Why I dislike Christmas!

Good point about sharing gifts everyday.

I wont keep a dog anymore because it's an anagram for god.

Does your dog also have a beard who dresses up in a robe?

Cool dog if he does. You should keep him!

:)

No, but he does hold his bowl like a collection plate.

To each his own... live & let live.

You're lucky. My Boxer whimpers like a collection plate.

That motto only really works when it's mutual.

Great motto to follow nonetheless though.

I agree. My family has great traditions that create a really great feeling for me about Christmas but I realize that some people don't. It is what you make it. But we have to realize that it hasn't been made great for some people.

good reasons razrin. satan claws!! i have too many reasons to list.

This brings up a great point. For alot of people this is the hardest time of the year.

word up

Yeah no doubt.

My friends (esp from Iran or India) who have kids born in Canada; I've observed seem to have a difficult time. They usually need to adapt their kids to Canadian culture. That sometimes means doing stuff that goes against their own core values and traditions.

Also, some of my Canadian cultured friends are sometimes miserable at this time of year too.

What makes this time of year hard for most people?

Alot of people don't understand the struggle. If you celebrate as everyone else you are not being true to yourself. If you choose to not celebrate or make a point not to join in you are considered by some to be anti-fill in the blank

Weather and money!

not necessarily for most people, but for some people it is a lonely time if they don't have the family traditions, or family at all.
or hard, especially if you're struggling financially and/or already depressed.
i think it's because people see the cheer of lots of other people and have trouble feeling it too.
suicide rates are highest during the holidays.

Well if you're Jewish, or Muslim, or Hindu, you have different holidays within your respective culture that you take part in.

In a multicultural society like Canada; These kids would often have to take part in like Christmas plays, Making Christmas cookies ad infinitum.

I am not sure about now though, more than half of the 150,000 people in my city are non resident Asians... who have their own traditions... But they still usually take part in Christmas stuff..



-Razrin

Excellent insight!

Yeah. I had a friend who knew someone who only accepted gifts that were handmade or second hand. I think that sometimes, others expectations or our own expectations for ourselves are a problem. I think Americans have a huge sense of entitlement. It took me being poor one year to really appreciate any gift.

True, imagine you are laid off, got three kids, no gifts, and not sure if you have money for food, happens all the time. Then you got to hear people talking about weather they are gonna spend 399 on a PS3 or 299 on an XBOX 360 for their kids.

hahaha.. Occam's razor at work in all it's glory.

A- I hate shopping.
2- The dogs think the tree is indoor plumbing.
B- I'm ot a Jesus person.
-pdb

Yeah, that reminds me of how much of a disheartened consumer brat I was, by bugging my folks to "buy me a Sega Saturn for Christmas" etc.

Good thing Christmas presents should be kept a secret.

It disheartens me to realize now; How much of a brainwashed consumer brat I was as a child!

:)

Yes, I think that this time of year just shines a big nasty spotlight on this problem. The problem that our kids would not be happy just to be receiving a gift from someone but it has to be THE gift. As an adult who has gone without what I thought I "deserved", I hope to be able to teach my kids to appreciate things.

1.
Well, recently I have been thinking about Christmas too. I used to be a bit cynical towards it, because of commerce and all. But now, I have figured a nice reasoning, why it is not so bad after all.

-Depending on the climatological variables where one resides, IF your December month is a cold one, I figured that sharing gifts, warmth and company is some sort of survival strategy having evolutionary roots. Like, winter period is time period in which getting together (warmth) and sharing available goods (surviving) would be a wise thing to do since in other seasons being out in the open is less hazardous and food would be easier available.

2.
Is sheer bovine excrement...

Santa (Claus) is the bastardized American (commercial) version of the celebration of Saint Nicolas (Sinterklaas) in the Netherlands (5th of December) and Belgium (6th of December) where kids receive presents.

[link to en.wikipedia.org]