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They went around the question. The tree, the debauchery of food, the polite atmosphere to avoid the umpteenth family crisis, the unpacking of gifts, very little for them. This year, it's decided, they will ignore Christmas Eve. Testimonies of those who decided not to undergo this imposed figure.
" Giving meaning to what we do ", Emmanuelle, 50 , caregiver
It's a fed up of the constraints that Christmas creates that prompted Emmanuelle, a nursing assistant, to consider something else. For years, she has been preparing the meal, cooking, and managing the purchase of gifts for the whole family. A month of December which ends up being expensive without having had the pleasure of relaxing and without really enjoying it: " All my thirteenth month's salary was spent there ." This year, therefore, she stops.
She explained it to her three daughters, who are now old enough to understand: on the 24th and 25th, she wants to refocus on herself. It must be said that because of her profession, Emmanuelle is already very devoted to others. " I want to make sense of what I do, " she explains. " Gorging myself on foie gras, logs for the holidays and then continuing with a diet for the summer, I see no benefit, no interest ." Emmanuelle will spend this time with the family. She didn't plan anything special, just a moment of sharing. Quite simply.
"My best Christmas ? A Paris-Tokyo on the night of December 24 to 25 ”, Fernando, 38
It has been ten years since Fernando stopped celebrating Christmas and five years since he took advantage of that day to travel. He takes a ticket well in advance on low-cost airlines and thus benefits from very attractive prices (around 40% cheaper). This December 24, 2019, he will be on the plane for New York and will save $ 700. It will be a quiet moment. His best memory: a Paris-Tokyo where he could sleep all his drunk with a neighbor who offered to exchange his place for hers because she did not want to be disturbed and be able to rest throughout the flight. A boon ! His approach surprises his Brazilian family, very Catholic. But for him, wanting to be alone, in peace, relaxation at that time is not contradictory with religion. “ No matter where I am, I can be with God. Religion is not an object for me. I practice it as it suits me . ”
To those close to him who think he has a pathological relationship with the Christmas party, he demands respect for his choice. " I like to party, I like to give gifts. But the ways of partying are unique to each. I don't need the hypocrisy of Christmas Eve. When I was little, we celebrated the birth of Jesus. On December 25 , everything was forgivable. We saw the family. And then on the 26th, everything was forgotten and we could continue to ignore each other brilliantly ” .
"Relearning tolerance", Thérèse, 69
Thérèse no longer celebrates Christmas in the same way as when she was little. On the evening of the 24th, she no longer went to mass. And this for forty years. Convinced ecologist (she was a student in the faculty of Jean-Marie Pelt, a famous French pharmacist and botanist), and resistant to social pressures, she turned to a Christmas that suited her more, far from the frenzy of shopping, far from the religion. She has kept only one thing, the joy of finding those she loves.
" Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in the world, " says Thérèse. And to add: “ It is so ingrained in mentalities. Even for those who are not Christians. So I do not refuse the Christmas spirit based on sharing, tolerance, but I measure my choices and I stay far from appearances . And it works all year round. " I don't want to give gifts that mean nothing. So I offer seeds to my loved ones. But I don't do it to evangelize on the ecology ”. Throughout the year, Thérèse shared enough to make her approach understood. She is confident with those around her. For many years, she would like Christmas to no longer rhyme with trash. It therefore banishes excess, and everything that could cause excess waste .
"The benevolence and solidarity of the associative world made me feel good", Jennifer, 32 years old
Last year, Jennifer spent Christmas with volunteers distributing food to the poor. The feeling of not wasting time, of being useful at this precise moment which is a moment of celebration for all, filled her while her family was absent. She liked it so much that this year she decided to repeat the experience. With the Eco-Charlie association , she will therefore collect unsold products in the shops of Nice to help people in need. On her blog, she admits a fed up of the overexploitation of this party for commercial purposes: " You have to make gifts and eat a lot ". Decorations, illuminated signs, shop windows, advertising spots, everything is set in motion to make us consume and spend more. When Jennifer shares her desire to spend differently on Christmas, she realizes that her approach is not always understood. For her, not celebrating Christmas is nothing sad or depressing. On the contrary...
" Being present for others, as a gift in themselves ", Thierry, 48
Thierry lives in a rural environment. He has made environmental protection a way of life and refuses the idea that his well-being would result from the increase in his wealth. For this Christmas, he decided to offer his loved ones ... his presence. " We are so caught up in our daily tasks, by our screens that precisely screen, that taking the time to be together in the same place without having a phone to communicate is already a gift in itself ".
Thierry will therefore find his family, dispersed geographically, on December 27. Society's injunctions to celebrate Christmas do not affect him at all. What drives him is to get out of this individualist logic which leads to overconsumption with the resulting problems: destruction of the environment to produce, to distribute, to sell, to destroy and finally manage waste. He protested in particular against the overproduction of salmon, an imposed Christmas commodity, with health impacts for consumers.
" A day without obligation ", Aude, 47 years old
Appearances, constraints, traditions, for Aude, it is indeed over. Her son is 11 years old. And for 10 years, she has decided to pool ideas for activities, moments to share for December 25. This year, the day will be devoted to decorating Sacha's brand new bedroom. When he was 8, it was a New Year's Eve spent playing, with no time limit. " Go for the Monoply at 11 pm! It could have been a day where you only eat desserts. Aude invents and stays away from appearances. This holiday is linked to bad memories of childhood. She therefore makes it a point of honor not to be overwhelmed by obligations. And it seems to work rather well since Sacha's friends envy her this Christmas like no other.
" Life deserves better than that ", Jean-Michel, 52
Jean-Michel has not celebrated Christmas for 25 years, " except accident ", he quips. He is a supermarket manager. That is to say if he is confronted with the great Christmas unpacking. And for him, this time of year is an opportunity to see more clearly the gap that exists between the different social categories: “ Christmas for me is almost a celebration of social relegation. This display of means is very shameless, indecent, with no extra creativity ”. This year, Jean-Michel will work on December 24. He admits that being alone is not easy either. Jean-Michel comes from a family of modest peasants. He remembers that as a child, Christmas was the occasion for an improved meal with uncles and aunts and simple gifts exchanged like a football. “ Basically, it's a popular celebration. It’s not that anymore. Too bad. Life deserves better than this . ”
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