Once my parents are gone, I am seriously considering giving up on celebrating holidays. They are such a hassle and a drain on my mental, emotional, and financial resources. I already try to keep it to a minimum as best I can, but my family likes to go all out. Anyone else feel this way?
I don’t do much for holidays anymore either. Sometimes I’ll still decorate with what little I still have, and I do enjoy giving my friends Christmas gifts, but the only thing I do other than that is bake something special. That’s actually becoming a bit of a tradition, learning a new recipe for the holiday season. It’s easy for me to do this because I don’t have kids, though. The only thing I kind of miss is dressing up for Halloween, especially because I always loved creating my own costumes on the cheap. However, I’m not much of a partier anymore, so there probably wouldn’t be much of a reason.
I would have to agree. If finances were not such a pain in the freaking ass, holidays wouldn't be such a pest for me. But they are, and presents are just expected from loved ones, and sometimes if you don't cough up with gifts, tension arises. Then when you do have the money, you then have to worry about what to get for people. Most years I can't be bothered, and I am glad that everyone knows I have little money, because then I don't have to participate lol.
I've always worked on holidays so I'm used to not celebrating them. These days it's a good reason for people to get together, but as I have always worked in retail or have been freelance I have rarely had major holidays. I guess they can seem expensive, but work has always been a good reason for me not to 'celebrate' as I am too tired or I have to get to bed early if I have to work.
For some people, even though holidays don't mean much to them, they'll still go with the "flow." And if there are young kids or grandkids then you certainly have no choice in the matter. If they intend to visit, you must decorate, buy gifts, etc. I don't celebrate any holidays except Christmas because we usually have some sort of family reunion at that time.
Yes, absolutely. I'm not even religious so the holidays hold no special meaning to me at all. I dislike the obligations regarding card and gift giving, the dutiful visits you have to make and going through the whole charade. It costs far too much money and leads people to get into debt which they can ill afford. I prefer to work during these periods if I can. The television is dreadful and there's little else to do so I always try and get as much work in as possible. We get paid double for working public holidays too so it's a no-brainer to me.
I won't give up holidays but I won't go crazy either. I keep it within budget and try to take shortcuts. I am not above ordering the Turkey dinner with all the fixings from Kroger for Thanksgiving. You don't have to kill yourself preparing everything and not enjoying it. I know of some families who each bring something so the hassle and expense doesn't fall on just one person or family. Fourth of July is easy as you can just grill hambergers and hotdogs and get a few salads on the side. It has always been a tradition in my family to celebrate the holidays in a big way and I will continue with the tradition in my own much smaller way. I love Christmas and will always do that. A while ago we started only giving gifts to the children at Christmas with an age cut off as they got older. It is much less of a strain on the budget. I know of some families who pick out of a hat for a name and then they only have to buy one gift. I think it's nice to keep the holidays if you can but do it so you don't feel hassled and can enjoy them.
It sounds like it's time that you take some time for yourself and give yourself a nice "holiday", such as a good rest from the year's hassles and stresses. I always like to get away from everyone and everything during the holiday seasons, and go camping on my friend's farm. He's got a beautiful acreage and is more or less a recluse. So, I pitch my tent down by the river, where I don't disturb him.
I feel the exact same way. I think there are some holidays that I couldn't possibly skip like Christmas, since there are kids in the family and it would feel awful to deprive them of that experience, but there are certainly a lot more holidays throughout the year that just feel so unnecessary and stressful. Either I stop celebrating them or I might just celebrate them my way.
