Topic : 12/12 Christmas Chaos

I don't like spending money on extravagant gifts myself. I agree partially with the man...Christmas is over materialistic anymore...we ( in my house) make some homemade gifts for each other. Not only do you save $$ but you get to b e creative and use your imagination.

Let me just say I don;t dumpster dive (gifts or not) but if I didi I sure wouldn't brag about to the gift recipient. Living frugally is our life...not because we want to but because we have to. It's our way of life and we like, it.

I think Christmas is forced down our throats.  There is pressure to buy the "perfect gift."   Diamonds, electronics, cell phones..  I worked in retail for many years, and saw how ugly people were over grabbing that item before someone else got it, or griping about waiting in line, or complaining about prices.  All this for stuff that got returned the day after Christmas.  I don't think people really care about the gift.  It makes me angry to be guilt tripped into spending money on people I hardly know, but am expected to give a gift to.  I hate crowds and shopping for the "perfect gift."  It's a lot of pressure.  Thank goodness for the internet.  I shopped online for the first time this year, and I loved it.

My dad used to make us lay all of our presents out on our beds, and our relatives were paraded through our rooms to see how much stuff "Santa" brought.  The process was repeated at each uncle's house.  I was humiliated. I was very shy as a child and hated being paraded in front of relatives in a new outfit for the holidays and expected to be "cute."

I was terrified of sitting on Santa's lap, and I still see kids crying when their parents force them to do it.  I think it's all for the parents' "Christmas memories."  Forcing a child to sit on a stranger's lap is mean.

I lost both of my parents 1 1/2 years ago. Yes, it changes you forever. I am so sorry you lost your dad and on Christmas Eve. Maya Angelou said, "No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents, you will miss them when they're gone." I agree, none of this will matter when thier dad is gone. Except the part where they couldn't get along. And then it will be too late. I wish you a good Christmas.

Did it ever occur to you that these two daughters seemed to have NO sympathy for their father when his wife (their mother) passed away?  They were so worried about him comforting THEM, that they were too self-absorbed to try and comfort HIM for HIS loss.  Talk about no compassion.  I thought they appeared to be self-centered narcissists.  They didn’t go and comfort HIM, which is where they should have been.  The father is RIGHT.  His daughters SHOULD BE GOING TO VISIT HIM.  When I was growing up we always went to visit our grandparents and other older family members.  I never would have even considered having them come to visit me.  That is what you call tradition and respect. 

The daughters were upset about a darn pot or whatever it was and 4 pieces of costume jewelry – but they couldn’t have compassion for their father losing his life partner.  The wife was there long before they were.  Where were they when HE NEEDED THEM???   They were busy fighting over who got what.

Think about that one.