Christmas on a 1-10 Scale of Dumbness

Bentleyspop

IBTL

rgambs

I hate Christmas. The endless, needless, inane trading of JUNK with social repercussions enforcing it as a dogmatic law is too much for me. I give everyone jars of jam, jelly, pickles, and salsa that I make in the summer...I think some people think I am a cheapskate, but I wish they would give me something wholesome instead of another damn hooded sweatshirt or knockoff PJ tshit.

What I hate the most is Santa.
Yeah, I am dead serious.
I think encouraging children to believe a little bit of magic exists in the world is a wonderful thing, but parents take it way too far. It becomes a a several-year active deception where the child is getting closer and closer to the truth and the parent comes up with more exotic lies and rouses to convince the child. Everyone knows someone who believed for too long and was shattered when someone finally told them Santa isn't real.
It's the dumbest fucking tradition we have in America, and if you tell people you aren't interested in actively deceiving your child for half a decade, they look at you like you are some kind of goofy, radical hippy or something.
Burns my balls.

Dirtie_Frank

rgambs said:

I hate Christmas. The endless, needless, inane trading of JUNK with social repercussions enforcing it as a dogmatic law is too much for me. I give everyone jars of jam, jelly, pickles, and salsa that I make in the summer...I think some people think I am a cheapskate, but I wish they would give me something wholesome instead of another damn hooded sweatshirt or knockoff PJ tshit.

What I hate the most is Santa.
Yeah, I am dead serious.
I think encouraging children to believe a little bit of magic exists in the world is a wonderful thing, but parents take it way too far. It becomes a a several-year active deception where the child is getting closer and closer to the truth and the parent comes up with more exotic lies and rouses to convince the child. Everyone knows someone who believed for too long and was shattered when someone finally told them Santa isn't real.
It's the dumbest fucking tradition we have in America, and if you tell people you aren't interested in actively deceiving your child for half a decade, they look at you like you are some kind of goofy, radical hippy or something.
Burns my balls.

Santa is not just an American tradition

pjhawks

rgambs said:

I hate Christmas. The endless, needless, inane trading of JUNK with social repercussions enforcing it as a dogmatic law is too much for me. I give everyone jars of jam, jelly, pickles, and salsa that I make in the summer...I think some people think I am a cheapskate, but I wish they would give me something wholesome instead of another damn hooded sweatshirt or knockoff PJ tshit.

What I hate the most is Santa.
Yeah, I am dead serious.
I think encouraging children to believe a little bit of magic exists in the world is a wonderful thing, but parents take it way too far. It becomes a a several-year active deception where the child is getting closer and closer to the truth and the parent comes up with more exotic lies and rouses to convince the child. Everyone knows someone who believed for too long and was shattered when someone finally told them Santa isn't real.
It's the dumbest fucking tradition we have in America, and if you tell people you aren't interested in actively deceiving your child for half a decade, they look at you like you are some kind of goofy, radical hippy or something.
Burns my balls.

it must suck going through life with such at attitude. lighten up Francis and learn to enjoy the things that don't need to be stressed or annoyed about.

northerndragon

Christmas is what you make it. We do christmas/solstice in my family. I also make and give out home canning and baking for Christmas and it is loved and appreciated every time. I would say 90-95% of what is purchased comes from local artisans, crafters or businesses. The gifts that are bought are reasonable, mostly functional and meaningful - even the ones for the kids. Santa is like all the other make believe(easter bunny, toothfairy, etc.) it is a precious time in a child's life. It is limited and only as outrageous as you make it. This time of year is what you make it, if you want it to be about religion or family or celebrating the return of the light to the earth or whatever so be it. If you have people in your life who don't appreciate the simple things, and the love and care taken to make/get that for them, then you have the wrong people in your life.

hedonist

Oh, ND

I stand by my earlier posts in this thread.

And man, re-reading it all was a sweet tiptoe through the tulips who aren't around much here anymore, or that often.

HesCalledDyer

Oh, please let me sleep it's Christmas time.

Liked it as a kid. Hate it as an adult. I give it a 1.

callen

Add to the threat of burning eternally in hell for not following a book they don't understand, then no presents if they don't please Santa, now there's a fucking elf put up around the house to watch kids and he hides in different places To catch them doing bad. WTF. Swear parents are lazy fks and don't want to take the time to talk to them so threaten them with these ridiculous strategies. Child abuse.

As to the holiday season. Give it a five.
10 for family and cool weather and 1 for buying shit for people that they don't want.

