December, the month of Christmas and New Year festivities, is associated with lots of get-togethers, feasting and general merry-making. Despite the festivities, some people view December with dread.
They hate everything associated with the festive season: the Christmas carols on the radio, the Christmas sales, the huge billboards of Santa Claus, Christmas plans and children pestering them for gifts. To Christmas haters, December is the worst time of the year.
Critics of Christmas festivities say the actual religious significance of the season has been forgotten in the frenzy of activity. Instead, society's attention shifted to consumerism, extravagance and the financial stress that follows Christmas.
“Whenever we approach Christmas, I find myself looking forward to January," says Benson Kubo, 41, a consultant. “People take Christmas as though it is the end of the world, yet we have Christmas every year,” he says. As he has a family, he feels compelled to join the Christmas festivities because society has made it an expectation. “Children enjoy Christmas and I want them to have good memories of it,” he adds.
Kubo’s quarrel with Christmas is the routine that comes with it. “During Christmas, you are supposed to be excited even when you are feeling down. You are expected to play certain types of music, eat certain types of food, go to certain places and get gifts. People are under so much pressure to conform to Christmas that they forget to enjoy the moment,” he says.
Opinions similar to Kubo’s are portrayed negatively in popular culture. In his book titled, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ English author Charles Dickens wrote of Ebenezer Scrooge, a fictional character who hated Christmas with a passion. Scrooge eventually changed his mind about Christmas after a visit from several ghosts. The ghosts showed Scrooge how simple acts of kindness can transform people’s lives.
Then there was The Grinch, the year 2000 film starring Jim Carrey. The Grinch is a crooked personality who wants to stop Christmas festivities. His plan backfired miserably when the community enjoyed Christmas despite his attempts at sabotage. Like Scrooge, the Grinch also ended up appreciating that the true purpose of Christmas is found by sharing with loved ones.
PURPOSE AND ORIGINS
In current times, celebrities Jennifer Aniston, Hugh Grant and Lady Gaga are reportedly not fond of Christmas. Former US First Lady Melania Trump was recorded saying she doesn't enjoy doing Christmas decorations. For most celebrities, the Christmas season provides huge financial gains from sales of music, movies and concert tickets.
Jimmy Mwandigha, a high school teacher at the Coast, thinks Christmas festivities have lost their original meaning. “They can be compared to secondary school visiting days, where instead of parents visiting and talking to their children, they go to show off their wealth," Jimmy says. He sees only a small group of people reflecting on the religious significance of Christmas and helping the needy. Like Kubo, Jimmy will be joining his family for the Christmas holiday.
Interestingly, the early Christians of 2,000 years ago did not have a special day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Christmas Day may have evolved from traditional Roman festivals held in mid-winter, which fell around December 22. However, there is little evidence to prove the links between Christmas and Roman winter festivals. In any case, Christmas as we know it emerged in central Europe rather recently, about 500 years ago.
By the 1840s, as Charles Dickens published his book about Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas was already a well-established tradition. Even in those days, there were concerns that people were focusing too much on festivities instead of reflecting on the spiritual meaning. Dickens' story encourages the rich to make a difference in the lives of the poor.
The Grinch in Jim Carrey's movie ranted about the waste of money during Christmas, lamenting that most of the gifts which people were exchanging would end up in the garbage dump near his residence.
HIGHER STRESS LEVELS
The negative views some people hold about Christmas could be the result of their previous experiences. People who had happy experiences for Christmas will want to relive the festivities. On the other hand, those who had a bad experience from a previous Christmas will be reluctant to indulge in festivities because of the memories. For instance, someone who lost a loved one on Christmas will remember that loss each time Christmas approaches.
Michael Mutz, a German researcher, reports that emotional stress increases during the festive season. He did a survey on emotional well-being across 11 countries. “People surveyed in the period shortly before or at the Christmas holidays generally report lower life satisfaction and lower emotional well-being compared to respondents whose interview took place outside of the Christmas period,” he says.
Mutz attributes the emotional changes around Christmas to time pressure, social obligations and financial concerns. Some people don’t get time away from work during Christmas and this could be a source of stress.
Others may not have money for Christmas. There’s also the fact that New Year’s Day is immediately followed by the financial demands for school fees, house rent and more bills that need paying.
Psychologists say that as Christmas marks the close of the year, many people get emotionally stressed because they feel they have not achieved their goals. An individual's perception of success or under-achievement in the current year can affect how they feel about Christmas.
As we get into the thick of Christmas festivities, it is, therefore worth remembering that not everyone feels the same way about it, and that it’s perfectly OK for someone not to be enthusiastic about the season.