I hate Christmas.

Problem is, it starts in July, peaks during December then slowly attenuates thru to June where it starts all over again.

The main value of Christmas, for me, is the ritual of getting together w. family and friends that perhaps I don't get to see as often as I'd like (along with Thanksgiving); living alone as I do, the closest I get to decorating is putting Christmas cards I get on the mantle. If I can think of a truly apposite gift for someone near & dear, I get it for them. I also do what modest charitable giving I do this time of year as well. If (ever) I had my own wife and family, it would assume more resonance. I dislike the modern commercial aspects; my Christmas nostalgia is for what I imagine Victorian/Edwardian holidays were. I love the roaring hearth, the Christmas turkey and stuffing, a nice cognac, and hazy memories of Christmas past when my parents were alive. I do get weepy watching Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" when it's broadcast during the holiday.

Alright alright, I'll admit it: I'm a sentimental fool.

[This message was edited by bhazen on Tue 16 November 2004 at 3:37.]

Just remember it was a pagan festival hijacked by the church.

So eat drink and be merry don't let all the religious nonsense get in the way of a good time...

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Can I be alone?

OK I'm an atheist anyway; but the merry-go-round of commercialised crap and conformity is well into its stride and (plastic) Christmas trees abound, just about everywhere.

I refuse to be swept along with this nauseous nonsense and have no truck with it.

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I do not believe in the supernatural. I am an agnostic. I believe there is much true and profound philosophy to be found in religions

I share your utter distaste for the unashamed commercialism, and exploitation of some of the less attractive aspects of human selfishness and greed by some of the agencies involved

It seems to have become more "tacky" more overt in recent years, or perhaps I am just getting older and notice it more

Laurie S

Just treat it as a midwinter festival and celebrate the fact that the days will be getting longer, enjoy the time off, get pissed and eat good food. We have a £10 limit on presents for adults which alleviates the worst spending excesses.

Tom, Thanks for the Jethro Tull moment.

My Xmas survival plan is easy.

1) Always work, wife does same.

2) Milk gratitude of colleagues all the rest of the year

3) Request all friends and family give to a nominated charity which we chose each year in lieu of buying us any presents.

4) Celebrate New Year as a time for reflection and renewal.

You may have spotted I'm not much of a family man!

Bruce

I have a very young family, and this Christmas will be the first that my little guy will really understand, so there is innocent magic there that is infectious. My little girl is 6, and she still believes in Santa and gets very excited, and yes, she does understand that it's about Jesus being born too. I always used to moan and groan, but now I can get caught in the sentimentality of it all over again through them, and although I can't believe it's here again so quickly, I can get something out of it.
I will have to avoid my mother and sister who project such an air of grumpiness and complaint at everything that they drag everyone down into their negative misery with them. It's their loss. We won't spend very long with them this year.

J.N - I completely identify with your point of view and if you want to spend Christmas alone, and can do it without breaking hearts, then why not?

I chose to spend the Christmas of 1993 alone after my wife left me. My friends and family understood so it was fine - no noses out of joint.
I stuck two fingers up to convention and did it my way so that meant:

1/dispensing with ALL decorations apart from a few strands of tinsel over my Bonsai Tree

2/I said "NO" to wine boxes and got in a mixture of my favourite beers and wines

3/I told the Turkey to "get stuffed" and made up a huge batch of ring-stinging Chilli with Basmati Rice and Arctic Roll for dessert.

4/I didn't watch a single sodding prgramme on the gogglebox - instead I got in a dozen of the most violent and nasty videos I could find.

5/The local pub opened on Boxing Day so I staggered up there and got hog-whimperingly hammered, getting a large Doner,(with extra Chilli natch), on the way home.

In short, it was a one man party but by George, it was good to do something I wanted to do for a change instead of seeing people I can't stand the sight of, driving backwards and forwards to various family members, slogging my guts out cooking and sitting around watching more repeats of "Only Fools" and the "Wizard of sodding Oz."

No wonder the wife left me, eh???

Best Christmas I've ever had though....

I spent part of my childhood in Lahore, West Pakistan; Christmases there were quite magical. Snake charmers and magicians would come round to your house; we lived on the south end of town, just next to countryside; my dad took me out one night just before Christmas and showed me a camel caravan slowly making its way to the Sind and then Afghanistan...very Three Magi, and one of my most enchanted childhood memories.

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Just remember it was a pagan festival hijacked by the church.

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As are most of the main festivals. How do you think they got the populace to accept the "new" religion. They were quite happy with what they had but the "superior" people knew what's best for them. Some things don't change eh?

Howard

As an aside don't those bloody ads and cards with snow etc get on your tits. I can hardly remember the last snow let alone a white christmas.

No need to quote me twice Tom

I wasn't being entirely serious (am I ever?)

Having kids, we try and make sure that Christmas is still a magical time for them. For me, it gives me a good winter break from the drudgery of work and a chance to drink some decent beer and wine and spend some time with the kids and play music etc.

Being a lapsed cataholic I have no time for religion. Mrs S likes the midnight mass which is fine by me, I can stay at home and turn up the wick.

JN, thank you for posting this! Nice to know that there are more people 'of my kind'. I hate Xmas, not only because it is commercial bullocks, but also because I am supposed to do all these social family visits and have superficial talks about nothing (that's a pleonasm I guess). December is the month I really hate the most.

Regards, Bas

PS When I have (little) children I do understand Xmas can be quite magical

Chaps

This thread proves that some of you are miserable whinging sods.

