Christmas Love it or hate it

[Nym]

Anyone else ever been in the position of being bitched and moaned at because you see one pearant more then the other?

 

[43021HST]

Left to my own devices that is not a problem. 365 days a year I am told that rain is bad, snow is bad, cold is bad, sun is good. I am told that if I do not celebrate Christmas - defined as spend, spend, spend - then I am an antisocial, miserly Scrooge who deserves to be alone (nothing I'd like more) and unloved. Christmas has been hijacked by capitalism as much as Christianity hijacked it off of Pagans.
Additionally, there is no escaping it. At work there are decorations, in town there are lights, shops have stuff out and my freezer is not large enough to stock up and hibernate even if I wanted to. The traditional office party is something very difficult to turn down without losing face and/or standing and the less said about secret santa the better!

As Sheldon Cooper (from the Big Bang Theory) put it:

Amen to that, Woo I'm not alone with my views.

 

[Nym]

i do approve of the recent vogue for Christmas Markets. they seem so much more classy than plastic Satans in shopping centres. Lots of wooden huts and mulled wine & Sausages. What can there possibly be not to love there?

Large crowds of people where about 1:50 of them are out to steal your wallet or phone, and the 80% of the stalls have the same tat as everywhere else but with a massively inflated price. And then everyone who is innocent is barging round fighting eachother to get around the place.

£4.50 for a hot dog! The **** you playing at there Manchester Markets?

And secret santa is somthing I refuse to partake in, as are office / work parties and get togethers, I work with you, if I wanted to be friends with you I would have asked if you fancied a pint after work ages ago.

 

[43021HST]

i do approve of the recent vogue for Christmas Markets. they seem so much more classy than plastic Satans in shopping centres. Lots of wooden huts and mulled wine & Sausages. What can there possibly be not to love there?

The thing thats not to love is the Christmas part

 

[Schnellzug]

Large crowds of people where about 1:50 of them are out to steal your wallet or phone, and the 80% of the stalls have the same tat as everywhere else but with a massively inflated price. And then everyone who is innocent is barging round fighting eachother to get around the place.

£4.50 for a hot dog! The **** you playing at there Manchester Markets?
.

Ah well, hot dogs, see. Round this way they have proper Wurst and Bier.

 

[Nym]

They do here too, but I really can't remember how to spell them German words this time of morning.

 

[Schnellzug]

One thing I that i do not think I would be able to tolerate would be the insitence that "it's a time to get Together with the Family". You can call me androgynous if you like*, but i really could think of few things worse than being compelled to be Sociable and to have to make conversation with people. About the only thing to be said for it is that it usually involves sharing round Biscuits.

*I think that's the word; if it's not someone could rectify, I'm sure

 

[WestCoast]

The Manchester one has a Dutch Pannenkoeken, plus German Bier und Würstchen. Couldn't care for the rest, but those are great things in my book. I do tend to go when it's quieter though (earlier in the day), it's horribly crowded at certain times.

We could call them winter markets, rather than Christmas markets! They tend to call them that in Europe anyway, the obsession with revolving everything around Christmas is a UK/US thing IMO.

 

[90019]

Dont these thick people realise what they are doing is utterly pointless.

Presumably, you refuse to celebrate birthdays and the like for the same reason?


Fair enough, you dislike Christmas, but do you really have to keep bitching about it constantly in this thread?

 

[sprinterguy]

i do approve of the recent vogue for Christmas Markets. they seem so much more classy than plastic Satans in shopping centres. Lots of wooden huts and mulled wine & Sausages. What can there possibly be not to love there?

Plastic Satans? Now that sounds like a much more interesting kind of celebration!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Anyone else ever been in the position of being bitched and moaned at because you see one pearant more then the other?

Not yet, but I have a suspicion that this christmas might be a year of firsts...

 

[Nym]

Yeah, I get that every year, although I havn't spoken to anyone on the paternal side in a while so it's either going to result in being moaned at more, or not at all.

