So this is Christmas...

[Marrow]

Anybody else just kinda "bleh" when it comes to Christmas? Dont get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas cheer and all that, but I just cant stand the rest of it. The gifts, the driving, the hectic schedule, its too damn much. Then when Christmas day is here everyone is tired and we spent next to no time with each other; just seems... hypocritical?

Oh and the marketing, die just die.

[Marrow]

Ok so I wanted to follow this up with a story i just remembered:

I had a speech class back in high school and during the holidays we had to write a speech about convincing people. My speech was about the corporate roots of Christmas and Santa (a ball of fun I know), but it wasnt too negative just factual. Well turns out one if the girls in the front of the class was a huge Christmas fanatic, she looked so sad at the end and also didnt like me much after... so yeah good times.

[RoseGoesToYale]

I like christmas and winter in general. Lots of good memories. But what gets me about it is the commercialization. It's supposed to be a time of being with people you love and giving to others, but capitalism turns it into an all-out free-for-all money-throwing grudge match. Parents literally go to toy stores and fight each other to see who's kid is going to get the very last Elsa doll or whatever. People run around like crazy trying to order gifts for everyone, running the postal service and delivery people ragged. Christmas songs have become annoying because instead of artists writing new stuff about the spirit of giving, they recycle old songs with annoying new tunes for the money. Worse still if it's a song asking for Santa to give you a boyfriend/girlfriend for christmas. And they play on every radio station and in every store for a month straight.

 

It stresses everybody out, from retail workers to parents to teachers to probably the dog, and when everybody's stressed out, it kinda kills the christmas spirit. The holidays need a refit.

[crazy ace]

I'm 100% Scrooge. I hate pretty much the entire holiday season. The crazy schedules like you mentioned, the f-ing shoppers, the music, the traffic of everyone trying to see their families who they probably don't even like, all. those. bloody. Christmas love songs! Oh yeah, and the arbitrary cheer. Of all the times of the year everyone is forced to be happy, it has to be (at least in the north) the darkest season, making it incredibly difficult to maintain a smiling face.

[Guest]

The people I'm close to aren't super materialistic and I stay away from stores around Christmastime (and don't really like going to malls anyway no matter what time of year).

[elizabeth17]

i feel this. also like every christmas for the past four years something horrible has happened (usually deaths or near death experiences)... so yeah this year should be fun (so far just one death and one very near death experience in my immediate family) THRIVING 

[Guest]

There are a few things I dislike with christmas, and it's a big reason to that I'm happy that I'm working on Christmas eve (the day that's celebrated in Sweden):

 

1. I'm not christian, so the christian part of it annoy me, part because it's.... well... christian... and part because it removed (transformed) the original feast we used to have up here before christianity came along. I'd much rather have a celebration for midwinter, as we do with midsummer. (I think I will do that myself tbh, celebrate midwinter instead, sounds better and cosier)

 

2. I don't like the wasteful nature of it, buying gifts just because you're supposed to. I refuse to do it, and I try to tell people not to buy me anything either.

 

3. The food is honestly pretty dry and boring, especially as I am "plant based" (kinda vegan-ish) = can't eat any of it. People expect me to make the vegan equivalents for myself, but I honestly rather eat my regular salad with hummus.

 

4. I have a lot of "bonus" family ("step siblings", though not step since my parent and their parent aren't married) with small kids that I don't necessarily like being around for hours and hours.

[Muledeer]

I ignore Christmas.  I do send about 20 "cards" to my friends and family, however this year, I am just sending a letter with some pictures from the past year.  It has more to do with keeping in touch rather than Christmas.  I have finally gotten to a point in my life where I don't exchange gifts with anyone.

When I was younger I worked in grocery stores and I could not escape Christmas and related music and attitudes.  I don't miss that.

[pickles.]

1 hour ago, CBC said:

and just do whatever I want otherwise. So no, it's not stressful for me.

Ditto.  I said no to any stressful parts decades ago, so for me it's just guaranteed time off (I'm a teacher), and time with my kids.

[AspieAlly613]

I'm Jewish, so...

 

My thoughts are "We have 13 major holidays over the course of the year.  The Christians have only 2.  Let them get so hyped up it's as if Passover and Sukkot were the only holidays on the calendar, and were only 1 day long each."

