Are You A Christmas Scrooge?

[davebarnes]

Yes, but wife more than makes up for me.

 

[youbet]

Why would someone pointing out that you’re quiet bother you?

When you’re a “wall flower” you ARE being quiet

Yes, I am being quiet. But having someone say some like "youbet, you haven't said much about (whatever), what's your opinion on the subject" isn't something I want to hear. I'm being quiet and listening because I'm comfortable doing that at the time. Being asked to shift gears and speak up, or even having it brought to attention that I'm being quiet, isn't where I wanted things to go.

 

[youbet]

Silent and sensitive man lol

Hey, no laughin' !

I am indeed a "sensitive, new age guy!"

 

[NW-Bound]

I used to have a large artificial tree. It was reasonably big, about 7' tall, bought at Price Club I believed, to celebrate my first born first Christmas. She is 34 now.

Put it up with lights and decorations faithfully every year, until my children got to their teenage years. They did not care, and did not even want to help me with it. So, after many years of it staying in the original box in the garage, some years ago, I put the box out on the curb for someone to pick it up to enjoy it.

Just went to Walmart today, and saw they had a bitty artificial tree for $285. We shook our head at the effect of inflation, though I do not remember exactly what I paid for a tree much larger.

 

[Gumby]

My baby sister has had the same artificial tree for almost her entire life. It was the tree my mother got when my sister was a toddler, and when my sister left home, she took the tree with her. She is 54 now.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes. A good artificial tree can last an entire lifetime, and can still be passed on to offsprings. Too bad I did not keep mine.

Same with a robust fruit cake.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I bought a large artificial tree, fully decorated and with lights, for some small amount, maybe $10?, from a store that wanted to get rid of it on Christmas Eve one year. They kept announcing the price over the loudspeaker and it kept getting cheaper and cheaper since they didn't have any takers, until finally I couldn't resist. We had that tree for thirty years, but I gave it away and replaced it stackable table top trees as part of trying to simplify and declutter. I bought the stackable trees at a church rummage sale for $1 each.

 

[Momcpa]

My brother is hosting the extended family Christmas get-together this Saturday at his house. They will have a real fir tree set up and nicely decorated. He mentioned that they are leaving on Sunday or Monday for a vacation. I told him that works good for me. After the party on Saturday, we will take the tree off his hands and set it back up in our house. He said that works for him too. I was kidding......so no, I'm not making his tree do double duty. We have our own. Just thought it would be a clever/unusual way to get the most value out of a Christmas tree.

 

[street]

With respect to Religious observances being different from Holiday festivities, I see nothing wrong with separating them. Those who wish to hold religious ceremonies without holiday fanfare are free to do so.

Still, celebrating holidays with family, food, gifts, decorations is a fun thing, which most people like, and would be sorry if they couldn't do.

As for retailers ruining Christmas: maybe so, but they couldn't have done it without the general public's enthusiastic help. Nobody forces anybody to reach into their wallet and pay for (say) a giant inflatable light-up snowman. In a related example, adult spending on Halloween has exploded in recent decades. It hasn't been that long since Halloween was mainly of interest to children. Did retailers or Chinese manufacturers do this to American society? No, but they detected a trend, which they leaped to supply so they could make a profit.

As for people feeling pressured to give (or reciprocate) lots of (or any) gifts, that has strong elements of peer pressure; we needn't give in to it any further than we are comfortable doing.

Well said.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Hey, no laughin' !

I am indeed a "sensitive, new age guy!"

 

[Munchkin]

Yikes, sorry. It was meant in humor, just a safe place to vent my internal feelings instead of always putting on a public happy face.

Yes, I help with the decorations, attend the dinners, graciously accept the gifts, and adhere to the traditions we've had over the years. That doesn't mean I always enjoy them. This year I took my wife to see Christmas lights at the zoo, and two other local light displays. I took her to a Scandinavian Christmas Fair, and to a large Christmas bazaar. All at my request, so it's not like I'm trying to avoid the holidays entirely.

Obviously, a person who enjoys social gatherings will never understand what it's like for people who find them uncomfortable, or how it's not that easy to just "start a conversation". I do my best to fit in, but that's just not the way I'm wired, so it causes a great deal of stress.

