what is the big deal with Christmas?

I don't know. There is something almost saccharine about the joy of a child opening up their presents on Christmas Morning. In fact, some of my fondest memories took place around Christmas.

One memory consists of my older cousins coming to visit for Christmas and one of them spending nearly the whole vacation from Christmas onward trying to set up a Domino Rally set we got as a Christmas gift. She labored for many an hour before finally throwing in the towel to save her sanity. I dare you to try and set up a Domino Rally set without breaking into tears after almost completing the setup, and accidently tapping that ONE domino that results in knocking down everything for what feels like the millionth time.

On the otherhand, I have a rather sad memory that revolves around the holiday. My family had driven nearly 12 hours to be with my father's side of the family at the family farm for Christmas, it was supposed to be a homecoming for the whole relation on that side to get together as a present for my grandparents' 40th wedding anniversary. However, come the week of Christmas, my little brother grew ill, as he was battling acute lymphatic leukemia at the time. As a result, he and my parents rushed to the nearest hospital, two hours away, and missed out on the Christmas festivities. My little brother was discharged at noon on Christmas day, so at least we had Christmas dinner leftovers together, and the whole of Christmas wasn't spent without them. So it goes, I guess, that you really can't take anything for granted. Not even counting on spending the holidays with your family.

However, I feel that I want to end this post on a more cheery note, and so I will. When I wake up on Christmas morning, I feel that everything has a warm glow around it and the whole house feels just so cozy and merry. Even the dogs get into the spirit with collars covered in jingle bells, much to their annoyance. What self respecting dog wants to go around the house constantly accompanied by the jingling of bells?

Anyways, I guess that it depends on who you talk to, regarding the Holiday spirit, but to me, Christmas is and always will be a special holiday, full of running family in-jokes (and corny ones at that) and my father's cinnamon rolls. Something I'll treasure well into my twilight years, if I make it that far.

I have made an arrangement with my parents, instead of buying each other trinkets, for Christmas, we make 50 dollar donations in each others names to our preferred charities. In my case Wounded Warrior Project, it feels good to help someone out who really could use it. I enjoy giving back (even if it is not a huge amount-50-100 dollars) to those who volunteered to protect our country and look out for us, I want to help look out for them.

I suspect you meant "almost sacred" there at the beginning rather than "artificial sweetener", and I can remember some of the better moments of Christmas past.

Well, I find the Christmas fluff sacharine. Too sweet and leaves unpleasant taste in your mouth.

(that being said... I enjoy the actually traditonal old stuff... nativity scenes... but the modern Christmas is just tooo... yeah, sacharine)

No, I meant what I said, which is "saccharine". While it is the brand name of an artificial sweetener, it's also a adjective that describes something or someone that is very pure and sweet, almost too much so.

As taken from Bing Search:

Artificial sweeteners are hazardous to health though. And are fake.

I usually heard the word "sacharine" used in negative way.

(although from living year in the USA and having actually spent Christmas there... I know that American enjoy their sweets sickly sweet).

You are welcome to my virtual party. It's on the BP forum

I blame the media. All those fake movies where everything is happy, the media has allowed retailers to place pounds of newspaper ads, thousands of commercials on tv and on computers in return for $$$$$$$$$$$$ this year a couple channels started with the holiday movies BEFORE Halloween!

The entire holiday is made up propaganda to elevate a superstitious cult and their desire for power.

Christmas is what it Is.
I could easily point at you, my mom, best friend, mailman, neighbor, media, etc. and say "you are not doing it right. Christmas is this................"
but I don't want to.

my christmas' have changed/evolved over my life time. As they have over the lifetime of this Christian Holiday.
I remember some of my holidays were happy, some sad, some hellish, and some non existent.

I have over done it with gifts and under done it.
I have felt stressed I have felt nothing. once I thought I was feeling nothing but it turned out to be major flippin anxiety in disguise.
I have sang happy birthday to jesus (yes we had a cake) and I have toasted to him with cocaine (no cake).
I have had too many places to go and no where.

Last year my husband came right out and asked "why do you hate Christmas so much?" I thought I had answers. I had none that mattered any more.

Today I find myself with a twinge of holiday spirit. I think it is that amazon commercial I keep seeing. Today I want to make someone happy.

The way I see it is if I don't like something I just don't partake in it. I am not obligated to buy gifts if I don't want to. Sure it could be annoying but I do to have to be a part of it. But I don't feel any need to bash it either. Maybe some people do like all the holiday hoopla

But if we all buy into it, I don't by the way, then who's fault is it really like anything else.

I so get this. I have bought thoughtful gifts to whole families before including all the kids and all I get in return was some cheap dollar gifts also. I know it isn't about the cost, but I did it for years and still got the same results. A lot of times I went in with just the idea of giving not expecting nothing. Luckily these people aren't in my life anymore. Now that they have money I am no longer useful to them. I was in my my late teens/early 20s when this was going on and used the money I made in the summer. I hate the commercialism of it too. They are putting christmas stuff on the shelves before halloween is even over.

