Is it wrong to hate xmas?

[Donor]

I detest xmas with a passion ..

I used to take my horses to the beach & try hide .. a few freinds tracked me down .. & made me come to their place for xmas .. now since olds are no longer young & only see them twice a yr its the obligitory trip up north ... but i detest the whole commercialism of christmas ..


ROCK ON NEW YRS ..

Another thing that peeves me is, people will inevitably turn up. I have no problem with this, I love me family and will never turn them away ANY day of the year.

What does get me, is how people will come around and be all "christmassy" and then proceed to launch into me when I don't reciprocate. But I'm not an actor, I wear my emotions on my sleeve, if I don't see the point in something, I sure as hell ain't going to ham it up for anyone else!

[chanceyy]

Christmas is great!! Only weak-minded people incapable of independent thought and actions get sucked in and so adversely affected by the commercial hype. Tell ya what... You can cancel Christmas for yourself, go back to work, don't go to any Christmas party, pissup, bbq if you hate it so much...

For me, I love it!

its not just the commercial hype its the whole deal

the pressure ppl feel to get pressies ( I don't apart fr my olds)
the many kids, the many ppl who blow up & abuse, its the main season that womans refuge is full to bulging, the animals who are abandoned while the family goes for a "nice holiday" those who are alone who do not either have family or those who just do not care, those who can not handle being part of a family & walk out right on xmas ... its the bigger picture ... not just commercialism ..

so when you sit down to your family dinner spare a thought for any of those above who are having an absolute shit day (not to mention those who have lost loved ones around this season & are spending their first xmas without that person .... )

[Squeak the Rat]

Any one got any ideas on how to get ones family to stop buying into the bullshit? I'm sick of acting all surprised and happy getting a really expensive piece of crap present from my parents who should be saving for retirement. And yes I've told them but it never registers.....

I'd be more happy if they said they'd mow my lawns instead of some stupid $300 george foreman wankmeharder present from Westfield mall. At least it's something with some thought.

Bastards.

[Donor]

Then of course there's the other can of worms.... you know, the whole JC thing... I mean, is it hypocrictical to celebrate Christmas if you aren't really a devout Christian?

Waiting for that - interesting that of the replies so far, only a comments have been made in relation to it.

Begs the question again - what IS xmas, I mean REALLY what is xmas?

Family? Fat Guy in a suit? Warm fuzzies?

Where is it rooted? How did xmas come about?

Personally, I wouldn't miss xmas if it was to be abolished. It's just an advertisers dream, coupled with a guilt reduction period for those too sad to give a shit about others the remainder of the year.

[Donor]

Any one got any ideas on how to get ones family to stop buying into the bullshit? I'm sick of acting all surprised and happy getting a really expensive piece of crap present from my parents who should be saving for retirement. And yes I've told them but it never registers.....

When they hand you the gift, pull out a sheet of new wrapping paper, wrap it AROUND the gift, and hand it back.

Works.

[Mr. Peanut]

Yeah people can really press it on you. I don't want a present, I DONT WANT A PRESENT, yes I will come to your christmas party, I will bring food, but I DONT WANT A P R E S E N T.

"Look I know you said you didn't want a present but...."

[bluninja]

Other than Easter, Christmas is the one time when trhe kids are off school and all families (not raking in the overtime) don't have to work. If your families are spread out it's the one time of year that you can all get together easily.

Even forgetting the hijacking of the european midwinter pagan celebrations, Christmas day has changed in the last 1000 years, and is different in eastern orthodox tradition anyway.

Hate christmas if you want, I think it's nice that we can have a common holiday and celebration to come together and have fun. How you celebrate is up to you.

[Flyingpony]

But why buy anything? Isn't that what birthdays/anniversaries are for?

Sometimes I buy a triple pack set of something that doesn't look like it's a triple pack set. Then I give one item from it for the next three events.

Got ours out last night for the wife. Spent 2 hours fetching, erecting, decorating and then an hour cleaning up the mess and listening to how much of a hassle it's going to be keeping the 18 month old away from it, so it doesn't get destroyed. This morning was round one, and we have at least another bloody fortnight of it... *sigh*

That's an easy one. Got a table you're not going to be using for the next few weeks? Put your Christmas tree on top of that.

[terbang]

I'm still coming to terms with Christmas being in Summer...I mean, how stoopid is that?

Whaderya mean Stoopid..? As a born and bred Dunnunder, we had family barbies at the beach, rode horses, bikes or whatever and had a great outdoor christmas day playing sports & stuff well into the warm evenings. Later living in the Northern hemisphere I struggled with it. It was cold and miserable, we had to drive in a heated cage and sit indoors stuffing ourselves with rich food and warm beer. Then it got dark at around 3 PM so we stayed indoors and ate some more! Hah they can have it..

[Bend-it]

I've already put me name forward for overtime through xmas - that's my gift, penal rates!

I don't intend on doing anything out of an ordinary day, because it's just that - an ordinary day!

