Am I the only one

[jrsqlc]

Maybe its just me, but I dont like christmas!! It is great for the kids, dont get me wrong!!! But other than that I think it sucks!!
It is a Hallmark holiday anymore that is more about how much the stores can sell, how many morons will stand in lines for days or get in fights for toys.
REALLY??? I use to LOVE christmas, but anymore it is just another day to me....kind of like my birthday...Im now 27 and havent celebrated a bday since I was about 12....even 16 didnt mean anything because my parents were to wrapped up in themselves to even care i was old enough to drive, or even take driver ed. Turning 18 didnt matetr much either as I had been feed up with my parents that I moved out at 17....and STILL went to school and graduated!!!

oh well.....just rambling.........maybe one day things will change......yet it is still hard for me as now I have 2 beautiful children that i need to give a great christmas to and not let my feelings get in the way!!!

 

[akaxo]

i understand completely. i'd avoid them both completely given the option. the commercialisation of it all get's a bit much. i'm sure so much of the stuff that get's bought isn't really needed or wanted. not the time of the year to be all grumpy about it though is it

only reason we are doing anything this year is for my grandmother, no kids ya see. making a nice meal and taking it the retirement home she is in to have with her because she can't leave it, can't even sit up in a wheelchair. luckily it's set to be a lovely summer day here so going to have it outside.

 

[Rozzie]

It is only a Hallmark holiday if you let it be one.

It can be anything you want it to be -- or nothing at all. It's up to you.

The same goes for every other holiday, of course.

 

[akaxo]

yeah for sure, focus on the family and friends that mean a lot rather than all the spending, there's plenty of ways to show love and appreciation other than spending lots of money.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Here's a way Christmas can be about compassion rather than consumption: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

You're not alone in your dissatisfaction with the way things are.

 

[akaxo]

i don't know if they have the same thing in the US but here there's been TV ads from charities where you can buy animals etc for people in developing countries and get a gift certificate saying what you got. my sister did that for my mum last year, she got a nice card from her and a certificate saying that for christmas some people who needed it got some chickens or goat or whatever it was that will make their life a lot better for ever. was so nice and unique and my mum thought it was great. much more in the spirit of giving, seems to be catching on too.

 

[happytxchick]

Quote:
Agreed. None of what you mentioned is the reason for the season anyway. Hope you find blessings through love with your babies & help them understand the true meaning of Christmas. If you are struggling with what that meaning is, feel free to PM me and I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know to help clarify.

 

[theoldchick]

As we mature, Christmas does change for those who get tired of all the hype. Day in and day out we are inundated with constant reminders to buy our love ones gifts. In the world of marketing, the only way to show your love is to spend incredible amounts of money. Then we see all these perfect commercials where everybody is superbly dressed at the dinner table. The perfect turkey or ham is oozing with juicy goodness, and surrounded by assorted foods that make one's palate develop tsunami like waves of saliva.

Unfortunately, once we turn our eyes away from the TV reality sets in. The baby is crying, the car is broke, the wife is whining, the husband is in a tantrum. People are committing suicide. Drug deals are going bad. Loved ones are dying. What are we supposed to celebrate? The world is a horrible place!

Then there is Christmas. Look past all the hype you see on TV. Take care of the baby. Get the car repaired. Listen to your wife. Talk to your husband. Take time to reach out to somebody. Maybe a loved one or somebody you don't even know. Volunteer at a church, hospital, or shelter. Take a meal to a neighbor who is alone for the holidays. Christmas grinches have forgotten the golden rule of this particular holiday: giving a part of yourself to someone.

This Christmas get involved. Turn off the TV and make your own Christmas tradition. Do something from the heart. Interact with your family and friends.

One of the best Christmas I ever had was spent riding with my friends. We all bundled up and hit the trails on our horses. We talked, we sang Christmas Carols, shared our food. A great time for all despite not having the perfect turkey, perfect bread roll and so forth. We came home smelling of horses. And in my mind that was a perfect Christmas.

Don't like the Commercial Christmas? Then go make your own Christmas. It will be perfect, I promise.

 

[Rozzie]

It can also be fun to do Christmas shopping at thrift stores. Make it a game! See what awesome stuff you can find. I've got some cool stuff under the tree this way this year. Other gifts (mostly books & tools or educational things) were bought new, but some pretty nice stuff came our way used.

With kids, this requires regular brainwashing from a young age, of course.

The white elephant gift under our tree this year is a 412 MEGAbyte hard drive, still shrink wrapped in its original box. Yes, 412MB. I only paid a couple of bucks for it. I gave it to my 16 computer whiz kid teenager early and he thought it was so funny he wanted it under the tree. He was quite impressed with the(working) fancy schmancy joystick with at least 20 different buttons & the brand new keyboard minus its box.

Lots of our thrift shop gifts are not wrapped. It's more fun to make jokes about them as they get bought and put under the tree unwrapped.

I mean, really? If I bought all this new, I couldn't have gotten myself a $110 indoor electric grill (ahem, though one handle has a small piece of missing plastic...not a problem), a cappucino maker, some sort of massaging pillow still inthe box, and a security alarm for my laptop for a grand total of $20...

Or, how about a set of weights, the fancy joystick, and keyboard, all for a total of $10 for my son?

Anyone can go to Walmart or the mall & plunk down $200 for the latest video game system. Blech. No fun. Going on a treasure hunt is much more fun.