Am I alone in hating Christmas-themed adventures?

[Blue]

Am I alone in this?

Yes, you are alone. Because you are alone, you have no Christmas spirit. Luckily, an adventure that takes place over a single night but across three wildly different times can help lead you to the true spirit of giving...

But in reality I'm with you. I run very serial campaigns, and they just don't fit in. As a player they also seem forced, like pretty much every holiday-themed adventure (except Halloween). Let me just enjoy my hobby.

*shrug* I don't begrudge others their fun, but it at best does nothing for me, and isn't something I would run myself.

 

[Azzy]

Thankfully, I've never had to deal with that, but I'm sure I'd find it quite unpleasant. I already disliked Christmas movies and TV series specials because theyre always Scrooge/Grinch ripoffs done badly... However, after working in retail, I just hate Christmas in general.

 

[Charlaquin]

Don't know what's wrong with me but I really don't get them...

I love Christmas time, I love the snowy weather, I love the family gathering, I love Christmas food, sharing presents, Christmas decorations, going to the special church celebrations, even going over and over again through the traditional XMas time TV shows from Snowmen to Peanuts to Chaplin to Asterix... and we ALSO love playing D&D at least once during the Christmas holidays, even pulling into it the distant relatives, but just plain regular D&D adventures.

There is just 3 things I don't like at all:

- Christmas carols
- the "Christmas special" episode of whatever sit-com
- D&D adventures featuring Santa, the Grinch, Rudolf or similar boogies

Am I alone in this?

I agree with you (except about Christmas episodes of sit-coms, I enjoy those). However, I would say it’s not Christmas themed D&D adventures themselves I detest. It’s the execution of most Christmas “themed” D&D adventures. More often than not, Christmas adventures contain only the trappings of Christmas and not the themes. They may feature elves that make toys, the North Pole, a winter celebration that is either literally Christmas or Christmas with the serial numbers filed off, etc. But they very rarely actually contain the themes of Christmas stories. Fellow non-Christmas-themed Christmas adventure hater The Angry GM wrote an article this year about how to properly run a holiday-themed adventure, I recommend it.

 

[Dausuul]

You're not the only one. Although in my case, I'm more of an all-around Grinch. My favorite Christmas movie is "Gremlins."

 

[Charlaquin]

You're not the only one. Although in my case, I'm more of an all-around Grinch. My favorite Christmas movie is "Gremlins."

As a Christmas movie, I prefer Krampus. Gremlins is just a damn good movie regardless of its Christmas trappings though.

 

[cbwjm]

Thankfully, I've never had to deal with that, but I'm sure I'd find it quite unpleasant. I already disliked Christmas movies and TV series specials because theyre always Scrooge/Grinch ripoffs done badly... However, after working in retail, I just hate Christmas in general.

Oh my god yes, working in retail is the christmas spirit killer.

For adventures, I'm not against a christmas themed adventure, but only if it is a one-shot. In general, I don't like using real world holidays in my setting so i wouldn't want an easter themed adventure either.

 

[Bupp]

I hate 'em.

Hate Christmas music as well.

Oh my god yes, working in retail is the christmas spirit killer.
\

I've worked retail, restaurants, and now for UPS. Not a fan of the holiday season.

I do like spending time with my family, exchanging gifts, eating good food, and all that stuff, though.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I'm fond of them in theory. I've done two that I can remember, and one worked out quite well and the other was a terrible bore. The difference is mainly that in in the former it was a simple affair —hoho, hehe, wink, wink— while in the latter one I overthought it and it the merry overstayed it's welcome.

 

[MechaPilot]

I've never played in one, and never run one as a DM.

Like other posters I've also worked in retail and restaurants, and I have a general dislike for most popular Christmas music. I do like the ones with some Latin parts, but I think that's more of my being a linguaphile than it is about the songs.

[SBLOCK=This is my favorite non-Latin popular Christmas song]

[video=youtube;fPPCPqDINEk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPCPqDINEk[/video]
[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=These are some of my favorite things about the holidays, both of which my father introduced me to]
[video=youtube;XSH9ryRzHQ4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSH9ryRzHQ4[/video]

[video=youtube;m57gzA2JCcM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM[/video]
[/SBLOCK]


I think I might enjoy a holiday themed adventure if it didn't feel too forced, and if it was connected to a relevant holiday in the game world.

 

[Wiseblood]

I can’t say I have ever been in or run a Christmas D&D adventure......but if I did it would look like Die Hard.