Daughter Says Not Receiving Christmas Gifts For The Past 10 Years Was The Best Decision Her Parents Ever Made
"If a non-Christmas Christmas is something that you and your family are thinking about, I highly recommend."
NadyaEugene / Shutterstock One thing everyone looks forward to on Christmas is exchanging gifts with loved ones. It’s a tradition that many people embrace.
However, one family has chosen to do something “unconventional" to celebrate Christmas for the past ten years now, and it doesn’t involve giving gifts.
One woman shared her family’s nontraditional way of celebrating Christmas.
Chenedy, known as @nurse.chen on TikTok, made a video explaining her family’s unique way of celebrating Christmas.
“I have not received a single Christmas gift from my family in the past ten years. I have not even spent Christmas in my family home since I was probably 14,” she shared. “And it was the best decision my parents could have ever made.”
It might sound strange to hear someone say they enjoy not getting Christmas gifts, but Chenedy was quick to clarify that her family started a new tradition instead. “So, when I was 14,” she shared, “my parents decided instead of exchanging gifts and doing the traditional Christmas thing, we would go on a family vacation for Christmas every single year.”
The family really makes the vacation a big deal. “We will spend Christmas at a hotel or resort. We’ll usually find somewhere really fancy to eat Christmas dinner,” Chenedy said.
Because of this new tradition, Chenedy has had the chance to travel all over the world. When she was younger, her family took trips within the United States, visiting places like the Grand Canyon, Disney World, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. When she and her siblings got older, their travel horizons expanded and they “started doing international trips like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico.”
Photo: Olena Chukhil / Shutterstock
Instead of feeling like she’s missing out on something by not keeping with typical holiday traditions, Chenedy could not be happier with what her parents have done for her and her family. “I am so thankful that they did that,” she shared. “They helped me discover my love of travel, and because of them, I’ve traveled to probably over ten countries in the past two or three years.”
Chenedy’s family’s vacations may seem extravagant, but they are no more expensive than the typical family’s Christmas.
It's to presume that going on vacation is more costly than giving Christmas gifts, but that may not actually be the truth. According to a 2022 study from Deloitte, Americans are expected to spend about $1,455 each during the holiday season. Based on these projections, it wouldn’t be far-fetched at all to replace a Christmas at home with one spent away on vacation.
Furthermore, Christmas takes a lot of planning. The time that would be spent planning Christmas can easily be transferred to planning a vacation instead. A vacation can also help with other less desirable aspects of the holiday season like burnout and spending time with toxic family members.
And, after all, isn’t a vacation really a gift itself? Gifts that give someone an experience rather than something materialistic are growing in popularity. Eventbrite found that 63% of adults “would prefer to receive an experience gift than a material gift this holiday season.”
Ultimately, how each family spends Christmas is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate the holiday. But, if you’re feeling tired of doing the same thing every year and want to mix it up, Chenedy has some advice for you.
“If a non-Christmas Christmas is something that you and your family are thinking about, I highly recommend,” she said.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.