It is well known that the Christmas season awakens many strong feelings such as nostalgia for childhood, sad memories of those who are no longer there or the joy of a new beginning the following year. But not all people are the same and therefore not everyone will react the same in the same situation.
According to the Spanish sociologist Mario Arqued, there are several psychological, family and religious factors that determine people’s “Christmas personality”.
He differentiates four types, and these are their characteristics:
1. The Hedonists
Hedonists would be the typical Christmas lovers who can’t wait for this time of year to arrive to have a good time surrounded by their friends and family.
For hedonists, Christmas is a period of joy and fun for which it is worth waiting all year. You enjoy giving and receiving gifts, and spending quality time with your loved ones.
the bonders
It comes from the English word bond, which means “bond”, and refers to people for whom family is above all else, so Christmas is a period in which you have to be together and meet people again. those that have not been seen for a long time. It is not about giving gifts and having parties, but about sharing with the family.
the grumps
Think of the Grinch or Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. For grumps, Christmas is a false period of hyper-consumerism in which people assume an attitude forced by society. They see no bright side to this time of year and can’t wait for it to end. He attends family gatherings bound by tradition, and little else.
the nostalgic
Nostalgic people feel close to the festive spirit, but they are not able to enjoy it because they do not stop thinking about those who are no longer there or consider that the present will never be better than their childhood memories. Unlike grumps, they do find Christmas values valuable, they just fail to associate them with joy.
What is your “Christmas personality”? Are you grumpy or the most festive? According to specialists, the ideal would be to take the best qualities of each profile and apply them to enjoy Christmas as a period of family closeness and joy.
We must learn to enjoy and live in the moment, always surrounded by our loved ones.