Anyone NOT excited about christmas?

Christmas just isn't the same as when we were kids... It loses all of it's 'magic' at least to me it did. All we do now is stress over buying gifts, getting the right ones, how much we're spending, etc....

Really, who cares about gifts?? I'd rather to just spend the holidays with all the family (extended as well) forgetting all the family drama, and sit by the fire drinking cocoa and laughing over old family stories and looking at/watching old home movies/pictures.....


BUT on the gift giving thought - I really wish Santa DID exist and we'd all have ONE thing to look forward to. That we could all really go and sit on Santa's lap and tell him one thing we really, REALLY wanted, and that come christmas morning, we all could make a mad dash from the bed to the living room to see what Santa left, and look outside to see if we could catch him flying away on his sleigh.....


Anyone else?? I just wish I could get a little excited for the holidays and have something to look forward to..... (my kids aren't old enough yet to even know what christmas is, so that doesn't help yet. Hopefully when their older it'll get funner)

 

I'm not excited either. I was until this week when my Dad sent my husband a nasty email because my husband didn't want to go to my parents house for Christmas. Now my DH has a real reason not to want to trek to southern Ohio.

 

Me!! Right here! :wavey:

Xmas is my LEAST favorite holiday!

 

Hi. I completely agree. It was nice to see your post because I wondered if I was the only one feeling this way. I really dislike how commercial Christmas has become. I really want to create some Christmas traditions for my family that are not oriented around gifts and such. At this age, they don't even know what is going on, which in some ways is fine.

I was saying just yesterday that I do even less at Christmas than I used to (in terms of giving gifts and such) but with the twins I have less time than I have ever had and it is hard to find the time to do the shopping. Mostly I miss baking. I have made two batches but growing up my mother would make cookies, peanut brittle, fondant stuffed dates (not my favorite), candied grapefruit rind (one of my favorites) and home made peppermint taffy. I haven't been able to reproduce her peanut brittle.

When we were children, we had to make our own gifts, we weren't allowed to buy gifts and I have fond memories of making things for people. I hope to continue this tradition with my own children when they are older.

Anyway, a stream of consciousness post, but I share your feelings. I hope I can create Christmas traditions for my children where we value the times we have together rather than the things we get.

Merry Christmas to you.

Sotto

 

I don't like all the commercialism of it either. I know the first Christmas we spent here in Florida was 80 degrees and I remember sitting in my room as a teenager that day crying. That was the point it was over for me. I am a little into it this year because of the kids and we are making traditions this year that do not involve gifts but rather what we are thankful for and all our found memories. To me that is what I look forward too! I don't know how I will fair once they are older but hopefully the things we do and instill in them now will stick and they will understand the true meaning we have set for us.

 

QUOTE(sullivanre @ Dec 11 2008, 08:41 PM) [snapback]1107754[/snapback]
I'm not excited either. I was until this week when my Dad sent my husband a nasty email because my husband didn't want to go to my parents house for Christmas. Now my DH has a real reason not to want to trek to southern Ohio.


gee, I wonder if your Dad thought that was going to help any? Sorry! Sometimes the people that we should be able to rely on the most are the ones that let us down the most! :hug:

Christmas is way more work and way less magic when you're the mom. I too wish Santa was real!! I still remember laying in bed Christmas Eve listening for sleigh bells and reindeer hooves on the roof. Christmas might be more fun for me if I thought my girls were going to do the same but they are all scared of Santa...maybe next year!

It is my goal to make our Christmas about way more than the gifts. I think each of us has the ability and the power to make our family traditions whatever we want our children to focus on and to remember. To those that don't like the commercialism - make your childrens' holiday season about something else, something more, something bigger than the gifts under the tree.

 

I'm definitely not excited! I hate wrapping presents. I feel like crap because of the morning/all day sickness. Last year everyone had the flu...I'm dreading another Christmas like that. I don't know what's wrong with me this year, but it just feels like alot of work. I know come Christmas I'll have a wonderful day. The children will love their presents and we'll have awesome food and fellowship. BUT I'm tired, hormonal and definitely the Bah Humbug this year.

 

I am a constant Scrooge.

Xmas has never meant a lot to me, as for family get togethers, I prefer Thanksgiving, or just the regular ole, "hey we're having a party, want to come?" I was hoping that once we had the babies that I would kind of actually like Xmas, but nope, still not yet.


I hate the idea of people spending money on presents that no one uses. In fact, my favorite birthday/xmas present this year is a refrigerator that my sister's fiance's parents are just giving us. I don't even remember any presents, even growing up aside from a cabbage patch kid (generic since we couldn't afford a real one) and a second hand bike.

But OTOH, is *that* what I want to project on to my kids? So I suppose next year I'll try to decorate the house, maybe even get a tree. I figure this year there's no room with the babyjail in the living room.

 

I am SO glad to hear I am not the only one!

I am Jewish, DH Catholic so X-Mas is still kind of new to me. I always assumed it was about family, traditions, food and was surpised to feel a competitive edge to it with lots of people --quantity and not quality. Lists of gifts for relatives instead of us picking out things we think they would like. It makes me really sad.

 

Im so not excited either.. I have already take downt he tree. the kids got past the super yard.. It takes all the christmas spirit away in my house.

 

I'm sorry guys ... I'm certainly not one to agree, as it's my favorite time of year ... but it sounds like most people are unhappy about the commercialism, gift buying part of it or family drama. What about just taking the time to make the season exactly what you want it to be, in your own home?

