Holiday Madness

[-Cp]

Does anyone else here ever get bummed out at all over the holiday season? Does anyone else have "family experiences" that always seem to ruin any joy to be found by living in the Greatest Country around and being with friends/family?

Does anyone else feel that Thanksgiving - especially Christmas - seem to have lost much of their meaning due to the sheer over-commercialization of them?

Does anyone else ever want to just SCREAM!!!?!??!?!?!?

 

[Bonnie]

Does anyone else here ever get bummed out at all over the holiday season? Does anyone else have "family experiences" that always seem to ruin any joy to be found by living in the Greatest Country around and being with friends/family?

Does anyone else feel that Thanksgiving - especially Christmas - seem to have lost much of their meaning due to the sheer over-commercialization of them?

Does anyone else ever want to just SCREAM!!!?!??!?!?!?

I know that every year I get stressed out and cranky over the Christmas shopping and have had many dents put in my car doors from mall parking lots.. It is nuts!! It does seem very commercial and it's easy to get caught up in it, however I also find that once the holidays actually get here everything works out and Im gratefull for all that I have.

 

[nakedemperor]

You're obviously not drinking enough.

:chillpill :chillpill

You're obviously questioning your self-worth. Its probably your voting conscience. :

 

[manu1959]

Does anyone else here ever get bummed out at all over the holiday season? Does anyone else have "family experiences" that always seem to ruin any joy to be found by living in the Greatest Country around and being with friends/family?

Does anyone else feel that Thanksgiving - especially Christmas - seem to have lost much of their meaning due to the sheer over-commercialization of them?

Does anyone else ever want to just SCREAM!!!?!??!?!?!?

after close to 40 years of the same pain and agony....it suddenly dawned on me that i really only liked my mother and brother....so i began a systematic campaign of neo-con terrorism and got the three of us chucked out of the moras of petty bs.........my mother and brother are weak and were sucked back in....my wife son daughter and i have begun our own tradition

 

[Mr. P]

Scream? Oh yea! I hate the time of year...too hectic...
Thanksgiving..then 12/9 daughters b'day, then Christmas, then New year, then 1/4 wifes' b'day!
I love Jan 5th...shooooo.

 

[5stringJeff]

Personally, I enjoy Thanksgiving because it's not such a big commercial holiday. But I am tired of the commercials that start in late October saying "Buy this or your family will hate you forever!" The real meaning of Christmas (a phrase that's been made into a cliche due to the mass marketing of the holiday) is lost when all we see it as is an opportunity to go broke buying presents.

Not to mention I married into a family who buys a LOT of gifts for each other...

 

[Bonnie]

Personally, I enjoy Thanksgiving because it's not such a big commercial holiday. But I am tired of the commercials that start in late October saying "Buy this or your family will hate you forever!" The real meaning of Christmas (a phrase that's been made into a cliche due to the mass marketing of the holiday) is lost when all we see it as is an opportunity to go broke buying presents.

Not to mention I married into a family who buys a LOT of gifts for each other...

I love your sig LOL...........

 

[5stringJeff]

I love your sig LOL...........

Thanks... actually I am behind. I have so many of these sayings and I'm trying to use all of them. So it might change soon.

 

[pennyville73]

The only thing I dont like is how expensive things are..all the stores raising their prices so you think your getting a deal when they put it on sale.

 

[Bonnie]

Im doing a lot more shopping on line this year, figure it will save some headaches :cof:

 

[GWBfan]

I've saved a ton of vaca time so that during the time between Thanksgiving and New Years I am only having to work 3-day weeks (or less)...Should help with all that stress-inducing rushing around!

 

[krisy]

I love the holidays,but do get stressed with the shopping!! I have noticed in the stores that Christmas starts right after Halloween now,not Thanksgiving. We havea big drain on the budget for the next couple of months. My daughters b-day is Nov 29th,Thanksgiving,of course Christmas. Then in January we have my stepdad and brother's b-days. Then in Feb,we have my son's,mom's,Sister's,father in law's.

I think it's all worth it when you finally sit down on Christmas and watch the kids open their stuff!!! This is our first year in a house ,so we are kind of excited!! We get to decorate the outside!!!!

 

[musicman]

Pics, Krisy - lots of 'em!

 

[Bonnie]

Does anyone else drive around and look at other people's decorated houses? I love doing that!!

 

[Shattered]

Does anyone else drive around and look at other people's decorated houses? I love doing that!!

About 40 miles out of the hicktown I live in, and in to Milwaukee, they have an area called Candy Cane Lane - It's approx. 1 mile square, and the entire neighborhood gets together and decorates their houses with some of the most dramatic light/statue displays you'll see (for a house!) It's literally impossible to drive through after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, so if you really want to see it, bundle up.. You're walkin. (They do have music, tho)

 

[dmp]

Thanksgiving is fine - Although the drama of who is going where gets old. (sigh).

Holidays suck because gifts don't MEAN anything anymore - at least to those older than, say, 20.

Gifts from relatives you don't know mean even less.

Gifts used to be an expression of love/friendship/thanks from one, to another. A means of expression I suppose. Now, it feels like gifts are obligatory.

 

[krisy]

Does anyone else drive around and look at other people's decorated houses? I love doing that!!

Definitely,that's a tradition. We pick a night on the weekend and go out to eat and just drive around and look at lights! There are 2 houses right down the street that people come from all over to see. One of them actually moved across the street into a house with a bigger yard for his Christmas display!! In his garage,he has a Christmas wonderland. Huge train setup and tons of elves and giant Santas and music. We go every year,the kids love it. The other house has a pretty believable Santa that remembers my son's name every year and he is always in awe about that.

 

[Trinity]

Well out were I'm at they started putting out Christmas stuff before Halloween.


As for stressing I don't. I do most of my shopping online, I avoid the mall at all costs except for the Santa picture with the kid's, and I usually let them play hookey from school one day, sneek off to the mall when it's not crowded, all the other kid's are in school.

as for the family thing I usually do that on Christmas Eve or day after Christmas, don't think it's fair to drag the kid's out visiting after getting all these cool new toy's. They want to stay home and play! and one less thing I have to do on Christmas day.