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The Bah-Humbug thread!
It's that time of year again, where mistletoe (poisonous) and Poinsettias (also poisonous) are everywhere. It's joyous and festive and fun for all.
If that last statement made your skin crawl and your belly button pucker, this thread is for you. You already know it's not fun for everyone. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of people who have a very difficult time during the Christmas season, myself included. The sickeningly sweet tales incessantly drilled into our brains since Halloween are more fiction than fact and the chorus of super-rich rock stars belting out the standards 24/7 on every public broadcast station to make just a few more bucks at our expense reeks of hypocrisy.
So ... stop in and share your feelings or just take a break from the season.
Don't forget there are many who love the season and do aspire to the promise of Christmas joy. If you are like that, this thread probably isn't for you (unless you want to see how the other half survives this time of year). This is not to take cheap shots at those who love the season, or argue it's merits to those who feel differently.
I love (sarcasm intended) how regardless of one's religious beliefs that this should, in theory, be a family day (not that I necessarily want to spend the day with my family) and yet I'll probably be at work for 16+ hours.
If I worked in a public service (hospital, police officer, paramedic, etc) it wouldn't bother me... but I don't and it does.
Yeah... I knew it when I took the job... but doesn't make it suck any less.
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You guys are sooooo getting rocks in your socks, which, by the way, will be tied up in knots! And not those pretty river stones either, but ugly malformed calache stones!!
BTW, through the years, I have weeded my life of useless family members, that feed on my family's shortcomings/failures, until we now spend our holidays/special times with exactly who we choose to. That's my remedy!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by damewolf13
You guys are sooooo getting rocks in your socks, which, by the way, will be tied up in knots! And not those pretty river stones either, but ugly malformed calache stones!!
BTW, through the years, I have weeded my life of useless family members, that feed on my family's shortcomings/failures, until we now spend our holidays/special times with exactly who we choose to. That's my remedy!
That's the thing. I've done the family thing and the no family thing and the pretend that everything is happy thing and being a miserable putz thing and NO-thing works to keep my spirits up through this time of year. The more suggestions for solutions or the more people try and "fix" me, the worse it gets.
For me, Christmas is a runaway freight train, and I'm tied to the tracks.
On a sillier note ...
Quote:
AP, UP, PP - [Washington D.C.] In a report from the senate subcommittee on Useless Festive Overindulgences (UFO), 37.695% of Christians believe that December 25 commemorates the historic birth date of Joshuah ben Joseph of Galilee [aka. Jesus Christ]. This confirms the suspicions of the medical community that human intelligence is adversely affected by mistletoe and repeated audio assaults of dogs barking Jingle Bells.
Senator Jacob Marley (d) from Massachusetts, in a speech to a group of disenfranchised Druid wedding planners, explained his proposal of a flat Yuletide Tax to counteract the negative psychological effects of the season. In bill 15734.v.3 now before congress, Sen. Marley suggests additional information be added to annual income tax returns collected by the Department of Internal Revenue. This information would consist of necessary living expenses, including, but not limited to, food, clothing, shelter, contributions to his campaign fund and strawberry flavored condoms. These expenses would be deducted from the person's gross taxable income which would then be collected by the federal government, resulting in what he euphemistically refers to as the " Economic Christmas Present". These moneys, also called "disposable income" by some economists, would be distributed to large retail corporations who would ship proportionate amounts of random merchandise to the taxpayer's address.
Many of the President's economic advisers believe it is the only way to stabilize the wildly fluctuating spending in the last quarter of the year, experienced by Americans since the end of the second world war. This would also allow television advertising to return to the more educational topics of beer and Vin Deisel movies, instead of the mind-numbing banter of baritone elves and hermaphroditic Santa Clauses.
The white house refused to comment specifically on the pending legislation but they did say that anything to promote the belief that Religious Festivals were patriotic, was a positive influence on our youth and would fully support the distribution of "Bratz" dolls and "Grand Theft Auto" [Playstation AND Xbox versions] to bolster national morality.
Several representatives of various religious organizations were also present and endorsed the speech as truly bipartisan. They said the bill would easily remove the last vestiges of Christianity from the season, taking Christmas from the realm of myth to folklore. While Senator Marley did not understand their reasoning and believed them to be raving maniacs, he did accept an invitation to a lavish fund-raising gala immediately following his appearance.
Samantha Seasonality, from the Coalition for Holiday Inequities, opposed the bill and pointed out that by having everyone receive uniform amounts of "gifts" on the 25th of December, it would give the lower classes a false sense of equality. She went on to say that these lower class individuals might want equity in other areas of their lives as well, including access to yacht clubs, broadband internet connections and Donald Trump's hair stylist.
After one of the Senator's assistants shot Miss Seasonality, the group adjourned the meeting and passed out brightly wrapped packages of brand name pharmaceuticals. The bill should pass through congress and be on the President's desk by the first of the year.
