Holidays as a Senior

[Elzee]

How do you keep holidays meaningful but at the same time, not do too much? I find that I want and need to keep holidays, such as Christmas, simple and stress-free and yet, keep the joy of the holiday. Now that we have the time, since our kids are grown and flown, we spend more time planning our holidays so that they are relaxing and yet, meaningful. What is a simple and yet, meaningful holiday for you?

 

[SeaBreeze]

Since we never had children, we never made too big of a fuss over the holidays. We keep things small and simple, a special meal and modest holiday decorations. Now that we're older, it's really simple and stress-free for us. I only put up a small ceramic Christmas tree, and display my holiday cards around it. I often joke with my husband, and 'complain' that I have to put up the tree again, and it's too much work, lol. I think the spirit of the holiday is there, regardless of how one chooses to celebrate. :christmas1:

 

[Steve]

In our house we celebrate both holidays..
Chanukah and Christmas...

We go through the tradition of lighting the candles daily for Chanukah and we have a 6 foot pre-lit tree for Christmas..

Our kids are all over the globe so we are on our own for both holidays.. We do our best to make our house festive for both holidays and in most cases (except this year) the holidays overlap and are together......
In our village, the Legion puts on a Christmas dinner (free) for those that don't have any family.. We attend that event every year and find it really good and fulfilling........

 

[TWHRider]

We won't do anything except eat - lol lol

No decorating or gift exchanging<----that happens all year long anytime there's acreage involved because something expensive always needs to be fixed or bought.

For example, Thanksgiving weekend Mr. TWHRider put the new injectors in the dually. The parts alone cost $600 -- I can't begin to say how thankful I am he's an ace mechanic and could do the job himself. That was this year's Christmas gift exchange.

My big thing is that I love to watch the Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. They made 12 new ones for 2012 and started airing them at Thanksgiving. Whomever scripts, produces and directs these movies is the person who should get an Oscar. They are what entertainment is all about

 

[SifuPhil]

I'm a solo act, but even if I were not I wouldn't be celebrating the holidays.

When my two boys were growing up, sure - we did the whole holiday thing, but it was for them and the missus. I started giving up holidays even before I was married - back when I first decided on my belief-system when I was 12. The only one I continued to celebrate (in my own warped way) was Halloween.

Went through 15 years of married life chopping down Christmas trees, cutting a swath through Black Friday mobs for the wife to spend money, Thanksgiving dinners that were scenes of family insanity, birthdays, anniversaries, blah, blah, blah ...

The moment I was divorced I was able to drop the holidays. Still send birthday wishes to the boys but that's it.

Sorry I can't offer any helpful advice, but maybe this explains why.

 

[maybenot]

Bah! Humbug! I'll be glad when it's all over, no wonder they call it the silly season, honestly, why do non-religious people
feel they have to celebrate? , as for the spirit of goodwill etc. that should be practised daily anyway, one shouldn't expect to
get/give gifts if they don't believe in it and then theres Valentines' day, then Easter, then Mothers, Fathers, and birthdays, it's all
too commercialised for me I'm afraid and I'm over it already. So there!!!:disillusionment::neglected:

 

[SeaBreeze]

Bah! Humbug! I'll be glad when it's all over, no wonder they call it the silly season, honestly, why do non-religious people
feel they have to celebrate? , as for the spirit of goodwill etc. that should be practised daily anyway, one shouldn't expect to
get/give gifts if they don't believe in it and then theres Valentines' day, then Easter, then Mothers, Fathers, and birthdays, it's all
too commercialised for me I'm afraid and I'm over it already. So there!!!:disillusionment::neglected:

I agree that it is too commercialized, I start to see Christmas decorations in the stores in early October...by the time the holiday arrives, many are burned out already. I'm not a very religious person at all, and I don't feel obligated to celebrate, but I do like to exchange cards and well wishes with family and friends, and I do plug in my ceramic (1 foot tall) Christmas tree, just because it's nice to look at during the season. My husband and I don't exchange gifts for the holidays, but we do use this time of year to give a small gift of appreciation to our wonderful neighbor. People shouldn't expect to give or get gifts if they don't believe in it. :christmas2:

As far as some of the other "holidays" that they create over the years, like Secretaries Day, etc., it is a bit much. All in all the goal is to sell more cards, flowers and candy. Mother's Day and Father's Day were acknowledged when I was a kid, it was a special day to treat my parents extra nice, although I loved them all year 'round, nothing wrong with that. :love_heart: