A Less Bah Humbug Christmas
I’ve not been a fan of Christmas for a long time. When I lived alone I tried to ignore it. On alternate years when my parents didn’t visit me on Christmas Day, I had a Christmas-free home. The years they came to me, any decorations were taken down the same day.
I was strictly bah humbug about Christmas.
Christmas was never a lot of fun. My Mum had a blueprint for Christmas that was followed religiously every year. It felt like Groundhog Day.
The house was always cold. The turkey, which had been cooked the day before, was cold. Chocolates were rationed. Even on Christmas Day my Mum monitored what I ate.
It became easier to ignore Christmas as much as possible. To pretend it wasn’t really happening. To engage as little as possible.
I brought this philosophy into my relationship with Chris. The only year I put up a tree was 2016, the year my Dad died. I got out my parents’ tree and covered it with every single Christmas bauble and tree decoration they had owned. It was a once in a lifetime event. I sold the tree on Facebook, and dispersed some of the decorations via the local charity shop.
After that, a thin pink tree appeared. One with its own lights. It was plug and play Christmas. Join it together in the middle. Plug it in. No baubles required.
This year Chris suggested we go all in on Christmas. We’ve been watching traditional Christmas films (Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, Trains, Planes and Automobiles), listening to Christmas playlists.
I was hoping to make cake, pudding and mince pies but that ship’s sailed. We have, so far, eaten several home made (by someone else) mince pies, and the best Christmas cake I’ve ever had.
And we have a real tree. One in a red pot. With crackle glaze lights.
It’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas!