I still enjoy Christmas. I love going to my paternal grandparents house to have a Christmas dinner with them and my cousins, open presents, play games, and I love getting a few hundred dollars. Hell, I had a blast at this years gathering (despite having those monthly cramps). <3333
But I can relate that the spirit just isn't the same as it was when I was a child.
I'll have a bias in this as Christmas was always irregular in my family, but I'm just not the focus anymore as I'm older and that's the main thing. From what I've seen online in younger generations, with the absence of a tween phase these days seems to also contribute to how gifting or the overall feel of it is.
Sorta, it was most exciting when I was a child. But I still enjoy it, I still look forward to watching all of the Christmas specials that comes on TV (mainly though streaming today. Because we no longer have cable.).
i don't have that joy that i once had as a child when it comes to christmas. it's nice to recieve a gift, i will admit, but that same excitement when it comes to looking forward to opening gifts and the holiday itself isn't the same now. kinda miss it.
I still enjoy Christmas as it's the only holiday that my family celebrates now, and I feel that if we just stopped doing Christmas then we wouldn't celebrate each other at all. It feels a bit empty without the childhood magic, but it's still enjoyable.
To me it really depends of the years. I'd say the last 3 years it did, and I was starting to believe I just hated the holidays, but this year it did not. I believe it depends on my mental health, my surroundings, the mental health of those around me, how much stress we are under...
Luckily I was able to celebrate with my close relatives this year, I was in a good spot mentally, and there was a child, so it felt more magical, but it's rare all the good conditions are met.
I'm going to cherish christmas 2024 for as long as I need until the stars align again for a good christmas. Next year? In 2028? Maybe never again? Who knows!
I think the excitement fades or changes as you grow older and that's fine. Ever since I started having hospital duties the holidays became less excitable, and even now during my review season they only gave us 24 hours to celebrate the holidays and it's back to the grind right after. But I guess what matters to me is that i still allot time for friends and family. ^^
the day itself doesn't honestly, Christmas Day has almost always been a nice day. it definitely was this year
the weeks following up to it, though, yeah they do feel empty. I don't really like to actively celebrate a month in advance, though I do like to decorate with lights and trees and whatnot. I think the pressure to go all out with Christmas stuff in the weeks prior makes a normal day feel more empty to me.
I don't get excited about all the holiday shenanigans all month long like I used to. just having a day or two to spend with family, exchanging gifts and cooking/baking and watching movies and sharing stories, is fine for me
