Quote From: freesia83I admit, my FI and I do not get excited about the holidays. There is very little either of us find appealing about christmas music, shopping, commercialism, or anything of the sort. However, getting people to understand this can be difficult and sometimes it is downright frustrating. No matter what we say, no matter how much we try to respect the feelings of others, we still get criticized for *gasp!!* not jumping for joy over Christmas. For example, I wouldn't screech if someone held mistletoe over my head, I'd just smile and go along with it, rather than tell them it's tacky.
Some other responses I have gotten when someone asks (when you ask a question, don't get upset when you don't hear the answer you want!) if I enjoy the holidays and I give them the truth:
1. You're bitter
2. You're a sad miserable person
3. You're not old enough to appreciate the season
4. You're an athiest
5. You're self centered
No matter how polite FI or I have been, one or more of the above answers are usually thrown back.
What is really sad is that most of those comments come from family. FI and I are already dreading going to his parent's house where all the relatives will be meeting up because of this attitude. It is a cycle, and to us, the only way to break it is to keep ourselves out of the fire, which will cause more trouble, and so on and so on. So what are you to do?
Here's a hearty pat on the back from one Christmas non-enthusiast to another. I get the same reaction, except for the "not old enough to appreciate the season," since I'm pushing 50.
draya001's Top Ten Reasons Why I Hate Christmas
10. I hate Christmas because it is the first big lie parents tell their children. I know, I know; it's all supposed to be for fun, but I think teaching a child that fantasy is real is detrimental to their mental development and their trust in their parents.
9. I hate Christmas because if you're not with the Christmas Crowd they will definitely make sure you're against them.
8. I hate Christmas because it has taken an honest (however much misguided, in my opinion) sentiment and turned it into a three month long commercial.
7. I hate Christmas because Salvation Army beggars wielding bells like weapons make entering any and every store a torment. When I was a kid, they used to sing carols and play music, which was not annoying and rather pleasant. Now they hire derelicts who throw sarcasm, curses and spit, just because I quietly passed them by. The Salvation Army is a charitable organization, and they do good things. If their kettle contributions are pretty thin, they ought to consider why.
6. I hate Christmas because by the time everyone has worn themselves out jumping through all the obligatory hoops, no one can enjoy it.
5. I hate Christmas because every year the most beautiful 70-foot Norway Spruce in the world gets killed and stuck up to dry and rot in Rockefeller Plaza, along with millions of its lesser cousins throughout the world.
4. I hate the waste of paper and foil. I hate the mess and the noise.
3. I hate greedy kids who are (in about 30 minutes) completely uninterested in whatever toy they've been screaming about for the last six months.
2. I hate the inevitable family fights.
1. And finally, I hate Christmas because of all the Christians who whine and complain that it isn't about Jesus' birth any more, and who don't have the wit or initiative to read The Bible carefully enough to know that if Jesus ben Joseph did exist, he surely wasn't born in December; or read a history book with enough diligence to realize that what we now know as Christmas was once a pagan holiday called Saturnalia that early Northern European Christians co-opted to increase their numbers. They tended to have a lot of backsliders around Saturnalia and they wanted to snag them back with another celebration a few days later. If Jesus did exist, he was a Jew who maintained that he was a man like any other man; he celebrated the rituals any young Rabbi would; and the only time his birthday was anything much special was his Bar Mitzvah. Jesus was a teacher with a message, and although I'm not a Christian (or even a Jew) I think he would be disturbed to find what we've made of his message. He repeatedly cautioned us not to think of him as a god, because he wanted us to know that we are all God's children, and all humans can attain grace -- a very good message no matter what its source. If you're going to be a Christian, do it right and quit whining about it.
'nuff said
