Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I`m just glad the Holidays are over, nice to get back to some sort of routine. Or am I just losing my spirit for the Holiday cheer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aliengroover Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I don't like the holidays. Well, at least until the New Year. I gave out exactly three gifts for that big holiday, and saved my real gifts for January 1st. I generally don't care about stuff like that anymore, though. I don't need a holiday to get stuff for the people I care about, but unfortunately people expect things on holidays. It's silly and useless...if only to me. I can't tell you how glad I am it's all over. A scrooge I glad am.Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eightyeightkeys Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I right there with ya. Commercialism is just sucking the life and joy out of things. The minute Halloween ends, the pretentious Christmas commercials, etc and what have you come out in full force, bombarding us endlessly. My wife and I are just ready to hurl with all of the phony ballony. Our extended family made a collective pact that we could only buy edible gifts. Nothing like the Best-Buy spot "oh ! you shouldn't have" when you really mean OH ! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ! gifts. Cringe It all goes together. Christmas starting before Halloween ends, Boxing week(s), (before & after Christmas) instead of Boxing Day sales, The Joseph A Banks commercials (phooey), etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ViLo Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 UUFFFF!! I'm with you guys! I'm so gald is over!...............But, here comes Valentine's Day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 When I was a child, Xmas and all did mean gifts, joy and party. Now, it is EXPENSES. Nostalgia. MORE EXPENSES. Traveling. MORE EXPENSES. Stress... and did I mention that it means expenses? Couple of parties hosted at home -long ones!-, Xmas with mother and family in other city, the traveling to spend 5 days with my son in Arizona... then new year's eve at Orlando with girlfriend ... I was great. But I'm glad it is over. I just wanna get back home and... get back on diet, exercising and do some work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Gosh, you people really are scrooges! If you don't like the commercialism, don't participate. Who cares what people expect? If they don't get it this year, they won't be 'expecting' it next year. We had a nice christmas. I think the kids got too many presents, but we really didn't spend very much. They got a lot of little things. Next year we'll scale back more. The problem is that people get caught up in the crap. Just opt out of it. Keep it simple, and just spend quality time with the people you care about. I enjoyed the holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ViLo Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Super 8 Gosh, you people really are scrooges! If you don't like the commercialism, don't participate. Who cares what people expect? If they don't get it this year, they won't be 'expecting' it next year.We had a nice christmas. I think the kids got too many presents, but we really didn't spend very much. They got a lot of little things. Next year we'll scale back more. The problem is that people get caught up in the crap. Just opt out of it. Keep it simple, and just spend quality time with the people you care about. I enjoyed the holidays. Well that's what I did, but the loooong nigths, I did not buy anything for anybody, I did not get anything from anybody, no problem..I wnt to Mexico for new years to vist what is left of my family and my wifes family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aliengroover Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Super 8 Gosh, you people really are scrooges! If you don't like the commercialism, don't participate. That's exactly what I was saying: I don't participate. I get a couple of gifts whenever I get them and give them to those people. I'll eat dinner with family and friends and call it a night. There's no hoo-raa raa or insanity involved. Even as a kid I didn't really care for it. My 14-year-old sister enjoyed hers, as you did yours, and I'm glad for that. But forget about commercialism, I'm just not a fan of the holidays.Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by aliengroover I'll eat dinner with family and friends and call it a night. There's no hoo-raa raa or insanity involved. Even as a kid I didn't really care for it. I guess I don't get it then. I mean....a nice dinner and maybe some wine with people you enjoy being around.....what's not to like? My only regret is that I didn't do more of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Super 8, Sitting around having dinner, drinking wine with people you enjoy is not always family. Also, part of the issue for me is my wifes family has to get together at 4p on New Years Eve, a good 8 hours before the ball drops. It just gets to be too much. Same thing for Christmas... I have 5 neices and nephews and I cannot begin to tell you how much crap they get and we all have to sit there and watch. I have the mandatory duty of recording this. Its really just so overblown, its not even enjoyable anymore. It just seems that things are just overly done. Again, I may be Scrooge. Be Lucky, EB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ani Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 My employer destroys my Christmas spirit. It's really hard to get into the cheer when you're meeting yourself coming and going while working insane mandatory overtime. As a result of feeling guilty for being raped away from my family during the holiday season, the money I make usually goes to accommodate the wishes of my kids. It's really kind of sad because I remember when I was a kid we had great Christmas's without