They stoped complaining at me so much when I got my car, cos when they started, I just got in it and left... (Although previously I'd have just walked)

 

[Ivo]

Anyone else ever been in the position of being bitched and moaned at because you see one pearant more then the other?

I haven't seen my father at Christmas since '96... I was 7 at the time hock: And there's no way I can change that this year because my Advances are already booked! I do get to go First Class from this end, and a small addition to my Coverage map on the way back though

If it wasn't for an exceptional set of circumstances I probably wouldn't bother at all this year and would just arrange to talk to my niece by phone on the day. It just so happens our neighbour is getting married on the 17th :roll: (Does give a good excuse to do the Bow Single Line though!)

The thing with Christmas is that ultimately it is a religious event. If you don't follow Christianity, why follow its festivals? This whole year I've only paid attention to Easter, and then it was (a) three days after Easter Sunday and (b) because the others I was living with were desperate for Easter Eggs!

Anyhow, here's to another month-plus of commercialised hoo-hah. And having to go Christmas shopping on the 24th for the third year running.

 

[SS4]

One thing I that i do not think I would be able to tolerate would be the insitence that "it's a time to get Together with the Family". You can call me androgynous if you like*, but i really could think of few things worse than being compelled to be Sociable and to have to make conversation with people. About the only thing to be said for it is that it usually involves sharing round Biscuits.

*I think that's the word; if it's not someone could rectify, I'm sure

androgynous means of indeterminate gender especially in appearance . Misanthrope on the other hand means someone who dislikes humanity/society although good old anti-social in it's literal sense would work

I agree though, at times it feels like I'm Socially Awkward Penguin.

I'm sick of it already although I'm always on the lookout for a bargain (online).

 

[43021HST]

Presumably, you refuse to celebrate birthdays and the like for the same reason?


Fair enough, you dislike Christmas, but do you really have to keep bitching about it constantly in this thread?

I dont really celebrate birthdays, also this thread is a release and stops me from bitching in other threads

 

[Blindtraveler]

and after a break its time for another bitch. Roll on boxingday!

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I like how impartial the poll options are.

 

[Crimson_Quiff]

I voted - 'I'm not Christian but I like to overindulge myself in an orgy of mass consumerism'

You know it makes sense! :P

 

[phil8715]

I don't get all this Happy Holiday malarkey from across the pond.

It's Christmas, not holiday time if it was I'd be packing my bags and flying to the Costa Packet for some summer sun.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[LLF]

Aren't you forgetting something? Christmas is a time to spend with family.

I prefer to spend it away from family.

 

[43021HST]

I like how impartial the poll options are.

say it like i see it

 

[Temple Meads]

say it like i see it

So did you have a good day yesterday ?

 

[43021HST]

So did you have a good day yesterday ?

T'was ok, asked for a quieter christmas and I got it.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

T'was ok, asked for a quieter christmas and I got it.

*Cough* quote Klambert to me "I'm not doing christmas its just consumerism, so I'm just not doing it" yet he took all the presents he was given *cough*...

 

[43021HST]

*Cough* quote Klambert to me "I'm not doing christmas its just consumerism, so I'm just not doing it" yet he took all the presents he was given *cough*...

I had no choice!

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I had no choice!

You could have sent a letter to your relatives explaining that you felt Christmas was an 'orgy of mass consumerism' and that you would prefer it if they donated the money that they would spend on you to a charity of their choice.

 

[yorksrob]

Personally the one part of xmas I could do without is the exchange of presents. There isn't really a lot I want for myself and I could do without buying for others.

I try and restrict it to necessities. (I got a new saucepan and towel and paid for a new door knocker for my folks).

I do enjoy a large roast dinner though.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

You could have sent a letter to your relatives explaining that you felt Christmas was an 'orgy of mass consumerism' and that you would prefer it if they donated the money that they would spend on you to a charity of their choice.

Karl and charities?! I'd like to see the day! :P

I'm not a fan of christmas but hands up I took everything I was given!