From carving turkey in the nude to travelling the world,women reveal why they shun the traditional festive frivolities
WHILE most see Christmas as a time for bringing the family together, getting merry and indulging in some festive traditions, others enjoy breaking those rules.
We talk to three women who've quit the typical Christmas conventions - cold turkey.
‘I’m spending Christmas naked – with my family’
Angie Cox, 38, is a farmer and lives in Doncaster with her husband Edward, 38, an IT worker and their children Isaac, five, and LilianNa, four.
“I’ve been a naturist since before I could walk. My parents Colin, now 67, and Carol, 63, discovered their love of being nude when I was two and they decided to try skinny dipping in the sea. Since then, they haven’t looked back so I was brought up feeling that baring all was the norm. I had to wear clothes for school and in public, but I preferred being naked so I would strip off as soon as I got home.
The only time I remember feeling self-conscious was right at the beginning of puberty but, living around naturists, I realised there were so many different shapes and sizes and I never felt judged for how I looked, which was so refreshing. In 2006 my parents began running a naturist campsite, so I became friends with a lot of other people like me.
However, I met my husband Edward, 38, fully clothed while in a book shop in January 2011. We were looking at the same books, so got chatting and ended up having a coffee. I didn’t broach the subject of naturism at first, but after a month of dating I explained why it was so important to me.
Luckily, he was really cool about it and gradually he became comfortable with being nude around the house, but it took him a few months before he came naked swimming with my parents.
Eventually, he grew to love being in the buff as much as the rest of us. We got married in March 2013 and even had a romantic nude blessing afterwards.
We spent our first Christmas as a married couple alone and never got dressed, opening presents totally naked, pulling our crackers and cooking a turkey dinner without an apron. I don’t see it as unhygienic, I still washed my hands before touching any food.
'Wearing nothing but our paper hats'
The following September our son was born, followed by our daughter in November 2015. Since then we’ve spent most of our Christmases naked – apart from in 2015 when we visited Edward’s parents in Bristol. They are emphatically not naturists and, although they’re very accepting of our lifestyle, they prefer us to wear clothes around them. It was a real novelty being dressed in jeans and a festive jumper all day, but I was very hot and had to go and sit in the garden at one point!
This year Edward and I will wake up naked – although I wear socks if it’s really cold – and then we will open presents together as a family. The children have clothes they can choose to wear, but mostly they decide not to when they’re at home. After opening all of our gifts we will chuck on our clothes and drive a few miles to my parents’ home – we wouldn’t want to give people on the road too much of a shock!
Once there, Mum will cook a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, with some bottles of prosecco on the go, and we’ll all sit down to eat, wearing nothing but our paper hats. Of course at some point someone will crack the obligatory joke about getting the chipolatas out!
But the best part about our family Christmas is lounging on the sofa eating mince pies after dinner – we won’t have to worry about our waistbands digging in, because we won’t have any.”
‘I spend Christmas with dying people’
Mum-of-three Hayley Garbutt, 51, from Filey, North Yorkshire, is a healthcare assistant and lives with her husband Maurice, 54, a construction worker.
“For me, Christmas is all about spreading happiness and being thankful for what you’ve got, which is why spending the day at an end-of-life hospice is so special. It’s a real privilege to help those who don’t have long left, either through old age, illness or dementia, and I always try to make Christmas as enjoyable as possible for each person.
This will be the third year I’ve worked on Christmas Day. My family always want me to take the day off, but they understand why it’s important to me. Plus, it’s a good lesson for my grandchildren that sometimes life is about helping others and not thinking of yourself.
My shift will start at 6am, when I’ll get all the patients up and dressed. A lot of families send festive jumpers in to their loved ones, so everyone has a laugh at who is wearing the silliest one. After that, the day is spent singing songs, opening presents, making decorations or thank you cards and playing Scrabble. Some patients will also have visitors, before the kitchen staff make a huge roast for everyone. For those who are too ill to leave their bed we make sure there are decorations in their room, and I’ll play festive music for them too if they want.
One of my favourite parts of the day is hearing everyone’s favourite Christmas memories, whether it’s fond recollections of a special present from a loved one or their first Christmas as a grandparent. I love sitting with someone and listening to them reminisce about their life.
'Makes you realise what is important in life'
A lot of the people in our care are aware that this could be their last Christmas, so staff have a responsibility to make it as special as possible. Occasionally a patient does get upset, and sometimes all they need is a shoulder to cry on and a cuddle, or some just want to chat.
