Bah Humbug - The Holiday Season Already

[Payin-the-Toll]

I'm not a religious person but always loved Christmas. Even at age 10 I saved my paper route money and everyone in the family got a nice gift from me--and these were thought out and planned -for gifts--and they always had to be wrapped, or it wasn't a gift. One year I ran out of money and wrapped everything in newspaper and used pine branches for bows.
When the retail liquor store chain I worked at got up to about 30 people (I was like 3rd in command--2 owners above me), everybody got a gift from me. After retirement and up to about 10 years ago, I was buying 60+ gifts for over 40 people.
Don't know if it's old age or what, but now I do practically nothing. I think what killed it for me was when stores started opening on Thanksgiving. Now I just can't stand the greed and crassness of it all.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Before we moved last year, we had a wacky neighbor that kept a Christmas tree up all year in her house's entry way. Things have certainly changed since I was a child and it gets earlier each year with the Christmas decorations, so it seems. I can remember as a kid, we would not put our tree up until Christmas eve, and it was removed by New Years day.

My family also put up the tree on Christmas Eve (I think my father bought the tree that day too so it was cheap), but we took it down on January 6, the Epiphany and also the 12th day of Christmas. Psychologically that used up two weeks of winter too. Can't convince DH to do this.

 

[scrabbler1]

Being born Jewish but have been an atheist since I was a teenager, I have very little interest in most holidays. I attended some annual Passover seders in the 1980s and 1990s until the host family (cousins on my mom's side) stopped hosting them about 15 years ago.

Christmas never meant anything to me, obviously, other than it was a day where everything was closed. Having a non-religious Christian ladyfriend hasn't changed the equation much. I get her a card and buy her a small gift. If she gets me something, great. If not, no big deal. She treats me well all year long.

She and I, and my dad, go to my brother's place in MA, about a 4-hour drive, for Thanksgiving weekend. I get to see my brother, his wife, and their son (now 10 years old) Sometimes, my SIL's relatives join us, sometimes not.

And that's it for holidays. I haven't had a trick-or-treater around here in my apartment building for nearly 20 years so the small amount of snacks I buy I get to eat (or take with us on the drive to my brother's place). I look forward to December 26 when all the holiday nonsense is over.

 

[Amethyst]

I've found Thanksgiving to be a colossal bore since I was a kid. Congress could totally get rid of it and I would not miss it. Christmas, on the other hand, requires at least a 2-month run-up to be properly appreciated! I only wish I had Jewish relatives so we could get in on Hanukkah, too.

Needless to say, I don't know what to say or where to look when people start bemoaning "Christmas decorations going up earlier and earlier." I love to see them.

Amethyst

 

[Sue J]

Being born Jewish but have been an atheist since I was a teenager, I have very little interest in most holidays.

That's my situation, too. DH was raised Episcopalian but also became an atheist in his early 20's. Having 2 sons we tried to do a little bit from both sides of the family (lame attempt to make relatives happy) but I ended up feeling like a hypocrite so we dropped all that and made up our own traditions.

My MIL still sends us Christmas gifts, it makes her happy to do that, and we chip in with DH's siblings for something for her.

All the XMas stuff was annoying when the kids were young. Every check out clerk asked them if they made their lists for Santa or some other question and they learned to be polite but noncommittal. The schools were surprisingly clueless about diversity. Why does the bank teller need to ask if I have all my Christmas shopping done?

I don't let it bother me anymore. Sometimes I just say that I've never been a Christian and let them find something else to fill the small talk void. The only thing that bugs me now is when my soft rock/ adult contemporary radio station goes to all Christmas music before Thanksgiving.




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[Chuckanut]

Christmas is now a secular holiday. One does not have to be a Christian religion believer to celebrate it. In reality, atheists should be happy - a religious event has been totally stripped of its religious meaning and turned into a secular event. That is victory!

Jews and other minority religions are lucky. Their religion has not been perverted into another reason to sell more stuff to more people.

IMHO, Diversity is inclusive and not a reason to take offense.

Me? Personally, I wish Dec 25th was renamed to something like Winter Festival. As a Christian, I would then celebrate the 12 days of Christmas (12/25 to 01/06) without the marketing hype and blather that has already started and does all the way through Dec. 24 11:59 PM.

Despite all of the above, I will still enjoy the Christmas season (or call it what you will) and not let the humbugs, merchandisers, etc. ruin it for me.

 

[audreyh1]

Actually most retail stores in my area skipped Halloween and had Christmas stuff out October 1. I was shocked!