Surely you've had to do things in life that you didn't enjoy, but went along with anyway for the sake of others? If not you've either been extremely lucky, or very self centered.

In any case, I'm happy you enjoy the holiday traditions and wish you a very Merry Christmas. My apologies if I offended you.

I hear you. Nothing for me ruins the holidays like family. It's just the excess of it all....and I like way more critters than people.

 

[RobbieB]

We have a real tree this year and the women did a fine job putting the finishing touches on;

I celebrated by buying a $100 bottle of Tequila -

 

[dream-builder]

Happy holidays!

 

[dream-builder]

We have a real tree this year and the women did a fine job putting the finishing touches on;

It looks great. I also prefer having a real tree on Christmas because of the smell it has.

 

[Murf2]

Well actually, more of a Grinch.

 

[Munchkin]

Ohh..Clase Azul or Don Julio? Love me some booze.

 

[audreyh1]

I would absolutely get rid of the gifts I don’t use - donating them. Why worry about offending the giver? It might actually be useful feedback.

As for the wife - can’t help you there with dealing with the decorations, other than you can hire someone to haul stuff to and from the attic.

We demanded of family years ago to only give us consumables or say Amazon gift cards. Everyone was delighted to comply, and most wanted the same. Now there are some young children, so they get the gifts.

Too bad escaping to Hawaii for Xmas is not an option for you.

As for stressing out about Xmas waste and garbage - that’s way way out of your hands. You have to let it go.

We don’t do any Xmas decorating ourselves which is great, but we do travel for extended visits with family who do the whole tree thing for the kids. It’s a busy but fun time.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

As atheists DS and I light-heartedly observe Festivus ("Festivus for the Rest of Us", from the old Seinfeld show), to the extent we celebrate anything. I used to despise the "mandatory" holiday w*rk gatherings, where obscene amounts of unhealthy food and useless trinkets were lavished on those who already had so much, and needed it so little! Why not donate the equivalent amount of dollars to a worthy cause. Bah!!!

But, to each their own! Happy holidays everyone!

 

[Lisa99]

DH loves Christmas but doesn’t like decorating. Claims he’s not good at it. Three years ago I didn’t put up the tree or decorate other than putting the wreath on the door. About a week before Christmas he asked when I was going to decorate. My answer, “it’s your turn.” We haven't had decorations or a tree since which I’m ok with.

As for presents we went way overboard this year with the grandkids. I watched them rip into the gifts as fast as they could get the paper off. No acknowledgement of the gift before ripping into the next one. I’ve seen the same behavior with other kids as well as adults. It makes me sad that manners are nowhere found.

This year I’m absolutely a grinch. I’m simplifying, downsizing, and whatever other catch phrase I can come up with to being done with the material insanity that this time of year brings on.

 

[ACEIV]

Mountainsoft: You are not alone. For the few of us that are self aware, something has gotten completely "elfed" up about this time of year. The reality is that there are alot of things in play, in my humble (not at all) opinion:


1. Days are shorter...less sun...proven to be depressing...
2. Break in routing...be honest peeps...you are creatures of habit and all this fa-la-laing breaks your routine.
3. Christmas gift giving is for "da chitdrens"...make them happy ok...but how in the heck is getting (or receiving) the crazy brother in law a salt crystal lamp and thinking that "that's the spirit" and expect anything other than a ho-hum reaction is unrealistic.
4. Phony people...truth is during this time people put on a facade...those of us who can tell what they are doing, we want to them put on a medieval times torture rack and slowly turned. People go back to being the self-absorbed narcissistic people they usually are around December 28th.

5. Strong Christians are usually fulfilled...the rest...not so much.
6. Gift giving. To you "give to charity" folks. You usually give to make yourselves seem better than you really are. Here is a couple of suggestions...give only to strangers directly...the bus boy, supermarket clerk, mechanic, fast food worker, fireman...whatever...it is amazing what a simple $10 will do to those who don't expect it. That is enjoyable...not a tax deductible receipt to an organization that spends 50% or more on overhead (kudos to Salvation Army and Disable American Veterans for really serving their mission...and a few others)

7. Here is a new rule for you, try it. Absolutely no gifts for anyone over 17 years old at Christmas...however, during the year, when no one is looking, and you see a need for someone you care about...fill it with a gift. I don't give birthday, Christmas, Valentines Day, Millard Fillmore's Birthday, Mothers/Fathers/Secretaries day...but I give gifts of time, effort, and sometimes a physical gift during needed times of the year...guess what is remembered? If people don't like or respect your decision...elf em.

