Anybody else not doing christmas this year?

[Wcross]

I am not doing christmas this year. I think it has become an orgy of consumer spending and might as well be called greed day. I am not religious at all but how does the birth of Christ entitle everyone to a present? In what way does going into debt, buying crap for people that is probably not needed or wanted celebrating the birth of Christ?

No, I am out of the game. If retailers are counting on me to survive.....their screwed!

[arcane1]

1. ME!!!!!

:bounce:

[Neoma]

2. ME!

[LSparkle]

3. MOI AUSSI!

And I AM religious, so I'm going to concentrate on the REASON for the holiday, rather than participating in some consumer orgy. (Besides, with all those BIG TAX CUTS, like I can even AFFORD gifts this year!)

[Catch22Dem]

4. Bah Humbug! Of course I'm doing xmas (and I'm an atheist)

I love this time of year. Everyone in my family MAKES time to see each other. For some family members, it's the only time of the year we get together. We love each other dearly, but we just feel like we're all to busy. But not at xmas. I also LOVE to give people presents. I like the looks on their faces when they see that I cared enough to pick out the perfect gift.

No, xmas doesn't bother me at all. I eat it up!

[Abelman]

5. I am

But I am buying gifts locally, as best I can. I am also limiting the spending I personally do. This will be hard, as I'm going home to civilization for the holiday, but I'm going to do my best.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. I have no family to speak of.

Both my parents have passed on. My brother is a mean drunk with Hep 3 and does not contact me unless he is, oh say...living on the streets of Newark NJ and drinking 1.75ml of vodka a day, like he was the last time I helped him. I do not particularly miss him.

So, Dec. 25th is just another day, except I go to the little Episcopal church on the other side of the town green the night before. That is wonderful.

The fact is that, unlike the old days, people do not reach out to you on the holidays anymore. That is just the facts. I am sanguine about them.

I do have wonderful memories of Christmas's past. I am hardly bitter about it. It is what it is.

[GumboYaYa]

7. I'm doing Christmas big time this year.

My wife and I have been making gifts for our family all year. We have knit scarves, homemade knit pillows, homemade Chai, homemade mugs to drink the Chai, and homemade jellies and jams made from fruit of our own garden. Any raw materilas we needed for these we either grew ourselves or bought from local small businesses where we know the people selling us the goods and know that they are Democrats.

I think this may be the best Christmas ever.

[Left Is Write]

8. That sounds lovely.

I am doing a combination of buying and making gifts this year, but we only spend what we can afford. I put away a little here and a little there all year for Christmas, and we don't go into debt to celebrate.

I also like to buy things from little bitty places so I can get interesting items that no one else will be giving the recipient. One of the things I found for my dad is a jar of raspberry pepper jelly, which I know he'll love.

[GumboYaYa]

9. Raspberry Pepper Jelly....

mmmm.... that sounds good.

I think people appreciate gifts you put time and thought into more than walmart specials. Anyone can drop $10-$20 at Walmart. It takes dedication to spend the hours it takes to make gifts.

My daughter and I also made all of our own gift tags. We saved the bits and scraps of construction paper from the various art projects she did this year. On Sunday we took the scraps and blended them in our blender to make homemade paper. Then we poured the paper mix into Christmas cookie cutters to shape them. They are all dry now and look way better than anything you could buy at the store. Plus I got to spend the day doing something fun with my daughter instead of fighting the mall traffic.

Being creative and saving money can be tons of fun.

[Left Is Write]

10. Hey, what a neat idea! That sounds like fun.

My four-year-old and I spent Thanksgiving Eve making several kinds of cookies. She loves being able to help roll out the dough and cut shapes and put on sprinkles and frosting. She is going to proudly give her preschool teacher cookies that she herself made and decorated.

[GumboYaYa]

11. That's too cute.

The sense of accomplishment they get at that age is so rewarding.

You are really helping me get in the Christmas spirit today.

Thanks!

[Left Is Write]

12. Anytime!

Thanks to you too.

:)

[Ramsey]

13. Been doing this for years

My family has Christmas in the sense that we get together with friends, have good food and good wine, and enjoy being together. My mom tries to drag my agnostic brother and me to Midnight Mass and sometimes we relent.

But we don't buy presents for each other. We have promised not to spend more than $50 on anything. For several years I have given charitable contributions as presents, or have made things. My mom gives us kids an heirloom every year.

But no hideous consumerist orgy for us. It's so nice not to feel obligated to buy a bunch of useless crap for people!

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

14. Me. I'm Jewish. :)

In terms of buying gifts for Hanukkah (actually, my husband's family is Catholic, so my not doing Christmas isn't completely true) and presents for Christmas, I'm doing what I've done for many years w/ family: set a spending limit. Actually, Hanukkah isn't even a major Jewish holiday (gift giving isn't even part of the celebration; it's only because of its proximity to Christmas, I guess, that presents are exchanged).

If I were a Christian, I'd be offended, frankly, at the commercialization of Christmas.

[yellowdogintexas]

15. Christmas Lite definitely

since my husband's huge family decided to do no presents last year.

Funny, for years I suggested a simple name draw amongst the adult siblings and siblings in law..one nice gift to buy. and goodies for the little one of course. You would have thought I wanted them to sacrifice their children on the altar of Baal!!!!

So they would rather do no gifts than not buy gifts for all. fine screw em.

If I were going to KY for Christmas, I would have my sister put me in the name draw with our cousins because they do an adult name draw and the younger kids exchange. But we never exchange gifts unless we are going to be together..we send the kids money.

BUT I will serve chili lunches for the homeless at church, put up outside lights, decorate a tree and my living room, cook some special goodies, get my daughter a nice gift, get my husband a nice gift, go to my Sunday School class auction party and go to candlelight Communion service on Christmas Eve. Wouldn't miss that for anything!!!!!!!!
And I will drive around the city at night looking at the beautiful Christmas lights on the houses.

And pray for peace

[chaska]

16. My Christmas Story: By Chaska P. Coltrane.

Seriously, I used to be the big Christmas person in the family. I used to just love for us all to get together and be the real Norman Rockwell family. I used to think of myself as the keeper of ritual in the family.

But then, I don't know what, but something changed. I saw how half the family would arrive to family get-togethers late, very late. I saw how people would buy gifts based on THEIR perceptions and preferences for you, and not your actual needs and wants; about how absolutely perfunctory and slapdash the whole gift buying scene is; about how it really was just a commercial exercise both for retailers and all who observe the holiday. Am I the only one that gets really (I mean, REALLY) pissed when the Cristmas stuff comes out in the stores even before Thanksgiving (the only holiday left with anything real about it - and that's fading fast - if only they could come up with a way to make a buck off it)?

It all just got to be too much to take. I can't stand the cynicism. Now I want have anything whatsoever to do with it. I won't buy gifts, I won't accept gifts. In fact, I refuse to be around anyone on that day. It's the only way to avoid participation in this sordid and crass commercial ritual.

I have a saying: 'Fuck money', and another 'Give love, not junk'. Love is what we all want, not cheap plastic crap. When's the last time you left a family event full of good feeling? I hope you're luckier than me in that regard. I've got a good Mom, the rest of 'em..., sigh.

[Ladyhawk]

17. Me! This is a first. n/t