit at all. I never got the decorations out the loft until DH forced me to last week. he put up the lights. I did some of the Inside decorations and never felt any Christmas spirit at all. feel really really sad, keep asking the boys what they want and they don't want anything that's purchasable (both want an Irish ☘️ passport which we will do). I haven't even got presents for them to unwrap under the tree yet and I feel terrible.

I went to Christmas carols this week and that was really nice in the church. I broke my back in 4 places earlier this year and I'm still incredible pain. and I got made redundant yesterday, so I've got no job, so I'm feeling really rather miserable, and I'm lying in bed at the moment.

I'm not being goady (I know when I read that I always think "I bet you are"!), but if you are not a Christian, why would you feel the Christmas spirit?
I mean, maybe some nice food, seeing people you love, great movies, a few days off work but not really a huge uplift in spirit?
Maybe a carol service would lift your mood?

I'm a bit the opposite, I decided years ago I didn't like Christmas and couldn't wait for it to be over. This year, I'm plodding along doing my minimal Christmas (tree, seeing relatives I see all the time, buying the entire stockings off Amazon) and quite enjoying it. I think setting extremely low expectations may be key. I don't 'get' Christmas anyway, I mean it's a day like any other day with a tinsely tree in it, and some ok food, it's not terribly exciting, so I never feel 'Christmassy' anyway, so it's quite pleasant not bothering too much and just sliding up to Christmas without a large amount of angst.

Surely it's not passed you by that people who aren't Christians still tend to get excited about Christmas and there's usually a buzz in the air? Sorry I know that sounds rude. It's not meant to. I just genuinely don't understand your point. Christmas is a massive cultural tradition in the UK.

Well exactly. This thread isn’t about the Holy Spirit. It’s about feeling excited for Christmas.

Usually I am really excited for Christmas. I love getting people presents I think they’ll love, decorating the house, cooking and baking and feeing people, drinking mulled wine and going to Christmassy things with the kids.

But this year I am struggling. Another year of absolute bullshit from STBXH. A year of being exhausted working really hard to try to advance my career (because STBXH is out for everything he can get and pays the absolute minimum he can get away with; the man has never bought our 3 year old so much as a pair of socks!), running around trying to do everything with absolutely. I support (indeed a man determined to make things as hard for me as possible).

It does dampen the Christmas spirit.

I was always known as Mrs Christmas and people still expect me to be this way. I try to. I really do. I've always loved Christmas and making it magical for the kids. I always imagined that when the kids got older we'd enjoy game nights and maybe a tipple or two and Christmas would be different but good different.

However, life threw a curve ball. DS was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged 9 back in 2017. Long story short but we found out it was back and nothing could be done on 16th December 2017 (one week after his end of treatment party). 17 days later on 2nd January 2018 he passed away at home in my bed. He was 10.

I really try to enjoy Christmas, and I guess I do to some extent, but it's just another day and the lead up to one of the worst days of my life. Can't wait for it to all be over.

@MuddlingThroughLife that's awful. So sorry for your loss.

I've never really got it. Not in an excited kind of way. I hated presents for as long as I remember, definitely since at least age 12. Never been into decorations. I remember my mum trying to get anyone to help and none of us were arsed. She said she used to be up early on Christmas Day waiting for us and even as really young, still believing in Santa children, my brother and I still preferred sleeping and had to be woken up.

But I'm quite happy being ambivalent about it. I get involved in putting up the tree with DC and I don't mind doing it. I do some Christmas baking and I go to Midnight Mass and love that.

I'm not negative about Christmas, I just don't feel I need any huge enthusiasm about it to enjoy it. It's not magical, it's just nice.

@MuddlingThroughLife So sorry for your loss.

I love Christmas - the lights, the tree, decorations, the music, special activities, our elf, Father Christmas.

I’m feeling festive from September. Enjoying reading a Christmas magazine in October, and on the Christmas board all year. Dreaming of my perfectly clean and decorated house, cooking up a wonderful meal. Presents wrapped, December evenings spent doing a Christmas jigsaw with DH. Relaxing on my couch admiring our tree.

It has never happened like above. Never.

December has flown by this year, and I’m yet to feel that Christmas feeling. I had to throw out £150+ of Christmas Food yesterday as I left the fridge door open. We are hosting for 7 extra people. I haven’t been able to buy it all again. House is a tip. Illness in our house for a couple of weeks has meant I haven’t had one evening with DH. We lost my Grandad this year, and I miss him so much at the minute. I’m hoping we can make the most of it.