I'm always amazed at how many people force themselves to do all sorts of unnatural things during the holidays and then wonder why they hate Christmas. If you don't want to do it, don't do it.

We never traveled over Thanksgiving and Christmas, my mother doesn't do a big Christmas dinner, we don't visit people whose company we don't enjoy, and we always have a fine time. We always do cold cuts for Christmas dinner and then pancakes of Christmas morning (well, for lunch, really, after presents are opened) so we don't waste all day cooking when we could be playing with our new stuff. This year we're going birdwatching. Last year we went up to the [Texas] hill country and went sightseeing.

We've always ignored gift fads and we don't buy presents for the whole extended family. I buy or make 5 gifts--two parents, brother, sister-in-law, best friend. Everyone else gets a card or nothing. Cousins, nieces, and nephews don't get money or gifts after the age of 18 in our family unless you happen to be super close on your own terms.

I don't care what anyone else does or doesn't do at Christmas, but it's not like it has to be all or nothing. Yeah, it's overblown. Ignore it and do it on your own smaller scale, or not at all.