Is the Christmas season (still) enjoyable to you...?

[DokiDokiTsuna]

...This is also kind of a roll call to see who's actually still here. ^^;

So, yeah. Christmas is in less than a week, and I feel very...blah. There's no excitement in the air at all. At the moment, I'm just stressed about ordering gifts before it's too late to get them here on time, and making a marinade for the turkey in the freezer...

I remember how I felt during October, though, in anticipation of Halloween~. Now THAT was my month! I was giddy since the end of September: Laughing at spooky memes, thinking spooky thoughts, planning my Halloween outfit, playing that cute Google Doodle game...what a rush. ^^ On the actual day, I didn't do anything except go to class/work in my outfit and eat a few pieces of candy, but it felt like so much fun.

I feel like a heathen for typing this, hehe~. XD But yeah, Christmas doesn't do it for me the way Halloween does, at least not anymore. Once upon a time, though, I feel like it must have...so how about y'all?

[punkarsenic]

i think the year i went off christmas and the year i started my emo phase are like... the same. it naturally becomes a kinda boring if not stressful times as u grow up - u get less presents, u want less presents, and u have to give presents.

my family are p chill on presents, so christmas is generally really blah for me? i dont get anyone gifts, and dont feel any obligation to. maybe that makes me an asshole? i took all my friends out for a movie and icecream tho.

the day itself is really just a drag - the whole fam comes to my nans and its all screaming children and food i dont eat. this year im planning on going home as early as possible to get some work done

[lunaartemisasama]

The only thing that I like is that is that I can meet with people I haven't see all year and eat a lot. It's common that people meet near Christmas like your old friends from college or high school or your old work.

Also here is summer, so everybody is waiting for New Year's to go to the beach :P. And sometimes people just go to work to exchange gifts lol, almost no real work those days.

[ar-ninetysix]

I just see it as another day, really. Holidays in general are whatever to me, tbh. I'm not close with anyone further away from my immediate family, and I'm not one to wanna spend a whole day with friends on holidays bc I'll get sick of interacting with them wventually and that feeling sucks. I generally try to spend it all lowkey and chill but like alone for the most part.

[kip]

i dont celebrate it im just here for roll call

i think it makes sense its not as exciting for you though? the older you get, the more stressful it's bound to become with gifts and expenses and the like. i can't imagine having to buy gifts for everyone you know all at once like the world's most stressful birthday

[storytimebiondi]

I remember how I felt during October, though, in anticipation of Halloween~

This is also my brother's big celebration. We do so much around this time of year! In October we celebrate Halloween and Leif Erickson Day! Which are two huge celebrations for us
Christmas is just obligations to me now. Gift obligations (which I hate, and my wife insists we do [no kids, just family]), and family visits.
Really, I should be more festive, but really, all I want for Christmas is some quiet time, and time to visit with my friends.

[Azifri]

I actually enjoy Christmas a lot. One of the reasons is because it gives me a perfect excuse to talk to people that are important to me. I'm otherwise not a social person and rarely contact others regardless of how much I like them, not because I don't want to, but because I really don't know how to start.

[kadazuro]

I Never cared about Christmas, the social convention/pressure to buy presents kinda make me sick. But since we got a son, things have changed mostly for making him have a great time. so don't worry about it, things might change in the future

[Kann]

Not much anymore. There's always those annoying family members invited to my house at Christmas that make me think of this holiday day as something I have to put through rather than an enjoyable day. As a kid excited for Christmas in October I couldn't care less, but now it's too much of a problem for me... xD

[AmysGames]

I love Christmas. It's always had a special spirit about it for me.

This year's been a bit ehh though, with family drama and whatnot. Maybe it'll turn around come Christmas itself, idk.

[feardeer]

I still very much love Christmas. I just don't love it for the exact same reasons I did as a kid. Back then it was all about time off from school, classic Christmas specials and music, and bountiful presents. I think, once upon a time, I even liked spending time with my extended family.

