Do you secretly dread the time of the year when everyone is going gaga over the holiday spirit? You don’t have to be a real-life Grinch if you do so. And you are not alone! So if you have been questioning yourself “Why I hate Christmas?”, read this article to find out what’s about this festival that rubs people like us up the wrong way.
Research suggests that Christmas can bring on immense stress for many people and trigger a lot of negative emotions. A huge section of people either discreetly or openly loathe this holiday and can’t wait for it to get over. There’s a long list of reasons why people like you and I hate Christmas. Let’s check them out!
Reasons Why I Hate Christmas
Although the pressure of Christmas affects the psyche of people in different ways, I have compiled a list of the most common reasons that make Christmas iffy.
1. Toxic Family
Christmas is a perfect opportunity for families to get together. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with a happy family. People who come from dysfunctional families or have suffered abuse or trauma while growing up, find it extremely difficult to attend these obligatory family gatherings. Moreover, there are those toxic relatives who pop up only to make snide comments and make us feel crap about ourselves. Who needs that kind of negativity?
Also Read: Dealing with Toxic Family Members: Narcissistic Abuse Recovery
2. Holiday Shopping
Christmas puts on us a huge burden of gift-giving, compelling us to make that last-minute frantic search for the ideal Christmas present for our cousin whom we have not seen in the past 5 years. It is stressful enough to make time from our busy schedules and go for the customary holiday shopping to buy everything on our ever-growing shopping list, not to mention the financial burden and anxiety it brings along.
3. Lack of Perspective
Many of us seem to have forgotten the actual reason for the season among this whole Christmas mayhem. People hardly think about the less fortunate ones and have made this whole occasion a celebration of consumerism and commercialization. Our Christmas spirit is now all about presents and putting up expensive lights and decorations to show off our riches.
4. Environment
The ill-effects of Christmas on nature and the environment are hard to miss. Not only do we use excessive fossil fuels for our bright lights and blow-up machines, but it is also a sad and pointless act to cut down a tree in its prime, only to decorate its lifeless body with plastic and non-degradable items. And all these for what? Only to throw it out after a few days.
5. Imposition
One of the main reasons why people like me despise Christmas is surely the way society imposes it on people of other communities. For a country that values cultural competence and separates the state from the church, it is highly inappropriate to assume that every citizen celebrates Christmas. Wishing Merry Christmas to all and sundry and not allowing any other religious festival to be an official holiday, makes Christmas a festival to despise for many in the US.
6. Spiritual Beliefs
There are many contradictory views when it comes to the origin of Christmas. Many believe that Christians have hijacked this season from the Pagans who used to celebrate the Winter Solstice around this time of year. There’s also a popular belief that Jesus wasn’t really born in December.
Also Read: Sun and Sabbats: The 8 Most Important Wiccan Holidays
