Why is everyone so obsessed?

[zbw565]

I don’t celebrate Christmas but I really don’t understand the appeal. Is it because most people celebrated it as children so it’s nostalgic? You got toys and spends some time with family member you rarely see otherwise?

I don’t get how you can do things with zero meaning behind any of it except “it’s tradition”. Yes but what’s the significance of any of it? All I see is pure commercialism.

The majority of people who celebrate are not religious at all. Some agnostic, some atheists. Yet they still insist on celebrating Christmas. They will put a tree up and tinsel and lights and make up some story about Santa - what’s the significance of any of it? Aren’t these pagan rituals? What do they have to do with Jesus? Just doing it because the adverts on tv tell you it’s time to?

I could just never live my life this way. Doing things like a sheep with no idea why I am even doing it. When I read some posts some people honestly seem to revolve their whole lives around it. I have no idea how much money they end up spending.

How people just rinse and repeat the same crap every year. No wonder most people are miserable and depressed.

Of course after Christmas we are told we have to get excited about New Year, then Valentine’s Day, then Easter, then summer holidays, then Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas again. They’ve added some more gems along the way - Mother’s Day, st Patrick’s day- you get the jist. It’s all load of commercial crap and I can’t stand this time table the west has made up that we all seem to be obsessed with living our lives by with zero meaning behind any of it.

rant over

It’s our midwinter festival. Cultures far and wide celebrate in the depths of winter. It brings joy when the days are short, the night is long, and it’s cold and miserable outside. It’s about joy and magic. It serves a brilliant purpose. As I’m sure do the many alternative midwinter festivals that I am sure are celebrated around the globe.

Aww OP I’m sorry for your miserable existence. I hope you can find some joy in something in your life before too long.

@Comedycook I get excited because I get to make my living room sparkly and I get new Lego 😂

winter in the UK is cold and dark and lights and fun make it better. Does everything have to be deep and meaningful?

It's cold. It's wet. It's dark. Get together with people and decorate and feast and find something to celebrate.

Not that it has to be cold, wet and dark to want to have fun. But lights in the darkness does look cheery.

There’s a flaw in the new React feature. You can only choose one option.

Bookworm14

Agree + thanks for brightening my day with an unexpected Tom Hardy

Spending time with the people you love, giving presents. Party's. Everywhere is lit up and looks pretty. Time off work, seeing children's faces and how excited they get.

How people just rinse and repeat the same crap every year. No wonder most people are miserable and depressed.

With respect OP you seem to be the only one miserable and depressed not us.
🎄🎁🎅 ⛄️

For me it's about the turning of the year and the return of the light. Fairy lights, fires and candles are important. We also have the tradition of a solstice cake and homemade mince pies and of the tree. I find the darkness very depressing and tiring so the time off is really welcome.
I'm not Christian but I also like a religious story that revolves around a mother and baby.
I'd get rid of the pressure of present buying I think if given the choice - just because it's a stress, but people and the kids expect it so we go along with that.

This. You sound just like my SIL. She can suck all the joy out of absolutely everything.

OP - are you ND? Just not getting the appeal of any celebrations or special events and liking things to stay normal at all times isn’t a normal way to think, but is very common with people who are ND and don’t cope well with “different”. (We’ve had a phrase in our household for a long time that “different is tricky, even good different.” To explain why even fun things are difficult for our dc who hates being out of routine, even for nice things).

you seem confused by wanting to celebrate new year, valentines, Easter summer holidays and Halloween - it is not the pressure to enjoy the joyful deviations from the norm that causes people to be depressed, it’s the boring norm.

bur if you thrive with routine and normality, I can see why these regular celebrations through the year will make you uncomfortable (and therefore flummoxed by the sign that other people enjoy them).

JV? Incel? Grinch? People doing things differently from you are not 'sheep' and you are not as original or interesting as you think.

People celebrate for the same reasons our ancestors did - to bring some light and cheer to the dark, cold winter. Human create rituals, often based on the seasons, to bring family's and communities together. Many people chose not to buy into consumerism of Christmas and there are many different ways to celebrate, religious or otherwise

Can we please move this thread to the appropriate place? The Threads Written Purely To Wind People Up section and if it doesn't yet exist, it certainly should for 2025, there's so much of this crap about. I think it's nicknamed rage baiting but it's all v silly.

Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to in real life are just going through the motions of Christmas this year and cba.

I do things because I enjoy them and they bring my family excitement and joy. What things do you enjoy? I bet there are some that I won't understand. The world would be dull if we all liked the same things.

I love Christmas - for me it's meeting up with friends and family over the festive season, the day itself - all the food and drink and everywhere looking so pretty with lights and Christmas trees. I am not depressed before, during or after it.

I don't however do Valentine's Day, Easter (I enjoy the days off but I don't celebrate it), Mother's and Father's Day and once the kids are older I'll be dropping Halloween and Bonfire night.

Luckily we don't live in a communist state - people can do what they like, if you don't like it don't do it!

Light the lamp not the rat!

Well presumably they are adults with agency and can choose not to take part? More fool them for doing something they dont want to do.

Are you my husband?

I am not religious but I really really love Christmas. My DH doesn’t love Christmas as much as me and it got me thinking to why.

I think part of it was I am glass child, never got lots of attention it was always on other siblings and Christmas brought us more level pegging for one day. We got the same number of presents from the same family members and Santa listened to what I wanted. Where as I felt a lot of the other times of year very forgotten.

Yes, that sums it up for me.

As a mature adult, I would probably rate the first paragraph highest. When I was younger, it would have been the second.

Because people’s lives are often full on and winter can be a difficult time. Celebrating Christmas brings a bit of light and enjoyment into the darkest days of winter.
Family is important to me, and I love that we all spend time together rather than being passing ships like a lot of the year.

Uptight much?

But aren't things like weddings, birthdays, funerals based in tradition also?

Tradition starts off somewhere, they evolve over time, for example St Nicholas delivering gifts to children has morphed into Father Christmas/Santa Claus, and yes a lot of Christmas is highly commercialised, but that doesn't mean everyone has to follow the herd.

Some people go to church, some don't, some have a traditional Christmas Dinner, some don't, It doesn't really matter what "everyone" else does, celebrate (or don't) however you like.