Hey, It’s Okay… If Christmas Isn’t Your Favourite Holiday

Hey everyone and welcome to the twelfth and final Hey, It’s Okay… post for 2016! Before I get into the post, let me just clarify I’m not going to get all bah humbug and Scrooge on you.

Twinkling lights, snow falling down, fireplace roaring, stuffing your face with food, sounds like Christmas right?! Movies always paint a picture of how Christmas looks and how it should be when in reality it’s not always like that. Take Christmas in New Zealand for example, Christmas is in summer so it’s always warm – you won’t see snow and there won’t be a fireplace roaring. I’ve had 20 summer Christmases (coming up 21) and I still find it weird. I’d love to experience a cold Christmas one day and curl up on the couch with a cosy jumper opening presents.

Personally, Christmas isn’t my favourite holiday but it’s not my least favourite either. I have reasons why I like it and reasons I don’t.

I love the idea that Christmas brings family and friends together and you get to swap presents and celebrate and spend time with each other. Christmas is also a great excuse to indulge in lots of yummy food and overeat. Roast pork with crackling is what my family normally has for our big meal at lunch and it is delicious! Pavlova (a meringue based dessert) is my absolute favourite and a Christmas treat I always look forward to! Let’s face it, we all love receiving presents and the fact someone has gone to the trouble of thinking what to buy you is really what counts but I thoroughly enjoy gift shopping for others and I boast that I’m a pretty decent gift giver. I like to get my shopping out of the way early to avoid the last minute rush. Christmas lights and decorations automatically make things feel more like Christmas and I never tire of looking at fairy lights.

On the flipside, like many other holidays Christmas seems to be becoming more about children. I know children are fascinated with the idea of Santa but I think if we focused more on family traditions as we grow up we wouldn’t feel as stressed and overwhelmed by all the shopping/cooking/preparing that needs to be done. Christmas to me has always seemed like the type of holiday that is for the family (compared to something like Halloween where it’s normally only kids that go trick or treating). Christmas should be a time of togetherness and celebration, not worrying about trying to top last year’s presents. This brings me to next point, I don’t want this to sound rude but a lot of children these days are spoilt. When I was a child (and still now to an extent) I would never ask or suggest what I wanted as presents. It’s the thought that counts and you get what you are given. Love and thoughtfulness should not be compared to a monetary value! For many families, they can’t afford extravagant gifts or the latest technology and I know from personal experience and growing up that way that what you do receive is appreciated more.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t give presents or exchange gifts but instead of the price we should be focusing on the meaning behind the gifts and how special the people giving them to us are. Often it’s personal, handmade gifts that are far more meaningful.

Maybe I am being overly critical and assuming everyone sees Christmas the way I do but things have changed since I was younger and the magic of Christmas seems to have gotten lost among commercialisation. There are elements of Christmas I enjoy but it’s almost like the excitement of Christmas is lacking. We should spend time trying to bring that back rather than who can get the best bargain in the sales after the big day!

Is Christmas your favourite holiday? Does it still feel magical for you?

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I really hope you enjoyed the Hey, It’s Okay… series! Let me know if you would be interested in more posts next year and if you have any suggestions or topics you’d like me to discuss.