Now, some of those things are still great, but it's about the whole season. I love the atmosphere of Christmas. I love the way everything looks at night, the countryside speckled with Christmas lights, houses in town adorned with silly blow up Christmas decor, and ugh.. the city just gets so pretty. I love Christmas events, like tree lightings and musicals and there's a holiday train ride around here that serves wine and gives you a tree at the end to take home?? I've never been on it, but dang I want to.

Anyway, my point is, some of the magic of Christmas is gone. But that doesn't stop me from looking, or for finding reasons to still love the holiday season. I think, for people who find that they get really stressed out around Christmas, it pays to remember that you are not obligated to celebrate it the same way that everyone else does. Find a way to make it enjoyable for you.

[unknown_user]

I like Christmas and New Year very much, because the full week, which contains them, counts as a holidays for the most of workers in our country (we celebrate Cristmas in 7th Jan instead of 25th Dec, so the first week of every new year is a holiday week).
Right now I'm only studying and not working, but I'm waiting for the holidays even more than usual! My studying duties in the current semester end before the New Year, so I hope I'll be able to meet it relaxed, and then go to the winter holidays. They last even longer for PhD students than for working people, and we nevertheless receive stipend during January, which is awesome (this is so in my university at least).
Of course I'm anticipating very much how I'll be resting and making creative work during the holidays.
People around decorate their houses and everything, and it looks great and always remind me that the holidays will come soon, and I'll rest and have fun soon. When I think about it, life don't feels like something bad at all

[ratscout]

I adore Christmas! I know there's a lot of silly movies out there telling the audience that Christmas is about the Christmas spirit and not about presents, but it's kind of true! I love the cold air, I love the spirit of giving, and I love taking night walks with my family to look at the lights! Lastly, being a Christian, I love what the Holiday is originally about!

[cjjoughin]

Christmas right now for me is just an extra excuse to hang out with friends, watch movies, and bake and that's pretty great. I'm a sucker for Christmas lights and snow and in a lot of ways as the holiday time has gotten a lot more chill it makes it a lot more fun.

[eochoa92]

I love the leadup to Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the everything.
The magic this year, though seems to be on the low side, though. I went shopping last week and it wasn't as exciting as it usually is. Even last year was still great.
I also did very minimal decorating this year.
What I'm attributing it to is the semester which finished last week was kind of a downer for me and I was more concerned with that instead of getting stoked for Christmas.
However, it's still five days away. I've been listening to Christmas music to cheer me up. Now, I just need to watch some Christmas specials to really get me into the spirit.

[rmdooley]

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I do not give a darn about giving gifts or receiving them because that is completely secondary to the the reason Christmas matters.

I love the music.
I love the decorations.
I love midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
I love being reminded of what matters.

[Shanny8]

For me almost every holiday can be a fun time & memorable time- and a bad/"meh" time for reasons. At one point I liked the holidays coz I would spend time with family and the memories were good- nowdays I really dont care to be around my fam as much coz some of them have changed over the years. I dont like the commercialism of Christmas; I dont like how people are shitty the whole year, and then think they can absolve all of that by performing some small feat/action of kindness during the holiday season.

Now that my kiddo is grown and gone, I try to find other ways to enjoy myself during the holiday season. I'll kick back, take a few days off from the day job, and watch movies- I might even go to a movie...

[ScribbleJay]

Christmas is my favourite holiday, and I love it just as much as I did when I was a kid -- maybe even more so. Yes, buying gifts is super stressful, but exchanging gifts is still fun. Also, the winters where I live are long and dark, and Christmas brings some light and joy to what would otherwise be a very depressing month.
It helps that I work as a face painter, so I get invited to all the Christmas parties

[skicoak]

It took a few years but once I got everyone to accept I wasn't giving/taking gifts.... it became so much more enjoyable and stress free.

Buying gifts for the four kids in my life is a joy.

I can enjoy parts of the season and avoid the economic scam the season has become.

[joannekwan]

It's definitely not the same when you're out of college.
It's also more depressing with family getting older, some not being there anymore.

So while I enjoy being part of secret santa exchanges with my friends, it's definitely not as fun as when I was a kid. Traveling to see cousins, getting presents, decorating the tree, having X-mas parties at school, making X-mas crafts …