I know its a while away, but I just got to thinking:  I really don't like Christmas at all.  I think this started around four years ago when I realized just how tacky the holiday was.

I don't know if there are people out there who agree with me but the stress, the non-stop advertising, the hype that starts right after Halloween, and on top of it all, the marauding of it being some kind of peace and brotherhood deal really annoy me.

Come to think of it, almost all holidays advertisers know about suck.  But Christmas takes the cake.  What do you think?

It depends on what you make of it and what is important to you. To me..Christmas is a time that is meant to spend time with my family. We have different traditions (church, certain foods, customs, etc) that I look forward to participating in every year. Yes...it can get crazy (with all of the shopping and such)...but if you tend to keep it simple (like we do)...it's really not that bad.

Thoughts here...

Ant

I know its a while away, but I just got to thinking:  I really don't like Christmas at all.  I think this started around four years ago when I realized just how tacky the holiday was.

I don't know if there are people out there who agree with me but the stress, the non-stop advertising, the hype that starts right after Halloween, and on top of it all, the marauding of it being some kind of peace and brotherhood deal really annoy me.

Come to think of it, almost all holidays advertisers know about suck.  But Christmas takes the cake.  What do you think?


oh boy are you gonna have fun with Christmas with your new job at Wal-Mart.


I love the consumer aspect of Christmas... I just all it what it is... Merry Consumerism.... I'm not religious so I don't go in for that aspect of it all.


Working retail did mess me up tho... I absolutely detest Christmas music... I only like a few songs I used to listen to as a kid because of nostalgia but will not listen to any other christmas music... long term exposure makes me a little postal...

But Christmas takes the cake.  What do you think?


Bah! Humbug!

People wonder how I can walk through a mall during the fourth quarter and keep a grin on my face.  I give them one warning about naughty words, and if they verbally click "OK" on the disclaimer, I discreetly and quietly sing the John Valby parody of whatever Christmas song happens to be playing.

To illustrate the point (and it's my canonical disclaimer question), here is the safe-for-work part of his parody of Good King Wenceslas:  "I came upon".

Ihave no limitsknow 'em all by heart.  Posting here because I'm dead serious: Valby's parodies are the only thing that keeps me sane during Christmas.

oh boy are you gonna have fun with Christmas with your new job at Wal-Mart.


I love the consumer aspect of Christmas... I just all it what it is... Merry Consumerism.... I'm not religious so I don't go in for that aspect of it all.


Working retail did mess me up tho... I absolutely detest Christmas music... I only like a few songs I used to listen to as a kid because of nostalgia but will not listen to any other christmas music... long term exposure makes me a little postal...




I'm probably not gonna be working at Wal-Mart anymore by Christmas.  Man, that would be hell.  :o

I used to love Christmas but now, well.... :-\\


First of all, the "true" meaning of Christmas is the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice which the Christians took and claimed it for the birth of Jesus (which I believe they estimated he was born in July or Aug. or something like that-NOT in Dec.) but that is another story.

Also, all the commercialism that goes with Christmas just gets so overwhelming. You are quilted into sending people cards you don't know or buying gifts for people you really don't want to. So, you have to fork out $$$ you may not have and if you don't, you will have to hear it from relatives.

Then, there is putting up with family. For many people, this is not an issue. For others, well, let's just say that it can be EXTREMELY stressful. 

Yeah, you see all those stale t.v. specials where everyone is so in the "Christmas spirit" and such and when you are not, you think something is wrong with you.

Also, people must understand that NOT everyone celebrates Christmas-there are many people in this world who are not Christians-and even some Christians who do not celebrate the holiday.

My advice is don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you don't want to do. If you don't want to put up a tree, there is no law that says you have it. Just because you are not in the "Christmas spirit", there is nothing wrong with you. I tend to get very depressed in Dec. due to a couple of events in my life that happened around the holidays which doesn't make me very festive.

So-BAH HUMBUG everyone!



Cat

I see what you're saying in a way - and yeah I do think it's more commercialized now as opposed to being about family and togetherness. That's what it really means to alot of people, whether you're practicing religious or not.

I think another aspect has something to do with believing in Santa Claus and the magic feeling of the season you get as a kid up to 8-11 or so, it's never quite the same again. I think you get that back in a way once you have your own kids...but when you're (like me) stuck in that middle period then it kinda sucks. ;)

Yeah, I hate how they drive Christmas music into the ground as early as right after Halloween! That's ALL a few of the radio stations play (those soft rock variety ones are my favorites, and they're the ones that do it, lol). Even in the '80s and early 90s as a kid, I remember they basically only did it for like a week up to Christmas day. That was perfect (enough to get people in the mood but not to the point you got sick of it, and that was all you had to lsiten to!). ;D

I'm not a fan. Why spend a day with a whole bunch of people you specifically avoid during the rest of the year, totally illogical. I've managed to do a fairly good job of avoiding the Christmas cheer for the past few years. Last year for instance, an interesting bug had me sleeping for ridiculous amounts of time, year before I was working almost the whole time. I think this years Christmas needs to be spent in a bingey haze.

hate it  and I've always wondered as as kid why there's a day to celebrate Jesus when we are suppose to follow and praise  God/ Jesus every day of our lives anyway.  I'm not pagan nor do I follow a religion or worship Santa Claus.  Leave me alone

Like it or not...Christmas is a time for family (for whatever reasons you follow). Even if you take the religious aspect out of the equation (and I assume this is why it can be referred to as 'The Holidays' in some places) there is no harm in having a special time of the year to celebrate and formalize family and friendships etc. Of course, we should do this every day...but as I said..there is essentially no harm in it.

