Most and least favorite holiday

They would still mean something to me if there were people around to be with, genuine friends.

I still get the message from our media that there's an obligation to be "celebrating" with people from Thanksgiving until New Year's. If it wasn't crammed into 2 months, it'd be more bearable to me. They come all at once.

Aw I'm sorry about that and I can see how having turkey can bring up painful memories. Also as a kid I used to think we were supposed to waste money on Christmas but not anymore. You're parents were actually right in that aspect because it really is a waste of money for something you only have up for a month and may even throw out if it's a live tree. And yeah the happiness in January doesn't last long and people procrastinating to get taxes done doesn't help matters either.

I totally agree, there does seem to be an expectation that people spend time with family during the holidays. I'd rather spend it with genuine friends, less drama and less judgment going around. Also the holidays really are too close together, wish it was more spread out and they really could do that. In fact Christmas really shouldn't even be in December, if they wanted a more accurate month to celebrate Jesus's birth then August or September would be more fitting since I read that that is the most likely time frame Jesus was born.

Yeah, they were right. But try explaining that to a kid! If one is wealthy, then maybe not so much as waste, BUT if wealthy the money could be given to organizations that help the poor and homeless! Spread the wealth around. We always got a real tree; I don't know why they didn't get a fake one if that hell bent on saving money. It can be used every year.

They used to re-use gift wrap and tags, if in good shape still.


And, the rest of the year, we are such an individualistic culture. Me, me, me. Your life, your choices, your priorities....then BAM! It's the holidays and time to be with family. My former therapist pointed that out.


Sometimes people would ask me if I'm doing anything for Halloween, but usually they don't. There's a "Sounds of the Seasons" channel I have on my TV package, that play Oktoberfest music in October, the first half. Then Halloween music. As soon as November 1st comes, it's non-stop Christmas music. Even though I actually like some of the songs, the association of other things is too much.

You're right that Christmas as the birthday of Jesus isn't even accurate. I'm not even religious, so it's not so important to me as what day they pick...yet spreading it out is something I can support for sure.

Everything all at once, I don't know if other countries have bills and tax season starting in January, but after all that spending it's time to pay up.

NOW there's the screaming and yelling commercials for the holidays, which I find unbearable. It's bad enough the rest of the year, when the volume on any commercial automatically increases. Then you have to turn it down OR OFF. I've been turning it off or I change the station, as soon as it comes on. It makes me NOT want to pay attention, yelling like that.

Yeah I'm not religious and I personally don't believe in the divinity of Jesus but I do believe there was someone born that people saw as their lord and savior since back then that was pretty common. The biggest sign that his birth was most likely in August or September is the sheep in the fields since that region of the Middle East is very cold and rainy in December. Also they actually figured out the star the Shepards apparently saw was actually the tail of Halley's Comet which passes by every 72 or so years. And yeah the whole thing about everyone doing their own thing and then suddenly being forced to be with family is so cringy and it really shouldn't happen since it's really not genuine or fun.

I was just at the gym and looked around at all the people, mostly in their 20's and 30's. I wondered if THEY have family gatherings planned tomorrow, and if so, are they looking forward to it or is it a chore....

Many years ago I remember how a co-worker said he was just going to order a pizza and watch football with a buddy or two. A lot of us thought that was sad and we told him we felt bad for him. In hindsight, maybe that's what he wanted. Maybe he was estranged from family or whatnot. They could be too far away to travel to, maybe it's too costly or the weather is bad or something. So many possibilities.

I'm not going to the gym tomorrow. It would be great to blow off steam but they are only open a half day. I used to go years ago, but I stopped because it's just too crowded and packed. I either wait for a machine awhile or I don't get on it at all.. They are open 364 days a year; Christmas is the only day they close.

I forgot to say that August is my favorite month, because there's no holidays. Every other month has one, whether a legal one or not. So I wouldn't want Christmas to be moved to August. It's the only breather I get.

Sept has Labor Day, so there would be two holidays if they moved Christmas.

Since I'm not a night person I'm signing off now. I just had to post that while it was on my mind, before I forget!

Yeah I can understand feeling bad for your coworker, you're right in the fact that it may be what he wanted. Some people truly like being alone, maybe his family also just simply didn't celebrate the holidays. I will say between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Thanksgiving is the more tolerable of the two. It's a one day and done holiday, it's not dragged out like Christmas and there's no obligation to buy people gifts.

Yeah, I was much younger then and didn't even know all the different ways in which we are different! NOW if I heard that, I'd leave him or her be.

As for TODAY, I WAS looking forward to at least a day of QUIET, but no.....They HAVE to work today too, d a m n construction guys remodeling the freaking vacant unit above me. I've been suffering since October 31st, and they work Saturdays too. They are in such a hurry to rent it that they make them work on a holiday?!!! Sunday is the only day i get off from it so far. And I thought "Ah...." when I woke up. If this building wasn't so cheaply built, I wouldn't hear/feel all the NOISE. It's just ONE day of lost income. I hate landlords and hate this place but don't know where to go. My day is now ruined, thanks to the heartless, greedy landlord.

Back to this holiday......I don't know if they still do this but some retailers started opening for "Black Friday" today, usually at 7 or 8pm. After people feed their faces, they want them to empty their wallets. I think that's so screwy---opening their doors a day early. Talk about superficial and shallow!

