Absolutely HATE the holidays. -Anyone else?

[noblesmelissa 0]

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I agree with you, I hate the holidays, I am not even celebrating in the least this year... no tree...no presents... no lights. My kids get things throughout the year, they have never believed in Santa and I would never lie to them like that.

Do however have to celebrate thanksgiving this year, maybe mom will ruin that one to then we will have an excuse to forgo thanksgiving next year

Awww...I like the whole Santa idea...I think its great that my kids get to believe that there is a little magic out there before they get old enough to realize that life usually just slaps you down and stomps on you until you beg for mercy...

[lisamariewillbe 1]

The magic would be that the parents go blind poor trying to give them the holiday cheer, the reality is people lie to their children about all the major things, xmas, easter, etc etc, why lie when the reality of these holidays are much nicer. Granted I hate easter to. I hate any holiday where I am almost "forced" to over induldge my children because other children are being over induldged.

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[noblesmelissa 0]

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Gifts, credit card bills, gluttony, over-extravagance, another year older, another year wasted, hate it hate it hate it.

Too many people do make Christmas into a gluttonous orgy of spending 'til their credit cards groan, or plan activities and holiday trips 'til they're exhausted. I hate people I love wasting their money buying me things I don't want or need. Those are traps my wife and I decided to avoid years ago

I agree with you there...we only spend money out of our bank account...NO CREDIT CARDS...and my husband and I are not getting anything for each other. We have our own "gifts" to ourselves...me skydiving and him his band's recording their CD...

[noblesmelissa 0]

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The magic would be that the parents go blind poor trying to give them the holiday cheer, the reality is people lie to their children about all the major things, xmas, easter, etc etc, why lie when the reality of these holidays are much nicer. Granted I hate easter to. I hate any holiday where I am almost "forced" to over induldge my children because other children are being over induldged.

Has the first of the three ghosts visited you yet?

[windcatcher 0]

Life is what you make it!
If you'd rather be miserable than enjoy the times, have it your way!

You can celebrate the holidays any way you choose. If you don't want to gain a few extra pounds and credit card debt, don't indulge. Focus instead on spending quality time with people, because people is what it's all about ( except baby Jesus, He's important!)

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[StearmanR985 0]

Hey Jaye,

I am not overly keen on the holidays either. All those 'obligations' to buy give gifts and have family get togethers just because the calendar says so? Please, how about giving and getting together when you want to because you want to not because some retail company says so? Sounds more sincere to me.

Jeff

[SpeedRacer 1]

'Obligations' my ass!

I don't understand these people who complain about the holidays because of consumerism & whatever.

You can decide how to celebrate the holidays. It's within your power. If you don't like all the shopping & commercialism, then don't f&*king participate in those particular things. If so many in the rest of the world choose to do that BS, who care? to hell with 'em.

I'm a Christian, so Christmas is first & foremost a religious holiday for me. But if you're not into religion, that doesn't mean you can't get into the whole spirit of the holidays. I have plenty of non-religious friends who still like to decorate the tree & visit family & friends & give gifts to their children (if they have them) etc.

The holidays are just like the rest of life: you can choose to enjoy it or not. It's not the holiday's fault if you hate it, it's YOUR fault, because it's your choice.

Speed Racer
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[lisamariewillbe 1]

Christmas - not celebrated on Christs bday

Christmas tree - Pagan symbol,

Christians should out law the commerical aspects of this holiday... as well as the date it is on

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[SpeedRacer 1]

Dec 25th was Saturnalia. It was an easy way for the emperor Constantine to get the empire to make the Big Switch to Christianity.

Most Christian scholars today believe Christ was not born during the winter at all, since there were shepherds grazing their sheep at that time, and people in that part of the world at that time would keep their sheep in a corrale during winter.

So what? Dec 25th is when we celebrate it. So what if we have a Christmas tree? Heck, in my Catholic church we've got one set up right in the church during Christmas time. Are we to throw out everything that pre-Christians ever came up with? Come on! We'd have to throw out the names of the days of the week next (they come from Norse mythology)

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[rickjump1 0]

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I can't stand them. I have to get liquored up to tolerate November and December. -And the first part of January, too. That's a quarter of my year, damn!

Me too, but I get by with a little help from my friends: a little church, a little granddaughter, and a little booze.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[NWFlyer 2]

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You can decide how to celebrate the holidays. It's within your power.

I'd agree with that wholeheartedly. Couple examples: when my parents got married, they decided early on (even before they had kids) that they were going to create their own Christmas. Their parents were more than welcome to come visit, but Christmas would be at their home. Right there, one common drama solved ("who do we spend the holidays with?").

As we've all become adults, my immediate family has set very strict (and enforced!) spending limits for gifts for each other. It means we each end up with a few small things (a CD, a book, a DVD) under the tree and we get to go through the Christmas morning rituals, but we don't end up spending more and more and more on each other every year. We figure: we're all adults now, we can decide when to spend large amounts of money on ourselves for big things (or not).

Maybe I like it because my family has always been pretty low-key about the holidays. It's not a huge production, it's not a huge drama, there's no family crisis. It's a time for us all to get together (and since I live all the way across the country, those times are infrequent).

