Okay, so who is a 'scrooge'??

[Klute]

Oh dont forget Xtina Agguilarererar.

[SteveB]

Can't stand xmas (Futurama fan here). Godawful depressing time of year for me.

But I don't feel that makes me a Scrooge. Scrooge didn't just hate xmas, he had no care whether anyone else enjoyed it either. I'm happy to give out presents and good wishes and really like to hear that people are enjoying their xmas. It just wont be me.

Must admit, every time someone wishes me a 'Merry Christmas' I have to fight the urge to tell them that I've no plans to. Just means I can't go to the Coffee shop first thing in the morning as I normally do. And pretty much anyone who knows me knows that's the only reason I even get up in the morning.

Steve B

[Jubilee]

I enjoy Christmas.  My husband and I don't have any children, so I spoil him, and we spoil his sister's kids as much as we can.  I like the whole period between Thanksgiving & Christmas because people make a special effort to get together around the holidays, and so I get to see alot of friends & family I don't often see otherwise.  It also usually means that out-of-town relatives will come to visit, or we will go visit them, which I also enjoy.

I love getting the Christmas tree.  I love the smell of pine that fills the house.  I love making hot cocoa and listening to christmas music while we decorate.

I don't care how commercial the stores try to make Christmas.  I don't care where the roots of the holiday come from, because I've decided to make the holiday my own, and to find things that are special and important about it to me and my family.  I enjoy finding gifts for my husband and watching him open them.  I love the childish joy of mysterious packages under the christmas tree.  I wouldn't care if they were all socks (but then, I love socks), it's the idea of it that's important to me.

This is the first year I've gotten stressed to the point of tears (this is not in general unusual for me) about Christmas shopping and figuring out presents for some people (however, over this, it is), but overall, I enjoy the season, the challenge, and the day.  

Plus, we're having pesto mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner, yum!  And it's also an excuse to make sugar cookies and decorate them with purple frosting and get food coloring all over myself.

/ali

[Inso]

I try not to let it get to me though, but it does kind of annoy me when people say that they hate having christian beliefs thrust upon them during christmas.
Christians probably don't like non-christians celebrating Christmas the way they do either.

Bottom line, if you don't believe in it, don't celebrate it. Have your long weekend off and have a bbq or something instead. Or watch tele.

I wish I could celebrate Christmas by not doing so but there is no chance of that.  
I have a wife who is a Christian (who, like Sally, tries to instill the 'true spirit of Christmas' in the children) and two children who would hate me if we didn't have Christmas.
Every time I turn the telly on it's Christmas this and Christmas that (the same on the radio).
If I go for a walk there are Christmas things everywhere.
There is no escape (apart from locking myself away in my room...great way of spending my weeks holiday).

I'm not against Christianity (it is a friendly way to live) I just hate what Christmas has become.  If it was done in the manner it was supposed to be done (proper religious ceremony, simple gifts and a bit of communial spirit), I could accept that, but if I did that to my children I would be considered a leper and would never live it down.

So, I'm sorry if it annoys anyone but I'm going to get my whingeing in if it is the last thing I do   .

The thing I enjoy about Christmas is that my workplace shuts down so I have a good reason to relax for a week or so (even if I have to grit my teeth to do it ).

I say again...

Bah BLEEPING Humbug   .

[Ray's Bat]

Wow, realsied there's a lots of Scrooges on this forum. If you don't like Crimbo, then why don't you celebrate Winter-een-mas, with me as your king!

http://cad-comic.com/comic.php?d=20030128

[gi6ers]

I can't w8 4 chrimbo morning so the kids can open all their xmas present that Santa left.
 

and I'd bet you can't wait for them to fall asleep so you can play with their toys....don't blame you I'd do the same!

Happy Xmas-chrimbo yuletide type festive holiday greetings all! I'm off work now as my office and now my car have both blown up woo-hoo!!

[Vermis]

Is it ironic that this thread is ruining Christmas for me?