Yeah, it is one day but since most businesses (except retail and restaurants) are open tomorrow, it's like a 2 day holiday. Even my library is closed Friday, which means I probably won't get my book by Saturday. If not for today and Friday being closed, it'd arrive I'm sure.

Yeah they have opened stores a day early for Black Friday which is so annoying. Although the past couple years they reversed that decision and many stores went back to being closed all day Thanksgiving and I hope it stays that way. I agree it makes Thanksgiving even more shallow and superficial because it throws the whole thing about being thankful out the window. It's so greedy and ridiculous and that's another reason I dislike the holidays and would love to have a day of peace and quiet too.

I thought so, although since I don't shop anymore I haven't paid attention to it. The Game Stop store near me opens at 5am tomorrow.

True, we preach thankfulness then are pressured to buy stuff, since it's on SALE!

Gosh, I'm old enough to remember when stores were either closed on Sundays or open half-days. And that's any time of the year. Sundays were just mellow, quiet days. Some places even closed early on Saturday. Now it's 24/7 and I think it's greed.

Oh yes I absolutely agree, I remember when places were closed Sundays too and some still are but not many. Most run on modified hours which is okay or all day, the only places I'm okay with being open on Sundays are any places where you may need to get emergency help and even gas stations and grocery stores.

Yeah, me too. A drug store is okay for 24 hours, though I feel for the workers who have to be able to work any shift, depending on "business needs". They have pharmacies so that's why I think they can be an exception. Gas stations too, I don't know about grocery stores. Mine is open 6am to midnight, which is pretty good I think.

Nice conversation we're having. This thread has had over 800 views but so far it's mostly us talking.

Yep I agree and I know I just realized that lol. Honestly it doesn't bother me that we have such a long conversation.

Me either. I prefer threads that keep moving anyway, as the reason I come on here is to interact or socialize. I hate threads that have just a few replies then people stop. Or there's no reply at all.

Oh same here and I’ve actually deleted threads that didn’t get any replies after a certain period of time since there’s no point in having them up.

I did that years ago.....I haven't started threads since 2019 and don't plan to. I read somewhere that after 6 months of no replies, one is not supposed to post a new reply. Then why not close the thread? If it's open, it's fair game to me.

If you search "unanswered threads" you'll find a LOT. From all forums.

Well I'm relieved yesterday is over, but since today is kind of an unofficial holiday, people are still in that mindset. It's a 4 day WEEKEND. I'm glad my gym is open at least.

Yep and sadly it seems like there are more threads with no replies or just one or two than there used to be. It appears there seems to be a drop in the amount of people using sites like this one. Also I'm glad it's over too even though I love the food especially stuffing. I'm done with my shopping already so I don't have to deal with the madness known as Black Friday so the rest of the weekend is just normal for me which is fine.

I've been on here since 2008 and have certainly noticed a drop in activity, especially from people from other countries. I miss that. I wonder if holidays like Christmas have the same hype in Europe or Asia, if they have a Black Friday.

I just go to the grocery store, no other store. My favorite cashier there hates the holidays because customers are mean and irritable at this time. Geez, I wonder why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdgrad15 ...It appears there seems to be a drop in the amount of people using sites like this one....

I joined Facebook the year after it started and it moved so fast that keeping up with posts was nearly impossible. The place was a party-every-day. Now there are 2 or 3 posts per day on my feed. I usually have 1 or 2 messages every day there, and 1 of them is from my son.

I have belonged to several fb groups and almost all of them are basically dead. There is only one, it is on a very specific healthcare subject, and that group is active, fortunately. So I'd say that Facebook is drastically slower. As is Instagram. I exited Twitter years ago; it has become rife with rubbish, ads, and...rubbish. Time-waster. I will forever miss MySpace because of the music, but that's a done deal many memories ago.

So it's not just forums that have slowed down. Really, I see more activity here than in most places. Social media, while still breathing, is definitely asthmatic.

My very first experienced on this site was in 2013 but not with this account. There has definitely been a drop in activity since then. I don't know if other countries hype up the holidays as much. Yeah customers are nasty during the holidays.

Yeah I remember Facebook in its infant days when it was way more active but now it has really slowed down. I deleted my previous twitter account but apparently you are required to have an account in order to find out reliable public transit information that they only put up on twitter so I had to create a new account just for that. I have instagram and Flickr too but I don't post as much as I once have. Tik Tok is now the biggest thing out there but eventually that will slow down with the passage of time just like any other site.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdgrad15 ...apparently you are required to have an account in order to find out reliable public transit information that they only put up on twitter...

That is so strange. Isn't there a local site with your public transit info?

Yes but they post more on Twitter which is absolutely annoying. So I had to create a new Twitter account just for that reason.

Most: Yom Kippur. There's something relaxing about not being allowed to work, eat or dring for an entire day. Least: Christmas. No need to explain.

Huh?! That really sucks that you have to go on (stupid) Twitter to get info about your public transit. Our transit sucks but they have their own websites or phone numbers to call/text. They are not necessarily user friendly though. Some stops have electronic signs showing the arrival of the next bus, in real time. But not all operators do it. I hate Elon Musk and now that he owns it, I'm definitely steering clear.

I didn't even know what Tik Tok was until I asked a teenager. Instagram is supposed to still be busy, and Snapchat too I think? I dunno, I don't use any of them or plan to. I'm still old school, always worried about privacy and security, no matter what the company promises. And I hate the long, tiny print of "terms and conditions", which nobody ever reads, because it's too long and too full of legal mumbo jumbo, probably on purpose.