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I'm pretty indifferent to Christmas probably because I'm single and have no kids.
I used to hate it but one thing that really helped my attitude was when I got rid of TV many years ago. I found the endless commercialization and the pounding of "If you don't buy your wife a new Mercedes then you don't love her and you're a lousy husband" type stuff really affected my attitude.
Now I find it to be a pleasant time of year but I do try to stay away from stores until it is over.
One thing that does bother me is calling it XMas instead of Christmas. I'm an agnostic and not religious at all but I have enough respect for Christians and the holiday to call it Christmas. It's not the celebration of X!
No details to share, I just don't enjoy the Holidays as a person should. Too much resentment, too similar to Gosford Park.
I imagine that I am not alone but I don't like feeling this way.
My mother shares your feeling. She's never liked Christmas, ruined it for us kids when we were younger with her saying she hated Christmas. Apparently she's bitter she didn't get much for Christmas.
For my dads last Christmas in 2005, I had a spare 7ft tree and enough decorations to decorate it. I even did a photo frame mini tree in his room. My dad appreciated it, her not so much but oh well. It was the 1st time he's had a large tree decked out. They had recently moved 7 blocks from me.
Christmas should be a Happy Holiday regardless of our ages. Ii just have extreme difficulty getting into that frame of mind. Too many negatives get in the way and I am pretty good at ignoring negatives. The seasonal onslaught of negatives is just over-whelming.
My wife and I spent all day yesterday travelling to see one of her brothers who is hospitalized, then visited the rest of her family before returning home. A 12-hour day which we had already planned to spend with seasonal activities. The first thing she grabbed when we entered our home was a fifth of Fireball. Her family is that bad! You need to know this was the fourth or fifth year running when either this brother or her mother chose to be hospitalized so they can be the center of everyone's attention. Sure puts additional stress on everyone else. BTW - there were only two shots remaining in the bottle of Fireball, one for her and one for me, so the alcohol consumption was not as bad as you may have imagined.
My wife knows she needs to sever the ties with this group but cannot bring herself to do so as she was, had to be, the surrogate mother to all her siblings.
Sorry to hear this. It sounds like the issue isn't Christmas after all, but her family.
If this is a regular affair, perhaps plan to be out of town next year. Or at least tell them you'll be out of town.
But I'm still not sure how this ruins Christmas. You went and saw them. It's not like you'll be holding their hands Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Different holiday time, one that I really, really hate because of what it has come to mean in the USA: The eve before New Year’s Day, which is the actual holiday. It is nothing but a drunk fest.
On top of that, the middle of winter does not feel like a new year!!!!!
If it coincided with spring equinox, hull yeah, that’s a new year. Even when snow is falling and/or temps are frigid, on that date people in the lower 48 know that spring isn’t that far away.
Better yet, use the natural signs that a fresh new season is on. Here, people say not to plant anything until the snow has melted from a certain mountain.
Me too. It's not gonna happen when they push it at me..forcing me to dress up for it at work on the first of November and I'm already bitter about it. Yet people get shocked at me if I say I don't like/hate Christmas. They can't imagine why.
A few days ago I cried hearing Christmas music on the radio. I haven't liked Christmas for many years since my grandma passed away. I feel like I should enjoy parts of it like the Hallmark or Netflix movies. I still watch them but I don't enjoy them enough to feel okay about it all. I wanted to move out of state before Christmas and participate in something Christmas there..it would at least make me feel better about it. I thought about going to Busch Gardens but I don't like rollercoasters and the shows don't seem that special to justify spending money. There are parts of it I just wish I could get more. I have fond memories of watching those movies on ABC family. I haven't even turned that channel on at all because I'm bitter but I also know that I'm probably not missing anything because for the past few years that channel isn't like it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daffodil_fields
Did you mean Fa la la la la, la la, la la??? :P
Eh, Christmas was the best when I was a kid. Now... since one parent has passed away, we sometimes do holidays, sometimes not. I've accepted that. Don't live in a snowy area either. Hot and sunny usually on Christmas Day. Not very festive that way...
It's kind of the opposite for me. I don't enjoy winter just as I no longer enjoy the summer.
I'm pretty indifferent to Christmas probably because I'm single and have no kids.
I used to hate it but one thing that really helped my attitude was when I got rid of TV many years ago. I found the endless commercialization and the pounding of "If you don't buy your wife a new Mercedes then you don't love her and you're a lousy husband" type stuff really affected my attitude.
Now I find it to be a pleasant time of year but I do try to stay away from stores until it is over.
One thing that does bother me is calling it XMas instead of Christmas. I'm an agnostic and not religious at all but I have enough respect for Christians and the holiday to call it Christmas. It's not the celebration of X!
It is not disrespectful to use the term Xmas. Read the link. I do think the word has a sort of ugly look. I prefer Christmas for aesthetic reasons. But using the X is nit disrespectful.
It is not disrespectful to use the term Xmas. Read the link. I do think the word has a sort of ugly look. I prefer Christmas for aesthetic reasons. But using the X is nit disrespectful.
I can't speak for Hackopotamus but we heard it was disrespectful when we were kids. 'Don't take Christ out of Christmas' kind of thing.
I'm not offended by it, but I do admire Hackopotamus for not wanting to offend anyone.
No details to share, I just don't enjoy the Holidays as a person should. Too much resentment, too similar to Gosford Park.
I imagine that I am not alone but I don't like feeling this way.
I get it. Because the holidays really stretch from mid-October to Christmas Day. It's so much frenetic energy, non-stop commercialism, and enforced frivolity. So if you fully engage with all the holiday's clamor, you skid exhausted into the New Year with a depleted bank account and fifteen pounds added to your waistline.
Heck. It's not even in the right spirit of the season. Not to be some noxious prig or anything--chiefly because I like a good Christmas party as much as anyone--but Christmas doesn't even start until Christmas Day, ending on Epiphany. The time before Christmas, Advent, is supposed to be a time of anticipation and quiet reflection. In fact, Advent was known as a Little Lent as opposed to the non-stop, manic bacchanal that it is today. You probably sense that with your post.
So that person who is putting up her tree in mid-November or playing Christmas music in October or sticking antlers on her car as she drives from story to store to store might not be fully aware of the entire purpose of those days leading up to the holiday. When we wallow in this Roman orgy, it's kind of defeating the holiday's entire point--which is certainly not avarice.
But.
The holidays are that way only if you allow it to be that way. If you are selective about the gifts, the holiday parties, and everything else, then it's an enjoyable week. If you approach the season in its intended spirit, with a sense of generosity and love, then it suddenly becomes something far better.
In other words, keep in mind the reason for Christmas. Not the mindless encrustations we've slapped onto it.
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