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How much does everyone love Christmas? I for one look forward to it all year long. Once the fourth of July passes you start to get those first Christmas preview catalogs. I think it's the decorating I really love. Last year I swore I would get a jump start on the season and enjoy it for as long as I could. So I totally decked out my office first week of October. I really went all out. Even though it was a small Accounting office I managed to fit two seperate themed trees in there. Wreaths, lights, window clings, garland you name it. And it was the smallest, crummiest office you'd ever seen. The company I worked for at the time didn't want to put much into it. And people seemed to like it. It brought smiles to peoples faces on boring Monday mornings or hetic Fridays. Some of the biggest scrooges I had to deal with on a weekly basis were suddenly much nicer.
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
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I just love it. I think it's a genetic thing. Mom usually has her tree up as soon as the stores put them out. SHe figures if they can, she can too. I've seen where she won't let kids into the house for Halloween because she doesn't want them to go home and tell their parents that Mrs. B has her Christmas tree up! DH is really into it, too. He just loves giving Christmas gifts (that's definitely a good thing for me!). I love the decorations, the food, all of it but the shopping. You see, I hate crowded stores! Too many years working retail, I guess. I decorate at least a little bit in every room and have been known to have two trees in my house. I hate having to get rid of so many of my decorations for the move (our house in FL is about 1/2 the size of our house here).
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
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I usually put my stuff out T'giving weekend and take it down right after New Year's. But if Christmas wasn't a good one, I took the stuff down right afterwards. One year, the tree came down 12/26. That wasn't a good year. Since this hubby, I hate to put it away most years. One year, we left the Santas out year-round!
PROS: Birth of Christ, cookies, family gatherings, snow, wonderful traditional music, decorations, altruism/volunteerism levels elevated, less people splurging on home improvement projects (which makes me less tired after my lengthy shifts at Lowe's!), holiday pay, excuse to head downtown to go shopping.
CONS: Rude drivers, shoppers, and customers, the "same old" sermon at church, being afraid to say "Merry Christmas" and risk offending my area's increasingly-diverse population, romantic loneliness is heightened, blatant consumerism/commercialism, having to work on Black Friday and seeing people pushing each other over for "bargains."
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 02-28-2007 at 05:30 PM..
Reason: Typo
Well, I'll be honest. I really dislike Christmas. Can't say "hate" but it's close. I keep threatening to book a non-refundable flight on Christmas or a cruise. But the family won't let me.
Reasons: In-laws. Relatives on both sides. Pressure. Stress. Commercialism. Too many reasons plus some reasons are too personal. I can't stomach fake people & they all seem to appear at my doorstep pretending to be happy & friendly.
I can say that I would be very very happy to just be able to skip it one year.
Well, I'll be honest. I really dislike Christmas. Can't say "hate" but it's close. I keep threatening to book a non-refundable flight on Christmas or a cruise. But the family won't let me.
Reasons: In-laws. Relatives on both sides. Pressure. Stress. Commercialism. Too many reasons plus some reasons are too personal. I can't stomach fake people & they all seem to appear at my doorstep pretending to be happy & friendly.
I can say that I would be very very happy to just be able to skip it one year.
heh
I think many people feel the same as you--with plenty of justification.
I know my mom (may she rest in peace) felt exactly the same way.
My dad was the opposite, but he passed away relatively young.
I think my mom was really relieved when we kids grew up and I kind of "took over" doing Christmas. And actually I know what you mean about the fake feeling of good will, but I do tend to really feel it around Yuletide.
If you could get away with it, it might do you a world of good to skip Christmas one year. Or just do away with as much of it as you can.
Of course, that is probably easier to say than do.
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
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I admit I hate that part, too. Feeling torn because one family thinks you spend too much time with the other side. GMAB. At least when we move this year, there'll be no more of that. We spent one Thanksgiving alone (it was supposed to be at our house, but the weather "prevented" the in-laws from coming) and it was one of the best I remember. At 50-something and with no kids or grandkids of our own, it's too exhausting to have to drive 2-1/2 hours to one family for a couple of house, then back 2-1/2 hours to spend another couple of hours with the other family.
We love Christmas time, but unfortunately (like thousands and thousands of other folks) can have a tendancy to overspend for Christmas. In 2004/2005, we decorated both the inside and outside of our house....we actually put up two Christmas trees inside the house (large one by our front window, small one in our living room). This last year, 2006, we just didn't want to go "all out" like we had before. Ourside, only a Christmas Wreath on the front door. Inside, only one tree and some decor around the fireplace. For some people, like us, the older we get, the harder it is to decorate a lot. Comparing Christmas back in the mid to late 60's, when I was in high school, to today, Christmas is much, much more commercialized (we don't like that that much). We still enjoy Christmas, but it just isn't like it was in "the good old days".
I love Christmas. I am lucky though that I don't have too much family pressure as I have been away from them for so long were not that close anyways. For the past 6 years I have spent Christmas week in NYC and it is the BEST place to spend Christmas! The city goes all out and does a fantastic job. There are so many great 'Christmasy' things to go. Rockefeller plaza is beautifully decked out, Radio City Music, Fifth ave. The Waldorf Astoria does the best job in my oppinion for decorating. The Bronx zoo and Botanical Garden put on great shows. I could go on and on. A week in Manhattan is so much better then being with my extended family in the Midwest.
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You asked
Relatives on both sides. 
