Reply #19: I've been slowly opting out over the years

[murphymom]

I had gotten to the point where the holidays weren't any fun anymore because of the things I felt I "had" to do. Finally I came to the conclusion that the holidays were like a giant all-you-can-eat buffet - you can't eat it all, you really aren't expected to, and you just make yourself sick if you try. Now I try to pick out the parts of the holiday season that I really enjoy, or that have special meaning for me, and let the rest go.