However, for the majority of the time, the whole place is full of smiles and laughter, which is what makes giving up my day so worthwhile.
When it comes to the end of my shift, I’ll say goodbye to everyone and hand over to the night staff. By 7pm I’ll be greeted at home by my children Zola, 33, Luke, 27, and Lucy, 26, and my grandchildren Ella, 13, Ashton, 11, Dawson, seven, and Summer, three, who will open the gifts I’ve bought for them – I couldn’t bear to miss that bit!
The whole family also wait to eat their main meal with me as I only nibble on mince pies or cake while at the hospice, so we’ll have turkey together which my husband Maurice will have cooked.
Spending such a momentous day with people who are at the end of their lives is really eye-opening, and makes you realise what is important in life. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that being kind and loving one another really is all that matters in the end.”
‘I go travelling every year to escape it all’
Abbie Norbury, 41, is a radio presenter and lives in Essex.
“Growing up I had a big family, so Christmas was always very noisy and hectic. My parents split up when I was four, but I’m the youngest of six siblings and we had very traditional Christmases with plenty of presents, big turkey dinners and festive films. I loved spending time with my family, but I hated seeing how anxious and frantic everyone became trying to buy presents, cards and decorations.
As there is a large age gap between my siblings – the eldest is 19 years older than me – when they started having their own families, one of them would host Christmas instead of my mum Zandra.
When I was 12 or 13, while everyone else could have a few drinks and relax, I’d usually end up on the kids’ table. I was an awkward age – neither an adult, nor a child – and I really resented it. Even in my late teens and early 20s, I’d often be left babysitting on the day.
However my mum adored the holidays, so I always played along to make it as special as possible for her. But in December 2004, aged 26, I decided to go to Australia on my own for three months. I was desperate to explore the world and although I felt guilty for missing Christmas, most of my siblings had children of their own so I knew Mum wouldn’t be alone.
That year I woke up on the 25th, called Mum to wish her a happy Christmas, then spent the rest of the day having drinks and chilling in the sun with some friends I’d made. No one was in charge of cooking a big dinner and we didn’t do presents. It was such a calm and enjoyable day.
I loved it so much that the following year I did the same thing, this time flying to Perth for the holidays. I spent Christmas Day in bed after working the night before, then went to a big festival with loads of pals on Boxing Day. We got really merry and had an incredible time in the sun, laughing, dancing and drinking together. Mum said she missed me, but she was happy that I was having a good time.
I decided to try to escape the festive period every year, but in 2005 I met my then-boyfriend, Mark, 42, through work. He had a very close-knit family who enjoyed spending Christmas together and so, for the next eight years we either spent Christmas with his family or with mine.
It was great to spend time with everyone, but I still hated the stress leading up to the big day. Thankfully no one in our family ever had a massive argument, but I could feel how tense and anxious people were for everything to be perfect. And the pressure to be perfect definitely increased once people started posting all their photos on social media.
Then in May 2014 my mum died, aged 73. She’d been ill for a while so it wasn’t a surprise, but I was still devastated. I vowed never to spend Christmas Day in the UK again – Mum had loved it so much that it reminded me of her, plus her birthday was on December 29.
That year I flew to Australia on my own to celebrate with the friends I’d made out there, then in 2015 Mark and I went to Berlin – he knew how important it was for me to escape the festivities, so he was happy to skip a family Christmas.
We each opened a little gift, then spent the day in a hotel watching films and went out for Vietnamese food in the evening. I missed Mum so much, but being abroad helped take my mind off things. The next year Mark and I went to Prague together, but then in 2017 we split amicably.
So that year I flew to the Dominican Republic on my own and the following year I went to Goa alone too, but I met a friend for a yoga class on Christmas Day.
To be honest, I loved the freedom of travelling on my own again and doing what I wanted to do. Goa was really eye-opening because there’s such an amazing mix of cultures and religions, so they celebrate very differently to us.
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It’s not about spending hundreds of pounds on presents, but more about spreading love, sharing food and just generally celebrating the day. They don’t have the day off either, so there’s not a huge build-up or pressure to be happy.
As a single woman with no children, Christmas can be incredibly tough. As I’ve grown up, a lot of my friends have started families and the day becomes all about the kids, which is amazing and I’m so happy for them, but it’s not a lifestyle choice that I’ve made.
This year I’m heading back to Goa again with another single friend, so instead of running around trying to fit in some last-minute Christmas shopping, you’ll find me snorkelling in the Arabian sea.”
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