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I'm becoming a Christmas Grouch

James Williams |

As I see the Xmas trees and decorations going up, I'm thinking, "This, Again? Already?"

Year after year after year-- the same decorations, the same slew of sales pushing shit you don't need, the same travels, the same cards, the same greetings, the same food, the same pretending we care about world peace and being good to one another,, the same mall Santas, the same TV specials, and on and on...

Doesn't everyone just get sick of it all after a while?

by Anonymousreply 73December 26, 2022 12:08 AM

I’m not feeling it this year either.

by Anonymousreply 3November 28, 2022 5:29 AM

[quote] I'm becoming a Christmas Grouch

A Ginch-like creature?

by Anonymousreply 4November 28, 2022 5:30 AM

The fact that is the same year after year is what it's all about.

by Anonymousreply 5November 28, 2022 5:34 AM

You just need to make yourself some cocoa and gingerbread cookies in preparation for the non-stop marathon watching of the Hallmark channel. You can't leave your seat until you've experienced a mind melt and once again learn to *love* Christmas. It really is a big part of our economy after all...

by Anonymousreply 6November 28, 2022 5:37 AM

^ What is it with gay men and those stupid Hallmark movies? Every gay man I know is addicted to these cinematic atrocities.

by Anonymousreply 7November 28, 2022 5:40 AM

Yes, I use to love Christmas, but I haven’t put up a tree in 2 years. I just can’t be bothered.

by Anonymousreply 8November 28, 2022 5:47 AM

Hallmark presents “How the Grinch Found Christmas”

A big city writer has no Christmas spirit and spends much of his day on a snarky website. But then he visits his hometown and hears carolers singing Mariah Carey’s Christmas song, sees the inflatable Santas and buys wrapping paper at TJ Maxx. Suddenly he’s filled with Christmas joy and decides to stay and open a bakery.

by Anonymousreply 9November 28, 2022 5:51 AM

I loved loved loved Christmas as a boy. Even going into the city to see the holiday show at Radio City and the tree.

But I haven't felt it in many years and wish it would stop and go away forever.

by Anonymousreply 12December 1, 2022 3:10 AM

I enjoy Christmas/Yule/the Winter Solstice/Hanukkah/St. Lucy's/New Year/New Year's Eve/Epiphany.

How?

I don't give them much of a thought until a couple days before.

It's the nonstop marketing and people who have everything up at Halloween who miss the points.

by Anonymousreply 13December 1, 2022 3:15 AM

I put up multi colored lights because they cheer me up. Some outside and the others on my mantle. I also have a Christmas Candy Shop village piece that lights up that I like. My entire family is dead but that doesn't stop me.

by Anonymousreply 14December 1, 2022 3:17 AM

Personally I get triggered when I see neighbors who have set up and lit their outdoor Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. The earliest I put up my Christmas tree is 10th of December or later.

by Anonymousreply 15December 1, 2022 3:27 AM

I watched my niece and nephew enjoy everything about Christmas. Now I am watching my two grandnieces do the same.

I place my grandparents' Christmas decorations around my house, the ones I grew up with.

Give me the old-fashioned tree lights and I'm a happy man.

by Anonymousreply 16December 1, 2022 3:29 AM

You'd probably feel differently if you had a family or partner, OP. It's not really for you.

by Anonymousreply 17December 1, 2022 3:34 AM

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, you are a complete Scrooge to say it nicely.

by Anonymousreply 18December 1, 2022 3:41 AM

I'm not exactly a grouch about Christmas but I do ignore everything about it. It's too blatantly commercial, a big corporate grab for money. I suppose it has been like this for years but I didn't notice. I have come to the conclusion that the good feelings about Christmas are reserved for children, people who have children or the genuinely religious people who get some spiritual joy out of the season. I have decided that simply because some unknown person or person decided eons again that Jesus was born on December 25th is no reason for me to rack my brain for gift ideas and rush out to buy crap for people who already have enough crap. There is one part of the Christmas season I do like. I met my husband on the 14th of December, a fix-up at my bosses Christmas party she held for her employees. Her friend, a restaurant owner and chef, catered her parties and she decided to fix us up. She told him but not me. She thought I wouldn't go if it was a fix up. I guess he liked what he saw because he gave me his business card and said he would be most pleased to introduce me to French food. I was a rube, had never eaten French food before that night. That memory of that day still makes me feel happy but the business of making a big deal out of December 25th is something I just don't get. Maybe I would get if I were a genuine Christian and not a lip service one. I'm pleased that I don't get depressed around the holidays. It's just another day to me. Depression seems to be more prevalent around that time. I think it comes from people wanting more it to be more than it actually is.