Christmas is a wonderful time. You can eat drink and be merry and the children love it. Big family get togethers and everyone is happy.

I agree that it is a bit commercialised but buying all the razz mat tazz keeps thousands of people in a job.

Enjoy your life.

Regards

Mick

I hold my hand up to being a miserable whinging sod!

Christmas to me lost its appeal many years ago and all I see know is a country hyped up to spend as much as possible.

Christmas is rammed down our throats from July, I am already sick of it this year and were only half way through November.

Bah humbug

Regards


NB

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Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Enjoy your life.

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And go to a sunny island with your misses round Xmas time!

personally, i looooove christmas!!

not because of what it is suppose to mean, but because see-ing the look on my nieces and nephews faces on xmas morn is priceless.

yes, it is over commercial, traders knowing that this is the month to make hideous amounts of profit. why is it that even the most horrifically rude and impolite people are kinda gratious and have respect for others this time of year? its beyond me! the rest of the year they are complete tossers!

i love buying presents for my friends and family too, but hate the crowds in the shops at yuletide, grates on my nerves big time!!

i also hated the visiting of my ex's family, couldn't abide it.pretensious tossers! now i have just me, my family, and my friends who i choose to visit, much better than the false "merry xmas" crap i had to endure before.


anyhoose, gotta go, need to wrap some prezzies and put the tinsel on the tree.

John,

Growing up in Japan, Xmas has always been just another day. ( it's not a Holiday there )

Ever since I came to the States, I've witnessed a huge ordeal on THE day. I dread having to shop gifts for people I don't even care! Or the people give me presents for no other reasons but 'it's xmas'. ( most of them end up in the basement, anyways! )

Gift giving is supposed to be done with thoughtfulness and caring. Even in Japan, that notion is totally commercialised.

Xmas always has been just another day off.

I agree. Xmas is for kids.

What I don't understand is this idea of fooling small and innocent children into believing Santa exists. And then, a couple of years later robing them of everything by telling them "No, he doesn't".

I'm nonreligious, but telling your children that God and Jesus exist (if you believe in it yourself) is at least fair, as you aren't going to take it back a couple of years later.

My girfriend comes from a country often believed to be muslim, she is nonreligious like me and the only reason we aren't going away to some warmer lattitude over christmas is that it's to expensive. We will go in January instead.

JohanR

J.N.

I opted out of the Christmas routine when I was old enough to defy my parents. No matter how much I tell people I don't celebrate christmas, some still send me cards or gifts then get the hump when I don't return the favour.

Be prepared for people calling you 'miserable' and 'scrooge' when you try and explain the horrendous effect that this misplaced 'holiday' has on low income families who get themelves into debt buying needless and unwanted gifts for relatives they don't even like.

Not to mention the mass slaughter of animals that have been bred in terrible conditions especially for the 'festival'.

Maybe I should become a Jew or Muslim? Hard for an atheist though - but at least I'd get more respect.

And Mick, I celebrate a lot of other things. I'm particularly fond of celebrating the birthdays of my close friends - rather than the non-birthday of some bloke who may, or may not, have been born 2-2500 years ago.



Stephen

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Originally posted by JohanR:
My girfriend comes from a country often believed to be muslim, she is nonreligious like me and the only reason we aren't going away to some warmer lattitude over christmas is that it's to expensive. We will go in January instead.

JohanR

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Johan

I'll be coming to Sweden for the new year - christmas seems so much less tacky there (the lovely weather helps!) Sara loves Christmas (she goes home without me) but we do have the candle triangle lights in the window. Since she started doing this, it's spread until our whole neighbourhood has one inn the window.



Now if we can only introduce some more Swedish customs to the UK - banning child smacking for one....



Stephen

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What I don't understand is this idea of fooling small and innocent children into believing Santa exists. And then, a couple of years later robing them of everything by telling them "No, he doesn't".
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What do you mean he doesn't exist?

Bugger I hate Christmas even more now!

Regards


NB

The Spirit of Christmas is that everyone has a good time, gets together and celebrates. I agree with Tom that as we still call it Christmas we should acknowledge what it is. If we are going to deny its meaning, then we should call it something else - but the message is intact whatever - people being kind to each other and being happy with each other.
I admit to avoiding the religious side because of my own personal viewpoint, but I make sure my kids understand it all and keep my views to myself - but I love it all. I love seeing people being happy & putting all the daily grind away for a while. I am also aware that many people can't afford Christmas and it's difficult and demanding for them, but then it's good for us to do what we can for those that we know.
Don't knock it guys. One day a war was suspended for a football game instead. That means something at least.

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Originally posted by Rasher:

Don't knock it guys. One day a war was suspended for a football game instead. That means something at least.

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It means we're a stupid species who can kick the shit out of each other for 364 days and then on one arbitary one say 'OK, Chaps, lets have a break'. Then start the crap all over again on the next day.

Yes. That makes sense. How could I have been so wrong?



Stephen

Yeah, you're right. Let's just all slit our wrists now, eh?!

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...but we do have the candle triangle lights in the window...

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which should be the limit of external house decoration.

Fortunately no-one in our road goes for the illuminated Santa and reindeer on the roof/cascading 'icicles'/moving snowmen in the garden etc. etc. much loved by GMTV who have a competition each year for the "best" lit up house.

There are some roads in the area where it has become so competitive that there is no need for street lights for miles around.