I'm not much of a fan of Christmas really. I'm not big on the religious aspects, and the hype gets old very quickly. In fact, I find Christmas to be a very expensive exercise in trying not to offend. Whether its the non-christian traditions that don't celebrate Christmas, the atheists, or the minority that don't support the Santa myth - there is always someone that you can inadvertently offend.
Its reached the point that I have no idea what the real message of Christmas is any more. You would certainly be hard put to find it in any shopping centre or Myer window.
I hate that the shops start putting up decorations in August.
I hate the carols that bombard you from the beginning of November.
I hate workplace decorations (particularly the overtly religious ones - the office just doesn't feel right for a nativity scene), Kris Kringle, and the seemingly endless string of Christmas parties..
I hate trying to get to the shops before Christmas - the crowds, the fight for parking, the endless lines at the checkouts....
and I hate the after Christmas sales.
My favourite way to spend Christmas is to not participate. I buy the necessary family gifts, cook and eat some good food, but I like to stay home, read a good book, ignore the crowds, the shops, the cricket.....
So what about the rest of you? What don't you like about Christmas? and what do you like?
..with you 100% on that one...if christmas was a computer program I would have deleted it years ago!
ReplyDeletechristmas = stress overload
If I don't buy into all the ridiculousness that Christmas has become, then I find I rather enjoy it. I reconnect with family. I don't often see them, and I cherish the time I do have with them. My aunts, uncles and cousins are marvellous people.
ReplyDeleteLuckily in this part of the world, Christmas decorations don't go up in August. There is Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en in between.
It does bother me immensely when the decorations go up, Christmas goods start being sold, and Christmas carols start playing before Remembrance Day has even passed. I find it disrespectful.
However, I shop (and an increasing number of gifts are being handmade) only for those who mean a lot to me, and don't really worry about the rest.
I am a firm believer in the word 'no,' so if I find myself overwhelmed, I can lock myself away from the world and not worry about who I've cause offence to. If they get their knickers in a twist, it's their problem.
Christmas, in the days of increasing secularism, can mean anything you want it to. For me, it's a celebration of love, of friends, of family and of how lucky we are to have them so near.
Hallowe'en is still my favourite time of year, but Christmas is a close second.
I plan carefully to avoid the shops as much and as long as possible. I manipulative/cajole those around me so I can get stuff like books and clothing that aren't in my usual budget. I psych up for the massive stresses of Christmas Day, and just try to keep my mouth shut around people who are annoying me. But ultimately Christmas (especially the commercialism) is a force of nature, and I don't try to fight it.
ReplyDeletefel