Christmas Dislikes.

[Mizar]

It's One Week till Christmas. I am all done. It's all over, but the Shouting. I know there are People on here, who don't Celebrate Christmas, but I'm Assuming, most do. We do it up big in My House and It's My Favorite Holiday, but, I do have a couple of Dislikes, about the Holiday and I was Curious, if anyone else did.

My top Two are -

1. Glitter, anything with Glitter on it, is out of My House,Quick. I think, this stuff, was Invented, by a Psycho.
2. Christmas Lights, around, a Window, that are Crooked, ( Okay, Okay, I'm OCD ) but when I see this, I always have the Urge, to Knock on a Stangers Door and say " Excuse Me, May, I come in for a few Moments and Straighten, Your Lights?"  I would never do that of course, because, I don't want to,Talk to a Policeman and/or spend Christmas in a Padded Room.

The Kicker is, I'm one of those Few Individuals, that actually, Likes, Fruitcake! Go Figure. 
   

[boswife]

thats funny about wanting/needing!! to straighten out the lights.  If i see something like that it makes me do weard things to myself if i cant fix um..  not REAL weard, but like i have to touch my head and then my elbows..lol  Yea, i know OCD    As far as what i dont like about Christma, well, i dont like that it's hard to know what all the family wants to do.  Either they all want everyone at their house, or NO one wants it at theirhouse so it makes me frustrated. I dont do well with uncertainty.. But still i love christmas..

[Chris]

#1 Dislike since I worked in a grocery store as a teen is the overplay of Christmas music. 24 hours of the same stuff is insane and now stores and a radio station here start in late October 

[billybags]

I hate the food shopping part of it
 I hate battling around a supermarket
I hate the sell by dates on things like hams, it is always use before 23 Dec. why?
I hate thinking "have I got enough food in" The shops are only closed for 2 days, I am stupid.

Apart from that I quite like Christmas, I love seeing my grandchildren enjoying Christmas Day, I love being with my family.

Have a nice Christmas every one.

[YLGuy]

I hate going into overcrowded malls and grocery stores.  I get overwhelmed. Crowds never bother me except at this time of year.  I have been able to avoid them the last few years thanks to online shopping and not going to the grocery store the day before Christmas.

[looneytunes]

I LOVE Christmas, it's also my fav holiday.  Seeing the little kids unwrap gifts and the bigger (adults) watching their little ones with a look of joy and pride on their faces means everything to me.  We also have a big celebration here at our house.  My biggest peeve about Christmas is the traffic and parking problems.    A few days ago, hubby had a doctor's appointment which means a 2 hour drive for us.  After his appointment, we went to a tool store to pick up a few things for the farm.  Though I have a handicapped sticker on my car, as I was waiting for another car to back out of a handicap spot, a car with no sticker whipped into the spot I was waiting for.  I couldn't help rolling down my window and telling them "Merry Christmas" as they exited their car to walk into the store.  GRRRRR.   

[MooseMom]

I really, really hate the commercialism of the holiday season.  I don't mean to hijack the moral high road, but I hate the emphasis on Christmas spending.  Actually, I enjoy Christmas shopping.  I live right between two very picturesque towns that have lots of interesting, privately owned shops, and it's nice to wander around to find nice little prezzies for people.  I'll take a break at the chocolate shop, have some coffee and then continue shopping.  But I intensely dislike this idea that Christmas is about buying the newest, coolest doodads from the big box stores.  "Holiday Sale!"  "Christmas Sale!"  Christmas seems to be nothing more than a tarted up stimulus plan.

Bah, humbug!

[Poppylicious]

I hate thinking "have I got enough food in" The shops are only closed for 2 days, I am stupid.

Passing Tesco on the bus today I noticed they're open Boxing Day.  So are Sainsbury's.  So it looks like most supermarkets are only closed for Christmas Day itself ... that should take the strain off, knowing you can pop there if you run out of peanuts, beer or Pringles!

