The Official "Not Celebrating Christmas" Thread

[Igster]

Originally Posted by rubecube

All of this only works if your family doesn't generally suck. Actually, my sister and my mom are alright, besides my mom being a bit of a spaz about drinking. It's everyone else that are just awful.

Yup. My mom and sister live in a different city than I do so I tend to not even see them at Christmas time and I'm OK with that. My dad lives nearby so I see him and then I see my wife's kids (she had with her ex-husband) and I like them, so it's all good.

[Ozy_Flame]

Used to go for the presents (as a kid), now it's for the traditional Ukrainian food that somehow gets better every year. And people somewhere in the middle too.

[Sr. Mints]

I'm at this stage of my life where I'm just sick to death of Christmas. I think it would be a thousand times more fun with kids, but that's not the case for me, and it's become more of a chore.

I'll get a tree as that's the only tradition that holds any real meaning to me, and I'll plaster on my best false smile when I see people, but I won't be celebrating Christmas in spirit.

[Street Pharmacist]

Huh. Lots more Dutch people here than I thought. I grew up with parents caught in the middle. My dad came to Canada at 26 years old and my mom at 3 years old (stop it you sicko, they met in Canada when she was 29 and my dad was 26). Neither really did Canadian Christmas, so we got a mild version of Canadian Christmas with little presents and lots of family time. Kinda perfect for me. My wife's parents love the whole decorating the house, searching for months for just the right present, making things for each other, playing Christmas carols, no TV, etc.

I work retail and get slapped in the face with Christmas stress for a whole month. I don't want it in my days off

[rubecube]

'Twas the night before Christmas and throughout the land, humbugs ate takeout, cold drinks in their hands.

Come 7 AM whilst their friends' kids raised a muck, they were cozy in bed, not giving a ####.

Merry get sauced, sleep-in, and skip work eve, fellow Humbuggerites!

[DownhillGoat]

At work today and tomorrow, but the Festivus Pole (formerly a scaffold pole) is set up in the corner.

[worth]

I'm in Turkey, so I can't celebrate Christmas even if I wanted to.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by worth

I'm in Turkey, so I can't celebrate Christmas even if I wanted to.

No turkey in Turkey?

[pseudoreality]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Huh. Lots more Dutch people here than I thought. I grew up with parents caught in the middle. My dad came to Canada at 26 years old and my mom at 3 years old (stop it you sicko, they met in Canada when she was 29 and my dad was 26). Neither really did Canadian Christmas, so we got a mild version of Canadian Christmas with little presents and lots of family time. Kinda perfect for me. My wife's parents love the whole decorating the house, searching for months for just the right present, making things for each other, playing Christmas carols, no TV, etc.

I work retail and get slapped in the face with Christmas stress for a whole month. I don't want it in my days off

My parents are both from the Netherlands. Each of their families immigrated to Canada when they were young and then they met at a Christian Reform College in the US. My mother wanted her kids to be Canadian and therefore we didn't have many Dutch traditions other than oliebollen on New Years Eve.

Now my wife, who isn't Dutch, wants to incorporate all sorts of Dutch traditions. So Sinterklass comes on the evening of the 5th and Santa on the 24th.

[Locke]

I'm not Dutch but my wife wouldnt let me incorporate Black Piet or Krampus into our Christmas traditions.

Such a shame.

[ChickenPho]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Maybe it's just me, but I fail to see why an eleven year-old needs or deserves an iPad. Yet most of these kids still end up bitching that they didn't get enough or exactly what they wanted.

Thats just the new generation of childhood and growing up as we all have to get used to it. Kids these days are surrounded and suffocated by electronics and gadgets literally everywhere they go, every second of their life. They see their parents and siblings far too attached to them in life and all of a sudden they want one. This is how the schools teach now, using ipads and other electronics that werent here 15 years ago.

My niece and nephew are 7 and 9 and both have had their own ipad and iphone with a data plan since they were 5.