8. Try going away during Christmas for one year. Went to Australia in 1999, was amazed at the lack of consumerism there...but still the feeling of Christmas. Head to the beach...don't get stuck at parties you don't want to go to.
9. If you are forced to go to an event you don't want to attend, see who can make the best armpit fart sounds like when we were kids. Bet your invitations lighten up next year!
10. The myth of family. Many of us are still guided by the myth of family and the obligations that entails. Be honest, 1/2 of your family are insufferable dregs of society and you would rather drink your own urine rather than be around them, but you do anyway. Recognize, and resolve this in your life.
11. I just saved a few of you many thousands of dollars in counseling...some others I have annoyed (COOL!). But for a few of you, some of this might ring true.


Merry Christmas!

 

[Rambler]

Mountainsoft, boy your original post resonates with me. I love the “Christ”mas, but I hate the decorating and the mess, and why do we have to get a new $600 pre-lit tree every two years? It takes a whole year to get the glitter “almost” cleaned out of the house, and the amount of new ornaments we get each year bothers me. DW has decided to do all the decorations herself because 1) she’s really good at it (our tree looks like it should be gracing a Macy’s dept store somewhere), and 2) she knows it irritates me. There is some good news buried in here...she goes to Hobby Lobby to look for decorations and supplies, which means I get to go to Sportsman’s Warehouse across the street to browse, dream, and buy a box of bullets.

As for gifting, we’ve both decided that we want what we want, and don’t want to waste our money on junk we don’t want. Sometimes, we’ll replace our phones, or watches or iPads at Christmas time. Last year, we splurged on a new 82” TV. This year we aren’t doing anything in particular in terms of gifts for us. Our adult children are each getting something useful for their new homes, that we already know they’ve been wanting. Our newborn grandson is getting some clothes and some diapers. Our 2 year old granddaughter is getting a couple of educational toys, some clothes, and some pull-ups. (The kids are struggling financially just a bit, so we’ve tried to get things that will alleviate their burden instead of trinkets and junk that will end up in the landfill without being useful, and not set a bad example or precedent).

All of the above said, we live near enough to extended family that we take turns hosting holiday dinners. We did Thanksgiving at my sis’s place, Christmas is at ours. But we all bring some of the sides so that no one has an extraordinary burden. And, we eat on paper plates so no one is slaving in the kitchen for 2 hrs after dinner to clean up. Tomorrow I’m smoking a prime rib, and roasting some green beans. Mom is making the rolls, Sis is bringing the potato casserole. Costco is providing the pumpkin pie. Easy peasy.

The other thing we like to do is give to those in need around us. We are in a new home this year, in a new state, and we don’t know many people yet, so we’ve given a little extra to the Church’s charity to help feed those in need. If I had it my way, giving such as this, either thru the Church directly, or by dropping a box on the doorstep of someone we know is struggling (ring the bell and run), would be the extent of our Christmas celebration. Heaven knows I don’t need a feast...all I’ve got to do is imagine a pumpkin pie and I gain 5 pounds...

 

[W2R]

Like coffee mugs, I don't drink coffee, I prefer my set of 4 that match the rest of our dishes, but I keep getting mugs. Hand wash only, of course, and who do you think ends up having to wash them. I can barely close the cabinet door because there's like 20 coffee mugs in there.

I just had a great idea!

Put ALL TWENTY of those coffee mugs in the dishwasher. Then throw out the ones that don't survive it. If any *do* survive it, then just buy one of those mug trees to hang them on, for storage.

It's been years since you were given most of them, so probably nobody would ask what happened to those that were destroyed.

 

[Ferd]

Pour yourself a good stiff drink and relax.

 

[brett]

I do not like getting gifts. Christmas or otherwise. I have everything that I need or want.

I realize that there is joy for the gift givers in giving. For the past years I ask those who want to gift me to make a donation to the food bank in my name. It is the best gift that anyone can give me.

 

[RobbieB]

Ohh..Clase Azul or Don Julio? Love me some booze.

Don Julio 1942. Really smooth & rich!