The Grinch hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season. Now please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason....
This always surprises me about you because you're so generous, love to celebrate and cook, and are so into your family. You should be a natural for Christmas.
Have you always hated Christmas or is this something that came on as an adult?
But see, for the reasons you mention, is why I LOVE LOVE LOVE Thanksgiving. I get to have all of the cool family togetherness (and I do ADORE my family), but I get to have all of that without the pressure of buying presents and going in to debt to do it.
I don't have wonderful memories of Christmas as a kid (but don't think I had a crappy Christmas....I just have very few memories of a kid in general). I do think that my Christmas tree is beautiful.
I guess my frustration with Christmas is borne from disappointment: from getting presents that I don't need/want/like, to giving presents that were an ill-fit for the recipient, despite me making my best effort to find the perfect gift. And the idea of buying presents for people I don't even like just pisses me off. I do best if I can just totally avoid the present giving/getting part of the holiday. BUT, I do like to grab something off of my shelves that I've made (homemade jelly/jams/pickles,etc) and just give it to someone who would appreciate it .... with no expectation of getting something in return.
There is also so much frenzy involved in Christmas. I get super-involved for Thanksgiving, that by the time Christmas comes around, I am just burnt out and I feel like I have nothing to celebrate. All I want to do is rest, watch really bad Lifetime movies on tv, eat deliciously 'bad' food, and nap when I want, and - generally - just have a lazy day.
Fundamentally, I just hate spending money, and shopping gives me great anxiety. And let's not even talk about all of the crowds that make me cringe. The NOISE! The PUSHING! The KIDS SCREAMING! The FULL PARKING LOTS! The ARMS FULL OF PACKAGES THAT I HATE CARRYING AROUND! All of that just totally sucks for me; I have no joy in it at all.
If I just skip the present aspect of Christmas, I think I'd like it a whole lot better.