Christmas

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I don't mind Christmas at all but people always have said I seem unexcited at Christmas, even though I'm not. Apparently, I open presents weird and everything. Even when I was a child, my parents thought I was unhappy. I am very set in my ways about Christmas and like it to be traditional with just close family, the same Christmas dinner every year, etc. I don't like when houses have too many Christmas lights outside, it does my eyes in, but other stuff, I don't mind.

(Also I didn't know what the Dirty Santa game was so I googled it and I don't understand how that would be fun or amusing in any way?)

Whoa, I just had a flashback of 40+ years to seeing the film Pink Flamingos with Divine, the filthiest person alive... I didn't see that coming.

Just showing solidarity with all the other people who don't really enjoy Christmas.

We may all disenjoy it in somewhat different ways.

Spell checker doesn't like "disenjoy." Well boo hoo.

I don't relate to stereotyped rituals very much at all. I don't like to be sucked into "everybody's got to do this" when it makes no sense to me. I also hate to see the sellers making a profit off people's backs by offloading useless, wasteful crap onto them, and I don't like to see everybody falling for it.

with my inlaws we call it a yankee swap or a white elephant gift exchange. those have some xmas mirth to them.

That game is sometimes called Secret Santa here.

When stuck with not knowing what to buy something, gift vouchers can be a good idea so then the giftee (no such word) can buy what they want. That's what I did this year. It means giving a card instead of wrapping presents (and I love doing that).

Usually I do nothing in regards to food but this year I'm making cookies and cream cupcakes to take to the family gathering.

Retailers take full advantage of Christmas to encourage people to spend money on gifts in order to maintain social status. This easily escalates quite profitably. Whenever I have gotten involved in such exchanges, I've gotten a lot of useless junk. It might mean a lot more to sit down and appreciate each other, but that probably feels too risky.

I give people gifts when I see something that I think belongs at their place, and I don't keep score. Or, I'll give something that I made to keep my hands busy.

I remember at my last xmas white elephant gift exchange, I was gonna get a nice sweater but at the last minute somebody higher-scoring than me swapped it outta my hands and I ended up with a silly@$$ed sign which read "mary chismus.

At least you get invited to celebrations. Me, I’m persona non grata with my brothers and both sides of the family, ever since my diagnosis.

I think if my in-laws knew, i'd be persona non grata with them as well.

I really want to like Christmas, and have worked hard this year to try and like it, but I simply don't like it. I was doing OK with it until today.

I really dislike the major disruption to my routine. The Bible studies that are so nourishing cease for a few weeks. My friends (I have 2 or 3, thankfully) all get busy with family and I don't get to see them. I am around my dysfunctional family of origin a lot more. (Please, don't give me advice about my family of origin.) Overall, it just gets crazy and chaotic and there are too many social and sensory things going on. So many unrealistic expectations. Especially unrealistic for someone on the spectrum. I'll be glad when the 26th rolls around. The thing is, I do believe in Jesus, but it has turned into a very commercialistic and chaotic time.

I've just decided to accept that I don't like it, stop trying to force myself to like it, and just get through the next several days as best I can.

I'd never heard of the Dirty Santa game before, so I'm glad I stopped by this thread and learned something new. I'm also relieved to learn that it has nothing to do with the rather wild imaginings I was beginning to contemplate before I found the explanation here!

By chance, somebody hosting a party I'm going to later this week sounds to be planning to organise a game sounding just like this. I'll enjoy trying the name on the other participants, to see if they know what they are playing!

Sounds like me at my family's Christmas party Saturday night. I had absolutely no desire to be there or socialize with any of them, but I went as a favor to my mom.

debating with meself whether to visit with sis on xmas day or tomorrow, when her daughter and bf are there.

Merry Christmas to all who are observing and I hope the social and sensory hell is not too bad for you.