Christmas....

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I completely agree, and only wish to add to that sentiment about all the holiday commercials... the ads hawking diamonds and diamond jewelry, and insinuating that you're a loser if you don't buy diamonds for your wife / girlfriend / significant other for Christmas. They also play similar diamond ads around Valentine's day, Mother's day, etc. etc. I really think those ads are very insensitive and insulting to people who could never afford such things... and then they wonder why people with mental illnesses get worse over the holidays... well, stop making us feel guilty with your stupid ads, that might help!! !

Thought you might like this rant by Charlie Brooker on Christmas ads (it made me smile): This year's Christmas adverts aren't adverts, they're 'events'. Ghastly events

Thanks, Indy. Nice to know I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Just tell them that you no longer celebrate christmas, it will take a couple of years but they'll get the idea eventually.

We don't celebrate christmas, we don't follow any religion so do not celebrate any religious holidays. My husband had been that way for a long time so his family were used to it, I always felt pressured into celebrating it and once I moved in with my husband I told my family I would no longer be celebrating it. The first couple of years they didn't pay much attention but now they respect our wishes..to an extent. My mother is very much about fairness, she hates the idea of getting my brother and his gf presents and nothing for us so she buys stuff for us but doesn't expect anything in return(my dad just buys us stuff because he refuses to accept that some people just don't celebrate it).

We've had some slight disagreements over our daughter, specifically with the mother in law over it not being fair for her to miss out on christmas. To an extent I agreed with her, that it wasn't fair of us to force our beliefs(or in this instance lack of) on to her, it was not much different to our parents forcing their beliefs upon us.

So now our daughter is free to do as she pleases, she likes to go and see santa (she knows he's not real but enjoys the fun of it all), she likes having a tree and decorations in her room but she doesn't give a hoot about the religious meaning behind it all and as long as she gets presents she's happy (which is probably the mindset of most kids). She gets christmas presents off everyone but opens them on my husband's birthday which is a few days after christmas. She receives cards but sends homemade 'happy winter' cards to her friends so as not to be left out of the buzz of sending and receiving cards (not to mention being socially polite).

As for my husband and I we don't send cards or buy anyone presents, apart from my niece. I don't want her to think we don't care so reluctantly she gets a present but not in xmas wrapping and she's allowed to open it a week or so before the event. This year my mum came up with a great plan regarding presents. My brother doesn't know what to get my daughter and vice versa so we're all going to a big toy store to let the kids go mad, not bothering to wrap it up they can just have them that day. Which is a really great alternative for us, my mum knew I was never happy having to get my niece a xmas present, this way it's a nice treat when we visit rather then one of many presents she'll have on christmas day.

My daughter's school are very happy to let her join in with christmas activities but she does things differently, for example when they make cards in school hers will depict something more neutral, like a snowman or like last year hello kitty with the words happy winter inside. She doesn't have to join in with the christmas nativity but if she does want to she can pretty much wear what she wants, last year she was snow white. This year the school are having a very non traditional theme and her role is as a rap singer, it will be interesting to see how that's going to go

I used to be hostile towards Christmas; nowadays I'm just indifferent to it instead. (Perhaps that's due to staying isolated most of the time.)

Good question.It is a tradition left over from before Christianity was merged with Roman celebrations, similar to what someone pointed out earlier with the bringing of evergreens indoors. I think it was a Roman holiday called Saturnalia where people feasted and gave each other gifts. I think it had something to do with sun worship. Or the birthday of a Roman God. I can't remember. Google is your friend...
Probably best to double check that, I have a bad memory.

I was just thinking today that I like fairy lights and wish they were up all year round. But I dislike being told I have to give presents on any particular day, be it christmas, valentines, mothers day or most annoyingly friends who expect gifts on their wedding anniversary.

I prefer to surprise people and get something they like when I stumble across it. I like it when people say, oh you didn't have to get me anything, it's not a special occassion. It's more fun for me, but I am obtuse. My sister is the same oddly. She won't even have people over on christmas day just to make a point. I'm not that extreme, but everyone we know has grown accustomed to getting nothing christmassy from us. I might gatecrash just to annoy her. Lol.

