How should I have responded if at all?

No need to respond at all, or even feel bad. There are a thousand and one reasons why she may not celebrate, and only a small percentage of those might be sad.

Really? I figured there would be about three reasons.

Was it her religion? If it wasn’t obviously her religion, I may have asked why, if I had seen her a few times. If it was obviously her religion, then I would of just say ‘oh’ as not to make her comment on it.
I wouldn’t have thought there would be many reasons.

Maybe not Christian (which covers a number of reasons, actually). Maybe family gets together for big events at another time. Maybe refuses to buy into the hype. Maybe simply doesn’t want to bother. Maybe, because her job requires interaction all the time she prefers to have her time off be quiet. Maybe doesn’t want to spend the money. Maybe everybody else that sits in her chair complains of being tired so she wisely decided, years ago to forego all of that. Maybe this, maybe that. Maybe just ask her before assuming that it’s sad that she doesn’t.

Doesn’t sound against Christianity to me… just saying she doesn’t participate.

I personally don’t associate temporary home decorating with Christmas. It means something else to me. But that doesn’t mean that I observe it to any degree. Not for, or against.

Float your boat and have fun with it. Whatever it is.

You could have told her how jealous you are of her freedom.

It’s the direct, sensible and efficient way to avoid all the stress, guilt and expensive hassle that when you face up to it is at bottom a whipped up marketing frenzy.

I think a response of “oh” was about as perfect as you could get.

Your projection of your sense of sadness on to her psyche is a case of applying your life onto hers.

For all you know, Christmas may have been the ugliest day of the year for her growing up; for many families it is a day when everyone gets drunk and ends in a tremendous fight that isn’t resolved until Labor Day, if at all.

My wife is Jewish so there is her family and all the other non Christians who do not celebrate Christmas. I am a bit surprised you are so surprised by this hairdressers reaction. My wife’s family loves Christmas because it means they can go out for Chinese food and a movie and have the places to themselves. I also know Christians who have opted out of the commercialized phoniness of the Christmas today.

“Oh” was likely the perfect response. @canidmajor listed some excellent reasons why a person might not celebrate Christmas, and I’m sure there are many more reasons. There was no need to quiz your hairdresser about her personal beliefs or circumstances.

It’s June. Can we wait a few months before starting the war on the war on Christmas again?

I’d have said, me too! haha
Actually I do get together with my daughter but ever since she has been an adult and I have been divorced I don’t do Xmas in a big way anymore and am perfectly fine with that. I hate being invited to celebrations when I feel perfectly content to do nothing. I did all the major Xmas stuff for years when I was married and my daughter was growing up.

The only thing I miss is all the food. Not the hassle, not the stress, not all the extended family, not the late night drives home. I’m good, a lot of people don’t care about the holidays in the same way others do.

“Boy, howdy, don’t I know it! I hear you, sister! Nothing in life has been as liberating to me as when I stopped having to celebrate Christmas with everyone else when it’s not my thing, not my holiday at all, and I’d just as soon join you in a relaxing day of having to do nothing, having to go nowhere, and being able to spend the day as I like, and at low cost. Let’s hear it for not having to celebrate Christmas!”

Now let’s take off our bras and really get down with not-celebrating!

I’m nosey so I would have politely asked why. Not to judge her, because I don’t feel everyone does or should celebrate Christmas, just because I’m interested in why not for her. I like to learn about people and their differences.

@Aster – I’m Jewish, I don’t celebrate Christmas, and I have responded the exact same way as that woman.

It’s your holiday, not mine. Have fun, best wishes. But you shouldn’t expect others to buy into your religious or seasonal views.

@Love_my_doggie ” There was no need to quiz your hairdresser about her personal beliefs or circumstances.” What? You actually think I’d do such a crass and rude thing? I said to her, “boy; all this Christmas buying and wrapping has wiped me out.” And she replied, “well, I don’t celebrate so it’s a day like any other to me.”
Where’s the quiz? It’s none of my business what her agenda is and I’ve been around her twice.

^^^ We have a miscommunication. I wrote that your response was “perfect,” and I agreed that you did the right thing by not pursuing the matter. You respected your hairdresser’s personal business, and I respect what you did.

I don’t like it either. But I also don’t like to do Thanksgiving or the 4th too. Fucking hate birthdays too. Mothers day and fathers day. Not my thing.

I would rather be alone and avoid the stress of the bullshit I know everyone hates but feels like they should pretend to like.

