Do you dislike Christmas? Why? Pls share.

I like Christmas but I feel bad because it raises the hopes and expectations of so many and creates a stressful financial burden on some folks trying to meet those expectations.

I would prefer it if Christmas was more like Thanksgiving and the gifts were much smaller and less commercial in nature.

Christmas is not the real culprit, we are.
 

I enjoy Christmas,always have. My little 3 foot tree with coloured lights and ornaments is very cheerful. I will cook dinner for my small family and we will sit down together and and have a good meal, chicken breasts instead of turkey, stuffing, and all kinds of vegetables. Dessert will be apple crisp made by my grandson's Mom, We exchange gifts but nothing extravagant and that cuts out a lot of stress.
 
I don’t care for the Christmas season. As already stated previously, it is way too long. By the time Christmas actually comes, everyone is burned out. I don’t like the insincerity of Christmas – everyone coerced into donating this and that. Giving should come from the heart and because we genuinely want to make someone’s life better. Once Christmas is over, all the charitable agencies fade into the woodwork never to be seen until next Christmas season.

If you want to visit an old age home, do it because you want to, not because it's Christmas. These same people experience the loneliness all year long, not just during the Christmas season. Same with organizations providing Christmas dinners - again, people need to eat all year long, not only once a year.

I would love Christmas if it was genuine, but to me, sadly, it’s not – just organizations preying on your guilt. My best wishes to all who enjoy and love it.
 

astralcat said:
I don’t care for the Christmas season. As already stated previously, it is way too long.
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This is because Christmas is over secularized. Why do we let retailers define when Christmas occurs??? Or the Romans? How foolish is that? Go back to that song The 12 Days of Christmas. Christmas starts on December 25 and ends Jan 5 or 6 depending on how you count the days. You have 12 days to give gifts, visit friends and families, and enjoy the celebration.

Also, you can save a few dollars by purchasing some gifts during the day-after sales that follow the 25th, if you dare go out to the stores. :oops:

To those who celebrate something else I wish you Happy Holidays!
 
My mother always hated Christmas for some reason, and it was always fairly miserable as a child. When I had my own kids I was determined to give them a different experience. We always had a wonderful time getting out the decorations and trimming the tree, and we have a bunch of Christmas movies we watch every year.

Now that they are grown and living independently, it's not the same and nowhere near as much fun.

I, too, dislike all the commercialization involved in it and the fact that the season seems to "begin" just after Halloween.
 
Some people really are strangers in a strange land. If it isn't part of your culture you certainly have the option of sticking to your own traditions with no sadness or shame. Be proud of your family and your heritage.

Americans are a motley bunch, even among those of a Christian background. Different groups have different Christmas traditions, and even different Christmas Days:

But for millions of people around the world, 7 January is Christmas Day.​
​
Orthodox communities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East - which make up more than 12% of all Christians - celebrate the big day weeks after most of the Western world.​
​
It's because they use a different calendar, called the Julian calendar, to work out what day Christmas should be.​

My Orthodox neighbors do that.

Some people are bent on shutting down diversity though. Black Pete is now extinct in the US due to the heavy hand of anti-culturalism. At least we still have kruidnoten and pepernoten. Lutherans still celebrate the 12 Days. Las Posadas is still a thing for many Mexicans here: December 16-25. The nine-day event symbolizes the nine-month pregnancy of Mary, the mother of Jesus.


Most of the negatives are fully within your control. It's a very flexible holiday for Christians and Christian-adjacent folks who aren't religious.
 
That Lady in PA said:
I LOVE Christmas.
I dislike the commercialization of it. I fail to see WHY so many buy into it (pun intended) when celebrating a religious holiday.
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I keep Christmas pretty simple. I attend church in the morning and then go to my husband's brother's house for lunch. I always bring something to contribute to the meal and a small Christmassy thing for his wife as a hostess gift. I no longer attempt to buy gifts for any adults. This year I will bring a couple of small gifts for a grandniece and grandnephew.

The next day I host Boxing Day festivities for my rather large family and significant others. It is a very casual affair with everyone contributing something to the meal which by necessity is held outdoors under shade. We play a silly game called "Stealing Santa" and everyone relaxes and enjoys the nonsense. I will buy a couple of small gifts for my greatgrandchildren because they are now old enough to understand who I am and I want them to remember me when I am gone but what they love most about visiting me is to have a ride around the backyard on my mobility scooter.

This will be my first Christmas without Hubby but being surrounded by his closest relatives will be comforting.

One of the best things I know about Christmas is that the Jewish community of Sydney always volunteer to serve the Christmas meal to the homeless men and women who gather at the Loaves and Fishes Restaurant, a charity associated with the Uniting Church. They do this so that the regular volunteers can enjoy Christmas Day with their own families. Not every Christmas gift needs to cost money. Anything given with love is smiled upon by the Christ Child.
 
Put me down in the bah humbug category. Since we don’t travel out of country now, I’d rather stay home. I do my best to find an excuse not to get together with friends. That saves the commotion involved with the day.

It’s nearly the time I’ll wish friends and strangers a Merry Christmas and send off some end of the year letters.
Edit: I do honestly mean it when I wish someone a Merry Christmas.
 
