Brad, Lola and I decided a few years ago to abandon Christmas.
With all of our closest loved ones on the opposite side and ends of Australia, we got to talking about all the things we love and hate about Christmas Day. Love family get togethers - but we have/had them all year around, we didn't need Xmas day to get together. Love the food - so we can cook a Xmas feast every week if want to, though Xmas day does provide the motivation. Hate - religion and associated hypocrasy. Hate - the pressure it puts on families and friends to fight over who they spend the day with, or worse, travelling from one for breakfast, then one for lunch and one for dinner, just to see them on that day - insane, that's not fun for anyone. Hate - the waste and tack, plastic trees, tacky tinsell, don't get me started on snowmen (in Australia) and fatmen in red suits, printed wrapping aaaaarrrrrrgh. Hate - token gifts, things we don't need, the excess, the pressure. Much prefer to just see something I think a loved one would love and buy it for them at anytime of the year. Hate - the cost and the excess. So many people we know fill their credit cards with debt every year, only to work it off for the rest of the year. So this year, we stayed true and abandoned all the pomp and made it about the food. As for gifts, I bought Jay and Lola some shares earlier in the year, and on Xmas day gave them the option to cash out or hold. Jay chose to cash, Lola chose to hold until next year.
Started the day with a facetime to our eastern loved ones, a stress free awesome lunch followed by a sunset drive along the beach. No stress, no excess, no religion, just love.