[Hasslefriesian]

No

[Ben Brownlie]

.....and where the fork did Chrimbo come from?

I blame the Australians

My God! Something I don't blame the French for!



Just kidding

[dizbuster]

Bah Humbug  

[dizbuster]

I soooooooooooo had to use that Avatar !!!!!!!!!!!
 

[Zordana]

I have a wife who is a Christian (who, like Sally, tries to instill the 'true spirit of Christmas' in the children) and two children who would hate me if we didn't have Christmas.

   I guess you are kinda stuck with it then.
Just try to think of it as Super Fun Happy Day or something less annoying


Chrimbo? Isnt that a hamper company?

[Joseph]

Well this is an interesting thread, I will leave my usual Inqusition type comments out of it   as I dont think it would help.

But I think that the "Spirit of Christmas" is best captured in doing good deeds to others, try visiting an old folks home, or a home for the handicaped with the kids, bearing home made cookies or such and see how much this will touch the hearts of those still there
alternatly, I am certain you have/know some elderly folks in your neighborhood who normally do not recieve visits from their "kids" etc... decorate up a plate of nummy bits with the kids and have the eldest one help distribute them, Secretly... as in put the plate at the door, ring the bell and RUN  

Try to concentrate on the family values which really are key values in our lives but which "the World" trys hard to suppress (appointment stress... you know the litany) take time to play games with the kids, read books, sing songs and take walks together, plan the evening meals with the kids so that every evening there is a "special meal"  we let each person choose a meal that they would like to eat, and we all tuck in the preperation and presentation of the meal (even if it is "just Pizza")

And FFS ENJOY YOURSELVES already!!!

>getting down from the soapbox<

[Squirrel]

Jesus was actually born on the 17th of October in the year 12BC and the church leaders have tried to stamp their mark on someone else's festival, the bastards".

I nearly got sacked for pointing that out to my devoutly Christian boss

Mind you - this is the same "Christian, who last week tried to stop my workmate from visiting his dying wife in intensive care cos he didn't have any holiday left Ba$t&rd

I'm looking for a new job now ....................

[Ray's Bat]

You quit right? Don't let someone like that fire you, get in there first.

[Buggrit]

Hah, Bumhug

[Peredyne]

Mind you - this is the same "Christian, who last week tried to stop my workmate from visiting his dying wife in intensive care cos he didn't have any holiday left Ba$t&rd

I'm looking for a new job now ....................

I've dealt with rooster slurpers like this in the past. The only thing you can do is quit, but make sure to dispense justice when you do so. My brand of justice went something like this:

I didn't care for the job, and I had been offered a better one by a different firm. I was planning out my resignation when one of the girls that worked in the company came by my office crying. I asked her what was wrong, and the donkey nibbler of a supervisor had fired her because she left early when her kid came over sick at school. Well, I told her to hold off on packing out her desk. I went to the CEO and talked to him about both my resignation and the supervisor firing my co-worker. He was sorry to see me go, and he said he would make sure the girl didn't get fired. Now the justice part came about because this particular supervisor kept a personal floppy disk in his computer at all times. Not a problem unless you try to boot with the disk in the drive. Then the computer will prompt you to remove the disk and try again.

Later that day, the supervisor took off in a huff for lunch (after the CEO talked to him about the girl being fired), and I stealth moded into his computer from my station (being a sysadmin has its advantages) to see how much space was left on his personal floppy disk. There was more than enough space for me to do what I needed to do. I transferred a special program onto his disk: an MBR program. MBR is short for Master Boot Record. In essence, this program formats the drive of the computer in 11 seconds flat, with no way to stop it once it starts. The key to this program, however, is that it can only run as a boot device. Change a couple of switches in the program, and it will erase itself from the disk as well after it has done it's job. All I had to do now was wait.

Well, the CEO called me into his office and let me know that he had decided to let me loose of my two week notice, and just wanted me to finish out the day. He said that I could pick up my check in the morning.