Now that most of the family have grown up and moved to different states and places, Christmas is not the same anymore. I love the meaning of Christmas and going to midnight Mass, but I so miss it when all the family used to get together at our parent's place. I know when my mother passed away and I sent "Thank You" cards to those that came to her funeral, I included the words "Christmas will never be the same". Oh, how true that statement was. One of my dearest friends lost her daughter a couple of weeks ago after being hit by a car whilst she was going for an early morning walk. Her grieving mother said, "Life will never be the same".
Today's parents are so hell-bent buying so many presents for their children, who don't really appreciate it. One of my friends said her son's presents almost touched the roof and he was a very spoilt boy. I told her, my sisters and I only got 2 presents each, but we had "tons of Love".
 
chic said:
I don't like Christmas at all. Promulgated by people who are either mercenary and benefit from it or by those who are sanctimonious and feel empowered by the celebration of the birth of a price of peace who also taught us to feel compassion for each other but no one ever does. It depresses me unspeakably. It does this every year. People just don;'t get it and want me to believe THEY are good people despite this.

They're no and Christmas seems to be a farce. How do you feel about it?
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To answer your question @chic , I do dislike a lot of things ABOUT the Christmas holiday but I don't dislike the spirit of Christmas.
I don't dislike that somewhere in between some of the horrific shoppers, cheap and gaudy decorations, and blatant commercialism, there is a Linus.
There is 'There's a Wonderful life'. There is snow on a cold winters night.
Children. Lights. Soft music. Cookies. Friends.
Yes, I'm a sap. 🎄
 
dilettante said:
It was only a short time ago that our cultural cohesion was not yet under aggressive assault. But online shopping hasn't killed malls, it was forced multiculturalism - i.e. anti-culturalism. And it left a legacy of pain in everyone.


Flash mobs and simple caroling were still a thing.

Since we are taking our country back things like pride and joy and positive attitudes will help rescue those who let themselves be beaten down by tarring everything with negativity and nihilism.

Geeze, just go watch The Grinch from the 1960s:

But this sound wasn't sad!​
Why, this sound sounded glad!​
​
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,​
Was singing without any presents at all!​
​
He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! It came!​
Somehow or other, it came just the same!​
​
And the Grinch, with his grinch feet ice-cold in the snow,​
Stood puzzling and puzzling. "How could it be so?​
​
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!​
It came without packages, boxes, or bags!"​
​
He puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore.​
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.​
​
Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.​
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!​
​
And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say​
That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day!​
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It must be nice to think "we are taking our country back". I don't share your optimism.
 
chic said:
I don't like Christmas at all. Promulgated by people who are either mercenary and benefit from it or by those who are sanctimonious and feel empowered by the celebration of the birth of a price of peace who also taught us to feel compassion for each other but no one ever does. It depresses me unspeakably. It does this every year. People just don;'t get it and want me to believe THEY are good people despite this.

They're no and Christmas seems to be a farce. How do you feel about it?
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It's a very stressful time of year for me. Do I like it? No, no I don't. I don't want to go into lots of detail, but I have some strong memories of Christmas as a child that were spoiled by family drama, and in on specific instance, plain nastiness.

I'm an old man now, but these things have never left me. So each year I've treated Christmas as just another day, albeit an inconvenient one where services don't run, shops are closed, and things I've ordered are stuck in the mail.

I don't worry about the commercialization of it. When it comes down to it, that's all self-inflicted. To not spend lots of money on gifts, don't spend lots of money on gifts. Be consistent, and people will stop expecting major gifts. Instead, gift throughout the year as you see fit. Tell people you love them any time you're feeling it, not on a special day. Contact family throughout the year if that's your thing, etc.
 
Back to Chic's original question. I try to concentrate on the few little things I like about the season. There is really no one to judge me or care how I handle it.
I like some Christmas music. I like the lights and some understated displays. I like Christmas cookies and the smell of cinnamon in the oven. I bought a tube of cinnamon buns. I loved it when we had cats who gathered around the tree.
I will cook something special (but easy, probably baked ham) for the guys who live here and give them token gifts because they have less than I do.
I am sending homemade cards to special people.
Maybe I will buy a little something for myself.

We do the best we can.
 
I don't "dislike" Christmas(or Thanksgiving) but the warm feelings and happiness went away because of having to fight the EX over visitation that she was unwilling to share, despite being court ordered, even on my agreed to visitation times. She used the kids as a weapon, as adults they want nothing to do with holidays either.
 
Nathan said:
I don't "dislike" Christmas(or Thanksgiving) but the warm feelings and happiness went away because of having to fight the EX over visitation that she was unwilling to share, despite being court ordered, even on my agreed to visitation times. She used the kids as a weapon, as adults they want nothing to do with holidays either.
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I hate it when women do that. It hurts the children, who are already hurting.
 
I used to love Christmas. I loved it as a child and I loved it when I had my own family. I loved all of the running around, the gift buying, the cleaning and decorating of my home. I baked and cooked delicious treats . I loved the music and special movies. I loved going to midnight mass. I loved staying up all night on Christmas Eve to put toys together for my children and then being awakened at the crack of dawn by 2 excited kids. My husband hated it all.

About 5 years ago, he told me just how much he hates Christmas… and he said that it was all because of me. He hurt me to the core telling me how I ruined his Holiday every year.
I’ve never celebrated again . I try not to think about it. I do buy gifts for my children and celebrate with them a bit but at my home I treat Christmas as if it were any other day. I no longer decorate my home. I don’t bake or cook anything special. No presents for my husband. Is just another day. I hope ge’s happy now.
 

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