Do you like Christmas?

I have always loved the conditioned expectation of Santa Claus visiting.  For whatever reason I seem incapable of freeing myself from that insane training.   I am attracted to the right to be unbearably excited. 
The balancing aftermath consists of the directly opposite feelings to the unbelievable  joy: I dread that.  It feels like appalling grief. 

I hate Christmas. Never had a happy memory at home when I was little. I don't enjoy it now as an adult either, it's loud, busy and too many bad memories.

• I like the idea of it, presents and fun but it's too much for me to cope with.

Thank you.

No.  No, no, no.

Welcome to the community! I'm glad things are making sense to you now. I was diagnosed early in teens but I'm still finding new things that fit in and make sense.

Lol love that Dawn love you all but leave me alone haha. You're not alone I feel the same way and I'm also the Grinch of the family.

Yep, I start dreading it from the beginning of October.  

But remember folk you do not HAVE to socialise.  I know everyone expects it and they don't get it if that's not a "fun" thing.  But, I generally find:  "Love you all, but leave me alone until after New Year" kind of works.  They all jokingly call me the Grinch, but I don't care. My mood is 100% better on Jan 1st.

I like Christmas. I'm a big kid at heart, love the feel of joy it brings with it in my house. My wife is the same. Our daughter sadly passed away when she was eleven but she was also a huge Christmas fan, always woke up at 4 in the morning to open her presents. I miss that.

I don't like how busy it gets though. In the shops people are so loud and push and shove I try to do online shopping if I can at this time. I have had panic attacks in the shops before. Always avoid them if I can.

I love the tree and lights as well. The front room looks brilliant all decorated and festive. And I love cooking the Christmas dinner, my favourite meal to cook.

I've just had a diagnosis of ASD at 60.  I'm female.

This post really caught my eye.  Everything I've experienced in life is falling into place now with the context of ASD.

I have always hated Christmas for the same reasons as you, and more.

It's easier now as I've told most people I'd rather not buy presents and there is no longer a big family to have to get together with.

I used to hate those family gatherings ...

When I was about 10y.o. I liked christmas because it was the only time of year I could get some sweets, if I managed to steal them off chrstmas tree at night

I couldn't cope with that. You should get a medal for making it through Christmas!

I saw in the shop yesterday there's already advent calendars for sale. Crazy it's not even December yet lol.

aye at delivery place i work at we already are seeing christmas trees coming through and have been since mid august. it does seem around end of august start of september that christmas starts to have a effect on work and the chaos begins.

i still live with parents so i dont need to worry about starving yet, just not sleeping or having any time at home. although with my start times my meal times already have been altered as i start at 12 but set off at 11 meaning i have to have dinner at 10.30 to adjust for work anyway lol which to be fair may actually be beneficial as i make it my big meal of the day and apparently its better to have bigger meals early and it helps keep the weight off and use all the energy of the meal up.

I work in a supermarket, where Christmas starts in the middle orf September, and ends in January. I put first products on display on Tuesday 6th September 

For me it's the worst time of year at work, because it's expected to make double cheerful face, and to lie about having amazing Christmas (I can't do that), while my last 3 Christmas I spent alone in bed, battling the thoughts to end it all

Outside there is a lot of extra fake blinking lights that hurts my eyes at night, and makes me nauseated if it's blinking red

At work you're a forced to work extra hours, and last week before Christmas without day off, and if manager isn't thinking about employees and you start before store opens and finish after it closes you won't be able to do any shiopping and you'll starve during christmas, as I did last 2christmas, 

If you have no children you should be allowed to wear a badge ''Christmas exempt''

I don’t mind Christmas Day, I find the two months leading up to it very stressful. The non stop tv advertising, constant Christmas songs on the radio and shops forcing Christmas on me, it over stimulates me. I try to keep away from a lot of it. I find it’s another day similar to birthdays and anniversaries when people have expectations and the day is too different.

when i was a kid i liked it. who wouldnt right? free gifts, excitement, the only time you got anything new.
then ofcourse when your a adult its just another day.

then ofcourse when you get a job in a business that is super busy at christmas like a delivery business, then its hell.... its pure hell.... your not allowed days off or holidays in the christmas period or any month near it, and you have to work 16 hours a day, and your not allowed any rest ans you are worked to death. so yeah christmas sucks when you work in a delivery company. we are santas slave elves that get worked to death and whipped all so you lot can have a nice christmas, bet you dont think on that suffering that comes with all those presents you order lol

I spend most of December tense, depressed and anxious because of Christmas. I cant stand it. Ive never understood the appeal of it. I like the real meaning of it and I like being with my close family but I dont get what else is good about it

People spend money they dont have to buy other people stuff they dont want or need

and that awful pressure that you must enjoy it and it must be the most magical time of the year or theres something wrong with you

I am so glad when its over

I liked getting presents as a kid, the only thing I like now is the food. I hate writing cards so much, buying and wrapping presents can be an expensive chore. If I spread it through the year I’ll end up losing stuff and just spending more overall. There’s something different to remember every day for my daughter’s school and parties for extra curricular groups as well. I don’t believe in Jesus or God etc at all so it just all seems like a way of being made to spend money. I really wouldn’t be bothered if it didn’t exist

Not a fan personally, none of it really makes sense to me. The stress of buying gifts for people that they invariably won't want or like but have to pretend that they do. The enforced "fun" and socialisation with family members that don't bother with each other the rest of the year. It's just commercialised now rather than being a religious festival. I've often been called "the grinch" and had all of the "bah humbug" comments over the years, but I'm not against other people enjoying it. I just don't understand it or find it fun myself. Same goes for my birthday, I tend to just treat it like any other day. Having said that I do enjoy the time off work and a good roast dinner

I love the smell of Christmas trees. I don't like the lights though, they cause me to go to sensory overload. The flashing is horrible. I do like the sweets though, but can't have too many.

I like Christmas itself, the tree, mince pies etc., but the feeling of pressure in the run up is horrible, of having to write cards and come up with appropriate presents for rather 'difficult to buy for' people. On the whole, I would not miss it greatly if it was banned again, like Oliver Cromwell did in the mid 17th century.