[4X4]

Oh no. Schools are using current technology to teach current children? And parents are giving current gifts to current children? What has the world come to? They should still be playing with painted ABC 123 blocks. Why give a kid a toy that has hundreds of teaching games on it? For fear that they'll use it? Will they not get enough exercise? I'm sure the first parents that gave their kids books were criticized by people without kids saying "What a crappy parent. Giving a kid a story book instead of telling them a story while walking to the water well, or sending them out hunting with Papa.".

You guys without kids need to step away from the parenting soap box. Just because the only thing you use your ipad for is porn, doesn't mean that there aren't hundreds of educational games on those things, that kids learn a ton from. Spelling, reading, numbers, math, shape recognition, maps, all kinds of sciences, the list goes on and on. And on.

So don't worry about why my kid has an expensive toy, aiight? She's learning a lot about a lot. Not only the educational games, but also how to treat a breakable toy, and the fact that she gets to play with it when she earns it.

[Azure]

I've found that those people that hate Christmas and bitch about it are usually the same people that hate their family and bitch about them too.

Pinning it on Christmas is convenient.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Oh no. Schools are using current technology to teach current children? And parents are giving current gifts to current children? What has the world come to? They should still be playing with painted ABC 123 blocks. Why give a kid a toy that has hundreds of teaching games on it? For fear that they'll use it? Will they not get enough exercise? I'm sure the first parents that gave their kids books were criticized by people without kids saying "What a crappy parent. Giving a kid a story book instead of telling them a story while walking to the water well, or sending them out hunting with Papa.".

You guys without kids need to step away from the parenting soap box. Just because the only thing you use your ipad for is porn, doesn't mean that there aren't hundreds of educational games on those things, that kids learn a ton from. Spelling, reading, numbers, math, shape recognition, maps, all kinds of sciences, the list goes on and on. And on.

So don't worry about why my kid has an expensive toy, aiight? She's learning a lot about a lot. Not only the educational games, but also how to treat a breakable toy, and the fact that she gets to play with it when she earns it.

I think it depends on the kid. And I'm more objecting to the price tag than anything. Maybe it's just the jealousy/haterade because I certainly didn't get $600 worth of gifts when I was that age.

Originally Posted by Azure

I've found that those people that hate Christmas and bitch about it are usually the same people that hate their family and bitch about them too.

Pinning it on Christmas is convenient.

Naah...there's other days of the year I'm generally obligated to spend time with my family on that don't chap my ass quite the way Christmas does.

[btimbit]

Smallest Christmas we've ever done. Drove down to Okotoks to see my parents, nobody did gifts this year except us to our kid (The only kid in the family so far) Just hanging out with my parents and siblings, whom I haven't seen in about a year.

Didn't miss the gifts, or the shopping, or any of that nonsense (Although my annual costco sweatpants would have been nice)

Best Christmas in a long time

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Smallest Christmas we've ever done. Drove down to Okotoks to see my parents, nobody did gifts this year except us to our kid (The only kid in the family so far) Just hanging out with my parents and siblings, whom I haven't seen in about a year.

Didn't miss the gifts, or the shopping, or any of that nonsense (Although my annual costco sweatpants would have been nice)

Best Christmas in a long time

I'm so jealous

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Smallest Christmas we've ever done. Drove down to Okotoks to see my parents, nobody did gifts this year except us to our kid (The only kid in the family so far) Just hanging out with my parents and siblings, whom I haven't seen in about a year.

Didn't miss the gifts, or the shopping, or any of that nonsense (Although my annual costco sweatpants would have been nice)

Best Christmas in a long time

I usually get a new house coat. The one time I actually need a new housecoat of course lol.

[Cheese]

We havent done traditional Christmas for years. Kids were disappointed at first but now cherish just being together without the trappings. Usually just have a meal with wifes sister and family or go to the theatre and watch a movie with the hundreds of heathens that also do the same thing.
This year we are all is Seoul Korea and its just like any other day. Shops and restaurants open, shops arent decorated in September and playing xmas music for three months...its been quite enjoyable.

[rubecube]

I gotta say actually that Christmas in Denmark is pretty damn awesome. There's no rampant consumerism, no bombardment of ####ty songs and gimmicky marketing. They just have a bunch of Christmas "lunches" where groups get together, have dinner, drink their faces off, and then dance like idiots afterwards. Christmas over here gets a 10/10 from me.