Thanksgiving 2010 was the last holiday I celebrated. Shortly thereafter I decided that holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations were something I could do without. Christmas 2010, I did not buy anybody gifts, although I did give the people in my life warning. Many of the people in my life followed suit and had either a family dinner or treated it just like any other day, no gift exchange. The overall reaction from everyone was a surprising “it was relaxing”. No lines, no fuss, no decorating, no cleaning up. Some felt bad and bought presents for just the kids. It was interesting and gave me encouragement to complete one year without celebrations.
New Years, I stayed in, no TV, no movies, no drinking, just stayed in and went to bed at 11 PM. The next morning I woke up energized. As I progressed through the year, I had to not celebrate people’s birthday. I thought it was rude to say what I always thought about birthdays so I either did not talk to people on their birthday or explained to them that I no longer celebrate birthdays. Many people asked if I had become a Jehovah’s Witness but that is not the case. I finally explained to some people that I felt birthdays
promote selfishness and self-worship. I always felt this way but never expressed it because people always assumed I was being shy, modest, or humble when I told people I did not want to celebrate my birthday or accomplishments.
After one year of no celebrations I don’t feel like I missed out on anything and I am starting to feel like time is linear again rather than circular. No more counting down days to the next celebration, no more lists, no more stress. I’m glad I took this step as it always bothered me how much waste is created with millions of people wrapping presents, using boxes, ribbons, balloons, “disposable” cups, plates, and utensils that all get tossed in the trash after just a few hours. My opinion is it’s hard to be green if you actively participate in creating waste for the landfills with all the “disposable” materials used in celebrations.
One last benefit of doing away with celebrations is that I don’t need a certain day to be nice to people. I treat everyone with kindness and respect and I am actually more sociable. I say good morning to strangers on the way to work and good evening when I am out for an evening stroll or jog. Being nice to everyone all the time is better than being nice to some people on certain days. Many people find holidays and celebrations stressful, doing away with them was an excellent way to reduce stress in my life.