I love being on my own and having a lie in on christmas day, it's so still outside and I enjoy the peacefulness.

Interesting about the origin of Sunday. Sun day. Worship Sun god. Yet this is the universal day Christians give to God. When usually a day begins from sundown to sundown the next day. So really the Sabbath falls on a Saturday evening.

I may be influenced by the Church of God though...so uh, anyone is free to believe what they want. I think I'm kind of messed up by the various teachings I've heard. Pentecostal and COG - who do I trust?

Anyway, I think Christmas and Easter were pagan traditions adopted by the Catholic church. Not Christian. Christ-mass. Hmm...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Cdqx1qFX8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy9_JjLnmZI

I love the season but I have no one to celebrate it with. Christmas for one just isn't the same so I don't really bother with it. I'm a recluse and have no social life lol. I usually have to buy myself a present or I don't get one lol. Same with birthdays.

On saying that a big family Xmas is a nightmare as well...far too much noise and far too many people all talking at once.

I honestly want to love Christmas. I love the carols*Even though I am an atheist* the beautiful lights, and being with loved ones. I cannot stand that people are willingly to murder over some plastic object that will most likey to be ignored in a month or so. Besides I really have no one to celebrate with anymore. I can't stand my family anymore, I really don't have friends, and I get too tired from work to even care anymore. The only good thing I can say about Christmas anymore is that I can enjoy the greatest christmas movie ever made........................















DIE HARD!! !! !!

I like Christmas lights and the shows that come on television. I get Grinchy thoughts about get togethers.

When it comes to Christmas, I am a distant cousin of the Grinch. However, a steady flow of booze, spending most of my time in my room with my three cats, seeing my "people" regularly, ear plugs, hiding under the covers, Solitaire, coffee, and more booze helps me to tolerate it just a little bit.

If all Christmases could occur without any "asshole-ism," passive aggressive behaviour, and "f**k you" attitudes from my family members and people I see regularly (< that, I can control), then maybe I could tolerate it ever so slightly more. Otherwise, I hate Christmas.

I agree, I think Christmas is a better and more meaningful experience if you have a family or children, I suppose how you're feeling is similar to how a single person feels on Valentine's day.

I love it. I like the decorations and the music and I put my tree up every year. This year I put lights around my dining room and living room windows and I put up the window light decoration too I got for free from a garage sale. Sometimes I wish I can put up more to make it very Christmasy but that be lot of work and I don't have the room in the hall closet for all of it so I can't have too much.

I also love Gaudy houses and wanted my parents to do it to our house but they don't like gaudy houses and it's too much work. Now that I am an adult I agree, I don't want to do all that work and you have to start one month or two before December to get it all done by then. I'll just enjoy other gaudy houses. But I don't go driving around looking at Christmas lights because not many people do it these days. Not in my neighborhood anyway so i am afraid of wasting gas to find neighborhoods with lot of lights.

I hate Christmas shopping because I find it too stressful but I loved it as a kid because it was easy to get stuff for my brothers but when kids reach their pre teens, it gets tough to shop for them because they outgrow toys and things they like is more expensive. Plus I have no idea what they would like and I am always afraid of what if they don't like it so I'd save the gift receipts. Now I don't do it anymore. I decided to quit after 2008. Now I will be doing it again this year but only for my son. I so wish I can buy him lot of stuff but I can't get carried away because we live in a small apartment. I think I will also buy my husband that new Zelda game. Last year I got him pants.

As a kid I loved it for the presents and I used to play with our Christmas trees and our decorations we had in the house. I also loved wrapping Christmas presents and now it's a chore. I already did some Christmas shopping. Back in October I bought my brother and his girlfriend's dog a present at Big Lots and then last Friday I bought their son a couple Christmas presents after work. I wrapped them and gave them and their dog's present to my parents to bring back to Montana with them.