by Anonymousreply 19December 1, 2022 3:42 AM

As someone who despises Christmas, I wonder how many of us who dislike it were, at some time or another, most-likely during our childhood, Christmas-enthusiasts. I used to love it.

by Anonymousreply 20December 1, 2022 3:49 AM

It’s the darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, so I do enjoy the lights, baking, feasting, and conviviality around the winter solstice (I’m an atheist).

One doesn’t necessarily have to partake in the capitalist fantasy of spending an inordinate amount of money - if you enjoy the trappings and the nostalgia, then enjoy them wholeheartedly. If not, then just be you and don’t feel you have to defend your choice. :)

by Anonymousreply 21December 1, 2022 3:51 AM

It was quite something being in an Italian family during the holidays though at other times of year it could be insane. Christmas and Easter would be wonderful with my Italian grandmother from Italy cooking up wonderful holiday meals. They were great events for me to look forward to throughout the year but I imagine very different from what you see in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Though to be honest I have blissfully gone through life without having seen one.

by Anonymousreply 22December 1, 2022 3:57 AM

I’m sick of all the xmas carols. ALL OF THEM

by Anonymousreply 24December 11, 2022 4:00 PM

It’s just the same thing every year. Exactly the same

by Anonymousreply 25December 11, 2022 4:00 PM

I went to a Holiday Party yesterday .

After about 30 minutes, I wanted to leave . It was too crowded. It was hard to talk because it was so loud, I just am in no mood to be to so fucking cheery and fake interest in small talk.

I much prefer smaller dinners with a max of 4 people

by Anonymousreply 26December 11, 2022 4:04 PM

What about exciting “Wear something festive to work day” and the ubiquitous Ugly Sweater contests??

by Anonymousreply 27December 11, 2022 4:05 PM

I finally get in the Xmas spirit every year by the actual week of Xmas.

A perfect example is my Xmas tree is up but has two ornaments on it. I gave up. Maybe next weekend

by Anonymousreply 28December 11, 2022 4:06 PM

I understand, OP, and some years I am not feeling it at all. This year, I do. It's snowy here, proper winter, I treated myself to a new fake tree (one that looks good).

Every now and then, I listen to some old, chintzy Christmas carols — I like the ancient ones and everything up to, say 1950. Choir pieces are soothing, I don't need the hype, rock and pop stuff for Christmas.

Keep it simple, don't overspend, and don't visit people you don't want to see. A simple Christmas is a merry Christmas.

by Anonymousreply 29December 11, 2022 4:18 PM

Yes, it gets VERY oppressive.

by Anonymousreply 30December 11, 2022 4:29 PM

Apparently, given people gifts doesn’t bring them much happiness. Once you give a gift, its happiness factor drops to 1:10 mainly because no one really wants the shit you give them.

The best gifts are experiences like trips, concerts, etc that you share together

by Anonymousreply 31December 11, 2022 4:36 PM

Just kill yourself OP. Or move to Saudi Arabia!

by Anonymousreply 32December 11, 2022 4:38 PM

I used to be eh about it but now I wish it lasted until valentines day

by Anonymousreply 33December 11, 2022 4:46 PM

And then suddenly it’s over and we all have to start working again as usual

by Anonymousreply 34December 11, 2022 4:51 PM

I get your point, OP. But, I as a middle-aged gay man, I have the opportunity to turn the Christmas season into a time to do things that I want to do with people I want to be around, instead of giving into my family's heteronormative traditions. I go see them a week prior to Christmas, then come back home to NYC to be around my friends. This year we're going to enjoy a nice dinner together. Today I'm taking in the Christmas decorations along Fifth Avenue with a good friend. Next week I'm visiting a museum I haven't been to in a while, and on Christmas Eve, some buddies and I are going to see a Broadway show. The holiday is what you make it, OP. Plan something for you.