Money is an issue with us this year (um, or every year!) so I told my family, no gifts to extended family, keep the price point low for immediate family, and let's just celebrate that we are all together and healthy. I was surprised at how much support I got on this! I thought everyone was going to freak! From that point on, this season has been much less stressful. We aren't buying for as many people, and we aren't worrying about where to put 1200 baby toys that they don't want or need!

If you can't control what happens with you entire family, maybe create your own traditions at home. Maybe it includes having a family day on Christmas Eve, where you do nothing but stay at home and bake with your DH and the kids ... I guess I just think we CAN make our holiday whatever we want it to be. So change it up if you don't like the way things are going ...

To me, the gift giving part of Christmas isn't the biggest part ... for me it's about family (ok, and maybe food too!) ... the gifts are nice bonuses, but I can't think of one thing to ask my family for this year ... and I don't care if I don't get one gift. I think you can teach your kids this lesson as well considering you raise them however you want, and maybe as the years go by, the holiday season will be more of what you want it to be, and less of what it currently is!

I hope it doesn't offend you if I say I hope you all end up having a very happy holiday!

 

QUOTE(caba @ Dec 12 2008, 04:34 PM) [snapback]1108341[/snapback]
If you can't control what happens with you entire family, maybe create your own traditions at home. Maybe it includes having a family day on Christmas Eve, where you do nothing but stay at home and bake with your DH and the kids ... I guess I just think we CAN make our holiday whatever we want it to be. So change it up if you don't like the way things are going ...

To me, the gift giving part of Christmas isn't the biggest part ... for me it's about family (ok, and maybe food too!) ... the gifts are nice bonuses, but I can't think of one thing to ask my family for this year ... and I don't care if I don't get one gift. I think you can teach your kids this lesson as well considering you raise them however you want, and maybe as the years go by, the holiday season will be more of what you want it to be, and less of what it currently is!

I hope it doesn't offend you if I say I hope you all end up having a very happy holiday!


Man, I'm quoting you all over today! I completely agree with you here, but my husband and I are on opposite pages. Long story but the way it is, our kids will never wake up at their own house on Christmas morning. It's really making me bummed about the holidays because NO ONE is happy with our situation. Hm, off to post the whole story in PC and try to get some feedback.

 

Erica:
Yea, I wish I could make x-mas what I want. Unfortunately, my family is all the way on the East Coast, DH's family for whatever reason never really celebrated x-mas in any fashion (despite being raised catholic) and they are closer but still 6 hours away, it just depresses me more to be around all of them, plus the whole family drama... I wish we could afford to fly out to my grandparents house and participate in the big family gathering that used to happen every year - but alas family drama has interupted THAT tradition as well.

I DO plan to start my own traditions, mixed with some traditions from my childhood. The baking of cookies.... Sleeping in the living room the night we put the tree up just to watch the lights, etc. But my oldest two are barely 23 months right now, and I tried real hard to have them participate in the tree decorating (and they did a GREAT help with putting the 'icicle' garland on the tree!) but DH just wouldn't participate for anything. He's going to be a LOT of work.

But you're right, hopefully in the coming years I can create my own traditions with my own family, just right now they are entirely to young to even care what christmas is (except they like all the 'sparklies' on the tree)

 

There's always a moment for me when the spirit of the season just kicks in. Maybe yours hasn't come yet. Mine hasn't. I need to get the tree first and I need to complete my shopping. I need to go to a couple parties, and then, it'll sink. It's not the same magic, but it's magic nonetheless. Even if it's just seeing it vicariously through the kids.

 

I'm not too excited about it. Mostly I think it's because of money. Things are tight and I feel bad about not being able to give gifts. Plus I do not live near my family. We plan to visit them over Christmas and I am looking forward to that. I hope when the girls get older and they understand it more, Christmas will be something to look forward to.

 

QUOTE(blueclouds @ Dec 12 2008, 01:13 AM) [snapback]1107731[/snapback]
Christmas just isn't the same as when we were kids... It loses all of it's 'magic' at least to me it did.


My favorite thing about Christmas as a mom is that I relive that magic through my childrens' eyes.

 

QUOTE(Don2worrybhappy @ Dec 13 2008, 01:54 PM) [snapback]1109559[/snapback]
My favorite thing about Christmas as a mom is that I relive that magic through my childrens' eyes.


This is what it is for me too. After the teenage years Christmas was just another holiday. But ever since the kids, I love how they grow more and more excited about it each year. It's all about the kids for me, I don't let myself worry about the rest. :grouphug:

 

It's my favorite time of year but I have to admit that this is the first year I've been stressed about it. It's just alot of work, I love everything leading up to Christmas (decorating, baking, christmas songs, etc) , but the gift thing stresses me out...

 

I am excited for it b/c this is the first year that the boys can actually understand it and open their own presents. On the other hand, DH has made it miserable for me, arguing iwth me over where we're opening presents and when we're doing what. While we're spererated, we're tying to work it out - for the kids...and he thinks i need to take the kids and all of their presents to his house...instead of keeping them here at my parents house. Personally, i dont want to lug them all over there and then back here. Anyways, then it's always an issue about going and seeing my family and going to see his family, which he sees all the time. I see mine mostly on holidays and he sees his all the time b/c they live close to him. So i really just hate it this year...i mean, the fighting, the arguing, - i actually told him to take the boys and go to his parents house and openen presents at his house b/c i really dont want to argue on christmas and I dont want them seeing us argue anymore. Talk about a can of worms....

Amanda