Is Christmas Overrated?

Christmas looks different for everyone. Especially as families grow, traditions change, and loss reshapes the season. As a mum, photographer, and someone navigating Christmas after losing a parent, I’ve found myself asking the same question year after year: Is Christmas overrated, or does it just feel different now?

Christmas When the Magic Changes

My girls are now 12 and 9. Gone are the days of sprinkling reindeer food outside and snuggling on the sofa, reading books about Santa coming down the chimney. No Santa visits in the lead-up to Christmas, no mince pies left out.

Where has the magic gone?

Then the day comes. The excitement is still there, but the wide-eyed gratitude and “I can’t believe I got this, I’m so lucky” reactions left a long time ago. Now it’s more of a calm, polite appreciation.

When Family Traditions Fade

When Dad and Granny were here, Christmas Day had a timetable. Dad came to us for breakfast. Mum for dinner. Dad and Granny again for tea. The day was split, busy, full. You barely had time to sit down before it was time to move on to the next stop.

Now it’s… still, no rushing about, no timetable, no one is coming or going throughout the day.

After the presents are opened and the morning is done, there’s this lull. An emptiness. Like everyone’s gone home. Except no one was here to begin with.

I really can’t put into words how much I miss my Dad! It still doesn’t feel real at times. like maybe he will just call me, and when I take too long to answer, I’ll hear the words “were you in the west wing” once more.

Should We Escape Christmas Altogether?

So I’ve started wondering about switching things up next year. What if, instead of facing the whole festive season at home, we flew abroad? Packed a suitcase, changed the scenery, avoided the strange quiet that settles in once it’s all over.

But then I wonder… would that help? Or would it just be running away with a passport? Would the emptiness disappear somewhere sunnier, or would it just turn up at the airport carousel with the rest of the luggage?

Is Christmas Overrated or Is It Just Grief?

So, what do you think? Have you ever been abroad for Christmas or New Year’s? Did it shake things up, or did the Christmas blues just follow you, wearing flip-flops?

Then there’s the real question. Do we lean into it and go full festive, Lapland, snow, huskies, pretending we’re very enthusiastic about the cold? Or do we do the complete opposite and head somewhere hot, like Egypt, where Christmas dinner is replaced by sunshine, and the only thing jingling is the ice in your drink?

Speak soon

Lisa