I really detest (to the extent it makes me feel sick) cinnamon, even just the smell.  Throwing a party with some Mulled Wine?  Please don't invite me! Unfortunately it is THE smell associated with Christmas so it's often difficult to escape.

 

[paul.karen]

I dislike the PC aspect.
Christmas was always fun as a child at least for me.  Now so many (scrooges) are trying to take the merry out of the Christmas if not just disban the holiday altogether.
Will there even be a Christmas in 5/10/20 years.  Will we watch our grandchildren sitting next to a tree with the smiles and wonderment we once had.
The PC police have gotten Merry Christmas out of schools and out of alot of stores.
I dont recall a bahhumbug when we had Christmas concerts or plays at our schools.  It was fun for all.  And if one or two people didnt like it well they could stay home and pretend it wasnt going on.
Now days it only takes one or two people to have about anything banned. We bow to the few and forget about the masses.
I'm surprised how many atheists actually have Christmas's.  it is easy to pick and choose what you want i suppose without having and convictions.

I do like the crowded malls this time of year.  I'm not sure why?  I ques i like to people watch and look for that last minute gift.

[MooseMom]

Poppy, when I first moved to the UK back in 1985, there was no Sunday trading.  For years there was a lot of debate about it.  Most consumers wanted it but most shopkeepers/corporate types did not.  You could understand the rationale behind both arguments.

But then came the year when Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday.  The biggest shopping day of the year falls on a Sunday yet there would be no Sunday trading?  I don't think so.  The shops all opened, and it has been that way ever since.

[texasstyle]

I dislike the price of things! lol. Geez.... I do go to the dollar store for things like wrapping paper, bows, etc... I also dislike being in a crowded mall because at this time of year it is usally so cold you have to wear a big heavy coat. (It's 28 degrees right now in fact) Then when you go inside a store it's so hot and you're wearing this big, bunchy, uncomfortable coat. Oh, that is definetly one thing I dislike.

[Chris]

I hate the overcrowding of the online stores and the long process to checkout.

[MooseMom]

paul.karen, your post illustrates a bit of a conundrum when it comes to how Christmas is publically celebrated.  My husband is an attorney for the city, and he is presented with this sort of question all the time.  I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but the crux of the debate doesn't seem to be whether or not you can celebrate Christmas but is, rather, who PAYS for it.  Different organizations have to make their own call.  If your town wants to spend a lot of money on a Christmas display and it will be funded by the taxpayers, it means that people who are not Christian have to pay for it, and I'm not sure that's fair.  Same with schools.  There are a lot of schools that would be happy to pay for celebrating all kinds of holidays observed by different religions, but so often there just isn't enough money to do that, so the schools often decide on an "all or nothing" policy.

I think stores will always celebrate Christmas because that's when they make the bulk of their money.  The main street in the two towns I live close to were festooned with Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.

I personally feel that Christmas belongs mostly in the home AND IN CHURCH, which no one here seems to have mentioned.  If you want your grandkids to sit around the Christmas tree, there's nothing stopping you from buying that tree, having the g-kids over for some Christmas joy and then toddling off to church to find the true meaning of Christmas (although by now, there's probably an app for that).

[kitkatz]

The sheer rudeness of people in parking lots.

[Stoday]

I'm surprised how many atheists actually have Christmas's.  it is easy to pick and choose what you want i suppose without having and convictions.

It was a pagan festival before it was sequestered by the Christians.

If you are a committed Christian, go to church on Christmas day; otherwise, enjoy a holiday. If I lived in a Muslim country I'd enjoy Eid; if I lived in India, Diwali. Like Christmas, they are basically national holidays. In a multicultural society it's not feasible to have national holidays that recognise various religions.

