When I was married, my husband really liked doing the whole "Christmas thing" - putting up a tree, outside lights, decorations, etc. And during those years we bought a fair amount of presents for our family (which is thankfully very small - we chose not to have children, so we basically bought for my mother, stepfather, grandmother & father and his parents). Compared to many families that isn't much, but it always stressed me out.

During and after my divorce I was working full-time and going to grad school so I didn't have the time to get "into" all that stuff and my immediate family is now just my mother and stepfather as my grandmother is deceased and I have little contact with my father other than sending a card.

Now, my opinion is that Christmas is WAAAYYYYYY too commercialized with too much emphasis on greed and people going into debt for basically ONE DAY! I feel very free now not to be part of the mad rush and I observe the day according to my faith.

P.S. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood so I enjoy Hannukah as well - even have a menorah