Anyone else wish christmas wasn't a thing anymore?

[Tacali]

I like christmas for my DC but I wish it wasn't a thing anymore.

Anyone else feel the same? I know I'm probably the minority.

It’s a direct question.

Considering many theatres rely on pantomimes, big houses rely on Christmas trails, small businesses rely on Christmas sales, what do you think would happen if everyone stopped participating in the “money making opportunity”?

Also, how is my question any more “guilt tripping” than your message about businesses trying to survive another year by making the most of christmas?

Again, passive aggressive.
I wasn't suggesting everyone stopped participating, simply that nobody has to buy into christmas if they don't want to. Not focusing entirely on big events may also allow people to spend more at other times, of their own choosing. It's not any one person's responsibility to help a business survive, sadly (however they also cannot moan if that business no longer exists).

I refuse to get my knickers in a twist about a date on the calendar, decided by men centuries ago to pretend something special happened. Then it is largely women who have to service all the expectations, stretch their budgets and run themselves ragged.

Nope. Just nope. The whole charade is entirely optional.

A meal with those you love can be done on any day of the year. This year we are having one of our two gatherings in late October. The other was in April. The weather is better for travelling, children are less likely to be ill, everyone can get out for fresh air, or we have a picnic. One of the teenagers said last time "December is for losers."

I like Christmas but I focus on doing the stuff we enjoy. DD's favourite meal was the year I let everyone pick their favourite food and laid it out as a buffet so we had homemade pizza and mezzes!

We put up a tree and do a light trail and a panto. I insist on a list for presents and set a budget. Most of them get delivered. This year we're going to our local pub for lunch so no stress at all.

I would very happily ignore Christmas altogether but grin and bear it to keep kids and grandparents happy. Hate the overhyped nature of it when the prep starts months beforehand, how can any one day live up to those expectations?

I love Christmas, almost too much. Hot chocolate, cold walks, board games with cheese and crackers, card games with chocolates. We have a small Christmas dinner just are our little family, relax in pjs and do what we want. We use the holidays to visit family.

I associate those things with winter in general, not just christmas. 😁

AnnieMcFanny the fact that I am not a Christian is one of the reasons I don't celebrate Christmas. Not that, according to all the evidence, any baby was born in Bethlehem on 25 December who was in any way more special than any other baby in the history of humankind.

I celebrate the Winter Solstice, an actual and tangible occurance. It is far more meaningful.

Christmas is the birthday of Jesus. If you are not a Christian there is no need for you to celebrate it.

Why does it matter what others think of Christmas. You do it how you want to. Personally I love it and spend the whole month doing related things but if I didn't like it I wouldn't same as every other day and occasion.

Live how you want, not how others do.

Haven't read the thread, but yes, this is a huge problem in our house. DS can't cope with the overwhelm of Christmas and all the Christmas adverts and emotionally heavy stuff and christmas music in shops and supermarkets. Also can't cope with halloween decorations in shops. So for the whole of October and most of November and December we are on this constant battle to avoid all this stuff, - no trips to shops or town centres and being very careful with the tv. I wish they would just dial it down.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice makes much more sense, logically and emotionally, to me at least. If I had to choose one I mean. 😁

You forgot to add 'Some people believe that....'.

I can only assume you lack in self awareness if you consider my post offensively passive aggressive but yours perfectly reasonable.

I would love to approach Christmas how I want and ignore it completely but I have an obligation to my children to make an effort and try to make it special.

I quite like the concept. I enjoy shared time off work, the effort people go to to see one another which doesn't often exist outside of there being an occasion, I enjoy the process of consideration for gifts, enjoy making presents and even enjoy wrapping. Love seeing people open something I've put thought into.

However as soon as I have to go shopping, I'm not a fan. I don't much like shopping anyway, but seeing Christmas stuff in September (or Easter stuff in January!) it's just too much. Then it just gets more and more until the vastness of it is overwhelming. The quantity of stuff makes me think about consumerism, waste, environmental impact etc rather than all the nice things. Which is a shame.

I'd like to be able to experience a Christmas back in the day where you got very few gifts and it was more about the time spent. Get the impression there was more gratitude back then. Though nan says outside the rose tinted sunglasses it was often freezing as houses were poorly insulated, they'd have a cold bath because it was Christmas and they were expected to be clean, be made to wear their Sunday best and God help you if you got it dirty. So I'm definitely romanticising a lot!

I agree it's insane that Xmas stuff is out now. People are buying it, though, as COL is a big factor atm and they want to budget to ensure they have what they would like.

I like all the fun stuff surrounding Christmas- but then I have a 5 year old who makes it magical. I also love the present side of things, and pick up things through the year as I see them. We don't start doing 'Christmassy' stuff until December, though (decorating, trips to santa etc).

The key is picking and choosing what you enjoy, I think. It also helps that I like both my family and DH's, and we can have a lot of fun,and that we have a lot of good cooks on both sides who insist on contributing and helping whoever is hosting.

Also helps that DH is great at wrapping- I do all.of the stuff I find fun, like getting gifts, and he wraps it all. Works for us.

I love Christmas, but I do wish the shops wouldn’t put the Christmas stuff out until around November. It would be exciting then. But they put it out so early that it just loses any of its appeal.
I remember as a child that it was exciting seeing the Christmas stuff come out as you knew it wasn’t long to go. Kids nowadays won’t get that because the stuff comes out in August in many places (ie our local Home Bargain )

Same! But find that tricky with children who have expectations set by their peers. Definitely adding in more solstice love this year though!

I can only assume that's irony, or you don't understand what passive aggressive means. Anyway. 😔

I am definately feeling meh about its approach this year. Kids are teenagers and would prefer to sit in their rooms and stare at their phones rather than play board games, since covid and wfh there is no Xmas do at work (as nobody knows anyone anymore due to the length of time and staff changes). It just seems completely over commercialised, like valentines and Mother’s Day. I’d love to use the cash and the enforced break to go abroad but there’s an expectation that we spend the day with the in-laws.

Yes exactly this!! When you started seeing it it was almost Christmas.

Explaining to my kids now that yes there are elves on the shelves in the shop but actually there's 3 months to go...so the same amount of time that's past since something we did in June...it's a tad ridiculous!

Nope, I've always loved it and don't find it stressful at all. We spend most of the period from 23rd to 2nd either staying with or hosting family who we don't get to see very often. It does help that when we host, dh does virtually all the cooking!

Dabrat21 Even the diehard Christians I know are fully aware that 25 December is just a made up date.

The early Christians bolted their stuff onto Pagan celebrations in a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" way.

However, if people want to gather, feast and celebrate on 25 December without being Christian, that is their right. 25 December cannot be claimed by Christians as anything special to them. Ridiculous to think otherwise. The tree, wreath, lights, feasting all have Pagan origins anyway.