[cariad]

I dislike the PC aspect.
Christmas was always fun as a child at least for me.  Now so many (scrooges) are trying to take the merry out of the Christmas if not just disban the holiday altogether.
Will there even be a Christmas in 5/10/20 years.  Will we watch our grandchildren sitting next to a tree with the smiles and wonderment we once had.
The PC police have gotten Merry Christmas out of schools and out of alot of stores.
I dont recall a bahhumbug when we had Christmas concerts or plays at our schools.  It was fun for all.  And if one or two people didnt like it well they could stay home and pretend it wasnt going on.
Now days it only takes one or two people to have about anything banned. We bow to the few and forget about the masses.
I'm surprised how many atheists actually have Christmas's.  it is easy to pick and choose what you want i suppose without having and convictions.

I do like the crowded malls this time of year.  I'm not sure why?  I ques i like to people watch and look for that last minute gift.

As a mother of two kids in public school, I am not sure I understand at all what you are talking about, Paul.

The schools do not openly celebrate Christmas because it does not foster multi-culturalism and diversity. If you do not like it, look for any school with the word 'saint' in front of it and send your child there. You know, when you are not part of the dominant culture, it can be truly alienating, especially for kids. That is not what I would term 'fun for all'. My one child goes to the best preschool in the state (sadly, they do not go past kindergarten) and if you had a child there and wanted to give a talk about Christmas, they would welcome you openly. They are always trying to get parents to come in and do talks about their families and their traditions. At age 3 they want the kids to make a collage about their families. I have seen dozens of these with two kids going there, and I have seen some deeply religious ones. It is in no way banned - it is just not foisted upon other children who come from literally every background you could name. I went to private school my entire life. At the first one, the one my father also attended, they made all the kids sing to God before every lunch. That is just shameless indoctrination. (I can still remember one of those horrific chants!) Then there was a period at the second school I attended when they told kids they could just not participate - their version of your 'sit at home and pretend it is not happening'. I had one friend who was Jewish and would dart out of the room every time the teacher said 'Jesus'. There were songs that we had to sing at Chorus that the Jewish kids were not supposed to sing because they do not believe in saying 'God' and they do not want to sing about Jesus. More darting out of the room - their parents pay the same fees as anyone else. My father, at age 7 and at the same posh school that I attended for a few years, told his chorus teacher that he did not want to sing Christmas songs as he was Jewish. The teacher stood up and punched him in the stomach, turned to the class and said "I bet you can't say anything now." Dad has always regretted not telling someone that that happened and seeing a violent anti-semite get the sack.

I am surprised, in reading your posts where you seem to have a conservative/libretarian bent, that you do not think that this is a deeply personal issue that should be left totally up to the parents. Kids truly believe what they learn in school. My older son came home the other day and announced "Christopher Columbus was a horrible person. He killed people." I thought that was a little strange, so I told him we should look it up. OK, according to Wikipedia and some other Internet sources, he was not exactly Albert Schweitzer. Still, I become uncomfortable whenever I feel that my kids are being taught not how to think, but what to think. I tried to use it as an opportunity to teach Aidan that it is OK to question these statements and to research it for ourselves. In the end, I had to concede the point for the most part, but hopefully the real message got through to him.

I am an atheist and we celebrate Christmas. I do this for my kids because my parents celebrated it with me and I really enjoyed it. My first Christmas memory is of lying on a blanket, too ill to get up from as-yet not-properly-diagnosed ESRD and my mother walking over with Tom and Jerry soft toys. I did not get up, I just shouted 'yea!' I was on a one-day furlough from the hospital and I think I bloody well deserved a break and a little something to look forward to. I did not know who Jesus was and he certainly never saw his way clear to do anything about a misdiagnosed and rapidly dying child, below the age of reason. Stoday is absolutely right about it originally being a pagan holiday. The focus on nature (Christmas trees) should be rather a tip off, just as Easter was originally a fertility rite. (Rabbits and eggs?? Come on, think about it....) The Pagan holiday was originally called 'Yule', one of the many remnants that remain today. It is a solstice celebration, among other things.

Christmas is in no danger of dying out. It is probably the most secure holiday on planet Earth.

