Poll Is Christmas the most wonderful time of the year for you?

[Mercedes12]

It can be a lovely time of year if everything is going well for you but if you're struggling in any way, it just makes things seem 1000 times worse. I have lots of bad memories of Christmas as an adult.

Also completely agree that the pressure put on people is ridiculous - it is so expensive and excessive, all for 1 day.

 

[Calabria]

I hate Christmas because it used to be such a big family thing when I was a kid - the focus was never on presents, just on being together as a family. Now my family have their own families (my Mum died when I was young and my Dad remarried) and aren’t interested in spending time with their spinster daughter/sister/aunt even though we all live within a couple of hours drive apart.

I get offers to go and spend Christmas with friends but never accept because I’d find it too painful to be around happy families knowing my own don’t give enough of a shit to ask me to join them. I mean how pathetic does that make me look? Instead I shut myself away in my little flat and wait for it all to be over whilst planning how I can cheerily brush off all the questions from colleagues in January about what I did and what I got for Christmas from my family when the actual answers are “watched Netflix and cried” and “nothing, not even a phone call”.

 

[Mercedes12]

Seeing the kids so excited over Santa and the tree. All the markets for them and then Christmas Day yes. For me personally financially every year toys get more expensive and made shittier.

I’ve noticed family on insta and Facebook already having competitions on the best tree, who got their kids what, who’s going to make the best dinner!! I just don’t care for it I don’t remember it being like that when I was younger.

I dunno it’s got to commercial. When I was younger it would be my whole family scrunched in my grandads London house cramped round the tree. there would be so much laughter and love, the adults would get drunk and all of them chipping in to cook.i had 22 cousins so we would all be opening presents playing with toys together.
My kids don’t have that.

Crazy how Christmas has become basically who can take the best picture on Instagram whilst probably sitting there being a miserable fuck.

People getting themselves in debt just so they can buy their children piles & piles of gifts - to take a photo on Xmas eve for social media, to show how much they've bought their child!

 

[Twinkle485]

People getting themselves in debt just so they can buy their children piles & piles of gifts - to take a photo on Xmas eve for social media, to show how much they've bought their child!

This. My kids go without all year. They get 5 gifts each that’s it. (This years been a little more expensive after what they asked for) it’s not that we can’t afford it we have become financially more stable over the last two years luckily but I’d rather take them on day trips during the year then waste it all on Christmas. A mum at the school has admitted for the past 3 months they’ve lived on beans on toast so the can all have new consoles and scooters and branded clothes it’s insane.

 

[Practically Perfect]

I hate Christmas because it used to be such a big family thing when I was a kid - the focus was never on presents, just on being together as a family. Now my family have their own families (my Mum died when I was young and my Dad remarried) and aren’t interested in spending time with their spinster daughter/sister/aunt even though we all live within a couple of hours drive apart.

I get offers to go and spend Christmas with friends but never accept because I’d find it too painful to be around happy families knowing my own don’t give enough of a shit to ask me to join them. I mean how pathetic does that make me look? Instead I shut myself away in my little flat and wait for it all to be over whilst planning how I can cheerily brush off all the questions from colleagues in January about what I did and what I got for Christmas from my family when the actual answers are “watched Netflix and cried” and “nothing, not even a phone call”.

Come to me - i will feed you Baileys and Selection Boxes.

 

[Twinkle485]

Seeing the kids so excited over Santa and the tree. All the markets for them and then Christmas Day yes. For me personally financially every year toys get more expensive and made shittier.

I’ve noticed family on insta and Facebook already having competitions on the best tree, who got their kids what, who’s going to make the best dinner!! I just don’t care for it I don’t remember it being like that when I was younger.

I dunno it’s got to commercial. When I was younger it would be my whole family scrunched in my grandads London house cramped round the tree. there would be so much laughter and love, the adults would get drunk and all of them chipping in to cook.i had 22 cousins so we would all be opening presents playing with toys together.
My kids don’t have that.

Crazy how Christmas has become basically who can take the best picture on Instagram whilst probably sitting there being a miserable fuck.

 

[JellyWobbles]

As I’m getting older the more I am disliking it. It’s great to have my husband home and see my kids faces light up. But the mass consumerism, pressure for perfection for literally one day is grating on me and makes me feel ridiculously anxious. I’ve actually bought less for my kids this year using the four present rule which has helped somewhat but still; Christmas has lost its value to me really.

 

[Yel]

Is it for you as an adult?

For me no it isn't, I do like seeing the children all excited and happy but feel such a pressure for families to all get along and sadly it never quite works out. Then all the mass consumption of plastic and food makes me feel quite uneasy.

The build up is too long, in mid November I've got work colleagues trying to get me to have some shit factory food "because it's Christmas" and I'd really rather not.

