Your view on Christmas, and your age....

[DrPizza]

I agree with the OP.
In recent years, Christmas has been more about getting the entire extended family together for good food, good company, and some games. Very few gifts are exchanged; and they're more of a token than anything. Our kids, since they were in their teens, typically got more clothes than anything; plenty of sales, it's the perfect time. (just got 9 pairs of Arizona jeans, under $15 a pair at JCPenney the other day.) There's also the occasional "big gift" - an xbox 360 and a few games, etc. For me and my wife, we really don't exchange gifts that often, including birthdays, anniversary, etc. This year, my "gift" to her is that the living room gets remodeled, starting the day after Christmas. Her "gift" to me is letting me do it.

 

[Fritzo]

I hit 40, and I still love it.

The secret to loving a holiday is to build traditions around them. Some things we do that makes the whole family look forward to the holidays each year:

- We pull out the decorations and tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Every room gets decorated, and the outside lights would make Clark Grizwald proud.
- We go to a special resort town for the weekend right before Christmas, eat a chicken dinner, get a carriage ride around town, and shop in the craft shops in town.
- Have the family over for prime rib on Christmas day
- We don't do Christmas lists---we all look for unusual or helpful gifts that we've heard our family members mention during the year.
- We go see The Nutcracker at the Toledo Opera House- been playing there every year since 1940!
- We go to our local zoo to see Lights before Christmas, one of the best light displays in the country

Things like that make this time of the year fun. People that sit around saying "Aghh..I gotta buy this and I gotta buy that" are completely missing the point. I'd hate it too. Start enjoying the people you love and stop worrying about buying them crap. If you don't know what to get someone, you're probably not spending enough time with them, so why bother?

 

[Fritzo]

I'm getting my daughter a horse for Christmas. I hate myself.

Whoa whoa whoa....you've got that all screwed up. All daughters ask for a pony for Christmas, your job is to say things like "Santa can't fit one in his sleigh" or something similar! If you set a president like this and actually GET her one, we're all doomed!!!

 

[alkemyst]

it's always fun when you have money!

 

[fatpat268]

I feel like a scrooge during christmas time.

I don't hate it, but there's several things I really dislike about this time of year.

1. Holiday Shopping season. Self explanatory: stores are packed like crazy

2. Christmas decorating (and decorating for holidays in general... easter, halloween, etc)

3. Gift buying for people who give you no clue what they want, and then get mad when you bought them something they don't want. Wtf? I hate to give giftcards because they're just so damn boring and destroy the spirit of gift giving.

 

[n7]

I don't hate Christmas. But I hate the consumerized bastard that it has become. I just want to get together with family and have some good food, drink some good beer or wine, watch some football games, and give out a few small gifts that actually mean something.

But that's asking too much.

100% agreed.
I'd add more, but really, you summed it up precisely as i feel.

 

[coloumb]

I don't hate or like Christmas - but it's definitely commercialized when you see Xmas decorations being put on shelves before Thanksgiving.

I think if you plan events with family/friends and don't splurge on Xmas gifts - it can be an enjoyable time.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Its enjoyable, but nothing overly special to me. I like the decorations and don't mind the music, although the shows can get a bit too corny. When the weather is just perfect (decent amount of light powdery/fluffy snow, not too cold or windy) is great. Get togethers are nice too.

Also, apparently, I'm the only person that is not bothered by the "commercialization of Christmas".

Something that does bother me though are the people that get so strung up about stupid shit. Why, when someone puts up their lights or tree, and what type of lights and all sorts of other stuff bothers some people so damn much, I'll never know.

 

[zerocool84]

Even if I haven't had money or gotten tons of gifts, I love Christmas. Maybe some of you just have crappy families but I love getting family together and just enjoying each other's company.

 

[Kirby]

Christmas was more fun as a kid, because now if I want something, I just buy it. No need to wait all year, and no need to behave. :awe:

Christmas is like Thanksgiving for me now, just another excuse to eat until I'm miserable.

 

[sandorski]

The Japanese need to hurry up and build Robo Santa.

 

[ahenkel]

I enjoy it. Its nice to get together with people. Most of my family don't really take any religious significance with it. Just an excuse for social gathering.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

I don't really celebrate Christmas myself, I get pulled into it by my Christian friends, who insist on giving me gifts. Then I feel rude if I don't give presents back, so then next year they feel it's okay to give more gifts, and so on and so forth.

But my family and I don't do the whole Christmas Lunch/Dinner thing with presents and the tree. We might have a drink with dinner, but that's about it, unless we're invited to someone else's for a meal.

 

[Leros]

The secret to loving a holiday is to build traditions around them.

