Christmas can really suck – so stop expecting everyone to love it | Emily Olle

Let’s be real, Christmas can be awful. We should rethink how we talk about it, writes Emily Olle.

Let’s break the festive ice here – I’m no Grinch. Christmas is a time for parties, friends, family and taking stock of the things you hold most dear (for me, large amounts of Prosecco).

But I also believe Christmas can suck. I mean, really suck.

No, I’m not talking about the unbridled joy of little Timmy ripping open his brand-new iPad or Santa’s footsteps leaving their snowy tracks alongside Dasher’s nibbled carrot.

I’m talking about the non-stop merry-go-round of social anxiety, consumerist propaganda, broken homes, broken families and broken bank accounts as all the year’s issues are brought to the fore.

The festive season seems to bring about two things: wearing more crappy paper hats and reading more unfunny bonbon puns than the previous 11 months; and having your face shoved repeatedly and unforgivingly into the “Australian dream” of the nuclear family.

Look at these happy people! Good for them. Picture: iStock.

From supermarket giants’ festive ad campaigns to your Aunt Beryl asking for the fifth time when you’re having kids, conversations revolve around the idea of prawns and a BBQ with mum, dad, grandparents and a litter of excited youngsters.

If that’s you, that’s wonderful and I wish you well (please have an extra serving of cocktail dressing for me – that mayonnaise-tomato sauce combo is the true meaning of Christmas).

But for many, Christmas is an unforgiving whitewater ride of grief and frustration, trying to keep your head above water as intrusive questions become the small-talk norm.

“When will you tie the knot?” “Where’s your partner?” “Why aren’t you seeing your parents?” “Why didn’t we get presents this year?”

It may be because of family you don’t have, family you wish you had or family you simply don’t like.

Let’s be extra kind this Christmas because let’s be real, 2022 kinda sucked.

You may be struggling with the financial pressures of putting food on the table, be working through the festive period, choose not to celebrate, or have nowhere to spend the day.

This may be your first Christmas without a loved one, your first Christmas with a chosen family, or your first Christmas without a roof over your head.

For a lot of people, 2022 has been pretty crap. But that doesn’t mean the festive spirit can’t live on.

This Christmas, check in with your mates and family who might be struggling a little more.

Perhaps swap out a present or two for a donation to a worthy charity – or maybe invite a few extra plus ones who may be looking for somewhere to spend the day.

Hold onto the people and things that do bring you joy, be extra kind to those around you – and, please, give yourself an extra serving of seafood sauce.