One.
Let Christmas arrive slowly.
Two.
Christmas, as it is celebrated in the UK, demands that you supply it with more than all the money you can spare. In return you get a John Lewis advert, a Coke lorry and a sense of guilt for not feeling jolly enough. It’s a bad deal.
Christine’s sister has a son who is severely autistic. Christmas causes him, and consequently the whole family, a whole lot of stress and misery. About a month ago she informed the extended family that she and her family don’t want to be stressed and miserable so they are are not doing Christmas.
Christine and I immediately said, Let’s not do Christmas either! We talked to our 18 year-old daughter about it and she said, Hooray! Let’s not do Christmas.
So we’re not doing Christmas.
This is kind of a lie. We are doing the food and drink and spending time together. But we’re dumping the consumerism, presents and guilt like sewage from a Southern Water treatment plant. (We’re still figuring out how this will work in practice and how to make it a wonderful celebration for everyone, including the 10 year-old.)
I’m telling you this now because there are still 94 days until Christmas. If that fact fills you with anticipatory joy, carry on. I don’t want to get in your way. But if 94 days fills you with dread or unease, here’s another fact:
You don’t have to do anything that culture says you have to do for Christmas.
There’s plenty of time to inform your friends and family what you are doing different this year. They might be annoyed or bemused. There’s a good chance they’ll be inspired.
Three.
You tell us, Aly & AJ.
As I write about choices this week, my goal is not to be prescriptive – i.e. stop doing that and do this instead. I’m trying to show that there are deeper, more interesting, more joy-filled options than what our culture offers – i.e oh wow! look at these possibilities over here.
Grow slowly
Jeff