Of course the answer is no, we don’t HAVE to do Christmas.
I sort of already feel OVER the Christmas holiday. I feel like we’ve been doing commercials and Black Friday for a month. Oodles of houses in the neighborhood already have their outside and inside decorating done. I’ve seen pictures of families decorating cookies for the last two weeks.
And here I am, not really wanting to take down the fall decorations. Do I HAVE to do Christmas?!!!
It’s all individual choice of course, I just don’t understand why some people want to do one holiday - for 1/6th of the year!
I’ll enjoy it eventually. On my own clock. When I get around to decorating. I’m just starting to feel like I’m the last one in the state to jump on the holiday bandwagon!!!
I am moving two weeks before Christmas. Both kids are coming to the new city/new place for the holidays. I already told them that Christmas gifts this year would be gift cards and shopping trips once they are with me. They are fine with that. We will put up the tree, and probably cook a nice dinner on Christmas day. Haven’t had time to “church shop” yet, and D2 prefers to not go anyway, so we probably will skip that this year. I am just ignoring the fact that I need to shop for my extended family for the moment.
Last Chrismas, DS came back “home” and we had a trip in the southern California. It has been almost a year since then. Time flies.
The gift to him was an iPhone 6 last Christmas. Somehow we started to give him gadgets after his college (maybe it was because we did not pay his tuitions anymore? Tuitions cost much more than an once-a-year gift after all.) Could not think of anything to buy for him this year. Upgrade his laptop? Not sure whether we will buy a gift and mail it to his g/f also (likely not. Heard that she is actually “working” this Thanksgiving night but will have a break this Saturday night.) He will not travel back home this year anyway.
We used to do a secular Christmas when kid was young. Then it became a situation where I put up any decorations et al but they weren’t noticed that much by H and son. Holiday cards (so many non Christian friends and family) much diminished as well. The ones who may care already know the news. Computer generation- emails now.
No- don’t bother unless you actively enjoy it. When we did things the outdoor lights went up before it got too cold/snowy and a tree a week or so before. After a week or so indoor decorations go unnoticed. Outdoor lights are nice for the early dark days- brighten things up.
Personally I love Christmas and start celebrating in October. I don’t like Halloween so I just skip it. It really doesn’t even register when Halloween comes around anymore.
Halloween matters when there are kids coming to the door for trick or treating romani… If they don’t it can be skipped easily. How does one start “celebrating” Christmas so early- why not all year long then?
Year round… My red neck neighbors mastered that eons ago. Their Christmas wreaths are permanently attached to the front door, and if the electricity weren’t this pricy, they would keep their Christmas lights on 24/7.
My daughter and I traditionally have put up the tree and other decorations on the day after Thanksgiving while watching A Christmas Story a couple times. My husband enjoys the decorations but not decorating. I told my daughter we would do it together when she gets here on the 19th. I don’t want to do it all myself, I miss doing it with her, and I don’t mind the stuff being up less time (as much as I love our decorations, most were gifts and have a lot of sentiment attached).
Where I live in Asia they don’t really celebrate Christmas, yet tacky Asian Christmas decorations go up all over the place on Halloween. Go figure.
I am a December baby so I’ve always enjoyed the Christmas season. A visit to Santa was often part of my childhood birthdays. But I have nothing on H and my youngest! Tomorrow, H will be out on the lawn setting up the lights and decorations. His family couldn’t afford to decorate much when he was a kid and he really lights things up! The guy across the way has gotten into it as well, so our little corner is always very Christmasy. And D will start decorating indoors as soon as she hauls all the stuff down from the attic. I don’t mind. I work for a church, and the Christmas season starts Sunday at there, so I’ve been ordered poinsettias, doing the holiday newsletter and so on for awhile now. There’s an excitement that builds up to the big day-secular in my home or religious in the church that I enjoy.
However, I do understand that it’s not for some people. And I’d be just as happy if the decorations in stores went up AFTER Thanksgiving.
A neighbor was outside hanging decorations from a tree yesterday. Once one person starts, the rest will follow. I’ll put up my Hannukah window stuff this weekend. Electric Menorah , trim. I don’t need anything inside the house.
Wis, I have lived in my house for over 10 years. For most of that time, my Halloween loving mom went all out on decorations and we had a very festive house.
