Christmas Non-Traditions

So here’s a thing I’ve learned from watching entirely too many Christmas movies: just about every family – in the USA at least – has the same traditions. Sometimes, it makes me feel as if I’m doing Christmas all wrong. I mean, you know, I don’t do any of these. Never have, maybe even never will! And yet I continually find myself fascinated by them. So here’s some Christmas non-traditions!

Seasonal drinks

I don’t know if it’s just that, in Belgium, people tend to be a bit more relaxed about every single holiday. Maybe it’s just that I don’t drink coffee, and as such Starbucks and cosorts don’t really hold the same promise for me. Or maybe it’s just that I really believe that *cosy drinks* are for all seasons.

But the seasonal drinks? The pumpkin spice everything, the chocolate fudge added to the weirdest stuff and all the excitement about the holiday cups? It just passes me by completely.

(Then again: I will also still order a Cool Lime Refresha mid-January, so again: this might just be me :p )

Secret Santa

Now, we do this, sure. It’s, fun, it’s entertaining. But we do it for (really) small numbers of money. We don’t get competitive about it. We do it with a group of friends, sometimes. The things Secret Santa will make happen in some of the scenarios I’ve either read or seen? It strikes me as rather ridiculous – maybe even impossible!

Christmas Pyjamas

So this entire thing where whole families get matching pyjamas just for Christmas Eve? And then they *presumably* never get worn again? I mean, I would love some Christmas pyjamas, let’s be real. I would *love* any kind of pyjamas, if we’re being totally honest here.

I mean, come on! These have gingerbread men.

But the big, nay, huge deal that’s constantly being made of it? I’m sorry, I just can’t understand it. (Or at the very least, I won’t be able to until I’ve received some of these – if anybody still needs to buy me a Christmas present :p )

Midnight Mass

Let’s be clear: I completely understand this one. As a matter of fact, I want to do this if and when I can. But it just doesn’t really seem to be a thing that too many people think about? Also, we always used to go to church for the 5 pm service where they re-enacted the entire nativity story, so to go back to mass only hours after that seemed a bit excessive.

Oh, and also also? I’m a gran, I need to go to bed at 22 or I’m pooped the next day. And that’s really not something you want to have going on on Christmas day!

Stocking stuffers

First of all, Christmas day is a day for families giving each other presents. Santa Clause’s job is limited at best (more on that in my Belgian December traditions!)

But stocking stuffers? I mean, we don’t even hang stockings, which seems to me a bit of a requirement to get them stuffed. In general, though, I just don’t really know people that do stocking stuffers? Again: that might just be the people I know, but I just feel as if not’s really that much of a thing in Belgium…

Work Christmas parties

We’ll maybe have a dinner together. And a New Year’s reception on the second or third Friday of January. (Don’t know why those parties are always on those days, but they certainly seem to be.) But the huge Christmas parties? Which the entire company attends, and consequently gets drunk at? Yeah, not really.

Do you have any other non-traditions? Do you think I’m absolutely weird for considering these six non-traditions? Be sure to let me know below!

(Also, if you want to read the rest of my Blog-mas posts, be sure to check out the tag!)

-Saar