I will be having a bottle of wine, or two Christmas day, spend some time online, play with my min-pin.
Same routine pretty much every year and every holiday. No family, just my dad, and he is always in Japan I'll have to brush up on my japanese in case he calls!!
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Originally Posted by LilBit
Yeah, I know ALL about therapy sessions
To get back on topic and speaking of therapists ... I was even hypnotized once to try and get me through the season. It didn't work so well, but it was an interesting experience.
If we are complaining about christmas i just cant stand the pressure of the shopping. If anything this season is more stressful than anything. The only thing that i like about it is the fact im getting a nexus 4.
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I never get the gift I want, which is not to have to do Christmas. I tried lamb's blood on the door jambs and lintel, but it would not pass over me. (It stopped and told me I had the wrong holiday.)
If we are complaining about christmas i just cant stand the pressure of the shopping. If anything this season is more stressful than anything. The only thing that i like about it is the fact im getting a nexus 4.
Usually i dont either but this year i told my wife what i wanted.
Start Christmas the week of Thanksgiving instead of the first of October. By November, I'm totally tired of the hype, and by December I'm looking forward to Spring and Spring training. I've had enough of the holidays already.
We used to close the office between Christmas and New Year. I'd still go in for a couple of minutes to check on computers and plants.
Some stuff has to get done early to make sure it gets to London on time. Kid grabbed all my homemade ornaments last August. She said she couldn't find anything decent in London. I had quite a few theme trees years ago. Now I could care less.
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I love Christmas myself but not what Society has made it out to be or even as a family holiday. I hate the pressure of gift giving and I hate all the false smiles of someone I don't even know. I don't have a fond Christmas memory that I dearly hold on to as most of them generally sucked for me. Its not the birth of my Lord Jesus Christ whom I choose to believe in. No I love Christmas as it is an idea that never fruition's. I perceive it as a goal to be friendly and warm to total strangers but more importantly to the ones that I treat like crap through out the year, My lovely family. Not that I am a horrible person that treats everyone like crap on purpose just that the way it generally turns out for me. I'm a Lone Ranger with a family. I've never been in the "in" crowd but always to myself. I never relate with people very well and find it easier to engage in a project of my own design and making. Ironically they all tend to be one man projects.
I don't care much for the "Christmas" movies even though I love a few of them but not because of Christmas but because they are funny and make me laugh, like The Ref. Most Christmas songs have a message that is just so unrealistic that it saddens me to listen to them but some I actually enjoy. No I think what I love about Christmas is the ideal that we should treat each other with warm and love. That we should be willing to give and to make someone's life a bit nicer or easier. Never mind the rest of the year when we go back to treating them like a disease. I find it amusing that we want to be so loving and giving one part of the year so that we can act like assess the rest of it.
I mostly Love Christmas because it to me is a special time of the year. I love the cooler weather. It's special not because of anything that is or is to come or even to be thought about its special to me because I make it that way. I know not really that dramatic is it? Wasn't my intention to begin with. I like things simple. I don't need drama to entertain me I just need a good project and a good laugh.
Everyone has their reason for loving or not the season and Christmas. Some have horrible memories that have driven them so far away from any of the "goodness" that they just deny that it even exist. Others get so wrapped into it that its entertaining with in itself to watch. To see people who normally wouldn't stop to give the time of day to a stranger treat them with kindness and respect. No matter who you are or why you do or do not enjoy Christmas, I for one will respect you when it is all over. Could you be so kind to do the same for me.
you know what I hate?
Winter... in general...everything about it.. cold grey busy cranky tired no fun dark too early hibernate....blugh...
oh and people too...
especially crowds of people..in sweaters..in my way and..
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The Christmas spirit to most is a blind, fanatical adherence to tradition regardless of the feelings of those around them. Gross consumerism and pretense are the rules of the day.
I think the thing that bothers me the most about many joyful and merry people during the holiday season is that they avoid the unhappy or less fortunate for fear they will ruin Christmas for them. And the lessons of the Christmas ideal of charity, forbearance, love and community shouldn't be just once a year or for a few days in December when there are lights on your house, but everyday. While I do recognize that some people do get it (and I know several) most put on the holiday hat for a few days and then go right back to being ... themselves.
To see people who normally wouldn't stop to give the time of day to a stranger treat them with kindness and respect. No matter who you are or why you do or do not enjoy Christmas, I for one will respect you when it is all over. Could you be so kind to do the same for me.
They should do it all year. Not just the holidays. World just might be a better place.
The Christmas spirit to most is a blind, fanatical adherence to tradition regardless of the feelings of those around them. Gross consumerism and pretense are the rules of the day.
I think the thing that bothers me the most about many joyful and merry people during the holiday season is that they avoid the unhappy or less fortunate for fear they will ruin Christmas for them. And the lessons of the Christmas ideal of charity, forbearance, love and community shouldn't be just once a year or for a few days in December when there are lights on your house, but everyday. While I do recognize that some people do get it (and I know several) most put on the holiday hat for a few days and then go right back to being ... themselves.
