What Does Christmas Mean to You?

[Anathema]

You better be careful,... Keep this up and people might actually start believing that you have a heart after all

LOL. That would be incorrect of them to assume. I’ve always said the main thing I want in life is to be left alone to live my life as I see fit. I’m fine to do the same for others, so long as their lifestyle doesn’t interfere with mine.

 

[Road Runner]

LOL. That would be incorrect of them to assume.

Somebody's in denial. If you didn't you wouldn't care at all about the needs of others.

 

[Anathema]

Somebody's in denial. If you didn't you wouldn't care at all about the needs of others

I don’t care about the needs of others. I care when their lifestyle negatively affects me. Like exceedingly long lines during holiday shopping, light displays that illuminate the entire front of my home (across the street), etc…

 

[Road Runner]

I don’t care about the needs of others. I care when their lifestyle negatively affects me. Like exceedingly long lines during holiday shopping, light displays that illuminate the entire front of my home (across the street), etc…

Yeah I know I meant that believing that just because you don't celebrate Christmas, doesn't mean we shouldn't.

 

[SweetSue92]

License....that's what Christmas means to me.

Because I truly enjoy senseless giving.

In this world there are givers and takers. I'm a giver. I enjoy giving. Most people are takers. Takers are all too common to be special.
But the takers (in the majority) are there to browbeat and scorn the givers into being takers as well.

However,
During Christmas I get to let my freak flag fly and give cookies and home made truffles and gingerbread houses everywhere to all those I know and like. I have license to be myself for a change...and it's a relief from bottling it up all year long.

That's such an interesting perspective.

Our daughter is like this--she enjoys giving. She will see something that reminds her of someone and gift it to them for "no reason". I'm not in this realm at all--I give words and time. But since I know she appreciates gifts I have tried hard to remember to do this for her.

Now I wonder if my lack of living in this realm seems like being a 'taker' to her? Something for me to think about....

 

[JohnDB]

That's such an interesting perspective.

Our daughter is like this--she enjoys giving. She will see something that reminds her of someone and gift it to them for "no reason". I'm not in this realm at all--I give words and time. But since I know she appreciates gifts I have tried hard to remember to do this for her.

Now I wonder if my lack of living in this realm seems like being a 'taker' to her? Something for me to think about....

Everyone has different things that they can give that are valuable. Words of affirmation are important but they aren't exactly very expensive either. Because they don't cost you much in the way of invested time of knowing what to say to be affirming to someone.
Gifts or purchased tokens are a bit more expensive...money is usually fairly cheap and anonymous as well. But the thoughts and remembering...that's the expensive part.
But the time, care, and learning to be a master at something to give a gift that is hand made to someone that is going to be well received is worth all the marbles.

A lump of gold is valuable in its intrinsic value. But a lump of gold turned into a ring or piece of jewelry by someone who is now a goldsmith....and they trained to be a goldsmith just to give you a piece of jewelry because they love you....now that's a really really big, good gift.

Me? I deal in cookies and chocolates and not gold. They come around but once a year. But the taste of hearth and home are priceless for homes that have mom and dad both working careers.

 

[SweetSue92]

Everyone has different things that they can give that are valuable. Words of affirmation are important but they aren't exactly very expensive either. Because they don't cost you much in the way of invested time of knowing what to say to be affirming to someone.
Gifts or purchased tokens are a bit more expensive...money is usually fairly cheap and anonymous as well. But the thoughts and remembering...that's the expensive part.
But the time, care, and learning to be a master at something to give a gift that is hand made to someone that is going to be well received is worth all the marbles.

A lump of gold is valuable in its intrinsic value. But a lump of gold turned into a ring or piece of jewelry by someone who is now a goldsmith....and they trained to be a goldsmith just to give you a piece of jewelry because they love you....now that's a really really big, good gift.

Me? I deal in cookies and chocolates and not gold. They come around but once a year. But the taste of hearth and home are priceless for homes that have mom and dad both working careers.

I agree that the best gifts are like you describe. I hope the receivers of your treats realize what they're getting!

Students often give me drawings and those are priceless. They were thinking of my class, of what we learn, and thought to put in the time and effort. I hang them all up, and appreciate them so much.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Who put lumps of coal in your stockings?



Although it's their own personal choices, what's wrong with getting married and having families?



Agreed with all the above except for the fact I mourn His death and celebrate His birth and resurrection.




Another Scrooge? (Although I get the early music and advertisements thing.)

Scrooge? No. Scrooge was just cheap, and was brainwashed by three ghosts.

Neither am I the Grinch, as he was taken advantage of all his life, but then liked how it felt to have someone be nice to you.

Even as a kid, I like the decor and the frivolity, but I see what people are REALLY like. Mean, hateful, spiteful, jealous, condescending, belittling, grabby, and violently narcissistic this time of year.