I showed up the next morning to get my final check to a glorious debacle. The rest of the IT department were clustered around the supervisor's computer clearly upset. The supervisor was on the carpet in the CEO's office. I asked the accounting manager what was going on, and he informed me that the supervisor had left his personal disk in his disk drive and there was something on it that erased the entirety of the supervisor's hard drive. He handed me my check and wished me good luck. As I approached the CEO's door, the supervisor came out looking quite pale. He didn't even look at me as he passed me. I poked my head into the CEO's office to say good bye and he informed me that he had just fired the supervisor for a major violation of company policy. He also went on the vent about the lost data on the computer. I smiled and told him that it wasn't lost because I had finished programming the backups for all of the computers on the network before I had left last night and that the backup had run as scheduled. He just looked at me with a sort of grateful awe and asked how long it would take to replace the data. I smiled and said, "Well, if the operating system is functioning, probably less than 20 minutes. If the OS needs to be repaired or reinstalled, probably two hours maximum."

At that moment, one of my IT colleagues came in and informed the CEO that the drive had been wiped by the disk and the operating system would need to be reinstalled. The CEO looked at me and said, "I know you know longer officially work here, but could you help out on this one occassion so the IT department can get back on their schedule?"

I smiled and told him no problem. I went to my station and pulled all of my tools and disks and went to the supervisor's office and told the rest of the IT guys to go back to their offices and that I was going to fix the computer. The supervisor was packing his things while I reinstalled the OS. In less than an hour, I had the computer back up to speed and all of the data restored. The supervisor was slinking out of the office, trying to not be seen. I told the CEO that everything was back to normal and went to pack out my office. The girl that was almost fired came to my office and thanked me for stepping in to help her. I smiled and told her no problem.

Turned out that she got the supervisor's position the next week. That's a healthy serving of justice with a side of irony.

[Maddog]

Actually, I've been lurking for some time now.  This post actually made me sign up.

Libertee, I understand how you feel.  Where's the magic?  The warm fuzzies?  The great feeling you have with hot coco and a fire burning?  

I'll tell you a story.....

December 20, 2002.  My beloved brother was on the operating table having a simple proceedure done to his heart.  The doctor made a tragic mistake, severed an artery in his heart and we almost lost him.  Because of the served artery, he had a mild stroke and severe heart damage.  Due to this, he could not longer work.  He lost a very high paying job, his family, his house, some of his ability to function, etc.  He lost everything and lives downstairs from me now.  Me and my other brother support him to the best of our ability.

Why tell this story?  Here's why....

I've come to realize this life isn't about me and how I feel.  It's not about the material things I can collect.  It's about my ability to pour my life into others and make the most of the abilities that God's given to me.

Xmas to me is being able to go downstairs and still talk with my brother.  Yes, he's a shell of his former self, but I can still talk with and enjoy his company.

Xmas to me is seeing me lovely wife every morning.  She'll tell me how I make too much noise in the morning while getting ready for work - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Xmas to me is see my little 2 yr old son run around and scream "DADDY" at the top of his little lungs.

Xmas to me is looking at my checking account and knowing I need to rely on God's provision to make ends meet every month.

Every morning I get down on my knees and thank God for all the wonderful things he's given to me.  

Take some time this morning and look at the wonderful things in your life.  Your children - they won't be this age forever.  Your spouse - he or she will grow old with you.  All the beautiful minis Hasslefree creates and the happiness everyone feels when we paint them. Whoever said money can't buy happiness should try shopping at Hasslefree.

Libertee, I hope you look at all the wonderful things around you.  I hope you realize how much happiness you provide to those around you.  I'm willing to bet you're allot richer than you think.

I know this is late, but Merry Xmas all......

