Three things I like about the holiday season:
- The lights. Here in the dark and frozen North, anything with lights is welcome.
- The festive feeling. Sadly, I find very little of that feeling welling up inside me. It’s not that I am depressed; I think it may be because here in the country I have so little exposure to Christmas decorations, Christmas music, and the general outpouring of Christmas everything that would surround me if I lived in a more populated area. Not that I am complaining, mind you; all that Christmas can get overwhelming.
- Presents. Really, do I have to say anything about this?
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Three things I dislike about the holiday season:
- The pressure. Every woman in America knows what I am talking about. Decorating, baking, buying and wrapping gifts, making a big meal. It’s a lot of work, and I am constitutionally opposed to working under pressure (even though sometimes that is the only way Things Get Done.)
- Christmas cards. I like getting Christmas letters, but a card with just a signature and a few words — why bother? Also not fond of the addressing and stuffing and stamping of our own. (See “pressure,” above.)
- Cooking an enormous meal for Christmas Day. I just don’t do this any more. None of us need the calories, and I don’t like having to provide them. We often find a holiday meal being served elsewhere, usually for a free will donation. I am happy to donate generously to not have to do all the work myself.
kmkat & her kneedles 
I like the Christmas letters idea, but I think they need to be started well before the holiday season, well, because of #1 on the #2 list, lol.
I finished up (I think) my shopping yesterday — and I totally went on Christmas overload. It actually made me cranky — and I don’t even DO that much shopping. Anyway, the lights are the BEST part of the holidays.
Lights I have — as you know, the vast metropolis of Pilot Knob lies at my feet. True, they are mostly yellowish and white, but the flash of brakelights adds a seasonal flair.
Festive feeling is lacking here as well. We don’t do presents much, because we all have more stuff than we need. My sis and I exchange thrift store gifts. Last year I gave her a demonic looking angel, and she gave me some bedraggled candy canes made of plastic greenery. They are still behind the seat in the truck. 😀😀😀 This year her present is a sparkly horseshoe I made at 4-H camp. Don’t tell her.
We do have a family gathering between Christmas and New Years, with my mom’s remaining sibs and my cousins. It is a potluck, and this year we rented a hall, so no one has to work very hard.
No pressure here. No decorations. I did ask Granny Lora if she wanted a tree, and she made a face. They are too much trouble, she said. So no guilt here.
I haven’t sent cards for years, no need to put more paper in the landfill. I will make a nice meal for the two of us, but no pressure there, either.
I do wish my grands were coming, but they spend Christmas in Iowa with Sarah’s family. 😔
Im so happy you said PResents. I LOVE the presents part. Some of us just do. Ihave a sister who cant stand that part of Christmas. I feel badly for her honestly. Even if it s a tiny something, I love to give a gift!
Presents –getting and giving is so much fun! I’m always thrilled to receive anything I didn’t have to buy for myself. 🙂
See, I LOVE Christmas cards! I try to make as many as I can each year, which helps me feel like it’s something special. However, even for those I don’t make, I just like sending them. I like getting them, too, it’s like getting a smile in the mail. I send about 70 cards out each year, though I send them with no expectation of getting any in return.
I do Christmas letters sometimes too, but I’ve lately been putting my energy into making cards instead of writing a Christmas letter.
Oh I hope you get more of what you like than what you don’t:)