Does anyone NOT celebrate christmas?

[STACEYH]

I celebrate it because DH is Christian. I am not, but I go along with it for his sake.

Ironically, I end up doing the VAST majority of the holiday prep work, which really chaps my hide. In fact, I not only did all of the shopping and decorated the damn tree by myself this year, but I *just* finished wrapping everyone's presents. I rarely get any gifts, but that only bothers me because I'm freaking Santa Claus around here. Where's my milk and cookies, dammit?!

I hate this time of year, tbh. Not because of the holiday, but because of the extra work.

I did do something different this year that I enjoyed, though. I bought presents for every student at my school. I work at a school for teens who have survived trauma. We only have about 150 students, so it wasn't crazy expensive. I had them all fill out wish lists. I kept most things between $5 and $10 per kid. Some students told me that was the first Christmas present they ever got. So that was pretty cool. I may make that a tradition.

What would happen if you just stopped? Tell him next year you want to celebrate your way for a change.

 

[Aunt Angus]

What would happen if you just stopped? Tell him next year you want to celebrate your way for a change.

It's ok. I'm just having a pity party. It makes him happy to listen to the music and put up lights. Plus after 25 years, it'd be a tough tradition to break.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I never celebrated Christmas as a child due to religious reasons, so don't really have much of a tradition. Now we just have a low-key family lunch. My daughter decorates an old plastic tree I drag out of the garage for her every year, and we do get her gifts (I was always jealous of not getting Xmas gifts when I was a kid!).

I find it an irritating holiday and I'm definitely a grinch about it. That being said, we had a lovely Christmas day today.

 

[blackacres]

It's ok. I'm just having a pity party. It makes him happy to listen to the music and put up lights. Plus after 25 years, it'd be a tough tradition to break.

It’s perfectly acceptable to have a pity party. This time of year can be incredibly stressful. We only buy gifts for our kiddos. Any other gatherings we attended are simply to enjoy the company of others. I hope you have a wonderful day with your family.

 

[Brooks_]

Do and don't. We decorate and have a nice meal. No gifts (did when the children were young), now we just get what we want at the time we want it. For us it's more about Christ consciousness and the solstice than it is about Christ as a man god.

 

[Brooks_]

And I hate the commercialism and crappy Christmas music. I really think the religious ones are better. Listening to the likes of Hey Santa, Last Christmas, and Santa Baby for 8+ hrs a day for a month or more will drive you bonkers. I'd welcome Silent Night and such, but would probably be crappy versions.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I've heard several theories: March, June, or September, as well as somewhere between 6 and 4 BC, rather than year 0.

The September date is due to calculations by the Hebrew calendar, from times actually mentioned in the gospel.

Huh, interesting! Thanks! I found this too which I thought was interesting.

https://www.livescience.com/42976-when-was-jesus-born.html

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I do not, for several reasons, many of which have been addressed here already (nothing involving religion, though), and some which are personal and I think I'd rather not go into them on a public forum. Suffice it to say I would honestly consider Christmas my least favorite of the 'big' holidays in the U.S.

That said, I do live in a house with others who celebrate it, and I give gifts to my niece and nephew every year, and sometimes I bake cookies or do other activities considered Christmassy with them, because they celebrate it. That's the extent of my involvement in Christmas the majority of the time, though.

 

[Sally PB]

DH likes to celebrate, so we do, very low key. This year our "gift" to each other is we got our DNA done at ancestry.com.

Christmas is a hard time for me; it's the last time I saw my mom, in her hospital bed, in 1985. She squeezed my fingers, and I think she knew I was there. She died on Dec. 28th (the day after her 60th birthday), and I missed her passing by about half an hour.

Probably the biggest regret of my life is that I wasn't there to tell her I loved her one last time, and to hold her hand. She brought me into this world, and I wish I could have been with her as she passed. She died alone.

 

[Weeg]

DH likes to celebrate, so we do, very low key. This year our "gift" to each other is we got our DNA done at ancestry.com.

Christmas is a hard time for me; it's the last time I saw my mom, in her hospital bed, in 1985. She squeezed my fingers, and I think she knew I was there. She died on Dec. 28th (the day after her 60th birthday), and I missed her passing by about half an hour.

Probably the biggest regret of my life is that I wasn't there to tell her I loved her one last time, and to hold her hand. She brought me into this world, and I wish I could have been with her as she passed. She died alone.

Oh my, I’m so sorry. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard that must have been for you. I bet you’ve heard it all, every way to say I’m sorry, I’m going to have to repeat them. It wasn’t your fault, you were there on Christmas, that means the world. You made that difference.
Sending hugs.