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Post by Komori on Dec 14, 2011 21:17:28 GMT -5
I looooove Christmas. Like soooo much. X3 I've been listening to Christmas music at work since pretty much the day after Thanksgiving (we use headphones at our desks). And I LOOOOOVE the decorations on people's houses, heeee. Actually, pretty much the only thing I don't like about Christmas is the people who complain about the war against Christmas OR the people who are too overly-PC about the holidays. Either side is obnoxious. So stores don't want to say Merry Christmas, big deal! Is that really going to ruin your holiday that someone doesn't celebrate Christmas?  On the other hand, they're called Christmas trees, not holiday trees. Putting a decorated tree in your house is quite specific to Christmas. That would be like changing the Easter Bunny to the "Spring Bunny." You're not fooling anyone, we all know what holiday he's for! But really, I am TOTALLY stoked about Christmas. |
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Post by M is for Morphine on Dec 15, 2011 3:25:36 GMT -5
That would be like changing the Easter Bunny to the "Spring Bunny." You're not fooling anyone, we all know what holiday he's for! The Spring Equinox celebration and fertility rites of the goddess Eoster? There is a LOT of stuff I hate, or at least extremely dislike, about Christmas. The nasty people in the stores. The increase in crime, like shoplifting, fraud, and robbery (my house was robbed right before Christmas, too). The same songs played over and over and over again for a month and a half, especially if you've ever worked retail. How the lines go insane everywhere and it takes twice as long to run errands. People getting shot, stabbed, and trampled in the name of buying cheaper Christmas gifts. And a whole lot of stuff involving my family that I'd rather not go into very much. Safe to say when your mom used to drop $35 on a huge tree that didn't fit into her hoarder's living room and then would make you stay up all night trying to make a space for it, the holiday lost charm quickly. Especially when you know the tree money was taken out of the food, clothes, or heating budget. |
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Post by Dan on Dec 15, 2011 3:51:33 GMT -5
Christmas season is a conflicting time for me. XD; I'm Jewish, and while we did celebrate Hanukkah as kids, it's mostly fallen off these days, with us lighting candles and giving and receiving a few small gifts the extent of our celebrating.
On the one hand, I've always sort of envied those who celebrated Christmas, for all of the rituals that pop culture and friends and neighbors always seemed to revel in -- decorating the tree, putting up the lights, waking up early to see all the presents under the tree, etc. As a kid, my friends would go on and on about how wonderful that was, though it's worth mentioning I tried my hardest to make it seem cooler that we'd get eight days of presents, to mixed success. XD;; So repeatedly having to face down another December where people would continually talk about this event that seemed so important and in which I would never be able to take part in or really understand... kind of sucks. XD;
On the other hand, I have a sort of irritation towards this time of year, for a lot of the reasons already mentioned -- the frightful shopping experiences, the repetitive music, the feeling that this season must begin from the second Thanksgiving's over -- but one in particular really eats at me every year. It's mildly frustrating when people assume I celebrate Christmas automatically. Now, I'm not one of those PC nightmares who must not offend anyone, so I don't go crazy and correct everyone, but I always found it discouraging that people felt the need to ask me what I'm hoping to get for Christmas, or asked if I was going anywhere for Christmas, or had to wish me a Merry Christmas when I left the grocery store. I get it, there's a lot of people celebrating Christmas, far more than those who don't. And I know the intention is to just spread good cheer regardless of the holiday... it just always reinforced this outsider's perspective I had instilled early on, something I wish people might recognize every once in a while. *shrug* But that's not going to change any time soon. XD;
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Post by Komori on Dec 15, 2011 8:53:33 GMT -5
That would be like changing the Easter Bunny to the "Spring Bunny." You're not fooling anyone, we all know what holiday he's for! The Spring Equinox celebration and fertility rites of the goddess Eoster? Well, yeah, it's not the best of examples. I couldn't really think of anything as connected to its holiday as a Christmas tree is to Christmas.  Also, holidays that were celebrated hundreds of years ago and have been relegated to a fringe celebration only celebrated by a scant few people who try really hard to keep old traditions alive don't count. :B |
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Post by Tam on Dec 15, 2011 9:15:05 GMT -5
The Spring Equinox celebration and fertility rites of the goddess Eoster? Well, yeah, it's not the best of examples. I couldn't really think of anything as connected to its holiday as a Christmas tree is to Christmas. Also, holidays that were celebrated hundreds of years ago and have been relegated to a fringe celebration only celebrated by a scant few people who try really hard to keep old traditions alive don't count. :B I think the people who try really hard to keep old traditions alive would be rather disappointed to learn that they don't count. |
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Post by Enn on Dec 15, 2011 9:51:06 GMT -5
Oh man, the Equinox stuff is pretty big around here, since we're close to Stonehenge. Stuff takes place in Avebury, too. C:
OK, only stuff that annoys me about Christmas is if it starts too early, but without having live TV in my house or listening to live music, this year I've barely noticed its approach. <3 Which means getting a secret santa gift today and some cards suddenly has me SUPER FESTIVE.
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Post by Killix on Dec 15, 2011 9:56:08 GMT -5
It grates on my nerves when I start seeing Christmas stuff out in stores at around Halloween.
Humbug.
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Post by Nimras on Dec 15, 2011 12:39:04 GMT -5
The customers at work. They get so .... needy. For stuff we don't carry. And then they get mad I don't know of any nearby stores that carry the special-limited-edition-NASCAR-Christmas Dog Collar.
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Post by Stal on Dec 15, 2011 13:45:12 GMT -5
Teow, you crack me up. Thanks for posting that.
