First posted on December 18th, 2006 – exactly five years ago!
I still feel the same about the scrooges…
It seems to be turning into an epidemic.
Lately I’ve been coming across so many people complaining about the Christmas season in various ways, ranging from mild dislike to out-and-out hatred.
It seems that those who dislike/resent/hate Christmas the most are those who feel somehow pressured or obligated to do things they don’t particularly like doing during this time of year, or they dislike/resent/hate the way other people celebrate Christmas.
But surely they are placing the blame erroneously. If one cannot say no to family and/or friends, should they blame Christmas? If they don’t like the manner in which some people exploit the holiday season and the crass commercialism that goes on … why say it’s the fault of the holiday? And if it’s the religious aspect of it that they dislike, well, this is easy enough to ignore.
It seems to me that these scrooges are redirecting their frustrations in order to avoid acknowledging where the real problems and issues lie. Though of course there are some people who just complain for the sake of it because they enjoy complaining. 😉
Another anti-Christmas argument I often hear is that people should always behave with compassion and generosity towards their fellow man, not just once a year. And I quite agree. But like birthdays, anniversaries and such, Christmas is a once-a-year reminder to behave this way and I see nothing wrong with that.
Anyhow, I really love Christmas, though my best Christmases started happening after I left home at age 15. I’ve had a few nice family Christmases since then, but my best ones have involved cherished friends and loved ones. And one quite memorable one when I was in my early twenties, doing my laundry and then going out to the cinema as I was on my own. I reckoned that since I was all alone I’d get all pathetic and do all these sad and pathetic things … but then I saw that I wasn’t actually on my own. There were plenty of other people at the laundromat and at the cinema and it was somehow comforting to be in their company.
So basically, Christmas is what you make it, though it may not always turn out to be exactly what you expect.
casa azahar 
Well, you must know how I feel about it by now. It’s not a matter of feeling obligated or encountering things I can ignore –it’s that the way Christmas is done in my part of America takes away from me the few things that make life endurable the rest of the year — peace and maneuverability and a dependable routine, and it’s taken away for a solid month.. The most glaring thing all day is that our one classical radio station, which usually guarantees me spontaneous moments of sublimity and acoustic mercy throughout the day, is suddenly taken over by gluey, juvenile “classical arrangements” of bad Christmas music — Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet replaced by a string orchestra doing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” Then the stores where I take care of my routine needs become inaccessible as parking lots fill up with bug-eyed people hell-bent on buying everything in sight and stocking up for the Family Dinner or the Holiday Party, ready to ram your car to get the parking space they want. It culminates on Christmas Day when everything closes, including the gym, so that whether or not I have an injury playing up, I have to do a hill run — which is painful if I’m hearing from a hip or ankle — or else feel like cack all day. I do enjoy giving gifts and seeing the twinkly lights, but it seems to come at a high price and I feel so relieved when it’s over.
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I must admit I can get a bit bah humbug when I go to the shops, but this year I have just worshipped at the altar of internet shopping and have hardly bothered with actual shops. But that’s not a Christmas thing, it’s a crow thing. I hate people en masse.
I’m lucky in that my family are the people I most like to spend time with. We live close and see each other often, but Christmas is a bit more special and everyone tries that bit harder, so we dress up nice and all that. I love Christmas!
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Don’t you hate it when the crows do their Christmas shopping.
…it’s a *crowd* thing!
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I’m not a fan of Christmas at all, but I certainly don’t blame the holiday. I have a lot of painful issues that come up at this time of year that don’t exist at any other time of the year, however I am always striving to do my best to survive the holiday with my sanity in tact, which has meant learning to set boundaries, negotiate with people, and sometimes just avoid certain things altogether. Then, on Boxing Day – great relief (not to mention shopping!)! It’s over and I’ve survived! Bring on New Year’s! 🙂
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I was just ranting about “Christmas With the Kranks”. What really bugged be was the expectation that if you didn’t celebrate in an all-out manner there was something wrong with you. I enjoy Christmas, too, but in my own quiet way.
I had a room mate who celebrated every holiday, no matter how obscure with decorations and cards… She’d do the place up for Arbor Day, even though it isn’t a Canadian holiday.
And after having worked retail for so many years, I find it difficult to get in the mood at all until about 5:30 Christmas Eve.
My Christmas is spent at my sister’s house, with her husband and daughter. This year, my brother and his kids will be there, as well as my other sister’s daughter and boyfriend. It should be very nice.
Years ago, we used to draw names for all the adults and everyone bought presents for the kids. My sister-in-law said that “this year we’re only going to buy presents for the kids”. My sister said, “But what about Anneke? She doesn’t have kids.”
My sister-in-law said “that’s too bad but Christmas is for kids, anyway.”
Not that I want presents over love but I thought that the idea that someone who doesn’t have kids somehow just doesn’t “count” was a bit unfair. And, as my sister pointed out, the drawing of names only meant one extra gift, anyway.
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