 

[JessicaFletcher]

I've always hated Christmas. The pressure is too much, theres always obligations of some sort then it's over then the anti climax! It gets earlier every year. Since having my child I do get a bit more excited and the build up is a bit more enjoyable but I really could take it or leave it!

 

[JulieScoobyDoo]

Nope. It is all pressure, consumerism and expense. I can't stand it.

 

[bubbletea123]

We have a nice Christmas.

We used to travel to my SO's parents for Christmas but it is a 12-hour drive and once we built our house and got a dog, we told them we wouldn't be doing it anymore. You can imagine how that went over. My family is in the UK so no chance of seeing them at Christmas unless travel is involved.

Last Christmas was perfect. We had leftovers from Christmas Eve for dinner (Polish food) and spent all day in our PJs watching Bodyguard on Netflix. Probably the best Christmas day we have had. Then on Boxing Day, we made a roast which was nice.

Christmas isn't my favourite. As an adult, I can't be bothered with all of the consumerism. For our gifts, we buy something to read, wear, want and need. Works out quite well.

I have MH issues such as anxiety and panic attacks and I find them worse at this time of year. The dark days and I think the "pressure" to be full of Christmas cheer. I also don't like New Year. But maybe that is just me.

Also, I swear people were putting their tree up even earlier this year...like the beginning of November. What is with that? We have got our tree, we bought a real one but are yet to find the time to decorate it. Lol.

 

[Sabbie]

I used to really love it but with all the family thousands of miles away and everyone here back at work on the 26th I've decided to not decorate this year. It feels quite liberating so far but if I cave and want to stick up a tree I know it's because I really want to. Because nothing is happening we're going to have Nepali food take out for dinner on the day. Looking forward to it already.

 

[MakeMineADouble]

For me there seems to be a kind of magic in the air, everyone seems to be a bit more cheerful, the food, the songs, the lights.... just slap my arse and call me Tinsel Tits.

 

[bubbletea123]

Phewwwww I thought it was only me who felt the pressure!!!! Money ... Food..... Family..... every year I’m the host and to be honest I’d rather get on a plane and sod off to somewhere hot... no one ever offers to cook.... no one contributes .... I’m left to organise the whole Shabam.... I’ve got grown up kids and a husband who thinks helping is peeling carrots !!!!! Yeppp !!!! More fool me...


I’m the same and tbh it’s really starting to get on my nerves

So neither SO or I's families live in the same city so we have Christmas by ourselves, lol. After reading folks comments on here, it makes me happy how easy it is. I couldn't be bothered with the stress of hosting people.

 

[LittleMy]

Now I'm nearing 30 I've experienced over a decade of Christmases as an adult, the same pressure to buy things, send cards, attend work team meals, see family over several days, buy too much food etc.

I have made a few changes this year:

- Limited who buying presents for so I can save money for my own needs
-Using brown paper and string to wrap presents - cheaper, lol. and less commercial
- Not sending cards, partially because I can't be bothered, partly because of the paper waste, and partly to save money. At least with a spotlight on consumerism and unnecessary waste, I can say "It's called being good for the environment" ahaha.
-Not stock piling so much food weeks in advance. I need to eat better anyway and soooo much money can get wasted on food that makes you feel bloated and sick. Instead, I'll buy some mincemeat and some pastry, make a few dozen mince pies and that's my lot. "Christmas" dinner will just be bog standard chicken, potatoes and vegetables.


Luckily at work my team has a deadline to meet (20th Dec) and noone can be bothered to decorate the office so in a way, work is a nice escape this year from the buildup. The only thing I've not managed to swerve is the department Christmas meal, because work is paying for us and shutting the office, and I don't want to use up a day's leave to avoid going in, lol. Call me Scrooge but I hate large-party meals. When you have food allergies and end up picking the only shitty menu choice, and you don't drink, it's hard to enjoy when everyone else is getting increasingly more merry lol.

Hubby and his family have never been big on Christmas so there's no real pressue on me to "perform Christmas" but let's face it, for many, Christmas is an expected performance, you gotta make it happen, for some that means eating beans for months (), for others it's spending time with people that threy don't get on with.

I do however like all the shitty telly and rom coms whilst eating a mince pie, having hot chocolate, and also I am grateful that working in education sector, means we get paid to be home for a week and a half (very grateful to have time off for Xmas and New Years).


There's absolutely no hate on anyone who loves Christmas as much as Zoella, if that's what makes you happy then that's amazing. I think what jades a lot of us is the 2 or 3 month build up, the escalating tendancy to spend pennies "because Christmas", mass consumption, and then the pressure to perform/provide.

Maybe my views will change if I become a parent, but for now, I'm happy to be low key, and spend with the few people in my life that matter most, whilst also having some much needed time off work, post crazy deadline! Is it just me or does December always have lots of crazy deadlines running at the same time as the build up to Xmas? I'm feeling so run down right now!

