I hope to find time to do some hacking, but I'm afraid my family has already tried to arrange to gatherings and wasteful diners.

Same for me, but at the end of the day, I will like the family gatherings and the extra time spent with my family.

I personally don't care about X-mas at all. The money spent on extras and extravagant diners could as well go to the poor and needy.

I like parties and celebrations. I dislike - though - that nobody cares about the reason we celebrate or rather commemorate: the birth of Jesus Christ. Thinking about Gods graceful gift to mankind would change our giving too. Thus more money could be given to the poor and needy... Instead we spend money where we expect to get something back...