Similar to you, though, I do actually enjoy the crowds at the markets. Some of my favourite Christmas memories involve being at markets right before a major holiday because places like Whole Foods pass out samples as you wait in endless queues, and there seems to be more camaraderie among complete strangers. I hate fighting for parking and loathe malls the whole year long, so those are not my cup of tea. I hate the pressure most of all. We are slowly doing away with that around here, and I am much happier for it.

[MooseMom]

I've just thought of another Christmas dislike.

We got a Christmas card today from a couple who I had absolutely no idea who it was from.  I've never heard of them.  So I asked my husband if he knew Mr. and Mrs Mystery Couple, and it turns out that she is a new employee in the legal department.  He asked me to keep their return address.  That was code for, "Don't forget to send them a card in return."  I dislike this unspoken assumption that I will be the one sending Christmas cards to his work colleagues even though most of them I've never even met.  Last year I didn't send cards to any of them, and no one even noticed.  This year, I have not even offered to buy any gifts for HIS family like I usually do; my husband doesn't even SPEAK to his family (long sad story).

This year I'm sending cards to MY family, I'm buying gifts ONLY for my son, hubby and my stepson, and I am making financial contributions to five different charities.  That's it.  Done and dusted.

[iketchum]

What I dislike about the Christmas season.
1. I dislike the fact that I haven't been able to get into the spirit of Christmas for a number of years now.
2. I dislike the the theft of 50 Christmas trees from the parking lot of the local V.F.W. hall.
3. I dislike the burning of the town tree by a teenager who was just mean.
 What I like about the Christmas season.
1. I get to see friends and family I do not see the rest of the year.
2. I like the tree in my livingroom.
3. I do like the old familiar Christmas music, some are the only songs I can sing to.

 I wish everyone a merry Christmas time, no matter your religious belief.

[kellyt]

I hate that saying Merry Christmas could possibly "offend" someone.  I've been told "Happy Hanukkah" before and I assure you I was not offended in any way, shape or form.  I simply smiled and responded "Thank you and same to you".  How hard is that?  Even if you are some other religion, nor nonreligion, how hard is it to just say Thank you and same to you?  Peace is the goal, right?

But what I hate the most is that my Mom and Dad are no longer here to celebrate with me.   

Oh, and the crowds.   

[needlephobic]

Thought we could use some Christmas Cheer



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsvY8PbhZi0     

[galvo]

Good fun, needley!

[Chris]

I hate that saying Merry Christmas could possibly "offend" someone.  I've been told "Happy Hanukkah" before and I assure you I was not offended in any way, shape or form.  I simply smiled and responded "Thank you and same to you".  How hard is that?  Even if you are some other religion, nor nonreligion, how hard is it to just say Thank you and same to you?  Peace is the goal, right?

I am with you on that. I was discussing this same topic yesterday picking up my lab results. Christmas and Halloween are suppose to be fun for kids and religion was never part of celebrating it when I was in grade school. We just had fun.

[boswife]

i liked that needlephobic :-)        Merry Christmas

[Mizar]

 That Video, got Me Thinking about, Fruitcake again.

[cariad]

I hate that saying Merry Christmas could possibly "offend" someone.  I've been told "Happy Hanukkah" before and I assure you I was not offended in any way, shape or form.  I simply smiled and responded "Thank you and same to you".  How hard is that?  Even if you are some other religion, nor nonreligion, how hard is it to just say Thank you and same to you?  Peace is the goal, right?

I agree entirely, Kelly. My Jewish grandmother was exceptionally well-mannered and I somehow doubt she would have said anything but "thanks very much, and you!" in response to Merry Christmas. When people tell me they are praying for me, I always thank them. In my mind it all translates to "I wish you well" and I would hope that everyone could take Merry Christmas in that spirit. I have never personally experienced anyone taking offense, so I have to wonder if this is even a widespread problem.

But what I hate the most is that my Mom and Dad are no longer here to celebrate with me.   

So sorry to hear, Kelly....