Do any of you pretend Christmas doesn't happen?

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Do any of you just ignore Christmas or other holidays? I stopped giving or receving presents or taking part in Christmas dinners or other festivities. The expectation that I should be greatful for a gift when I'm miserable and when it's from a relative who hates me makes it too fake for me to bear it The expectation that I should be happy is too much. It seems pointless to pretend to be excited about presents and food when there are massive things wrong (in my relations with family, etc.).

So for a few years I have just stopped doing Christmas. I literally can not act well enough to do it even if I try. After a Christmas where I was in trouble for not looking happy enough, I just said leave me out of it in future, and everyone was fine with that. I treat it like it's not happening. I'm surprised by my relatives' willingness to let me. First they objected - said it wasn't done. Then I pointed out how messed up our family is generally, breaking a few other conventions wouldn't make a difference, and they acqueincesed.

Anyone else do something like this?

Christmas is irrelevant to me; pretty much like any other day except the TV programs tend to be somewhat different.

I still want christmas pressents but procrastinate in getting them. Also we don't always celebrate on the 25th in my family.

My sister is the only person I exchange gifts with. Other than that I don't care much about holidays but like the season and decorations.

We could not agree with you more! Ever since our childhoods (we're twins), we've been told to smile for pictures and socialize. We've been yelled at by our evil stepgrandpa for not smiling enough. Because we have eating problems, the big family meals are an ordeal too. Holidays just make us feel depressed times 10 because of how much like outcasts we feel, seeing everyone else enjoying a feast, smiling, and having fun being with each other. We don't have the money to buy everyone gifts and our grandparents always sulk when they don't get anything. Like Charlie Brown said, "I already know nobody likes me, why do I need a whole holiday to emphasize it?" We often feel like Rudolph and Hermie also: even among misfits we're misfits! Even though we don't like Christmas some of the old holiday specials are fun. This year we're not really celebrating Christmas at all. We're doing Hanukkah instead because we're converting to Judaism. Our grandparents are mad, of course, but they've hurt us on so many holidays in the past, it's time we get a holiday for ourselves. We pretty much only exchange gifts with each other and our parents. We wish the whole season could be over also. It's just rainy, cloudy, and dark, and phony. What's to celebrate?

I'd love to, but nobody I know is willing to just leave the f*****g day alone. I always get dragged into it, and it's annoying as all hell.

Christmas is unavoidable where I come from. The Christmas adverts on the telly began at the beginning of this month, and a lot of the shops have their Christmas decorations up now (lights, trees, tinsel etcetera), and it's so in your face that you just can't forget it. Plus everyone in my house has Christmas off, so we might aswell get out the Christmas tree and buy each other gifts and cook a roast turkey on Christmas day, otherwise we would have all that time off just sitting at home looking at each other.

I'm one of those dorks that listens to Christmas CDs in July when I am in the mood. Christmas is my favourite time of year, and I never try to avoid it.

I will never ignore it. I will always put up the trees and listen to the music and put up other decorations.

I like Christmas but it varies the extent to which I celebrate it according to my mood and what my situation is in any particular year

So some years I haven't bothered putting any decorations up but others I have

I always like buying presents online though and buying nice food to eat while watching (hopefully)
some decent films on TV

So I still have quite a childlike love of Christmas that a varying amount of bad experiences in my life haven't been able to put a complete damper on

I recently bought a really nice LED Light Penguin decoration from M&S

http://www.marksandspencer.com/LED-Ligh ... B0038SH284

that changes colour and I'm really pleased with it

I do tend to pretend New Year's Eve isn't happening though as these celebrations seem a complete anti-climax and waste of time after Christmas

It's impossible to ignore the commercial aspects, though I do my best. It's always a shock to walk into stores when the decorations are first out, and I sort of bah humbug the whole thing when I see that (silently to myself).

To me it's not so much a Christian or religious thing, or even an extended family thing anymore. We (DH and I) sometimes celebrate the Solstice, sometimes Christmas, but we're very limited in what we do. We have a nice dinner for two, and sometimes exchange a gift or two, but the gifting as a surprise is rare anymore. Instead we'll agree on something to get for both of us, like a movie we want to see. I rarely decorate anymore except maybe something tiny here and there - we have a few cats now, including a couple of young ones, and they really can't be controlled as far as what they'll decide to play with if we decorate in a room we can't shut them out of. So, for their safety, we keep it to a minimum.

I used to send lots of cards every year when I was younger, but I rarely even do that anymore.

I used to love to have a tree in the house. I love the smell. I loved Xmas as a kid, all the decorations and excitement, the specials on TV, etc. I still love to see houses decked out, but we don't live near one of those neighborhoods where that's done. There used to be one just blocks away that we would drive through each year when we lived near it.

The Christmas tree confused my cat Portia one year - she weed under it, evidently thinking she was out in the garden lol

Then there would be no Christmas lights...

Christmas is a great time of the year to feel ... forgotten by everyone.