[blunose2772]

I'm not a total Scrooge but I do feel negative towards the holidays. The commercialization, the greed, the hypocrisy. 5 Christmas seasons in retail killed it all for me. Especially the nonstop Christmas music from November 1 to December 26. I'll be happy if I never hear a Christmas song again. One thing that really sticks out in my mind is when my nephews were little one of them got a puzzle or something like that. as soon as  he opened it he threw it down and wanted another present. My sister said nothing. I know for a fact we were raised to say please and thank you. 

[AspieAlly613]

I like the fact that Chistmas music is less sexual, on average, than most music.

[Homer]

Here's a complete list of every single thing I like about Giftmas.

 

Spoiler

• gingerbread

 

[appleseedy]

yeah Xmas,meh

 

Best christmas i ever had was spent with friends in a hotel in Killarney, we spent the whole day in the pool and sauna only leaving to eat food we didnt cook,that was before i had kids though

 

I love seeing my kids happy and excited

 

 

I hate the pressure parents are under to maintain the illusion that there is a Santa, that's just pure corporate evil. This year, if we have kids, we should buy them cheap nick nacks from santa and "if" we can afford it, their wish list is form us. The rest of it? meh, glad when its over, nice to have a couple weeks off though

[Sally]

Ironically (because I'm Jewish), I prefer the traditional Xmas carols over the annoying shriek-y music in stores.  Especially when the words sound like Olde English so I can't distinguish them easily.   The old music's lovely.  

[Anthracite_Impreza]

I have definitely lost interest and patience with it over the last few years, mostly with the feeling of obligation and stress of "have I bought enough?". Fuck that shit, I've not bought a single thing yet and it's very unlikely I'll be getting much delivered in time now. Also the waste of cards and presents that are given solely cos you feel you *have* to or you're a bad entity... if you never see someone, or you can't remember their name, wtf are you doing bothering with a card or present for? It's so fake, forced and stressful, and this year especially I've pretty much given up with it.

[Myssterry]

I have had dreadful Christmas Days over the years.  I will be glad to spend this year's with my dog and cat.  I will open a few gifts, walk the dog, maybe go out birdwatching if the weather allows, avoid eating specifically Christmas food, except maybe a mince pie, and hopefully have a really nice day.

[Prufrock, but like, worse]

26 minutes ago, Sally said:

Ironically (because I'm Jewish), I prefer the traditional Xmas carols over the annoying shriek-y music in stores.  Especially when the words sound like Olde English so I can't distinguish them easily.   The old music's lovely.  

Exactly! I used to get annoyed by the religious aspect being played up for what’s become for all intents and purposes a secular holiday in the US, but the alternative is... mostly especially bad kids’ music that says the point is Getting Stuff. Immediately followed by sexual rubbish, which seems pretty hard to justify.

[Skycaptain]

Since leaving university, I've worked all bar about three Christmas days and boxing days. As a non-Christmas person this suits me perfectly 

[Tintinfan]

I like the Christmas carols and the spending time with family and friend. Though i have manged to logic my way out of the Christmas feeling. 

 

I realised that i wanted Christmas to come sooner. Then realises anticipating Christmas makes it seem to take more time. Thus i reasoned if i didn't look forward to Christmas it would come faster. This worked but now i don't feel any Christmas feeling at all as that was half of it. I guess i was around 8-9 when i worked this one out.

[Homer]

2 hours ago, Sleighcaptain said:

Since leaving university, I've worked all bar about three Christmas days and boxing days. As a non-Christmas person this suits me perfectly 

Ha! I volunteer to cover shifts at Giftmas every year

[Whore*of*Mensa]

Christmas = debt, for me, and the amount of times I hear 'oh fuck it, it's Christmas' I suspect I'm not the only one. Just the 3 Christmas nights out I had last week will take months for me to pay off my credit card!

 

Father Christmas has become a nightmare, we've gone very far from just an orange in the bottom of a sock- I read a fb post by a social worker who was saying that kids she works with, whose parents can't afford as much as others, genuinely believe that they're bad children because they don't get many presents. This social worker was pleading for parents who do have money to stop going so over the top and making poor kids feel bad...

 

It's become a huge money spinner for various industries and the casualties are children 😢

[Blaiddmelyn]

I like it as a period of time to go home, see my family, watch terrible films with my sister, wear silly hats and jumpers and play bad boardgames, and to have parties and drinks with my mates. In terms of presents, I like being able to get my loved ones gifts. It's also a good excuse for me to see my friend from high school as, despite her being one of the strictest Muslims I know, we've had a tradition of getting each other a Xmas gift worth about £10 every year even though we hardly see each other anymore. I kind of ignore all the commercialisation though and don't have to worry about the small child angle of it all.

