Thread for people who don't like Christmas

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HAHAHA! Well said, Kit! You just jumped up ten points on my respect scale.

 

I should??? Remember, that when we got married, we had been together for 5 years, and had been living together *and* sharing finances for over 2 years. Marriage didn't change much in our day to day lives.

Relationship-wise, I am happy. Just because I got married 4 months ago doesn't mean that I have to jump for joy at everything...Xmas included.

"Oh look sweetie! A bird took a s*** on our car! This has to be one of the most exciting days of my life!"

Yeah, I think not...

 

I just hate the recycled, banal music. I despise Slade beyond anything else because of it.

 

The bolded part is the main reason I am not joyful at Christmas. Happiness and good tidings are forceably shoved in my face on a daily basis.

My dislike of this 'joy' is because of the realities hovering constantly in my mind:

- my parents can die any day, any time; Mom's immune system is gone thanks to the chemo and Dad's pancretitis is on again.

- my daughter is hanging out with a slutty best friend; her aunt is married to a drug addict and child molestor; she hates me for abandoning her

- at any point, RCMP can storm my home and deport me

- I'm charged with finding info about 2 of my brother's kids who were adopted out 15 years ago without his consent

- 2 uncles, 3 aunts, several cousins, 1 set of grandparents, 1 stepgrandparent and a good friend all died in December

- living in poverty

Merry ******* Christmas.

 

Oh....oh, THAT was beautiful! Kitrax? You rock.

That says it aptly; just because someone IS happy doesn't mean they have to act in the 'offical happy' manner that's expected of them.


And that boils down my big disappointment/gripe/criticism of the Christmas season: expectation.

You are expected to not only be happy, but jolly and friendly and helpful, and extravagant, and gluttonous, etc. etc. etc. all thrown under this catch-all, amorphous, unatainable term "The Christmas Spirit".

Some people LOVE the season, and are enjoying themselves immensely, but don't put up xmas lights. If you don't think they have 'the Christmas Spirit', that's YOUR problem, not theirs.

And worse yet, a lot of people buy into this expectation and spend too much^1 and eat too much and do too much and go into debt, ruin their physique, and stress themselves out in a vain attempt to 'keep up appearances.'^2

All this effort is put to exhibiting the symptoms of having 'holiday spirit' without thinking about bringing about the cause of it...

That's what ticks me off about this holiday.


Footnotes:
------------
#1. To those who say "...can't wait for January" - bah, I can't wait for MARCH, when the 'Xmas Debts' get paid off)

#2. warning signs: "We're going to have the BEST XMAS EVER, even if it kills us!" "I'm jolly, dammit!"

 

/me raises his hand

You rang?

Pfft. Expectations. I'm expected to buy gifts for everyone in my family, my mother-in-law, my aunt/uncle, friends, a co-worker (stupid "secret santa" bulls*** at my work), my wife, and my lazy ass cats!

My wife, my friends, *one* of my brothers, my parents, and possibly my cats are the only ones who are getting anything from me this year. Everyone else is on my S*** List.

But I'm a nice guy...so I might get them a lump of coal...and for those members of my family/extended family who deserve it, I might put out the effort to give them a tattered old shoe, accompanied by a coupon for one swift kick in the a**!!!

 

I've never been "christmas-person" especially at the moment. Had to spent 15 weeks in hospital and lost my job after that. And my girlfriend. Ok, last two weren't big losses but I'm completely broke and my health isn't good right now. I went totally berserk yesterday when I heard first christmas song on the radio and smashed it. Something I haven't done since teenager.

Sorry about whining.

HO HO HOO! ... my ass...

 

As I said in the other Christmas thread, it's all about hearing relatives talk through the same stuff each year over and over again. As long as they don't start arguing and no one gets totally drunk then I suppose I can handle it.

 

I used to dread Christmas -- it was never a good time until a few years ago (and downright scary when I was a kid). Having someone around that really gets into giving at Christmas makes a world of difference.

 

Isn't that what Christmas is all about? That's what I was always led to believe...

 

Ok, I decided to take a peak in Harbour-Xmas-Boy's "What I like about Xmas" thread...and I decided to have a little cross thread examination.

Here's his list with his comments in (), along with with my comments in <>.

