When nature provides this in the morning. 
Working again 
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15 years to the day (17 December) since we arrived in France to liveā¦
- no xmas decorations
- no xmas dinner
- no massive queues at the supermarket weeks before the āfestiveā day
- no Boxing day
- no hassle
whatās not to likeā¦
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No Christmas. 
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bahā¦ humbug
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Very pretty!
Obviouslyā¦ we are all very different.
For me, Christmas has been magical since very early childhoodā¦ and I enjoy keeping this going for those around meā¦ (as well as me, too).
But I do appreciate some folk detest/dont botherā¦ and all shades in between.
Iād give anything to have had a video camera to capture that moment when our little tot crawled downstairs and caught sight of our Fully Bedecked Christmas Tree in all its glory, for the very first timeā¦
This year, we are very calm/quiet re decorations. We wont be having guests, so weāve just put out a few āfamilyā deccy bits which hold good memories.
No Christmas tree this year, so no need for the āfairyā which predates our daughterā¦
How she loved being held up to pop that ancient fairy on the topmost twig, once she and her Dad had bedecked the jolly green giantā¦
Decorating the tree was a father/daughter special treatā¦ I was only allowed to watch. 
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I only got that joke because Christine explained the modern use of that word last week,
BTW Edit: The link in my OP appears to be working now, no idea why it didnāt before or why anything has changed, if indeed it still has.
Edit Edit: Just noticed that Santaās reindeer appear to have been shoed with horseshoes. 
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Itās an interesting time. Christmas always happens to me, and some aspects are great, some not so much. In young adulthood presents were still great, but now are less so since we no longer need āstuffā. Getting together is a necessary part of retaining family identity, yet it tends to be a time to make the best of rather than actually enjoying it.
Parties are often awkward and lonely experiences. Small talk is difficult with people you know but arenāt friends, and donāt have shared interests. Groups often form which resist entry and thereās an internal sense of pressure to 'find someone ā even though Iāve been happily married more than 40 years. I also donāt hear well, and conversation is much harder in a noisy environment.
So Christmas is good, but uncomfortable.
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Once well into her Teens and very much her own personā¦ we always made it very clear to our daughterā¦ if you get a better offer to celebrate Christmas with friendsā¦ take itā¦ donāt worry about us.
We were sincere and it was much appreciated by our darling girl.
thus the times she spent with us, it wasnāt out of dutyā¦ but because she hadnāt had a better offerā¦
More often than not, we had a mixed bag of last-minute guests (from the pub) and it made such occasions good funā¦ if rather chaoticā¦
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I found being alone that I couldnāt be bothered to decorate or put the tree up. It was a very easy state of mind to get into especially as I knew the only people to see it would be the neighbours. Now with family on the doorstep and a new home with plenty of space to put the big tree up again after 11 years it has been lovely and my little grandson has a problem with where the smaller decorations have been placed and keeps moving them around, never know where I will find a santa or a reindoor ornament.
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Thatās exactly what I have always done with my daughter. 
This Christmas I have been too tired to do anything in the house or write cards.
Itās not the same.
I am now feeling better and will make the fish pie for Christmas Eve and the smoked salmon pate to take on Christmas Day.
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I arrived 23rd December 2004 . Christmas shopping condensed into 1 day.
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Graham, your non-christmas list (no decorations etc) seems strikingly similar to ours.
We have also painstakingly negotiated āNo Presentā pacts, both with each other, and our respective families.
It has taken some years to persuade my very traditionally Christmas minded mother and sister in-law, but finally all are āsigned upā. Greatly reduces the stress of Christmas for us, and also ensures no unwanted presents. I do appreciate though that this is not for everyone!
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We do send cards - mainly just to remind people that we are still live and kicking (and still able to annoy the hell out of them) but as for presents, like you, we donāt bother except in so far as to bung a few quid to our son (in the UK) to buy something for the 2 grandkids.
This year they are taking them for family holiday time together over the festive season which we have made a modest contributed towards.
Sorry dudes,
Every window has lights, I have a big Herrnhuter Star hanging from the veranda roof, and icicle lights adorning the wall under the veranda. The pompier, who it turns out drank in the same pubs as me in my hometown in Germany, was very complimentary indeed. But the calendar goes in the bin. Pictures of crispy livestock and burnt out houses, anyone???
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