The Mad Dog

I dont like Xmas personally.  I think too many years being single and just spending the xmas season partying has 'jaded' me for motherhood.  

i keep trying to look past the commercialism side ( quite hard when your 6 year old has gone through the Argos catalogue and informed you what she wants..whatever happened to 'Santa'??............they grow up too quick nowadays) and thinking "it ought to be more special".  

We do the usual things like Church and try to teach the kids what it is really about rather than just presents, but cant seem to make it 'special'

anyone know what i mean or is it just a 'knackered/skint/parent thing??'

[dizbuster]

He's hit that one on the head !

[Bodhi]

My mother - Who lives in another town - allways comes to visit for christmas. So I don't really care about the reason. It's allways nice to meet her - and nice for her to meet her grandchildren.
And then my father, my brother and my wifes father and mother and sister all meet up and generally enjoy ourselves. Which is nice.
Don't think christmas necessarily has to be made much more complicated than that.

[agentmolar]

Never celebrated xmas.. dont much care to.


I often  wish my devout christian friends at work a happy pagan festival.  Now considering that Jesus or Joshua (if you allow his hebrew name) was a jew.. which will shock some people... he would have kept the jewish festivals.

So open up your unleavened bread , starve yourself for yom kippur and have a happy chunnakah. Although im not sure if he would have celebrated channukah!

Personally I prefer to relax at this time after having a meal of genetically modified foodstuffs, with extra genetically modification. I drink a snifter of irish whiskey and read " a brief history of time" by Stephen Hawkings, followed by listening to "origin of the species" as narrated by Rowan Atkinson. Before going to bed I do some therapeutic cloning on stem cells,  and eductate small children on the evils of religion.  

Science should have its own religious festivals. The nobel prize ceremony just isnt enough.

[Ray's Bat]

You sound like my atheist friend, but he likes Christmas for the good will message.
Doesn't that at least appeal to you? Spreading the positive message rather than spreading the negative?

Must admit, atheists are great people, contrary to having nothing to look forward to, you'd think they didn't have a sense of morals, but they do have better morals than the rest of us.
I guess I'm half way between Christian and atheism; I believe in Christianity and God, but not in spending time on the worship of God, rather focus on your neighbour and helping those in need.
I think atheism should have its own holiday, how come they get ignored?

[agentmolar]

I used to be in your position Ray.. but im more agnostic..

Im not smart enough to be atheist. However i think the scientific method has the runs on the board for explaining the universe. It has it own innate humility to overturn its previous assumptions when presented with more facts. Where as religion in all forms claims divine understanding that by its own premise cannot be corrected or revised. That to me is a dangerous premise... look at the medieval viewpoint in the middle east and right wing christianity.

As far as doing good works and good will to all mankind.. who in their right mind is against that. My purpose in life is to try to bring a little enlightenment to those around me, by basically being an honest chap (most of the time) , a smart arse in humour (because that in itself is enlightening) and  try to be more than an ape grabbing more bananas. We are all at best a greedy ape, but i think we have intellegence so we can more than that. Maybe thats the next step in evolution.

If one needs christmas/ religion to aid them.. then so be it.

[Mad McGobbo]

We do the usual things like Church and try to teach the kids what it is really about

What she meant was:

"I try to get the  kids involved in that side of things but my Pagan husband keeps telling the kids all about how Jesus was actually born on the 17th of October in the year 12BC and the church leaders have tried to stamp their mark on someone else's festival, the bastards".

To which, the kids reply:

"Don't you think you've had enough Mead, Daddy? Can we open our presents now?"

Kev a pagan??
Really??

[Wristaction]

We do the usual things like Church and try to teach the kids what it is really about

What she meant was:

"I try to get the  kids involved in that side of things but my Pagan husband keeps telling the kids all about how Jesus was actually born on the 17th of October in the year 12BC and the church leaders have tried to stamp their mark on someone else's festival, the bastards".

To which, the kids reply:

"Don't you think you've had enough Mead, Daddy? Can we open our presents now?"

Kev a pagan??
Really??

No he's B&L most of the time.
Brown's and list that is.