1) Time off work (has to be good)
<Everyone likes time off. Some of us don't get that option however. This year I got lucky...but try working a 7pm to 7am shift durring a holiday. Sure the extra $$ is nice, but I'd rather be at home.>

2) Buying presents (it is fun to get things for other people that you know they will like to get. Don't have to be expensive. I can buy my brother in law some CD of his favourite band and he'll love it)
<When you have a lot people on your list, it will always end up costing a lot...even if you get each of them a crummy $10 gift.>

3) Seeing my son enjoy Christmas (he had a ball helping out putting up the tree, he asks me to read what people have written in Christmas cards, and is excited about getting presents)
<I don't have any kids...so their non-existent enjoyment doesn’t do much for me. >

4) Getting presents (I might get Neverwinter Nights 2, if I'm lucky)
<Ok, now here's the part that gets me. First off, people come to you in late November/early December asking me what I want. Problem is, the only things I really want are WAAAAY too expensive [a house for example]. Then they end up getting me a bunch of crap, thinking I'll like it, while I just sit there, thinking of how little these people know me. My wife is exempt from this...she always gets me kick-ass gifts.>

5) Christmas mince pies (love 'em)
<I hate pie. And you don't hear of people making a Xmas confetti cake...>

6) Spending time with my family (I'll spend all day with my wife and son without having to worry about going to work or going shopping or doing garden chores or anything like that)
<My sister is cool, but she married an idiot...and they live half way across the USA now. My oldest brother is an idiot, who tries to force his religion on me. My next oldest brother is awesome...but I only get to see him once a year if I'm lucky. And then there's my next oldest brother, who is the biggest f***ing a**hole in the world. My aunt is cool, but she married an idiot. My cousins are cool, but one is on a LDS mission, and the other just isn't the same now that she's got 2 kids.
Spending time with the family? I'll pass.>

7) Taking photos (Christmas photos are great because you can tell exactly when they were taken and you can compare them with other years to see how things have changed).
<While photography is one of my bigger hobbies...I don't want to waste my time taking pictures of people I don't like. And the people I *do* like, hate having their pictures taken.>

8) Christmas music (you only hear it once a year and it's mostly fun stuff. Even Slade, which you only get in the UK, but which I have a copy of here to play)
<Can you say redundant, and cliché? Not to mention the fact that one song describes Santa Clause as a pedophile... >

9) The weather (in NZ, Christmas happens when the sun is shining and the weather is perfect for a barbecue on the beach)
<I'll trade you your sunny and warm weather for the typical snowy, cold, grey day here. Try shopping when the store's parking lot has 6+ inches of snow, and the high temperature for the day is 10 degrees below freezing. >

10) Christmas movies (It's a Wonderful Life is one of my top 10 favorite films of all time)
<Horrible, just horrible. Xmas movies get grouped along with the Xmas music. >

Xmas sucks...but I'm looking forward to New Year's!

 

Nice analysis. I hope your future kids find a way to enjoy Christmas, Kitrax!

Hope you're still posting here when that happens so I can find out what Christmas is like in Kitrax-as-Daddy household. Will it be dull and mopey, or will Kitrax pretend to be happy just for them?

Where's that ghost of Christmas Yet To Come when you need him?

 

You speak like we actually want snot-nosed rugrats, Harby.

I doubt that's the case. I don't know for Kit and his wife, but in my own case, I just have one thing to say: Blargh.

And where are the Ghostbusters when you need them...?

 

Doesn't actually matter what Kitrax (or you) want. Once the wife decides that her clock is ticking, there's not much you can do to stand in her way.....

Kitrax will have kids. No matter he or is wife might say today. I can just tell.

 

Ha... once she decides the clock is ticking, then you get blackmailed into having kids with threats of divorce because of a lack of desire to settle down with a mortgage and kids. *shrugs* I'd rather divorce then get blackmailed into spawning descendence.

Oh? Tell me, then, seer Harby, will I get blackmailed into having kids?

Anyway, back on the topic of Xmas... I got asked if I would come to the party on the 24th. This likely will end into yet another family fight, so thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather stay home with my housemate (which, ironically, doesen't celebrate Xmas either, thanks to a family as dysfunctional as mine), drink Fire-Cola and take some Stone-Aid and just chill out in good company.

I think I know what she plans on giving me as Xmas gift. I'm 99.9% sure.

 

Yes, but when it happens, you won't admit to it being "blackmail" at the time. Still, like many people on BoM, that's a few years off, so there won't be many people around to remember what you said today. /end Seer-ness.

 

Not a fan of kids eh DotW

I don't like how everyone gets so perky and all the traffic in the streets and malls with people rushing around and doing xmas shopping.

But imo, the WORST part is how people start feeling sad that the world is in such a state, etc. Feel like that for the rest of the year, fine, I agree. But just because it's xmas time, the bad guys are supposed to stop doing their thing and everybody wants to play nice and everything becomes allright?

Suddenly there's supposed to be a "happy atmosphere" around the holidays and everyone stops being an *******? Right, pass me another damn hallmark card.

But despite all I've said, don't get me wrong: I ****ing love xmas for the vacation, the gifts and the time I get to spend with my family. I love how it makes the people I care about feel a bit better for some reason that I am unable to share.


But all the perky people that I don't include in my list can go and be perky somewhere else.

 

OK. I do hate the crowds at the shops at this time of the year.

 

Tell me about it Harbourboy! What was I thinking when I went shopping two week before christmas?! Uggrr crowed shoping mall... meh.

 

Everybody seems to forget their manners and common courtesy in shops at this time of year. Shoving and pushing etc.