Just remember kids, don't trust strangers with candy.

[walkertexasdruid]

I am usually happy and excited this time of year, but right now I feel kind of sad. I always find great presents for my friends and family, and I always get some good stuff as well. We also go to church. I just do not feel any enthusiasm for this season. Anyone have any advice for me? In spite of my current state, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!



synk_: edited to change the thread title in the forum thread list

[Aldurin]

Fix your link, it's broken in at least two different ways

[walkertexasdruid]

Gave up on it so I went in a completely different direction.

[Magus]

Despite the assertion that more people are spending more money this year, I personally don't feel like spending as much as I normally would. In a way this is putting a damper on my Christmas spirit (I know, I know, Xmas shouldn't be about getting cool stuff...unfortunately, when you work in education you have a ton of days off so not being able to buy that PS3 I want is going to make for a boring vacation...I'll be stuck catching up on my reading, I guess).

I mean, I could get all spiritual or whatever but I'm like that all year, like it or not Christmas seems focused around eating a bunch of food and buying a bunch of stuff that you don't buy the rest of the year. Unfortunately for me it's probably going to be mainly the former.

I did go Christmas shopping today though and found some nice deals and some nice stuff but it was all fairly useful items as opposed to something for fun. I don't know if I'm getting anything fun this year.

Also in general the news is depressing, what with people being homeless and probably starving to death and politicians seeming to be focused on cutting unemployment benefits for people so people have even less money for the holiday season. I don't really see anything to be cheerful about when I have to watch my family and friends skimping on themselves at the time of year when people usually actually spend some money, or literally suffering.

[bluestarultor]

I've come to the conclusion that a lifetime of bad Christmas experiences have finally made me hate Christmas. I don't want a tree because it was always like pulling teeth to get one put up, working two years in a supermarket means the music drives me crazy, presents have been solely cash since I was like 5 due to my cheap aunt buying ratty junk from Goodwill. It's Wisconsin, so the weather is nasty, the bell-ringers accost you at every door, I hate dealing with certain sides of my family, and it's probably going to be held at their house this year. What is supposed to be a religious holiday has been commercialized to crap. I think that hurts me, as a Catholic, most of all.

[phil_]

Listen, guys, you all sound so sad. I got you this card. I was gonna save it for Christmas Eve like I usually do with my cards, but you guys seem like you need it now. So, here you go. Happy Holidays.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5440/seasonsgreetings2.png

[Professor Smarmiarty]

What is supposed to be a religious holiday has been commercialized to crap. I think that hurts me, as a Catholic, most of all.

What is supposed to be a sweet winter festival has been filled with johnny-come-lately religious hijackers. Pagans still having a cry about that one.

The best thing about having no relatives anywhere but the exact other side of the planet means I don't have o buy shit or do shit but just have a sweet holiday and watch some crazy awful movies.

[Hanuman]

http://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ninjabread-men-gear-patrol.jpg

[Kim]

What is supposed to be a religious holiday has been commercialized to crap. I think that hurts me, as a Catholic, most of all.

Hahaha...haha...aha...

Sorry man, but seeing as Christians appropriated Christmas for themselves originally anyways, and Christmas time is holiday time for multiple religions but so many Christians throw a hissie fit when it's referred to as the holiday season and not the Christmas season, it's just really, really hard to be sympathetic to your plight. I mean, I'd basically have to be "Sorry that the holiday you stole and your religion basically shoved down everyone else's throats stopped being all about you?"

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Sorry man, but seeing as Christians appropriated Christmas for themselves originally anyways,
Pagans don't count! They aren't organised! They basically anarchists!

[Kim]

Pagans don't count! They aren't organised! They basically anarchists!

And neither do all the religions that aren't Christian but also have holidays during the same time period!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I think Jews and Muslims also count because if we say they don't they'll level our country and claim we never existed.

[Magus]

Eh, the pagans were fairly amenable to having the Winter solstice made into Christmas.

I mean after the Romans killed a few thousand Celts or whatever. No biggie.

You can argue about how bad it was that the Christians made the Winter solstice into the birthday of Christ but basically every major religious argument over the past 2000 years has been "solved" by killing off a bunch of people (heck they continue to "solve" them this way!).

Also blues I have worse Christmas stories than you, which mainly involve my father having a red-faced fit every Christmas over the fact that my mother dared to spend a couple hundred dollars (if that, in an era where people apparently spent something like six hundred dollars on average) buying Christmas gifts (total money spent for everybody, and I had three siblings). Basically every Christmas when I was a kid was a huge shouting match.

[bluestarultor]

Eh, the pagans were fairly amenable to having the Winter solstice made into Christmas.