 

[haha]

It seems reasonable that Christmas is not huge for us. After all, our religion is money. Our rituals are playing with our money via excel, and from time to time redecorating our houses.

We are truly a fun group!

 

[Calico]

While we are on the subject of holiday excesses, this was in today's Denver Post.

Stuffing turkey and ourselves: Holiday consumption and philanthropy - The Denver Post

This covers some very sad (in my opinion) facts about the money that we can waste. For example:
-Just this year. U.S. shoppers spend $350 million on Halloween costumes for their pets.

-We spend $2.5 billion on wrapping paper, consuming tens of millions of trees and generating millions of tons of trash.

- In the U.S., 40 of food is wasted - the equivalent of $165 billion each year.

The article has other examples.

Personally, have moved away from this consumerism, LBYM.

Thank you very much for posting the newspaper article. While I agree that it was very depressing, at the bottom of it there is a link to a wonderful organization I had never heard of (BookTrust) which works to get books into the hands of children who otherwise would probably not own any books.

My family decided several years ago to stop all gift-giving (except for the young children) and instead choose deserving organizations to support all year. BookTrust is definitely going on my list, and I am passing the link along to family members.

 

[Moemg]

I enjoy Christmas but living in Florida I really miss that first snowfall when all the decorations are up .

 

[Amethyst]

Oh, Moe, I lived in south Florida with my parents when I was a teenager. My parents moved there to get away from the icy weather we all hated. I loved going for walks at night near Christmastime, wearing shorts, and looking at people's outdoor lights. I did not miss snow and ice one bit, and was sorry to have to return to it in order to get a decent job (although I enjoy the other 3 seasons).

Amethyst

I enjoy Christmas but living in Florida I really miss that first snowfall when all the decorations are up .

 

[Goonie]

I mean, Bah Humbug and all at 2 full months of Christmas. But gardenfun and goonie, remind me not to invite you to any parties. Sheesh. No disrespect intended, but no celebrations of any kind at all? Wow.

For me, probably the worst part about the holidays are the holiday parties. I've never been much into parties or holiday social gatherings. Some folks are disappointed, and maybe even hurt, if they don't receive an invitation to a party. However, I'm one is is relieved not to get one, and always keep my fingers crossed that I don't get one!

As to the "no celebrations of any kind at all". Sure I celebrate things or occasions. I celebrate the changing of the seasons. I celebrate bountiful harvests from my gardens. And I celebrate birthdays of friends and family, as well as other milestones in lives of my friends and family. But holidays....none.

My wife and I decided many years ago we really didn't need all the hoopla Christmas and other Holidays brings to the many people who do enjoy them. We think whomever wants to celebrate any Holiday is strictly up to them. We don't have children so we decided long ago it just wasn't something we wanted to do. We understand it is a big thing to others and there is nothing wrong with that, to each his own.....Aloha!

Same here. No hoopla needed. Whatever other folks do is totally up to them, and is of no concern to me, nor do I want it to be. If ya wanna celebrate, great! If ya don't wanna celebrate (like myself), great!

I like a celebration just as much as the next person. But the ones I really enjoy are those that have nothing to do with a holiday. Spontaneous ones throughout the year where the only purpose is to get together with family and friends and have a good time. No obligations for particular types of dress, decoration or perish the thought, a gift exchange: having to give each other stuff that none of us needs........

............I do have a favorite holiday, though: the Winter Solstice! It means the days are getting longer and spring is coming. I don't like the dark days of December. I used to love the first week of January because that was when all the new seed catalogs arrived.

+1

Especially the new seed catalogs!!!!

 

[Walt34]

For me, probably the worst part about the holidays are the holiday parties. I've never been much into parties or holiday social gatherings. Some folks are disappointed, and maybe even hurt, if they don't receive an invitation to a party. However, I'm one is is relieved not to get one, and always keep my fingers crossed that I don't get one!

DW and I are like that too. Small gatherings with family/close friends are great but we really want to keep it no more than ten or twelve people at most.

 

[FIREd]

I love Christmas because it's the only time of year I get to spend with family. Every year we fly to Europe for fun family gatherings, delicious food, snowy mountain landscapes, and roaring fireplaces. This year though, there won't be any of that as we are staying home for the holidays. We'll still make the most of it.

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

I used to love the holidays, and this year I'm going all out on what I love. Wassail fest, turducken, Christmas cookies, jingle bell runs, checking out the lights. I'm staying away from shopping for presents and over decorating the house. Oh and fudge, gotta have fudge and eggnog.