What do I hate? The holidays. :3
Seriously, I don't celebrate them, they get on my nerves. I'm happy when the season is completely over. But before anyone gets concerned, I don't go around trying to force people to be in offensive or not celebrate them for my sake. It's just whatever.
I also really really hate the attempts to make them Christian holidays. They never were--Catholics only took pagan holidays to get converts. They gave them a "Christian" meaning. So when I see statements like "Putting Christ back in Christmas" or "Jesus is the reason for the season" or "The true meaning of Christmas", I get angry. The winter solstice is the reason for this season, Christ was put into Christmas without any prior notion of the matter, and the true meaning of Christmas is regarding the rebirth of the son god (among other solstice activities). A lot of the traditions date to pagan festivities to begin with. (that includes decorated trees)
So when people complain about how Christmas has lost its roots and become too commercialized, I shake my head and chuckle. Taking something and trying to put a new spin on it doesn't give exclusive rights to the holiday or season, nor somehow invalidate the actual true meaning of the season.
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Post by Kristykimmy on Dec 15, 2011 14:21:39 GMT -5
That would be like changing the Easter Bunny to the "Spring Bunny." You're not fooling anyone, we all know what holiday he's for! My neighborhood has a 'Spring Egg Hunt' complete with a 'Spring Bunny'. I'm always like, 'Come on, people, get over it. Celebrate Easter or don't. I don't try to celebrate Halloween by calling it a different name because I have objections to the holiday.' I like giving gifts to my friends and I like the decorations on and in the houses. I'm also enjoying our new baby's reactions to the lights and decorations. The music, it depends on the song and singer. My holiday hate is Gingerbread houses. I hate those things. Christmas would be so much better without the Gingerbread house tradition. They are messy and it takes such work to put together, and one side is falling in and the roof is sliding off, and children are whining, and the stupid icing won't dry. Where does the fun come in, seriously? Of course, I have to help because I'm an anti-social jerk if I don't because I'm good with cooking and have an artistic side and it is bonding time with the little sibings. But, on the other hand, I'm a mean control-freak for trying to keep it orderly and have my siblings do it calmly and not knock it to pieces jumping on it from all sides at once and eat all the candy before we've put any on. I'm getting told to calm down by all the older members of the family, and yet, I don't see them offering to take over. XP Oh, and I hate having dried icing and chocolate on my hands. I don't know why, but that feeling kind of irritates me. You can't avoid it with when making a Gingerbread house. Yeah, I'm weird. XDDD |
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Post by Zylaa on Dec 15, 2011 14:22:27 GMT -5
I adore the holidays. <3 Everything about them, from the dressed-up, accommodated pagan rituals like Christmas trees and the winter-ness of it all, to the Christmas Carols (especially the religious ones), and my family. I'm fine that people like it as a generic holiday-- as a generic holiday, it celebrates goodwill, cheer, love of neighbors, etc., and the fact that other people celebrate those things doesn't change the observances of those that do.
(Interesting fact I learned this semester: All the people who rail against "Xmas"? "X" has actually stood for Christ for centuries, and that's where "Xmas" came from, not any modern attempt to take Christ out of things.)
I don't like that it starts too early, because in my mind that takes away from the specialness of it, but I can ignore it. It's hardly a "hate."
Edit-- *high-fives Crystal* XDDD Your post made me smile. <3
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Post by Komori on Dec 15, 2011 21:07:00 GMT -5
Well, yeah, it's not the best of examples. I couldn't really think of anything as connected to its holiday as a Christmas tree is to Christmas. Also, holidays that were celebrated hundreds of years ago and have been relegated to a fringe celebration only celebrated by a scant few people who try really hard to keep old traditions alive don't count. :B I think the people who try really hard to keep old traditions alive would be rather disappointed to learn that they don't count. Doesn't count for my example of equating Easter Bunny to Spring Bunny like Christmas Tree to Holiday Tree! Ugh, I apparently fail at making examples and being coherent. :/ That would be like changing the Easter Bunny to the "Spring Bunny." You're not fooling anyone, we all know what holiday he's for! My neighborhood has a 'Spring Egg Hunt' complete with a 'Spring Bunny'. I'm always like, 'Come on, people, get over it. Celebrate Easter or don't. I don't try to celebrate Halloween by calling it a different name because I have objections to the holiday.' Omg, thank you. This was what I meant from the beginning! XD |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2011 8:33:54 GMT -5
I actually think people have the right to celebrate the holidays however they want (not counting the crime thing). If they want to call a Christmas tree a holiday tree, they may do that. We should respect each other and let people celebrate how they will, as long as it isn't hurtful.
For me, Christmas is a time of joy and love and family and all that good stuff. It's more like a winter festival of song for me. I like to dance around and sing and play in the snow and just...love this world, love others, love everything because it's such a happy time.
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Post by mona88 on Dec 22, 2011 23:41:59 GMT -5
I hate it when there are crowds of people in the streets. Heavy traffic, crowded stores. All these will drive me crazy.
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Post by Gav on Dec 23, 2011 0:15:20 GMT -5
The heavy traffic, mostly. But aside from that, I don't mind Christmas at all. |
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On the other hand, they're called Christmas trees, not holiday trees. Putting a decorated tree in your house is quite specific to Christmas. That would be like changing the Easter Bunny to the "Spring Bunny." You're not fooling anyone, we all know what holiday he's for!
neo username - dan4884 
Also, holidays that were celebrated hundreds of years ago and have been relegated to a fringe celebration only celebrated by a scant few people who try really hard to keep old traditions alive don't count. :B
Furgo 
Michael. 