Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I feel really sorry for single people that have to buy gifts for large families including the adults. Must get pretty costly. My husband and I can buy each other gifts when ever we want to but we reserve the holidays just for the kids in our joint families. That's just how we like it, not for everyone.
I feel really sorry for single people that have to buy gifts for large families including the adults. Must get pretty costly. My husband and I can buy each other gifts when ever we want to but we reserve the holidays just for the kids in our joint families. That's just how we like it, not for everyone.
My family is above average in size. About twenty years ago my wife had shopped all over two cities for a gift for one of my daughters who was about 30 years old at that time. We learned that she had returned it and exchanged it. We announced to all of them that we would no longer exchange with or expect...gifts from any adult member of the family. Ever since then we have bought gifts for those who had not graduated from high school or gotten married. That's the way it is.
People are foolish. They run around all over the city buying for people who either accept a gift which they aren't really interested in or return it. We are pawns in the world of Wall Street.
Notice that the first business day after Christmas is almost as busy as Black Friday...everybody is returning their gifts with which they are not satisfied.
My family has also decided not to do a gift exchange this year. We currently have no young children in the family, kids are all grown and my sister doesn't have kids yet (none from me ever, thank you).
My husband and I haven't exchanged holiday gifts since we got married 9 years ago, but this is the first year we've convinced the rest of the family to join us in escaping the craziness.
When my sister has kids old enough to appreciate it, we will do Christmas for them, I'm sure, but until then, I'm free.
This was the perfect year for it anyway. No one has extra money to spend on things that people don't want anyway.
Are you offended if someone says "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Xmas?
If you are not Christian does it bother you when people assume you are by wishing you a Merry Xmas?
Yes I am. I think christians should have a mark so they could look and see who not to bother. The mark could be different for each christian divisions and would let them discuss who had the sing of the beast; which could last all year. A fish branded on their forehead would work just fine with different fins and colors.
I become very weary of the xmas season every year. There is too much hype and too little real feelings. I will do OK for the first week of Christmas songs, and manage to smile at all the people with the hands out as I enter stores. When the week of xmas gets here I am ready to bite a bible beaters head off. It must show as they never come by the house during the holidays, but that might be the large pentagram I place in the drive entrance. (that was a joke)
As a cultural christian (not believing) I prefer christmas b/c Happy Holidays is pretty silly. Hanukkah has gained importance as a cultural holiday (in my view as a response to Christmas), but it is of lesser religious importance compared to the big Jewish holidays. And let's face it, people know what the "Holidays" are really about. Kwansa (spelling) is a joke. Sorry, but it is. I guess Happy Holidays could mean christmas and New Year. I don't like New Year much, however.
"Happy Holidays" doesn't offend me at all, and my family and I celebrate Christmas. Likewise, "Merry Christmas" doesn't offend me, even though I'm an atheist. I do celebrate Christmas, after all. Personally, I try to say "Happy Holidays" or the good old fashioned "Seasons Greetings" if I don't know for certain the person I'm speaking to celebrates Christmas. Of course, in Tennessee not celebrating Christmas is a pretty rare thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samir_Abdul
...to question me about why i dont eat pork...you tell black person you dot eat pork, and they're look like your crazy or something, i can tell people i dont eat anything else, mushrooms, olives,cottage cheese, and peopel are like oh!! soon as i say pork,its like the clock stops for a second...
I know the response well. It's similar to the one everyone I've ever met gives me when I tell them I don't eat steak. "WHAT?!?!?! WHY?!?!?! Are you a vegetarian?" Of course I'm not, and it has nothing to do with any religious beliefs. I just find steak and similar things (roast, pork/lamb chops, fried chicken, etc.) really, really gross to eat. But when I tell people that you'd think I'd punched a baby in the face.
My family has also decided not to do a gift exchange this year. We currently have no young children in the family, kids are all grown and my sister doesn't have kids yet (none from me ever, thank you).
My husband and I haven't exchanged holiday gifts since we got married 9 years ago, but this is the first year we've convinced the rest of the family to join us in escaping the craziness.
When my sister has kids old enough to appreciate it, we will do Christmas for them, I'm sure, but until then, I'm free.
This was the perfect year for it anyway. No one has extra money to spend on things that people don't want anyway.
I'm with you Melvin and Lacerta. Hanukah is not a major Jewish holiday but became more so because of consumerism and so Jewish kids didn't feel left out of the gift giving of Christmas. Suddenly kids were suppose to get two gifts per day for eight days. That would show those kids that only have one day to celebrate their holiday, right? What a pain. Once that tradition is started it is not easy to stop as your child is no longer a child but not an adult yet but we are trying much to his dismay.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever you want to say, does not offend me, it's not my holiday.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But when I tell people that you'd think I'd punched a baby in the face.