I’m a parent and if it wasn’t for the kids I wouldn’t bother. Used to love it, but as I’ve gotten older I can now understand why my older relatives used to moan about it. It’s lost most of its meaning. People getting into debt for one day, parents trying to keep up with each other over how many Christmas events/activities they can take their kids to in the build up (events which are so expensive). All the stupid fads/trends like Christmas Eve boxes, Twat on the Shelf, matching festive pyjamas. It’s sickening. Winter itself is a hard time for a lot of people anyway. I always get a bad case of SAD, it feels never-ending. It’s no sooner done and dusted then it’s December once more and so the whole rigmarole starts all over again.

I love my kids’ joy when they see their new toys, but they have autism. If we didn’t make a big song and dance of it every year, then they wouldn’t know any different.

Not this year. I just feel pressure. Pressure to have the family round all day and cook, clean and smile while they all get Merry in the front room. Unaware of me breaking down in the kitchen

You should them to all chip in and help. Ugh. I hate that it always gets left to one person. You’re gracious enough to host for them, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind doing their bit.

My best Christmases are the ones when we don’t have any visitors, stay in our pjs all day, eat good food, watch festive telly, sod the cleaning and let the kids play with their toys.

 

[emmer_moans]

Now I'm nearing 30 I've experienced over a decade of Christmases as an adult, the same pressure to buy things, send cards, attend work team meals, see family over several days, buy too much food etc.

I have made a few changes this year:

- Limited who buying presents for so I can save money for my own needs
-Using brown paper and string to wrap presents - cheaper, lol. and less commercial
- Not sending cards, partially because I can't be bothered, partly because of the paper waste, and partly to save money. At least with a spotlight on consumerism and unnecessary waste, I can say "It's called being good for the environment" ahaha.
-Not stock piling so much food weeks in advance. I need to eat better anyway and soooo much money can get wasted on food that makes you feel bloated and sick. Instead, I'll buy some mincemeat and some pastry, make a few dozen mince pies and that's my lot. "Christmas" dinner will just be bog standard chicken, potatoes and vegetables.


Luckily at work my team has a deadline to meet (20th Dec) and noone can be bothered to decorate the office so in a way, work is a nice escape this year from the buildup. The only thing I've not managed to swerve is the department Christmas meal, because work is paying for us and shutting the office, and I don't want to use up a day's leave to avoid going in, lol. Call me Scrooge but I hate large-party meals. When you have food allergies and end up picking the only shitty menu choice, and you don't drink, it's hard to enjoy when everyone else is getting increasingly more merry lol.

Hubby and his family have never been big on Christmas so there's no real pressue on me to "perform Christmas" but let's face it, for many, Christmas is an expected performance, you gotta make it happen, for some that means eating beans for months (), for others it's spending time with people that threy don't get on with.

I do however like all the shitty telly and rom coms whilst eating a mince pie, having hot chocolate, and also I am grateful that working in education sector, means we get paid to be home for a week and a half (very grateful to have time off for Xmas and New Years).


There's absolutely no hate on anyone who loves Christmas as much as Zoella, if that's what makes you happy then that's amazing. I think what jades a lot of us is the 2 or 3 month build up, the escalating tendancy to spend pennies "because Christmas", mass consumption, and then the pressure to perform/provide.

Maybe my views will change if I become a parent, but for now, I'm happy to be low key, and spend with the few people in my life that matter most, whilst also having some much needed time off work, post crazy deadline! Is it just me or does December always have lots of crazy deadlines running at the same time as the build up to Xmas? I'm feeling so run down right now!

 

[HumanPerson]

I'm not a fan of Christmas. I tolerate it. I'll do the tree and the big dinner but I don't really find it magical. The kids enjoy it - but honestly, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't bother. I've never enjoyed Christmas, even as a kid.

 

[Sabbie]

To add to the convo above: I wrote lists for my husband for about 5 years and he used to ignore them and just freestyle it with tat I never wanted or ever needed. Needless to say we don't gift each other anymore and I buy what the hell I want. Not as fun, but less frustrating.

 

[Followtheyellowbrickroad]

Phewwwww I thought it was only me who felt the pressure!!!! Money ... Food..... Family..... every year I’m the host and to be honest I’d rather get on a plane and sod off to somewhere hot... no one ever offers to cook.... no one contributes .... I’m left to organise the whole Shabam.... I’ve got grown up kids and a husband who thinks helping is peeling carrots !!!!! Yeppp !!!! More fool me...

Not this year. I just feel pressure. Pressure to have the family round all day and cook, clean and smile while they all get Merry in the front room. Unaware of me breaking down in the kitchen

I’m the same and tbh it’s really starting to get on my nerves

 

[Deepsigh2018]

I enjoy christmas but mainly because my kids love it. I'm not going crazy with presents this year but I am looking forward to it and the general build up. We are having a relaxed one this year at home, simple roast dinner. I will stay in my pjs all day and just enjoy spending time with my kids.