Bah humbug

Christmas is one of those days that isn’t about your enjoyment. It’s one of those days where you need to plaster a smile on your face and try to make sure everyone else is enjoying it.

I cannot understand the appeal of Christmas. It seems to start in August and the craziness just builds over the latter part of the year. The pressure to conform to bewildering traditions me makes me want to run away and hide.

It probably doesn’t help that’s it’s right in the heart of winter and I have an enforced week off work. Surely it would be better to work whilst it’s cold, wet, dark and miserable outside then have a mandatory week off in summer to enjoy the better weather. I know that can be a bit of a gamble in the UK but at least you get more daylight in the summer at the very least.

The madness begins with the shopping for gifts. I do enjoy buying people gifts but why just one day a year. I much prefer buying bits and pieces people need throughout the year rather than fighting my way through crowds of people and panic buying something they don’t want just so they can unwrap something on the day. Or better still go out and spend time with the people you love instead.

Then moving onto the dinner, turkey and roast potatoes…yuck! I wouldn’t eat them the rest of the year so why do people assume you want to eat them just because it’s Christmas Day. Oh yes, that’s right, it’s traditional. Give me a nice juicy steak instead.

I guess my dislike goes back to when I was a child. I used to spend the day bored out of my mind being stuck indoors. If I had to spend the day cooped up at home why on earth did I have to get dressed? To be honest that hasn’t changed as I’ve aged!

What about the other things that go with Christmas? Well I didn’t bother with any decorations until I met Sir, he loves Christmas so I always do my best not to ruin it for him with my reluctance. We buy a tree every year and I help him decorate it, or at least I throw decorations at it and he redoes it to make it look it pretty.

Finally there is family, I love them I really do but the balancing act of who’s parents you see and when just fills me with dread. My mum is the best at snarky comments and ‘don’t worry about me’s’.

I know it makes me sound like the grinch but I really wish people would stop with the ‘cheer up its Christmas’ all you achieve is making me hate myself even more for feeling this way.

I used to make sure I was away every Christmas, that way I avoided all the stress. No family, no presents, no tinsel, just fun in the sun.