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I am just not feeling any holiday spirit this year.

Am I going to be scrooging it by myself?

And my proof reading skills are gone too. Lol

[This message edited by Tallgirl at 3:57 AM, Saturday, December 3rd]

Not a Scrooge here, but fixed your typo!

I’m sorry to hear that, I aways dread Christmas because it’s a stressful rat race, my W won’t say no to any event or an opportunity, she is like a kid. We over decorate we over spend and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we spend running to all the family members houses.

Christmas 2020 everyone was still restricting due to Covid, we had a great Christmas because it was just our family and grandkids. We did that again in 2021. Thankfully it’s a new tradition and we aren’t over doing it.
My W came to the conclusion that she wasn’t really enjoying the rat race she was just caught up in it, people pleasing.

Make it what you want, make it your own and remember there’s always ice cream 🤣

Don't push yourself. I loathe Christmas for the insane commercial/capitalism debacle it's turned into. I don't want to threadjack with a rant though.

Do you like Christmas lights? Is there anywhere near where you can live that goes all out with decorations? Can you drive by with some hot chocolate & Christmas music on? And then go home and watch your favorite holiday movie and call it a day?

Don't push yourself. I feel like the more you try to fake the Christmas spirit to appease those around you, the shittier you feel. Be a grinch this year, if that's what you feel like.

Oh you're not the only Scrooge in the house lol it's perfectly alright not to feel Christmasy. Wh has been GrinchZilla since his grandmother passed.

Is there anything specific that's changed how you feel this year?

I'm kinda split. Growing up Christmas was easy. December Christmas with my immediate family and my paternal grandmother. "Ukrainian Christmas" in January with my mom's family.

Now every year I have to decline my SIL invitation to come to her house for Christmas day. It seems ridiculous to me to rush my kids through all of their gifts just to head to SIL for dinner. I dont know how people do that.

In my younger days I did enjoy sitting in the mall just watching people. They are all nuts, especially at Christmas.

I got smart this year and started picking up gifts early, a few each week. I dont feel stressed and have been able to get what the kids asked for before it all disappeared. Each kids has had one thing they wanted. ONE thing! Something they reminded me of often and asked me if Santa (for the 8yr olds) could get them etc.

I always compare all Christmas times with those at my Grandmother's house. She had Christmas lights on the tree that had bubbles. I recall watching those lights and falling asleep. Also at the school there was a community celebration with Santa calling names and handling out gifts. I always wondered HOW Santa knew my sister and I were there since we lived 60 miles away.

My Mom passed in 2019 and I haven't had a fun Christmas since then. She was like a kid about Christmas.

I'm trying to do better and hopefully will get into the 'spirit' next week after I see the doctor so I can quit worrying about my health.

How about just being thankful for anything. I went in to routine surgery past Thursday and ended up with major surgery, I can’t move,bend, lift, etc so cannot put up a Christmas tree. I love Christmas! Not happy no tree or decos this year but very thankful I’m here at all. Don’t mean to rain on your parade but maybe a time to just count our blessings. We don’t tend to think of everyday things but they are a big deal.

dontsaylovely, of course you are correct. We seem wired to notice the missing bits in life, though. And for some reasons the mandatory emotional expectations around the holiday highlights those missing bits. But health is #1, that's so right.

Hope you will be surrounded with love and assistance at this time as you recover.

Christmas is super stressful here. I no longer enjoy it.

Perfectly fine to take a year off if you don't feel like participating this year.

I'm not feeling it this year, either. I had back surgery in May and I'm still just sapped for energy. The idea of decorating for Christmas just makes me feel exhausted, let alone actually doing it.

Somehow, decorating for Christmas at our house got to be way too much. Are we the only ones that box up 3 rooms worth of stuff, just to put out Christmas decorations everywhere? It's just too much!

I don't want to buy anything, I don't want anything bought for me. I just worry that if we "skip" then we'll be depressed on Christmas morning.

SadieMay if you don't want to buy our have anything bought, what about making something together? Or instead of normal gifts why not buy a boardgame or something you can all play together on Christmas Day? I know some people who buy each other a game, open them Christmas Eve evening and start playing them then. Sounded like a nice thing to me.

I'm also feeling particularly 'meh' this year, for obvious reasons. I'm just glad we're going to be at my parents' house over Christmas.

I finally put the tree up. Can’t rush these things. It looks most pretty, but the best thing is I did it with my boys. That was special.

That's wonderful, TG. Glad you had time with your boys.