I mean after the Romans killed a few thousand Celts or whatever. No biggie.

You can argue about how bad it was that the Christians made the Winter solstice into the birthday of Christ but basically every major religious argument over the past 2000 years has been "solved" by killing off a bunch of people (heck they continue to "solve" them this way!).

Also blues I have worse Christmas stories than you, which mainly involve my father having a red-faced fit every Christmas over the fact that my mother dared to spend a couple hundred dollars (if that, in an era where people apparently spent something like six hundred dollars on average) buying Christmas gifts (total money spent for everybody, and I had three siblings). Basically every Christmas when I was a kid was a huge shouting match.

Same here, only I figured I wouldn't get that personal. Christmas to me means going into my room, closing the door, and blaring Christmas music to try to drown out the screaming at each other. And not even over money or something important. Over the blasted decorations, especially the tree. I finally put my foot down and said I didn't want one because that's how it always turned out. It's too much work to do alone, but my mom always wants the thing straining the floor with decorations, which is putzy and it just ends up in arguments over spending the hours putting it up and trimming it, no breaks because it's "family time," when what it really is is "exhausting." Hopefully it sticks this year, because last year my mom took my suggestion to mean SHE wasn't going to be doing the tree and my brother and I had to do it up to her standards under pain of death. We managed, but only because we gave ourselves several breaks and were working on it until she came to inspect. Hearing her thank us for doing it for her is probably my best memory regarding the holiday, but it came after a lot of begging for help and listening to hours of bitching and moaning and talking down several explosions.

[pochercoaster]

I just ignore Christmas and enjoy my paid day off of work. It works for me.

I ignore it mainly because I'm not geographically close to the people I'd like to celebrate it with. It doesn't bother me because it's just another day... I'm not about to emotionally invest myself into a holiday.

[synkr0nized]

Uh oh.

Blues's family is a trainwreck!

e: It seems whenever I edit a thread to get the new title to show up it doesn't happen right away.
Hrm. It works on the Homestuck thread.
Well, and there was that one Nique thread where it worked like a day after I did it...

[bluestarultor]

Uh oh.

Blues's family is a trainwreck!

e: It seems whenever I edit a thread to get the new title to show up it doesn't happen right away.
Hrm. It works on the Homestuck thread.
Well, and there was that one Nique thread where it worked like a day after I did it...

No, we actually get along great normally and are all close. It's just Christmas the whole thing breaks down into a mass of writhing snakes. The stress of the holiday wears down all our senses of humor. We otherwise are constantly cracking jokes at/about each other. Hell, my grandma taught me "get plastered, you bastard, happy birthday to you." XD

So if Christmas is supposed to be about laughter and family and joy, we have it pretty much the whole year BUT the Christmas season.

[Kim]

Same for my family. Always seems there's something for them to fight about, though which family we spend most the day with always seems to cause at least one argument.

[synkr0nized]

Blues, did you just respond to my quip by stating, "We're not a trainwreck. Well, OK, we are on the holidays, but it's fine because <anecdote>." ???

[bluestarultor]

Blues, did you just respond to my quip by stating, "We're not a trainwreck. Well, OK, we are on the holidays, but it's fine because <anecdote>." ???

Maybe? XD

[A Zarkin' Frood]

I hate Christmas SO much. But don't worry, I didn't transform into a green thing and vowed to steal Christmas (Yeah, right, like that's ever gonna work). No. I made my own holiday to celebrate instead. It's called international love and peace day and two or three people celebrate it since its inception last year. Everyone's allowed. No matter the religion and presents are banned. Mostly because I'm too cheap to buy or make them and I would feel bad not giving something to someone who gave something to me. Which is the un-point of presents anyway.

No seriously, presents are fine. Just don't give me anything or die.

Essentially I'm planning to hijack Christmas and make it into my own holiday. Who's with me?

[Premmy]

My family hates each other all year, so Christmas is just more of the same with music.

[Magus]

Maybe this year we should all celebrate Festivus and make the Airing of Grievances an official event instead of just incidental.

[Si Civa]

In Finland Christmast isn't called anything that has any resemble to Christianity, instead we stole our name for this month and party from the Swedes (or Germans!). But it's still quite fucking deppressing time of year. Because of the darkness, I guess.

And today, 6th day, is Finland's Independence Day. It's very serious day, because we can't enjoy sun and go parks. Thus we have to get drunk in our homes or something, cause we can't get drunk outdoors. And people talk whole lot about Winter War* which is kinda sad as it means that Finns haven't done anything else that matters. But it's Finnish way hey, gotta keep hating ourselves and be secretly proud that we are the best when we aren't.

And some may even play some music that isn't patriotic! Like ABBA. I did that myself yesterday.