Grand total trick or treaters during the entire time we’ve lived here? Zero. My house is in a weird spot and no one comes. But Mr R, who adores Halloween, is always ready with candy just in case. And when we have kids, I’ll celebrate with them. I personally just don’t care about it.
I’m with you on this one abasket. Since we moved in this house 20 years ago, I have hosted XMAS Eve and sometimes XMAS day. I did all the decorating, all the shopping, all the wrapping. I did it all, and really was turning into a December crank. I almost wish for those days now. Kids were small and loved it, all my relatives wre alive…and there was one particular aunt and uncle we all adored. I was tolerating my siblings well enough. I’m not from a big family, but it was a nice size crew and lots of laughter.
Now, many of the elders have passed, I’m estranged from my siblings, then of course their families then, too. These are long complicated stories…we were never a really happy “family of origin”. It’s really just sort of sad.
We now spend the holidays with BIL, his girlfriend and any kids of theirs that are around, thanksgiving was boring to be honest. The nephews were with their mother this year.
So, the thought of decorating, which I will do alone, makes me sad. The thought of holidays past makes me sad. I wish it were a more low key holiday like in most parts of the world. It lasts too long. I usually get the warm spring of the season until about a week before, and just feel like I’m going through the motions.
Add to the whole mix, I don’t really believe in Jesus, although raised Christian. Bah humbug…abasket, let’s head out for a virtual drink together!
I see no reason to celebrate Christmas if you aren’t Christian. Long ago when the kids were little I used to dread Christmas because I put so much pressure on myself to make it a perfect memory for them. I decided to only do what was enjoyable and meaningful. I hated doing Christmas cards, so I dropped it. It was so freeing. My husband enjoys decorating so I let him lead the way with that. I’m also almost done with the shopping so I don’t spend Dec stressed about that.
One thing I do enjoy every year is sponsoring a family. We all got a kick this year buying for a family with 3 kids.
I wish we’d stop rushing every season. I got a laugh out of the post about the poor apple because everyone was in such a rush for pumpkin. I’d like to see Christmas trees in December and be able to buy shorts and bathing suits in July.
I do miss the kids being in the shows at church.
I love Christmas, though I’ve really dialed back what I do since the kids are grown. I do not like it that it starts too early, as I like each holiday in its season. So for me, Christmas season starts today. Bring on the carols!
We started our own traditions several years ago. Church service and dinner on the eve, then gifts, lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and a movie on Christmas Day. I do some decorating (not a lot), no baking, and keep the gift giving simple.
This year we are going to NYC to spend Christmas Eve and Day with D and SIL. Should be fun!
We love to, it’s the best holiday, festive. I would miss smell of cedar from the tree and garlands. We do gifts for young people only not each others, nieces nephews, young cousins. We used to do advent calendar when my kid was young. That was a lot of work looking for something small and special other than candies.
You need to do only what brings you the most joy! Hopefully, everyone can minimize the rest and don’t decorate your house until you want to - if at all.
We did advent wreaths and advent calendars too when the kids were small. Now, I’ve gotten the advent calendar of beer for H at Costco so we’re keeping the tradition alive! No seriously, I just love the smell of fresh greens so I’ll go shopping for different varieties at local nurseries and Home Depot and make arrangements with them. I used to make wreaths, but that’s a lot of work and they dry out. Now I just stick them in floral foam that’s been soaked in water, in a nice flower pot, and keep them watered and they’ll last for more than a month. I make some for friends too and it makes me happy.
As for the rest, well I try to minimize it. H can be a grinch, especially about hanging lights outside so I’ve learned to just do it myself or not do it at all. He’s usually cheery about running errands so I’ll send him off to do that and then we’re both happy.
I don’t think Christmas should start one second before Thanksgiving. Thankfully, except for chocolate advent calendars and the center aisle of the CVS I haven’t actually been bombarded this year. We aren’t Christians, but were brought up celebrating it. We usually put up a wreath sometime early in December and a tree the week before Christmas. I feel badly that I haven’t sent out a Christmas letter in a while. We don’t get very many any more and I really miss them. Facebook isn’t the same.
We will put up the tree, and probably cook a nice dinner on Christmas day. Haven’t had time to “church shop” yet, and D2 prefers to not go anyway, so we probably will skip that this year. I am just ignoring the fact that I need to shop for my extended family for the moment. 