Naturally, retailers will pounce and distort the occassion for their own gain. It's up to you if you allow that to tarnish the occassion or not!  At the end of the day (yes...that was a despised inthe00's term, I think  ;D) ...during the major world wars combatants stopped fighting and stood side by side on Christmas Day....NOT Halloween or any of the other holidays we have conjured up. It is important to so many for whatever reasons!

Yeah, I hate how they drive Christmas music into the ground as early as right after Halloween! That's ALL a few of the radio stations play (those soft rock variety ones are my favorites, and they're the ones that do it, lol). Even in the '80s and early 90s as a kid, I remember they basically only did it for like a week up to Christmas day. That was perfect (enough to get people in the mood but not to the point you got sick of it, and that was all you had to lsiten to!). ;D



We have a radio station that plays Christmas music from Thanksgiving until the very end of Christmas Day.....I don't mind a few Xmas songs, but to play it non-stop!  I make sure to avoid that station!    ;D


As for Christmas, I love just spending it with family, friends, and good food.  I try to not take it to the extremes.

I have no problem with the family get together, but most of my family (grandparents) is already gone.     

Christmas is a time when you can be with loved ones, to be with family.  The argument for many I know is why do you need 1 certain day to do this?  Shouldn't you do this often?

For me, Christmas is my favourite time of year because it gives me a warm feeling inside when I look outside and see the snow, and all the houses lit up. To go into the st ores and see the Xmas displays and hear the holiday music.  I really get sad when December is over :\'(

I like Christmas a lot more now that I'm older.  I look forward to spending the day with my parents and uncle.  It's more laid back now.  Besides Mom and I still watch A Charlie Brown Christmas together. :)

I'm not a big fan of Christmas either. There are some things that I enjoy about it like the pretty decorations, wonderful food and drinks, and getting together with friends and (some) family but......
It's a very stressful time of year especially if you have no money. Those greedy little kids piss me right off too!

I'm a Christmas flip flopper.  Part of me loves to decorate my house and tree.  I love seeing my extended family - all my cousins and stuff like that.  It's the only time of the year I see a lot of them.  And I love to buy presents for people.  But part of me just dreads Christmas and all the hoo ha and phoney baloney I see.  I think Christmas can bring out the very worst in people.  And one of our local radio stations starts playing Christmas music at Halloween.  That just pisses me off.

Hate Santa, hate red and green, hate thinking about having to clean chimney mess

  NO

I'm a Christmas flip flopper.  Part of me loves to decorate my house and tree.  I love seeing my extended family - all my cousins and stuff like that.  It's the only time of the year I see a lot of them.  And I love to buy presents for people.  But part of me just dreads Christmas and all the hoo ha and phoney baloney I see.  I think Christmas can bring out the very worst in people.  And one of our local radio stations starts playing Christmas music at Halloween.  That just pisses me off.

I like to see everything lit up and the days leading up to it, but the holiday itself is anticlimactic. Thanksgiving is when I get to see family. We used to do Christmas dinner too, but that's too much effort. I miss the old days when all the holidays were exciting.

I hate christmas also,its ugly now..........

I like to see everything lit up and the days leading up to it, but the holiday itself is anticlimactic. Thanksgiving is when I get to see family. We used to do Christmas dinner too, but that's too much effort. I miss the old days when all the holidays were exciting.


Thanksgiving is usually my worst holiday. First of all, I ALWAYS think about my late sister during the holiday because she passed away a few days prior to Thanksgiving back in 2008. Then there is the meal itself. I LOVE the Thanksgiving meal-turkey with all the trimmings. Part of that includes the leftovers that you eat for days afterwards. However, we usually end up having dinner at someone else's place so I don't get all the leftover that I would like. Since it is usually just the two of us, it doesn't make any sense to make a full turkey dinner at another time. Sometimes the "chef" will compromise and make a turkey breast but then I don't get the legs and wings. I have compromised as to having a full chicken rather than turkey-but he excludes the mashed potatoes.  :\'(

We usually host Christmas (except for the last two years). The first time we did, we had a turkey (which his son voted for, too). But, two of his daughters b!tched, moaned and griped throughout the meal. "Turkey is for Thanksgiving. Christmas is for a pork roast." I wanted to deck the two of them. I informed them at in my family, turkey was our traditional Christmas dinner (as well as our traditional Easter dinner). So lately, it has been a pork roast for Christmas and I don't get my turkey dinner.

This past Christmas, we didn't celebrate with the kids so it was just the two of us. We opted to have a traditional Jewish Christmas dinner-Chinese food.  ;D ;D ;D  (Yes, that is a thing. You can Google it.)

Man, now I want a turkey dinner.


Cat