I agree 100%. The reason I no longer enjoy Christmas is that the traditions and family fell apart

 

[foghorn67]

I'm 33...
Christmas has been about getting together recently. I have few gifts to offer lately. Economy has been rough, and I am not immune to it.
But, the best Christmases I have had has been the past few years. They can only be beat by my Christmases as a kid. A friend of mine invites me with two other close friends for a Christmas morning with a huge breakfast. It was idea for one year, and we caught on to it pretty fast. Now it's a must.
Not a huge deal if I don't make it to my parents house. I have been flying out there in January since their birthdays are in that month. So skipping Christmas with my parents is okay with me as of late.
So, it's been about eating, drinking and hanging out in flannels. Yeah its nerdy since we are grown adults. But showing up in pj's takes the edge or formality away. And it's an instant feeling of gratitude and nothing else.
The hosts has a wife and two beautiful children, I mostly pick stuff up for the young ones. The other gifts are smaller and just for fun.
I hear things about the NEW Thanksgiving tradition. Preparing all morning and feeding the needy, and tidying things up. then, have a smaller Thanksgiving at home. More and more people are doing this...and I hope it catches on as a tradition. After all, traditions can always be made or re-written. Turkey is such a Thanksgiving staple, but it came late in the game. Maybe it can change again.

 

[Zebo]

I like everything about it but commercialization which does not effect me since Z doesn't go to stores much. Internet solves a lot. hate shopping and when I do it I blaze through in 1/20th of time as women. I play the role though. The whole spiel. getting tree, decorating tree, The music, putting up lights, driving around looking at lights, The wrapping presents till 2 am on 25th. The slinking around at 3am to set them out. The whole "From :Santa" deal. And actually enjoy it, the faces, they playing around tree and whatnot. Making my world famous blue berry pancakes and bacon egg breakfast everyone in PJs till noon. Kids split and fun starts!

 

[BoomerD]

Whoa whoa whoa....you've got that all screwed up. All daughters ask for a pony for Christmas, your job is to say things like "Santa can't fit one in his sleigh" or something similar! If you set a president like this and actually GET her one, we're all doomed!!!

precedent...not president.

or maybe you're right...can you set a president like this? How about like that?

 

[BoomerD]

Christmas was more fun as a kid, because now if I want something, I just buy it. No need to wait all year, and no need to behave. :awe:

Christmas is like Thanksgiving for me now, just another excuse to eat until I'm miserable.

My wife and I have about the same attitude. We buy what we want during the year, so there's really nothing special that we need at X-mas. <shrug>

Time for MOAR good food!!

(I love being married to a baker!)

 

[olds]

Bah Humbug/51

 

[bobdole369]

I hate Spends-Cember and I wholeheartedly wish the whole thing would go away.

Screw you Santa! I fully embrace the Festivus ideals.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I like Christmas. I hate Christmas music though.

My family has always gotten small, cheap gifts for each other. It's the thought that counts. I'm not going to break the bank for anyone and I don't expect anyone to do so for me either.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's a nice holiday. I get some time off each year to see family, drink some merriment and give presents to people I care about. What's not to like?

 

[Wyndru]

33 here, a couple of years ago our family stopped exchanging gifts between adults. We only buy for the kids, and only small gifts. So much better now, less stress trying to buy everything, no pointless spending on gifts the other person doesn't even use and more time to spend with each other. It is a much better holiday now.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I like Christmas. I hate Christmas music though.

My family has always gotten small, cheap gifts for each other. It's the thought that counts. I'm not going to break the bank for anyone and I don't expect anyone to do so for me either.

Well, looks like I'm off to return that Porsche I bought you then.

 

[mjquilly]

Totally with you OP. I'm 31.

My mom has always gone overboard on Christmas when it comes to presents. I always really liked Christmas at home, and still do, but something changed about 5 years ago. Not sure why then, but now, every time we sit around opening presents, I get really angry that we even do this. I LOVE having all of my family together now that we live all around the country. But everything else that makes it Christmas, I'm starting to hate.

I get what you're saying about the Santa thing. I have a 2 year old now, and it really bugs me when people come up to him and ask him what Santa is going to bring him. I don't want to even tell him about Santa, but then I'm the evil guy who's kid will tell other kids that Santa doesn't actually sneak into your house. He's still getting presents, but they are coming from my wife and I. Don't tell me that "it won't be as special not coming from Santa".

As a Christian, I don't really like how we've turned Christmas into an idol of a sorts...and I'm not even talking about the present thing...the whole "I won't shop there because they say 'happy holidays' and not 'merry christmas'" thing and the "as long as I have enough giant plastic Jesus's in my front yard, it's ok to buy my kids more presents than will fit in my house" thing. Guess that was back to the present thing. whatever. bah humbug!