[Nick2]

Such a good time.  You get to eat good food and pretend to be a good "true" Christian.  You get to ignore the fact that your government is caging kids and some are dying as a result and all on your watch.  Good times.

[Tyke]

6 hours ago, Homer said:

Here's a complete list of every single thing I like about Giftmas.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

• gingerbread

 

Are there, in general, more football games over Christmas? And more local derbies, so shorter travelling? Or is that just England.

[Acing It]

11 hours ago, Marrow said:

Ok so I wanted to follow this up with a story i just remembered:

I had a speech class back in high school and during the holidays we had to write a speech about convincing people. My speech was about the corporate roots of Christmas and Santa (a ball of fun I know), but it wasnt too negative just factual. Well turns out one if the girls in the front of the class was a huge Christmas fanatic, she looked so sad at the end and also didnt like me much after... so yeah good times.

Aww... what a shame. You ruined someone's Christmas.

I'm 'bleh' about Christmas. I would like the principle of it, if it wasn't so commerical, forced, over the top and oh so boringly traditional in the sense that you're supposed to eat sprouts for some reason. I like some of the Christmas food, but not just for Christmas but because it's winter food. I'm annoyed with pumpkins only being available around halloween and most people let them rot or chuck them away. Pumpkin soup is gorgeously delicious, but you can't get hold of the things any other time of the year. The best things about Christmas are a bit the same. Then there's all the myth making that Christmas should be 'white' and it never is round here. So disappointment built in to some extent.

 

I like the time spent with my family, but even they force me to take part in some of the more silly traditions (as well as a huge pile of work/hassle!) and I always end up cooking a huge meal and am exhausted thinking about it and afterwards. All the men do is light the open fire (no chestnuts fortunately!!! Bleurgh to that song!!!) and lay the table. My mum and I cook our Christmas meal and I end up being in charge of the whole thing. It's traditional in that sense too.

 

We don't do big presents in the family anymore, but then there's secret santa. I can't think of anything more wasteful and pointless, buying tat for people you barely know and getting tat in return you then dutifully pass on the next time.

 

And then there are these poor people (for having to do this) who put themselves into a lot of debt, they pay off for the rest of the year because they feel they are forced to spend, spend, spend, money they don't have. Good trick overly commercialised society!!

 

I wouldn't mind to never celebrate Christmas ever again, if it's like this. 

[Duke Memphis]

Its's the most nerve-racking time of the year

Presents are selling, and everyone's yelling, but where's the good cheer?

It's the most nerve-racking time of the year

[Acing It]

10 hours ago, crazy ace said:

I'm 100% Scrooge. I hate pretty much the entire holiday season. The crazy schedules like you mentioned, the f-ing shoppers, the music, the traffic of everyone trying to see their families who they probably don't even like, all. those. bloody. Christmas love songs! Oh yeah, and the arbitrary cheer. Of all the times of the year everyone is forced to be happy, it has to be (at least in the north) the darkest season, making it incredibly difficult to maintain a smiling face.

Have you looked at your avatar lately? 🤣

I agree with you, though.

[daveb]

11 hours ago, CBC said:

I just spend Christmas quietly at home. Some years I have gifts for people and some I don't. I don't do Christmas dinner. I have a tree, favourite movies, favourite music... and just do whatever I want otherwise. So no, it's not stressful for me.

Pretty much this (except I do a Christmas dinner, with foods I like - this year I plan to thaw out a turkey dinner I mad myself from my Thanksgiving leftovers).

 

I'm not Christian, so I celebrate the holiday more as Yule/Solstice, with traditions from my childhood (which was Christian). I basically do the parts of the holiday I want to do. I don't concern myself with things like commercialization (which I expect has been happening since at least Victorian times if not earlier). I can see where some people might not like the parts of the holidays they feel forced into participating in or having to deal with people they'd rather not have to deal with. 

[Homer]

1 hour ago, Midland Tyke said:

Are there, in general, more football games over Christmas? And more local derbies, so shorter travelling? Or is that just England.

That is more of a British thing than anything else. I'll make use of it the next time I get Giftmas off