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Church....many different things to each of us, and we each have our own reasons for attending or abstaining. Can't really assign a single definition to "Church".
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My father was a Presbyterian Minister with a doctorate in theology from Princeton. He was a practicing pastor until after I moved out and to this day, a church ... any church ... is the most uncomfortable place in the world for me. PTSD I think.
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I am sorry to hear that Luna.
I was raised (early years) in a very strict church environment as well, and it took many years for me to undo the damage I learned there, so I get it.
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Some how I knew that this would end up in church
On a serious note I as a christian will extend my understanding of the church and the hurt that goes on with in the walls. So many times I have seen my fellow believers ruin what God designed. Makes me really hate the people in church. Then there is the whole congregation that has issues as well.
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Originally Posted by argedion
Some how I knew that this would end up in church
On a serious note I as a christian will extend my understanding of the church and the hurt that goes on with in the walls. So many times I have seen my fellow believers ruin what God designed. Makes me really hate the people in church. Then there is the whole congregation that has issues as well.
I am sure that as a fellow Christian, you have seen the damage that "church" can cause, and understand how some people would not look favorably on church, and what this "Christmas" holiday has come to represent, instead of the purity of celebration that was originally intended. As human beings, we sure know how to screw things up sometimes.
I am sure that as a fellow Christian, you have seen the damage that "church" can cause, and understand how some people would not look favorably on church, and what this "Christmas" holiday has come to represent, instead of the purity of celebration that was originally intended. As human beings, we sure know how to screw things up sometimes.
I enjoy the idea of what should be the holidays. What it actually is now doesn't suit me very well. I really enjoy seeing the smiles on my kids faces, but its for the wrong reason. They are still too young to understand no matter how many times I explain it.
My family see us after the day, rarely do we go home on Christmas day. It's a much more pleasurable experience for everyone to be themselves. Plus my old man is more relaxed. He's not much on gatherings of any sort. PTSD but from a different confrontation.
I see more folks travel and get hurt on the highways for these holidays. Why not travel to see your loved ones when the weather is better suited for said travel? Why have a societal tradition dictate to you when you should and how you show your familial affection?
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I'm used to it. Nobody invites Scrooge to the Christmas party.
We were discussing shows we haven't seen in a while [and i don't mean the Donnie and Marie Christmas Special] and we came around to a movie i think was called "The Gift". About a poor couple in love who sacrificed their most prized possession to give the other what they wanted. The guy sold his family heirloom watch [his father's i believe] to buy fancy hair combs for his girlfriend who had long luxurious hair. The girl sold her hair to buy him a watch chain. Something like that. Anyway the point was about sacrificing all you value for the sake of someone else's happiness. I don't believe that most people could or would do that, no matter how honorable and beautiful they think the sentiment is. Then there is the story of the grinch, who finds that Christmas isn't about presents. Tell me, how many families do you know that would on Christmas morning sing out joyous songs if their trees and packages were gone? Not many. And then there is good old Ebeneezer. I think most people find Scrooge's qualities admirable while Bob Cratchett is foolhardy and unrealistic. For example ...
1. When faced with adversity are you more likely to smile at your good fortunes in other areas and propose a toast to your employer? Or, would you feel sorry for yourself and blame others?
2. If you are asked by strangers to contribute to a charity you have never heard about, would you give them money or decline the solicitation?
3. If the company for which you worked was dissolving due to mismanagement and you had the opportunity to use your own funds to return it to a thriving condition under your control, would that be a sound investment or a heartless act?
4. If your spouse cursed your employer because you were not earning more, would you agree with him/her or would you defend your employer?
5. If a group of children gathered at the entrance of your business to sing for money, would you pay them? would you politely ask them to move because they are blocking the door? Would you call the police?
Anyway, If people want to celebrate the commercial, that's fine, but don't do it in the guise peace and love and the birth of Jesus. And, don't chastise those who for whatever reason don't get much joy out of the season.
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Thats the thing Christmas has become fake. It's not about the things that its supposed to be about and really it should be a reminder of how we are to treat people the rest of the year and not just during the "Holidays" We should use the holidays to celebrate how we've treated each other over the year and not how we should have treated them over the year.
I'm about as atheist as they come (not a topic for this discussion ), but I love the "holiday" season.
It's a great time to see the family. Does it come loaded with tons of stress? YES!
Wife and I don't exchange gifts, just doesn't work for us (plus we're trying to save $$$).
I've resigned to only getting a couple things for my folks but nothing for the siblings. We sent out some really cool cards that really represent our sense of humor.
Have to say, the local stores are crazy jammed now. People are freaking out trying to make sure they get the right gifts. I say just enjoy the family, friends and company and all will be right with the world.
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The Bah-Humbug thread!
No family, just my dad, and he is always in Japan
I'll have to brush up on my japanese in case he calls!!
