I am so with you and your thoughts on Christmas . .I too dread the season and feel myself turning into the Grinch as soon as someone starts the countdown to Christmas....I literally grit my teeth and bear all the excess, buy the gifts and look with eyes peeled, for those sublime moments of the true meaning that happen in between...
Unfortunately, my old-man-itis is flaring up and I don’t know how to put that in as a link or site my source and I can’t be bothered to figure it out right now.
Well, I’m late reading this but I wanted to say that I used to stress about Christmas gifts for the reasons you mentioned. It had to be perfect or somehow that showed that I didn’t love them enough or vice versa. We have all agreed as a family to not do that anymore. Now we just get what we think they’ll like and we always say if you don’t like it tough stuff. It’s much better.
Well written! I also hate Christmas! Every year I hate it more! I am a Christian.. I don’t think Christmas is anything about the birth of Jesus! I have stepped back a couple different times in my life.. married for 53 years... two grown children. . And four grown grandchildren .. every time I”Step out”... it’s like go ahead.. Christmas will go on without you... and it does.. and I feel sorta guilty..then I step back into “ The Season”... and I tell everyone I’m limiting my spending.. no body really needs anything anyway.. what’s the use... it gets more commercial and “The Season” starts earlier every year! . So thank you for expressing yourself. I feel the same way! Bah Humbug! And the beat goes on...and on .. and on...
You might appreciate my latest essay, “Jinglers All the Way.” I won’t be a douche and link to it here, but the gist of it is, turning carolers into advertisers.
Jesus wasn't even born in December. The historically pagan traditions, there were numerous, repackaged by Coca Cola as a gift giving Santa in a red suit, is a modern invention.
I was once broke and stressed about buying gifts for Christmas. My wise therapist, Afrah Caraballo, recommended not buying anything to learn I am enough. Thank you Afrah, family, and friends for affirming I am enough without buying anything for Christmas.
Ditto, MLB. The stress, it's intolerable. It's the season of one of my least favorite words, "should." There are too many details and decisions in what we should and must do, and also exhaustion. Christmas is great when your children believe in Santa, but that ends when the inevitable second grader blows the magic for the first graders.
Midnight Mass is beautiful, but I at fume at standing in a drafty corner of the church while all the Christmas & Easter Catholics take up the seats doing what they "should" twice a year.
Everything you wrote is why Thanksgiving is the best holiday. But if someone knows where we can get a drone will follow and record a skateboarding 16 year old for under $400 please let me know.
I hear you, man. Except for the last line: I like Christmas music. It ranges from the funny to the trite to the breathtakingly celestial, and I like it all. It reminds me of how it felt when I was a kid...which is always magical.
I am so with you and your thoughts on Christmas . .I too dread the season and feel myself turning into the Grinch as soon as someone starts the countdown to Christmas....I literally grit my teeth and bear all the excess, buy the gifts and look with eyes peeled, for those sublime moments of the true meaning that happen in between...
If you have any interest in giving Christmas music a chance, I highly recommend this series of recommendations from Mike Drucker. https://open.substack.com/pub/mikedrucker/p/christmas-song-advent-calendar-day?r=cccqq&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Unfortunately, my old-man-itis is flaring up and I don’t know how to put that in as a link or site my source and I can’t be bothered to figure it out right now.
😏 A very good point. 👍
you had me until Also -
Christmas music is phenomenal
Well, I’m late reading this but I wanted to say that I used to stress about Christmas gifts for the reasons you mentioned. It had to be perfect or somehow that showed that I didn’t love them enough or vice versa. We have all agreed as a family to not do that anymore. Now we just get what we think they’ll like and we always say if you don’t like it tough stuff. It’s much better.
Well written! I also hate Christmas! Every year I hate it more! I am a Christian.. I don’t think Christmas is anything about the birth of Jesus! I have stepped back a couple different times in my life.. married for 53 years... two grown children. . And four grown grandchildren .. every time I”Step out”... it’s like go ahead.. Christmas will go on without you... and it does.. and I feel sorta guilty..then I step back into “ The Season”... and I tell everyone I’m limiting my spending.. no body really needs anything anyway.. what’s the use... it gets more commercial and “The Season” starts earlier every year! . So thank you for expressing yourself. I feel the same way! Bah Humbug! And the beat goes on...and on .. and on...
Bad Religion's Christmas album is pretty good.
Also Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas.
You might appreciate my latest essay, “Jinglers All the Way.” I won’t be a douche and link to it here, but the gist of it is, turning carolers into advertisers.
Jesus wasn't even born in December. The historically pagan traditions, there were numerous, repackaged by Coca Cola as a gift giving Santa in a red suit, is a modern invention.
I was once broke and stressed about buying gifts for Christmas. My wise therapist, Afrah Caraballo, recommended not buying anything to learn I am enough. Thank you Afrah, family, and friends for affirming I am enough without buying anything for Christmas.
Ditto, MLB. The stress, it's intolerable. It's the season of one of my least favorite words, "should." There are too many details and decisions in what we should and must do, and also exhaustion. Christmas is great when your children believe in Santa, but that ends when the inevitable second grader blows the magic for the first graders.
Midnight Mass is beautiful, but I at fume at standing in a drafty corner of the church while all the Christmas & Easter Catholics take up the seats doing what they "should" twice a year.
Let's have Festivus for the rest of us.
Everything you wrote is why Thanksgiving is the best holiday. But if someone knows where we can get a drone will follow and record a skateboarding 16 year old for under $400 please let me know.
Perhaps just a few Christmas songs by Il Volo next week, Michael.?
I like what John C Berg commented.
Christmas can bring joy .....in a quiet prayerful way as we celebrate the incarnation of God among us.
Haha! Looking forward to it.
I love me some happy, holly jolly, dancin round the tree Christmas music.
“I acknowledge your cheer even though it is wrong.” - big mood.
I hear you, man. Except for the last line: I like Christmas music. It ranges from the funny to the trite to the breathtakingly celestial, and I like it all. It reminds me of how it felt when I was a kid...which is always magical.
I like it for about 2 weeks. I don't need it on November 1st.