I am the original Scrooge. I do not have good memories of Christmas growing up. My father was always drunk. If I were single and living alone, I wouldn't celebrate Christmas at all. I think that Christmas decorations up before Halloween should be a felony, and decorations up before Thanksgiving should be a misdemeanor. After years of buying nice Christmas gifts and getting tacky from Taiwon in return, I have asked that no one buy me gifts. It took a while but the message finally got through. I buy myself a nice gift. My husband and I usually do not exchange gifts, but this year I will get him a nice robe which he needs. I may get something for my brother, but that's it!!
I am not totally anti Christmas. I like to look at the lights and decorations in people's yards, and I enjoy making really beautiful Christmas wreaths. I use an artificial pine wreath for a base and add silk flowers and decorations. They are very nice if I do say so myself. Trouble is I haven't found a good way to market them.
My sister hates Christmas. A combination of bad childhood (she'd say), special people passed on and a splash of ordinary grouchyness
Each year when I know she's going shopping I remind her not to take it out on the clerks, it's not their fault it's Christmas afterall
I enjoy it, if I remember to take it easy. Not fret if all the decorations don't get out, or the baking isn't all done. What gets done gets done, and the rest will have another chance next year.
As a matter of fact, I got some fabulous pine bough garland a few years ago after Christmas. Each year I wait until it's too cold to try to put it up, and then it doesn't get done -- this is the year, this weekend is supposed to be ok, so I'm hoping to see what my old fashioned front porch looks like framed in garland
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Same here, Christmas was always yelling and screaming and hurt feelings and horrible at my house growing up. To this day I don't really enjoy the holidays. I don't mind a small get together for dinner with the quilting ladies, it's usually fun but for the most part hubby and I just go on with our lives and forget there's a 'holiday' that needs to be celebrated.
I love Christmas but keep it simple. Have to have my live tree every year. A wreath on the doors with lights is about all we do outside. Grandkids are still young so the house has to have acouple trees in different rooms, lights down the upstairs banister. I love to bake and include the grandkids making cookies, making dinner for friends always a treat. I don't go out shopping much at all unless it's something special I want to get for someone. Poor hubby just said this year before Halloween look at all these Christmas commercials on TV? Don't they know Thanksgiving isn't even upon us yet?
Too many I wanna this people in the world anymore that don't know even the meaning of the holiday.
I can't take the shopping in stores, too many frustrated and rude people shoving around. I do end up having to take my kids shopping just so they get to go and look at things, but I prefer to do almost all of my shopping on line.
The commercialism bothers me as well. I always try to get all the shopping out of the way early, so that I can enjoy things like putting up lights and decorations with the kids, baking and decorating cookies, and all that fun stuff.
I usually end up failing though, and find myself wrapping presents like a madman so I can get them to UPS to send to family before it is too late. That kinda ruins the fun for me. If I wait too long on the whole gift operation, then I'm glad when Christmas has come and gone, and I don't get any enjoyment out of it. This year I really plan to have everything in hand by Thanksgiving, and wrapped by the end of Thanksgiving weekend! I'm gonna enjoy my December for a change!
My dad and I were discussing this problem a couple days ago. They're starting to put out Chrismas things in summer, already several radiostations have switched to Christmas music. Everyone wants a present, but nobody wants anything under ten dollars or home-made. There are very few exceptions to that statement. And OH MAN! if you don't get someone a present when they bought you one (even if you told them not to) it's like the end of the world. I'm 17, I have no money to spend on 10-20 people. It's not going to happen! I think the only things I like about Christmas are the food, the eggnog, and the fact that everyone is completely nice to eachother for a whole day.