I feel like there are two types of people in the world: those that love Christmas and those that hate it. I, myself, have been a member of both parties and, although perhaps a little unusual, I have found that the older I get, the more Christmassy I become! What is it, though, about this season which so divides us? Why is Christmas day such an important one, whatever your feelings are about it? And is it possible to create your own personal Christmas that works for you even if it's not strictly traditional?
I think I first began to feel the woes of Christmas somewhere in my teens. I got so stressed about buying amazing presents for everyone I knew, so worried about running out of money, so het up on Christmas Day itself when any little thing wouldn't go to plan... it soon became my least favourite time of year. I couldn't believe how sucked in to the Christmas chaos I and everyone around me became once December hit (and much earlier too); to me, the capitalism and commercialism was so overwhelming and it all felt so fake.
And it wasn't just the bulging shops and over-spending that got to me either. I would consider myself to be somewhat of an introvert - I find socialising quite difficult and particular social events, like Christmas parties, are pretty challenging for me. I would say it's also quite typical to meet people at Christmas gatherings that you really don't know very well, that you haven't seen in a long time or that you are meeting for the first time altogether, and going through a season that is so filled with these events, as Christmas tends to be, really takes it's toll on me.
Then one year, when I was about 20, I decided just not to care about any of it. I barely even wanted to acknowledge Christmas at all; I declared I didn't want a tree in the house, or any decorations, so my mom and I created what became known as the 'Christmas Installation'. This was basically a cute little hand painted stool we picked up at a charity shop, wrapped in fairy lights, and with some little wooden tree-thing sitting on top! Thinking back on it, maybe it was a bit weird, but it certainly made me feel like I had taken control over my own Christmas and not given in to the craze, so this gave me a lot of happiness that year!
The famous Christmas Installation!
Around this time of my life, I also spent one Christmas by myself and in a different country to my family and friends. There will be a later blogmas post dedicated to this experience, but I think that was the year when I had my turning point. I realised that Christmas really didn't have to be over-stuffed with pointless gifts or small talk at parties, and neither did I have to be a Grinch, spending the day by myself and grumpy. I could make it into a nice time of year for myself and do things I wanted to do. After all, fairy lights on a little tree really do look pretty, small and sentimental gifts are lovely and go much further than big and unwanted ones, and having a period of time when family can come together and hang out is important
So, if you are someone who is dreading Christmas, I encourage you to leave behind all aspects of it that you resent and look for nice ways to personalise it! It might be coming up with something creative to cook that isn't turkey, chucking out all of those horrible Christmas jumpers that you always hated, or arranging a quiet Christmas with a friend. There are no rules to Christmas; whether you love or hate it, it can be a wonderful time of year if you make it into one!
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