I worked at JCPenney when Cabbage Patch dolls were the hot item for Cmas. Two old ladies got put in jail because one of them grabbed the last one on the shelf at the toy store in the mall I worked in, and the other old woman follwed her to her car where she began to beat the living shit out of her to steal the doll. The police showed up and arrested both of them. Some black guy tried on some expensive cowboy boots in JCP when I was working one day and had to go ID him because he ran out of the store with him. A group of guys drove their truck thru the outside doors one night and stole about 6 racks worth of clothes.

I've seen people shoved down, trampled on, and even killed because some asshole HAS to get the last piece of doll shaped plastic on the shelf before somebody else gets it. And I'm even hearing this now on the radio when going to work. People stabbing, shooting, and running down others that took the last item on the shelf that they wanted.

Why should I want to be part of this deranged, murderous time of year?

It's supposed to be a RELIGIOUS holiday anyway, and it's not. Just like Halloween, the masses of self-righteous lunatics have turned it into something it was never any part of. You know I'm not religious, but it would be a much nicer time of the year if everything had been kept tightly bound to a religious holiday.

 

[strollingbones]

my father died 12/21...many years go....so i dont really share the great christmas feelings and i tend to celebrate winter solstice...oddly it is normally on the 21 st....and what was the one flower you can get in december.... poinsettias...and they are everywhere this season...

 

[Carl in Michigan]

It means daylight is slowly coming back. That was the intent of the celebration in ancient Rome before Christ was born.

It is a celebration of the first sign of the end of winter.

 

[Road Runner]

my father died 12/21...many years go....so i dont really share the great christmas feelings and i tend to celebrate winter solstice...oddly it is normally on the 21 st....and what was the one flower you can get in december.... poinsettias...and they are everywhere this season...

I'm really sorry to hear about your father.

It is a celebration of the first sign of the end of winter.

Umm no, Christmas is actually the first sign that winter is beginning.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

License....that's what Christmas means to me.

Because I truly enjoy senseless giving.

In this world there are givers and takers. I'm a giver. I enjoy giving. Most people are takers. Takers are all too common to be special.
But the takers (in the majority) are there to browbeat and scorn the givers into being takers as well.

However,
During Christmas I get to let my freak flag fly and give cookies and home made truffles and gingerbread houses everywhere to all those I know and like. I have license to be myself for a change...and it's a relief from bottling it up all year long.

I second this. If a person can't give back on a more consistent basis, I can't think of a better time for people to do what they can for others than at Christmas time. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is my chosen focus.

God bless you and everyone there always!!!

Holly (a giver to them since 2008)

 

[YoursTruly]

Although it's their own personal choices, what's wrong with getting married and having families?

The likelihood of two people getting married and staying married is almost none existent now a days. I can count on one hand out of all the people I know under 50, who's never been divorced and isn't either paying or collecting child support. Meaning their children grow up without mom and dad in the house and enjoying the holidays together.

This isn't absolute. But divorce covers the vast majority of households in this country. Of course, we all try to make the best of it. And kids adapt. But the end result is different had mom and dad stayed together, at least until the kids were grown.

 

[YoursTruly]

my father died 12/21...many years go....so i dont really share the great christmas feelings and i tend to celebrate winter solstice...oddly it is normally on the 21 st....and what was the one flower you can get in december.... poinsettias...and they are everywhere this season...

I'm with you on this, bubba. I miss my folks around the holidays so much. The last one died over 20 years ago.
During this time, I break out my ole mans zippo to light my smokes with, from about Nov to Jan. And there's a few things of my moms I lay out, like her candy dish.

Thanks for bringing up the poinsettias. I'd forgotten how mom always had them in the house during Christmas. I may have to get me one.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

^^^ Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but can a fake poinsettia plant be found anywhere? I was given a real one once and all that it did eventually was shed all of its leaves. I had to throw it away.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[Road Runner]

YoursTruly I already know that I'm never getting divorced. I've been with my sweetheart since high school. We just recently decided to get married because we wanted to make sure that that's what we both wanted. The same with having a family.

 

[strollingbones]

dont let people give you the stats and make it sound like marriage is a gamble at best...i am the 2nd wife..you know the one that only lasts a couple of years....next year is our 41 or 42 anniversary

 

[Road Runner]

dont let people give you the stats and make it sound like marriage is a gamble at best...i am the 2nd wife..you know the one that only lasts a couple of years....next year is our 41 or 42 anniversary

I'm not sure what I'm more shocked about. The fact you've been married so long,... Or all this time you've been a woman. (Or that for some strange reason beyond the realm of my understanding that despite our political differences you actually managed to do the impossible and make me like you. XD)

 

[TNHarley]

Just spending money and putting a smile on my kids face.

 

[Road Runner]

I can't wait until my fiancee and I get married and have our own family to spend the holidays with.