I personally am sick of Christmas. Or maybe the way it’s handled. It’s inescapable. From October to January. A quarter of the year in America, you at least get partial exposure starting after Halloween. Most jobs I’ve ever had, I had to work on Christmas. And its always terrible working that day. Everyone is selfish, and can only think of the inconvenience they suffer with long waits, or difficulty with all the people clogging the malls and streets. They don’t care about the poor bastards that can’t see their families, if they wanted to. Who are forced to work or lose their jobs.
I worked retail part time the last 2 years, and my store was even open Thanksgiving! So stupid ass Christmas took 2 holidays from me. I actually like getting together with my family on those 2 days, regardless of my hatred for Xmas. But the poor people in America are forced to work on these days while fat cat idiot CEOs check their phones for sales numbers while enjoying a day with their loved ones. It’s bad enough living pay check to pay check. But we have to toil away with loud Xmas music playing for a month, while dealing with people too stupid to be greatful not to be working. I understand that Xmas is a economic growth thing, but it should be illegal to be forced to work both holidays. Those who shop at these places for the ‘sales’ contribute to the misery of the working poor. If I didn’t know better I’d swear it’s a social experiment designed to make people hate Xmas. Talk to anyone who works retail and they will tell you Xmas time is the WORST time of the year.
Luckily I don’t work retail part time any more. But I’ll still hate Xmas , because of the obnoxious sheep that ruin it for the rest of us. I shouldn’t have to hear Xmas music in November. It has lost it’s majic. More appropriate, the majic was raped from Xmas by capitalism.

In conclusion. I can understand why someone would dislike Xmas, and perhaps it was a Froidian slip that this person let you know that they were happily not a part of it.

Oh was a fine response. I’d say much the same thing as your hairdresser. I stopped doing Christmas close to 20 years ago. I acknowledge it but I don’t decorate, cook big meals, do gifts with other than 2 or 3 people (on a big year). Life’s much more pleasant this way.

Why should it be mandatory for people to celebrate Christmas? I can say the same thing about why not many people celebrate Chinese new year in US, ethnicity does not prevent someone to celebrate what he/she want to celebrate. Christmas is simply a tradition and nobody should be made to follow it if they don’t want to.

Your response depends of whether you wanted to start a conversation or not. I would say something like “It’s a lot of work, but I really enjoy the results”

I had no idea that admitting to not celebrating Christmas was a statement AGAINT Christmas. Jehovas witnesses don’t celebrate it and they are pretty Christian. And isn’t celebrating holidays a personal thing? Before I had kids Christmas was often just another day for me when I didn’t have family around.
Complaining about all the self-imposed work sounds like a difficult thing to respond to.

If it were me, and I was making light conversation with someone who I am friendly with but not necessarily friends with, like a hairdresser, I would have said “oh, so what do you do on Christmas day?” That would have given her the opportunity to tell me what she does – does she spend it with people who do celebrate and may invite her over? Is it just a regular day to her? Does she take the opportunity to go to the movies and enjoy that there are not a lot of people there?

That would have given her the opportunity to talk about the day itself without me being too inquisitive. She would have had the chance to tell me as much or as little as she was comfortable telling.

What @cazzie said. Simply not celebrating Christmas is in no way being against Christmas. I usually enjoy doing big Christmassy stuff. Last year I had a new puppy and no energy for Christmas, so I didn’t. No big deal.

I have had to drag really heavy presents and even a whole Christmas tree home on a sled, yes, a sled, up a hill, on snow, but I only did that because of the kids.

My BBE carried a tree home from the top of the hill, 2km away, down the hill through the woods so that we could have a real tree our first Christmas together in our new home. That stuff means something for a different reason for us. We’re pagans, so we are more interested in the Winter Solstice and the Earth’s place in the Universe. My son is learning about the historical reason for the season, so I think making a fuss, as long as he cares, is a big enough deal to go the extra mile. Last year, I bought a fake tree, but still had to bring a carrying apparatus with wheels and bungy chord on the bus with me and essentially dolly-lift the thing on the bus all 45 minutes. The first bus didn’t have room for me (much like the manger) so I had to wait for the next bus while my sweet boy waiting home alone in anticipation of mommy bringing home the tree to decorate.

I’ve worked in veterinary medicine for 30 years, and animals need care no matter what day it is. I’ve always worked holidays. Christmas is just another day to me. (By the way, the vast majority of people who have a pet emergency on a holiday don’t give us thanks for being there to help rather than at home with our families – mostly they just bitch us out like it’s our fault that their pet is sick.)

Besides, it’s so commercialized – why bother.

First of all, I wouldn’t characterize her statement as “against Christmas.” All she said was that she did celebrate Christmas. And as other people mentioned there could be all sorts of reasons. I probably would have said “Oh” too. I guess I would have assumed she had religious reasons, she was Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or Jehovah’s Witness or something and my hairdresser’s or anyone’s personal religious beliefs are none of my business so I would have then moved on to a different subject. Her reasons for not celebrating Christmas might not have been religious. Maybe she just doesn’t celebrate the holiday.

^too late to edit but the second sentence should have read: “All she said was that she didn’t celebrate Christmas.” not “All she said was that she did celebrate Christmas.”