That said, I do enjoy christmas. I like eating the christmas goodies, the special pumpkin goodies that come out, being with family and traditions, decorations, the lights, giving gifts and putting a lot of thought into them.

what inspired this thread was my real life friends stressing about it and thread about "lonely for christmas" popping all over the forum, actually.

It seems lately the holidays are showed down our throats. You are made to feel like heartless person if you don't enjoy the hoopla and don't spend yourself to debt (there are actually commercials to take loan to create "magical" Christmas and what not). Then soon as this ends, all single people are made feel bad cause they don't have their valentines (and all remaining christmas chocolates are melted and reshapped as hearts most likely).

what inspired this thread was my real life friends stressing about it and thread about "lonely for christmas" popping all over the forum, actually.

It seems lately the holidays are showed down our throats. You are made to feel like heartless person if you don't enjoy the hoopla and don't spend yourself to debt (there are actually commercials to take loan to create "magical" Christmas and what not). Then soon as this ends, all single people are made feel bad cause they don't have their valentines (and all remaining christmas chocolates are melted and reshapped as hearts most likely).

Oh, I now have a annual tradition for myself on Valentine's Day (unless the ultra rare date happens, which only happened once in my entire life). I go and buy myself a small heart shaped box of chocolates and eat it while thinking of good things about myself. In a sense, I am being my own valentine. This way, I am not suckered into the overly commercialized thoughts implanted into our braincells from an early age that I need to have someone be my valentine on that day. I'm my own person dammit!! I don't NEED someone to tell me I'm lovable. I know that already.

Well, I like to celebrate "Chocolate on Sale Day" myself. (February 15th... though I bet some of that hearts get remelted into bunnies and eggs )

I don't think anyone makes single people feel bad. If people are lonely then there are some ideas out there how to get busy etc it sucks being lonely but I dint see how it's anyone else's or holidays fault.

I've been single many of times and couldn't care less if other people had dates or bought valentine candies or what not. Even if I felt bad, it certainly was no one else's fault.

Maybe it's me but in general I can't care less if people have what I don't have. What do I care.

I also recommend when feel lonely or left out to find less fortunate people and help them. It puts your own life in to perspective. I don't have time now but when I did I volunteered in homeless shelters on holidays. Those who complain about holidays or feelings lonely can do that on holidays.

I really don't understand how it's being shoved in anyone's throat. It's a choice how and if one partakes in it. Maybe it's just me but it sounds like victim mentality to me. I don't find victim mentality useful for my life. Just my opinion

We celebrate Christmas as Winter Solstice which is a pagan ritual and where it all kind of started and originated. The tree is a pagan thing. Then you had St Nick and his Charity and it just kept having different culturally relevant traditions added. Many religious figures besides Jesus were said to have been born on Christmas, were the messiah and born of virgin birth (all before Jesus). If you research the real history of Chistmas, it's nothing like what we see today. Today it's a commercial holiday. But my family has always made a big deal of it and it's always been special in our house. It's just "fun" but when you are poor and sick and agoraphobic, Christmas can be very hard. My parents always made Christmas a special day for me and I did the same for my children. I hope This achristmas is a good one.

I'm all for people celebrating or not. Whatever makes them comfortable and happy is what makes me happy.

Interestingly, the American Christmas seems to have always been a compilation of commercialism, spirituality, and nostalgia...

the day after Easter is my favorite of the year.
1/2 price jelly bean Day

I am glad to read on here that i am not the only one.

@ EMWELL...pizza actually sounds like a good idea

If you are a depressive then you won't like Christmas, you won't like any holiday. PEOPLE ARE HAVING FUN and you won't be simple has that. I haven't been on holiday in 30 years , i am a depressive

It's not cause I am depressive. I am actually doing quite well, I still find it overrated. I get annoyed by the crowds who act like they are shopping for zombie apocalypse and knock me into knee cap with their shopping carts, because TANGERINES... like these were last tangerines on the planet ever. (yes, it happen to me).

I am not depressive, yet I see that the christmas decorations are getting increasingly kitschy, that preying on population to take LOAN to buy their family lots of pointless crap and be able to overeat is sorta... horrible...

Me and victim mentality? Do you even know me? I gotten in crosshairs of people for saying you can do a lot for yourself and don't have to be miserable forever.

But the Christmas music IS blasted. (sure, I can wear headphones and listen my own music, as I do). The decorations are there, everybody keeps acting like all the problems stopped because it's Christmas season.

I volunteer for a cause and I have been told in the past I should drop it when Christmas rolls about, because it's mean to remain people there is war somewhere and bring "politics" to public space. (in real life, to my face. It was one of the most annoying arguements I heard).

It wouldn't be so bad if people actually respected the no gift giving. I tell people long before that I will not buy presents for them and they still give me stuff. Much less than if I hadn't told them (20 years on a row...), but I still get something.

It makes me feel guilty. I know I "choose" to feel guilty but I can't stop it, I tried. It makes me cry sometimes that people spent on me and I didn't get them anything. I even tell them that, how guilty they make me feel, but it's like they don't believe me. They just go like Here, just be happy for your gift! Don't be silly! This is NICE!

No it's not.

I wanted hot dogs on the grill last year.
Hubby bought a roast

Allie? are you kidding me?
if yes, that makes 3