I quite liked the holidays when I was young, but as I got older they turned into nothing but a source of stress and anxiety. Eventually I stopped celebrating them all together - Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, etc.

It was extremely freeing to no longer feel the obligations surrounding those dates. No stressing out in the malls trying to find something. No having to pretend to be enjoying myself while I want nothing more than to get away from everyone. No more people shoving cameras or video cameras in my face, trying to catch embarrassing moments for "memorable pictures", making me self-conscious about everything I do.

I'm in my 30s now and I still don't celebrate the holidays. The only thing I've done in recent years is I pick up something for my niece and nephew at Christmas and on their birthdays. They're too young to understand why I want no part of it so. Beyond that though, I don't even go to any family dinners.

If the holidays cause you a lot of grief I don't think it's wrong to avoid celebrating them. They are meant to be a time of pleasant togetherness, so if they are not that than there's not much point... at least in my opinion. Once you no longer feel forced into that stress than you're able to decide what parts of it you actually want something to do with (like the presents I buy for my niece and nephew).