Five Ways to Relate to People Who Hate Christmas

Perhaps you know a normally compassionate person who hates Christmas. Some people hate Christmas- or at least the Christmas season- for all the right reasons.  Here are just a few:

• Obligation to buy gifts
• Pressure to spend money
• Crass materialism that takes away from the meaning of the season
• Pressure to go to family get-togethers or company parties
• Being forced to be around people they want nothing to do with the rest of the year
• Painful reminders of people who have passed away
• Dealing with unpleasant ex-spouses and the challenge of merging blended families

And then there are people like my wife who think Christmas was made just to make her happy; she gets so enthused, she starts decorating in July. However, if you have someone you know that finds this time of year disgustful, I have a few suggestions to help you relate to them.

1. Avoid making them join in all the reindeer games – make sure your invitation to the party or the family gathering comes with a no-guilt clause if they don’t show
2. Acknowledge their feelings- their displeasure has a reason. Find out what that reason is, and you’ll make a friend
3. Don’t call them Scrooge – or say, “Bah, Humbug”
4. Ask about things they’d rather do this time of year than get caught in all the trappings of the season
5. Ask them what their favorite time of the year is and why

Perhaps the greatest gift you can give a person who hates Christmas is kindness and understanding. Perhaps the greatest gift you can give anyone is kindness and understanding.