But you don't hate ordinary days do you? So why the violent reaction to a day that you don't see the point off, so don't take any special notice of, but other people enjoy?

But do share, why do you love it? Spiritual/religious reasons, or a paid day off?

Both. Spiritually, I love it 'coz following Jesus gives me a purpose for life like nothing else, including biking (Granted, people have differring opinions, but this is mine right?), and His physical birth marked a new chapter of reality for that. So that's what I'm celebrating in the spiritual sense.

Other reasons, Christmas is when people have an extended period off, so families travel to be together, have holidays, hang out and generally have a good time. I'm sorry about people who don't, but I love my family and enjoy having them around.

Right now actually, I am reminded about people who have lost family, and maybe instead of whingeing to no end about Christmas, maybe we could BE a KB family to some of those who have lost theirs this Christmas eh?

[ceebie13]

Whaderya mean Stoopid..? As a born and bred Dunnunder, we had family barbies at the beach, rode horses, bikes or whatever and had a great outdoor christmas day playing sports & stuff well into the warm evenings. Later living in the Northern hemisphere I struggled with it. It was cold and miserable, we had to drive in a heated cage and sit indoors stuffing ourselves with rich food and warm beer. Then it got dark at around 3 PM so we stayed indoors and ate some more! Hah they can have it..

Hehe... touche my friend!
What is it with antipodeans about warm beer.
There's more to beer than lager you know.... (although that is my preference)
A good pint of "Old Speckled Hen" or "Abbots Ale" or "Hook Norton" should always be drunk at room temperature. Bootiful.

[Bend-it]

its not just the commercial hype its the whole deal

the pressure ppl feel to get pressies ( I don't apart fr my olds)
the many kids, the many ppl who blow up & abuse, its the main season that womans refuge is full to bulging, the animals who are abandoned while the family goes for a "nice holiday" those who are alone who do not either have family or those who just do not care, those who can not handle being part of a family & walk out right on xmas ... its the bigger picture ... not just commercialism ..

so when you sit down to your family dinner spare a thought for any of those above who are having an absolute shit day (not to mention those who have lost loved ones around this season & are spending their first xmas without that person .... )

So we shoul all sit in a hole and never celebrate anything! 'coz-

- Don't celebrate graduations, think of all the poor illiterates feeling bad
- Don't celebrate new licenses, think of all the poor pedestrians
- Don't celebrate success, think of all the short poppies...

Instead, why can't we find a way of celebrating that builds other people up? One of the many ways people I know celebrate Christmas are:-

- Adopting an animal from the SPCA
- Visiting and giving gifts to kids whose parents are in prison
- I am making a trip to Phuket to help comfort people who've lost people in the Tsunami 2 years ago.

Just because some people do it badly is no reason to cancel Christmas!!

[Donor]

But you don't hate ordinary days do you? So why the violent reaction to a day that you don't see the point off, so don't take any special notice of, but other people enjoy?

I wouldn't call it a violent reaction. Nor would I say I don't see the point. What I fail to see is why people seem to celebrate it for apparently selfish and self centred reasons.

Both. Spiritually, I love it 'coz following Jesus gives me a purpose for life like nothing else, including biking (Granted, people have differring opinions, but this is mine right?), and His physical birth marked a new chapter of reality for that. So that's what I'm celebrating in the spiritual sense.

*raucous applause* Kudos! Finally!

Other reasons, Christmas is when people have an extended period off, so families travel to be together, have holidays, hang out and generally have a good time. I'm sorry about people who don't, but I love my family and enjoy having them around.

Right now actually, I am reminded about people who have lost family, and maybe instead of whingeing to no end about Christmas, maybe we could BE a KB family to some of those who have lost theirs this Christmas eh?

It comes back to this for me - enjoy everyone, everyday, everywhere. Don't settle for ONE day to love one another - do it every day, not because you feel you HAVE to, but because you WANT to.

THIS is what Jesus would have wanted for his birthday I reckon...

[Goblin]

Got ours out last night for the wife. Spent 2 hours fetching, erecting, decorating and then an hour cleaning up the mess and listening to how much of a hassle it's going to be keeping the 18 month old away from it, so it doesn't get destroyed. This morning was round one, and we have at least another bloody fortnight of it... *sigh*

That's an easy one. Got a table you're not going to be using for the next few weeks? Put your Christmas tree on top of that.

Aaahh the old christmas tree! Way back when I was sucked into the commercialism, the ex went and got us a nice little pine tree to decorate and the first night we turned the lights on a huge motherf*cking huhu beetle flew out of it and terrorized us. It was chaos! Kids screaming, me trying to be brave in front of them and the ex laughing his arse off! Now days we have a two inch tall plastic tree we put ontop of the prezzies....yeah I have told family not to buy us presents but they are all so set in their ways they do anyway.

[terbang]

Oh groan I know (married to one) we are stuck with the "pommy" christmas traditions for a while yet.