The decision to not celebrate a holiday can be a struggle for those who want to and those who don't. No one wants to be seen as the Grinch and no one wants to feel like anyone is raining on their festive parade. 

There are surprisingly as many reasons to celebrate holidays as there are not to. This article is all about funding compassion and understanding for why someone may not be interested in yearly festivities. 

Reasons People Don't Celebrate

Death If someone has lost anyone around the Holidays, they may not want to celebrate. The holiday season can remind people of who they've lost more than any other time of year, especially if the person lost was the central figure of the Holidays. 

Lack of company The holidays are all about coming together with your family and friends. If someone has no one to celebrate with, they may opt to skip celebrating all together. 

Finances Gifts are a big part of Holidays. They can sometimes feel like the central piece. Feelings of shame for not having enough money for gifts can make people adverse to celebrating because they can't financially afford to. 

Dogma It's not just Christmas that's happening at this time of year. Many people have different celebrations around this time. Think Hanukkah. 

Upbringing Holidays bring up memories of how you grew up. If it wasn't a positive experience, Holidays can feel like reliving an unsavory experience. 

Conscious reinventing Many people opt out of celebrating the religious aspect of Christmas in favor of just using the time for good cheer and getting together. 

Pressure There can be a lot of pressure to top last year's festivities and gifts, especially when you have children and competitive gift givers. It can be overwhelming and a low key holiday may be preferred. 

Bad timing For a lot of people, life doesn't stop simply because it's December. That last minute shopping you need to do? Someone has to be at the store to stock,  ship, and sell those items. They may want to be at home instead of working, so they may decide to skip the holidays.

Respecting Each Other During Holidays

It can be tough to want to celebrate the holidays with someone who doesn’t want to. Conversely, it can be challenging to make yourself join in to avoid feeling like you're bringing down the crowd. 

The key to a respectful holiday is creative compromise. 

If someone doesn't want to celebrate because of bad memories, encourage them to create new ones, not only so they can partake in festivities, but so they can heal.

You never know who will be alone this season, especially during a pandemic. It's the perfect time to host a virtual holiday party with your family, friends, and coworkers.

If someone isn't interested in Christmas itself, offer to come together on a different day and with a slightly different theme (like swapping Christmas for happy holidays).

To cope with finances, opt for a homemade or handmade gift, or a one gift exchange for under a certain amount of money.

No matter why someone doesn't want to celebrate, there's a happy middle to be met. It's always good to ask why rather than assume someone is just trying to be difficult either way.

Whatever you celebrate or don't, we hope you feel good.