PJ_Soul

I'm giving it a 5. The family, friends, and food part is great, and the decorations are also very nice - I enjoy Christmas lights a lot, almost to the point where I think they should be used all year. I also love cold weather. Plus, the university completely shuts down for Christmas through Jan 1st, so every single person gets that week off, paid and it doesn't count as vacation!!! That is SUCH an amazing bonus! 1 extra week of vacation on top of our regular vacation benefits. It's awesome.
But the whole materialistic/money spending side of Christmas makes the holiday suck IMO, and I do indeed feel like I've been caught in the capitalist trap. I have actually tried to escape it by discussing it bluntly with my friends and family. Some of my friends released me from the trap, but some won't, and my family won't allow it either. My mother told me that the idea of forgetting about all the gift giving/money spending/fucking Christmas shopping (which entails telling each other what we want and then going and buying it - it's so stupid for adults) was "unacceptable". She's 70 years old on Monday, so I'm not about to put up a real fight.
Oh, and I would say that I don't like the whole Christian theme, but seriously, I haven't noticed anything even remotely Christian about the Christmas holidays in YEARS. And as an Atheist who likes booze and Turkey, that suits me fine.

rgambs

pjhawks said:

rgambs said:

I hate Christmas. The endless, needless, inane trading of JUNK with social repercussions enforcing it as a dogmatic law is too much for me. I give everyone jars of jam, jelly, pickles, and salsa that I make in the summer...I think some people think I am a cheapskate, but I wish they would give me something wholesome instead of another damn hooded sweatshirt or knockoff PJ tshit.

What I hate the most is Santa.
Yeah, I am dead serious.
I think encouraging children to believe a little bit of magic exists in the world is a wonderful thing, but parents take it way too far. It becomes a a several-year active deception where the child is getting closer and closer to the truth and the parent comes up with more exotic lies and rouses to convince the child. Everyone knows someone who believed for too long and was shattered when someone finally told them Santa isn't real.
It's the dumbest fucking tradition we have in America, and if you tell people you aren't interested in actively deceiving your child for half a decade, they look at you like you are some kind of goofy, radical hippy or something.
Burns my balls.

it must suck going through life with such at attitude. lighten up Francis and learn to enjoy the things that don't need to be stressed or annoyed about.

Not at all, there's nothing that sucks about knowing and keeping close to your heart the things that really matter while you watch people who live their lives asleep rushing to and fro to honor traditions which they think little about and follow through rote devotion.
Since I don't give a shit about indoctrinated commercialism and backwards rituals, I have less stress in the holidays than you, I'd bet my farm on it!

brianlux

When I was a kid, like most kids, I liked Christmas because of the surprise under the tree (little did I know this was mainly a big sales promotion for crap we don't need). But I also liked Christmas because it was colorful, it brought family and friends together, it was a time my parents seemed fairly happy and it always smelled good. I don't remember being very thrilled with the Santa thing. In fact, I pretty much avoided the big man with the fake beard and the bad breath and I felt sorry for the overworked reindeer.


As an adult I still enjoy the closeness of family and friends but I have little patience for the consumer aspect of it. I'll admit I sell more books around Christmas time but I'm infinitely more passionate about selling an inexpensive copy of a good paperback in the middle of summer to a college student who wants to enrich her life or learn how to make the world a better place than I am for all the extra books I sell around Christmas time that are purchased merely out of Christmas Present Obligation Syndrome. The extra sales at Christmas time help pay the bills, it's true, but its the affordable treasures that open the mind that I sell any time of the year that thrill my soul.

TalonTedd

Christmas ranks a five with me. I see the pro's and con's to the event.
Pro:
Brings people together
Make a lot of kids happy
Great food and drink....sex too
Con:
The people coming together usually feel trepidation about all the money spent.
Makes even more kids feel left out
Many will not eat well that day
Jesus never existed and the celestial celebration was hijacked by the zealots. Making the whole facade cringing and bothersome at times.

TL170678

Not religious and I don`t really care about it, but I give it a 10 because I come from a family who really cares about it and gets together for holidays and it makes them happy.
Personally I love being off work and the fantastic NBA matchups from noon until I fall asleep.

InHiding80

It all depends on what kind of family that you have. If you have family dysfunction and conditional feelings whether it be politics, Trump et al, you're gonna have a not too positive view of it compared to others. I say this with family experience since there have been grudges on my mom's side and a crazy aunt who buzzkilled a Christmas gathering at my late Uncle's house a couple decades ago. Hell, it took the recent death of my maternal grandpa to reunite my mom's cousins that I never saw or haven't seen in years. They all drifted apart when my grandma died 18 years ago.

It's been better now that I've become an uncle for the past 2-3 years. Got my niece some doll set of Frozen from The Disney Store since she loves that movie and Let It Go.

Bentleyspop

Luckily for me my people don't do christmas.

All we have to worry about on December 25th is what movie we'll see and then which Chinese restaurant we'll eat at.

CH156378

Gets a 10 just for the music alone. I like Bing Crosby and I purchased a copy of Dylan's Christmas In The Heart a couple years ago that I listen to quite often this time of year. It's really the only time of year that I break out the record player and listen to vinyl.

CH156378

I also love big Santa Christmas Candles. I'll get a few this time a year at the local antique store. I'ts fun to watch Santas face melt off. Lol

mcgruff10

The elf on a shelf is a one. My kids make it a ten. Nothing in the world like Christmas morning and seeing the magic in your kids eyes. What a great time of year!

Smellyman

I don't need anything, don't buy me anything.

I say that to everybody, but mom and mom-in-law can't resist. If I need something I will buy it. I don't need junk.

Need to go back to the Pagan roots like Byrnzie said and it would be a much better holiday.

I will be in Thailand blissfully away from Christmas activities.

hedonist

After five fucking revisions of what I wanted to say, it boils down to this.

I am so loving it all right now.