all the elaborate gifts. We didn't get a lot of stuff, but we always had a happy and healthy family get-together where everyone got along, the adults played card games, and the kids all played board games inside or outdoor games in the snow. My children have never known that type of joy and never do we ever get to break away and travel during the holiday season. There are vacation lockouts for the months of November and December; very few individuals are allowed to use annual leave throughout the period. This year, bigger than last, I spent almost a thousand dollars on Christmas gifts for my two children. My son wanted a Pro Snowboard with all the gear and my daughter wanted a 12 mp digital camera w/accessories. They picked their gifts out prior to Christmas and both items were being shipped. The big snowstorm that hit Denver put a delay on both items to where neither were going to arrive here by Christmas. I went out at the last minute and battled the crowds to make sure that there were presents to open on Christmas day. Maybe I contribute to the commercialism a bit, but.... I couldn't get into the decorations this year. I didn't even put up a tree. I put up one yard illuminated yard ornament and that was it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Well... when I talked about EXPENSIVE... was because to have dinner with mom, then spend some time with my son and then some other time with my girlfriend, I had to take about 8 different planes -back and forth- and travel from Torreon, to Puebla, To Mexico City, to Nogales Arizona, then To Orlando and back home... I gave the little kid a lot of stuff -summed to what "Santa" gave him-. That is not difficult. I love to do that. It's all the other expenses and that traveling what makes me crazy. LAST NEWS: I lost my connection flight in Houston so I'm spending yet another night out of home... this time, paid by Continental Airlines -and a delicious Club Sandwich at the Sofitel- but hey... you can really get tired of sleeping outta home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deanmass Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I was not looking forward to them, and I AM glad they are passed , but I had a good holiday...Stayed reasonably un-upset, saw my kids alot, got cool things, and the stuff I gave was well received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lucky #9 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Defeated the joy I like to feel around the holidays, particularly Christmas. I love giving gifts...but dislike the intense shopping required. This Christmas we bought the folks a new TV as the old 32" Sony conked out. It's not over yet. I've shopped, etc., 10 times in various stores; changed my mind a dozen times on what to buy; spent hours researching it on the net. Finally bought one (30" HDTV Philips CRT) that proved unsatisfactory (crooked picture that cannot be adjusted with normal controls and I'm not going to search for secret access codes to correct a problem the TV should not have to begin with). It had to go back. I picke up and returned the heavy bastard myself. The last three times I've bought TVs for the folks over the years I've had problems with all of them. In fact, when they delivered the old Sony, they dropped it on the sidewalk first. Finally brought home a Toshiba 32" LCD, top-rated in Consumer Reports, but have not deboxed it yet. Also had to drag the old 32" out to the curb on my own; also had to transport an old 25" from the back porch to the living room solo. Catch my drift? This has all played in to stressing out my Christmas. I like the simple times. The mellow gift giving. The joy that should exist. My Mom (late 70s, don't tell her I told you her age) insists on cooking the big spread for the entire large clan, despite serious medical problems for the last 4-5 years and it stresses her out in every way, but she insists on doing it. It all has become too much. I didn't even have time to listen to my favorite Christmas recordings, or write a new carol myself. It left me without any energy to go out and have a good time New Year's Eve...Sat home by myself and pounded 'em down, paying for it in the morning. Where is the Christmas that I loved once?Where has Jesus gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Yeah I didn`t even mention the shopping aspect of Christmas which btw this year I did online which made it easier but there was still unncessary stress. As for bombarding my kids with toys, I don`t believe in it. I try to get them the one or two toys they will really enjoy and even those keep their attention for 2-3 days tops. Funny how crayons and some paper can keep my kids busy everyday though. Something to be said for keeping it simple. Be Lucky,EB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Bah Humbug.....I celebrate the END of the holiday season!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scotski Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Another bah humbug here too. Glad it's over & out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rabid Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I normally enjoy the season as a time to get together with extended family, make children smile, and put flashing lights in my living room. This year was a mess. It started with a Christmas tree disaster right after Thanksgiving, accelerated when a lot of people did not show up to the family gathering hosted by a cousin, and ended with my dad scheduling surgery which has caused me to cancel my first ever trip to NAMM. I had ten nights booked and have never even been to California. Yep. This year I have been a real Grench and it is going to take a while to come out of it. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted January 5, 2007 Moderators Share Posted January 5, 2007 Wow I don't know, it seems there is a lot of resentment in general toward the holidays. I understand that, we can lose track of what's important to us, get sucked into... get sucked into what? Expectations? Other's and our own? It's about joy. Getting that perfect gift for someone does not bring joy. All it does is fulfill a perceived requirement. If the holidays are a source of grief instead of joy... You're doing it wrong. It's that simple. It's up to you to create the joy you and your loved ones desire. That in itself is a joy. Really. When it stops being a joy, you're doing it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Joy to me is being home with my wife and two kids, enjoying some quiet time together. Hugging, playing, eating together. Traveling, going nuts getting everyone gifts is just not that fun. And if it were up to me I would not exchange gifts but when you`re married, you`re also married to your spouses family and they`re are expectations even though I don`t meet them, my wife does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted January 5, 2007 Moderators Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Ernest Buckley Joy to me is being home with my wife and two kids, enjoying some quiet time together. Hugging, playing, eating together. Traveling, going nuts getting everyone gifts is just not that fun. And if it were up to me I would not exchange gifts but when you`re married, you`re also married to your spouses family and they`re are expectations even though I don`t meet them, my wife does. I hear you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hard Truth Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Since I now have to to spend X-mas with in-laws, it has become mostly a drag in my opinion. The rituals seem too forced, and I don't like the excess of food, esp sweets, and the materialism of it all. The worst part is that our four year old neice (the only child in that wing of the family) becomes a receptable for sweets and gifts beyond her ability to enjoy it. She is simultaneously bored and over stimulated. Then everyone acts surprised when she starts to get cranky and demanding. Two things are especially disturbing to me:1. She is given too many presents. I pondered why this disturbs me, and I realized that it is because when a child is given too many presents they only experience the momentary thrill of receiving a new gift. But they have too many distractions to enjoy playing and exploring any particular item for an extended period of time. This trains the child to seek pleasure from the acquisition of new things, rather than from actually using the things. 2. The royalist agenda behind many of the toys. Disney is by far the worst offender, with the Barbie sellers close behind. Almost every toy for girls is a princess-toy. So it is no surprise that the kid spends much of her time pretending that she is a princess. This seems to be setting her up for dissapointment later in life when she realizes she is just another working class stiff. The royalist agenda is also contrary to the democratic and compassionate values I would rather have instilled in a child. The sad thing is that the whole X-mas thing is setup to amuse the rest of the family (esp. so that they can get a kick from watching the kid open the presents), with little regard for the consequences for the child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members coyote-1 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 "It was good to see you come, and it's good to see you go." Originally posted by Ernest Buckley I`m just glad the Holidays are over, nice to get back to some sort of routine. Or am I just losing my spirit for the Holiday cheer? Holiday cheer, like any other emotion, can only last so long. Hope you've eaten all the leftovers by now.... Time to pack away the lights and ornaments, take down the tree, and get back to normal life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deanmass Posted January 6, 2007 Members Share Posted January 6, 2007 Ya know.....I thik I might be able ot shake a country Christmas song out of all this.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 6, 2007 DeanMass- Thats too funny. I was thinking the same thing... Since I now have to to spend X-mas with in-laws, it has become mostly a drag in my opinion. The rituals seem too forced, and I don't like the excess of food, esp sweets, and the materialism of it all. The worst part is that our four year old neice (the only child in that wing of the family) becomes a receptable for sweets and gifts beyond her ability to enjoy it. She is simultaneously bored and over stimulated. Then everyone acts surprised when she starts to get cranky and demanding.Two things are especially disturbing to me:1. She is given too many presents. I pondered why this disturbs me, and I realized that it is because when a child is given too many presents they only experience the momentary thrill of receiving a new gift. But they have too many distractions to enjoy playing and exploring any particular item for an extended period of time. This trains the child to seek pleasure from the acquisition of new things, rather than from actually using the things.2. The royalist agenda behind many of the toys. Disney is by far the worst offender, with the Barbie sellers close behind. Almost every toy for girls is a princess-toy. So it is no surprise that the kid spends much of her time pretending that she is a princess. This seems to be setting her up for dissapointment later in life when she realizes she is just another working class stiff. The royalist agenda is also contrary to the democratic and compassionate values I would rather have instilled in a child.The sad thing is that the whole X-mas thing is setup to amuse the rest of the family (esp. so that they can get a kick from watching the kid open the presents), with little regard for the consequences for the child. Damn, that just about sums up my emotions on Christmas, I just didn`t know how to say it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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