I didn't bother to be angry this year though, and listen some nasty songs with mean lyrics, because I'm not quite in the mood be angry. Feeling low instead, and because that's the Finnish way, I'm fucking patriot.

But this time year has those other irritating aspects like Christmast songs that are played too early and too much, I feel disappointment about the presents that I bought, and I had to check Christmast lights and I got head ache, and there will be drama in home and when I don't live there anymore it's kinda like hitting your head against wall going back.

But oh well, at least it's winter.

*And in TV you can watch Finnish epic flick about Continuation War when we were ally of certain Germany. It's protest against war.

edit:// Because Santa Claus, Joulupukki, lives in Finland, we Finns get our presents on 24th day!

[A Zarkin' Frood]

And today, 6th day,

In Germany that's "shit, let's be santa" day and everybody is happy because they find nice treats in their shoes or, preferably, boots.

I got coals today. To light a fire in this cold world/room.

[Si Civa]

I'm not sure if that's worse than the most important national day, really. Both sound pretty horrible.

[Fifthfiend]

My family has Christmas down to a fucking science, we can now fit the entire vicious no-holds-barred hatefest into a half an hour in between opening up our boxes of Hickory Farms holiday meats and cheeses and the first fifteen minutes of watching the least-shitty movie that whoever bought for whoever else.

Then, naps!

[greed]

This thread is making me feel guilty for really enjoying Christmas with my family.


For about six seconds then I'm just really smug. But yeah Walker this thread should help you at least you're not most of these people. You've just got some ennui going (hopefully).

[DarkDrgon]

As I mentioned before, my mother passed away this time last year. Her birthday was christmas day... so my whole family is kind of a mess.

[greed]

Now I just feel guilty for bringing the douche.

[Marc v4.0]

Christmas Eve is always the big deal blasty-blast with my family. It is a full-throttle laugh riot of fun and merry making every single year.

Especially the year my grandfather died. Christmas Eve was his Birthday and we tore that holiday up twice as hard in memory of the old man.

That is how we roll.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

My Christmas holidays is pretty normal. We do something special once of couple of years but it's usually just dinner. Otherwise we just put up the tree, open gifts, try them out, then go about the rest of the day as normal.

My dad asked me what I'd want for Christmas. very tempted to say Wii/360/ PS3 and a game or two.

[YHWH]

Sorry man, but seeing as Christians appropriated Christmas for themselves originally anyways, and Christmas time is holiday time for multiple religions but so many Christians throw a hissie fit when it's referred to as the holiday season and not the Christmas season, it's just really, really hard to be sympathetic to your plight. I mean, I'd basically have to be "Sorry that the holiday you stole and your religion basically shoved down everyone else's throats stopped being all about you?"

Arg I know that's totally lame.

You know, if you want to be an originalist this holiday season, I highly recommend celebrating Hanukkah. There's still one night left!

[Magus]

Didn't the Jews just steal that jazz from Zoroastrianism or somethin'?

EDIT:

I mean, assuming Zoroaster and you were on good enough speaking terms at the time, maybe they just "borrowed" it.

[YHWH]

Nah man that was all me! The menorah oil lasting for 8 days, the, uh, the Dreidel... the 1996 US postage stamp, even! All Hanukkah miracles ala yours' truly!

[Premmy]

N All Hanukkah miracles Allah yours' truly!

FTFY

[YHWH]

Hooooooo! Good one. That's religious humor, son.

Still gonna smite ya though.

[Krylo]

Don't tell Jesus - he still thinks that he's the 'reason for the season'.

He does read these forums.

[YHWH]

He does read these forums.

Passive-aggressiveness is next to godliness.

[Jesus]

He does read these forums.
I mainly skim over most of it, though.

It's like reading the Bible. Only the red text is the shit that matters.

[Flarecobra]

One good thing about the US Recession: It's showed that it's not the presents that matter, but the presense.

[YHWH]

Only the red text is the shit that matters.


Well, part of that sentence is true.

[greed]

I mainly skim over most of it, though.

It's like reading the Bible. Only the red text is the shit that matters.

.....so you only read Synk's posts? That's uhh kinda creepy Jesus.

[Wigmund]

Oh damn, not another family squabble between YHWH and Jesus.

Next thing you know, Satan's gonna show up and all hell's gonna break loose as he whines about how he used to be the favored child until God started fucking around with monkeys.

[YHWH]

Whaaa? No we get along like peaches and gravy, a little-known-traditional-Hanukkah dish!

[walkertexasdruid]

You guys really have not cheered me up, although I guess I feel better knowing that my family seems to get along much better than many of yours. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Wow on second thought this might turn out to be the worst Christmas we've ever had.