I like this time of year - I like the energy of it. Sure, there's things I don't like, but for the most part, I don't let them bug me too much.

So, Jaye, I'll see you at the SSD Holiday Party, then?

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[SpeedRacer 1]

That's similar to what we do. We've mostly just skipped the gift giving for the adults in the family, but we still give gifts for the children. I mean once you're an adult, the spiritual aspects of Christmas is what's important, all the rest is just decoration.

And my mother hates shopping, so that's why she's a big advocate of a non-commercial Christmas. So it all works out. Instead we take the money we would have spent on crap in the malls & donate it to the Red Cross or some other charitable organization.

I still get a Christmas tree, visit the relatives, go to parties, go to midnight mass on Christmas, etc. Sometimes I even brew a Christmas Ale.

Speed Racer
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[noblesmelissa 0]

I think Christmas is all about the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks...

[Lindsey 0]

I LOVE Christmas, and it will be merry. I am digging really deep into my pockets this year for a Santa Claus splurge. I'm guessing that this will probably be the last year my little boy holds on to that belief...but maybe not. The longer the better. I don't feel obligated to buy presents, but I enjoy it. We don't buy a bunch of stuff through the year, and it's fun to let Santa come through. My little boy knows I don't have much money, and I think it's great that he still believes.... It wouldn't be nearly as much fun for him if he knew that I bought the booty, because he'd feel guilty knowing that it's hard for me to afford. To me it's money well spent.

Family and friends. Nothing like a holiday party. Parties any time are nice, but Christmas parties with friends and nog are extra special to me. And when the WHOLE family gets together for Thanksgiving....what a treat. My kiddo's been marking down the days until Thanksgiving on his calendar. Funny...he's only mentioned Christmas a couple of times. Cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws and all. Looks like the weather's gonna be great this year for some backyard football :)

Bah Humbug if it pleases you, but it's a lot more fun to just enjoy the season! You can be glum any old day.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[SkydiveStMarys 0]

I understand your points....just out of curiosity, how do you explain it all to your kids? During Christmas break from school, do y'all do some other family activity?

stepping lightly,
Bobbi

A miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude.

[noblesmelissa 0]

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I LOVE Christmas, and it will be merry. I am digging really deep into my pockets this year for a Santa Claus splurge. My little boy knows I don't have much money, and I think it's great that he still believes.... It wouldn't be nearly as much fun for him if he knew that I bought the booty, because he'd feel guilty knowing that it's hard for me to afford. To me it's money well spent.

Bah Humbug if it pleases you, but it's a lot more fun to just enjoy the season! You can be glum any old day.

linz

WELL SAID!!!!!

[PLFXpert 0]

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I think Christmas is all about the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks

Oh, for shizzal

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[PLFXpert 0]

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Awww...I like the whole Santa idea...I think its great that my kids get to believe that there is a little magic out there

You know, I was very much an idealistic child---but I can't remember ever believing in Santa

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[yardhippie 0]

I used to think of ways to prove the my parents were "Santa" from at least age 7, if not younger.

What can I say, my parents raised a sceptic!

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[Brian425 0]

Just do something nice for another person. Makes you feel good. Even small things help.

The only time you should look down on someone is when you are offering them your hand.

[upndownshop 0]

Holidays weren't so bad up until 2000 when my father passed. Kind of a tough time line.
Imagine this:
parents married 35 years, father was 3 months into his 65 birthday.

10-1 my birthday
10-14 father passed
10-31 brothers birthday
11-23 sisters birthday
thanksgiving-empty chair
christmas empty again
news year again empty
2-14 valentines day (mother is reminded again)

It was really tough the first few years, it does get better with time.
I know there are others with "real"suffering compared to ours so I try not to get too down. But its hard to see my mother during these times, she is a strong lady and always keeps going but I do worry about her.

As my parents taught us, keep smiling, its just a phase, it will change. It always does.

however I do enjoy seeing the smiling faces of friends kids when they show off their new toys. wish I had some of those toys when i was a kid.

Hope everyone does have some great holidays, whether you celebrate or not.

[bamalewis 0]

If you hate the holidays as most people celebrate them, create your own traditions and celebrate them in a way that will minimize the misery of the normal holiday cheer. You may begin to look forward to the time instead of dreading it. I personally made my first skydive after a new year's resolution. It was my first holiday season after a divorce, and I decided it was time to do something other than mope. I have never regretted it.

[noblesmelissa 0]

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Awww...I like the whole Santa idea...I think its great that my kids get to believe that there is a little magic out there

You know, I was very much an idealistic child---but I can't remember ever believing in Santa

I believed in Santa and I turned out all right...except for my need to throw myself out of moving objects at 13,000 feet...hmmm...

[NWFlyer 2]

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Just do something nice for another person. Makes you feel good. Even small things help.

I know Jaye personally. One of her (many) wonderful traits is that she does this year-round.
But you're right, it's great advice for surviving the season.

[skydiver51 0]

I get through them pretty good now days. I just drive around town every once in a while, cuss out a few people and flip a few others off and then i'm good til Jan 1st.

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