by Anonymousreply 35December 11, 2022 5:44 PM

If you feel this strongly about it, Christmas isn’t the problem. R35 is right. The holiday simply exists. We project onto it whatever is going on with us and what we’re feeling at the time.

by Anonymousreply 37December 11, 2022 6:17 PM

R35 = eternally positive gay guy who ruins every party

by Anonymousreply 38December 11, 2022 6:57 PM

It doesn't stress me out, OP, because I can choose to participate or not, and to what degree if I do. Last year I ignored it entirely and was happy. This year I'm playing christmas music while I do my household chores, but no decorations, no shopping. My siblings have agreed to get together this christmas, so I'll do some cooking and baking, but thankfully I'm not hosting. I'll stay only as long as I can stand it (and them).

by Anonymousreply 39December 11, 2022 7:23 PM

Like a lot of things, your feelings about it change as you get older. I still enjoy it, but not in the way I did when I was a kid or young adult.

The last several years have been very hard though and it’s kind of hard to get too excited about a holiday when things are tough and it doesn’t seem they will be improving any time too soon. An annual holiday seems insignificant given everything.

by Anonymousreply 40December 11, 2022 7:47 PM

Christmas is for kids. Without them, the magic is lacking.

You can still retain the hold-over childhood Christmas feelings into adulthood during your 20's but by your early to mid-30's, it fades.

by Anonymousreply 41December 11, 2022 10:39 PM

R41, I agree. My sisters and I have agreed that only the kids get presents. That makes everyone’s lives easier

by Anonymousreply 42December 12, 2022 12:55 AM

I hate LED lights. They are so vulgar.

The days of incandescent Christmas lights are missed.

by Anonymousreply 43December 12, 2022 1:22 AM

R42 - adult gift-giving for Christmas is stupid - except for your significant other.

The commercialism of Christmas has ruined gift giving anyway. Most adults can buy what they need and rarely want items they didn't ask for.

by Anonymousreply 44December 12, 2022 2:10 AM

It was great when I was younger, when I wasn't seeing Christmas crap in the stores as early as August and Christmas movies on cable all summer. I'm sick of it by the time November rolls around.

Nowadays, I only acknowledge it during the last week of school before winter break, for the sake of the kids. I privately celebrate Yule by giving myself and orange and some chocolates, and hang some lights on my bookshelf for a few weeks. That's it.

by Anonymousreply 45December 12, 2022 2:24 AM

For the first time in nearly a decade we are not hosting a Christmas dinner with friends. I can't say I'll miss the housecleaning, the food shopping, the cooking, and the cleanup. On the day I think we're going to eat in, watch movies, take a walk. Then see a couple of movies at the multiplex in the days after. And lots of reading and resting.

We do put up decorations (but not a live tree anymore), send out a few cards (we've lost so many people the list is small), and play our Christmas CDs. We'll go to mass on Xmas eve or Christmas morning. We don't need anything, and our families are not nearby. It'll be fine.

My dears, take care of yourselves!

by Anonymousreply 46December 12, 2022 2:49 AM

What I hate most:

1. Salvation Army bell ringers at the grocery store. One rang my ears out the last time I was there, as I sat and waited for my Uber.

2. Christmas music everywhere I turn. I like to have my classical radio station on when I go to bed, but I can't listen to it during December. I don't even turn it on.

3. Coming home alone from some "festivity" in the cold and dark of December.

by Anonymousreply 47December 12, 2022 3:27 AM

Look. I feel very similar. All I can say is totally ignore the hype and what "They " say were supposed to do and say. Make your own kind of Christmas. I'll be celebrating alone. By choice. We'll be going to a Hannukah dinner some friends are having next weekend. THen my partner is leaving to be with his 83 yr old terminal father in Chicago, and will come back to me on the 29th. I have a work project I need to do work on. I'm on a deadline for January 10th. I don't feel compelled to force myself to go out and go through the motions if I don't feel like it. I think it is the pressure of a sense of Obligation that really stresses people out. I'll watch some favorite movies. I've already put my order in for catered side dishes for Christmas eve and Christmas Day.. I'm going to fix myself a nice meal, dessert, and watch some good movies. I like classical music and classic Christmas caroles but not the commercial garbage they play in stores and I avoid that shit at all costs. My whole point is I will observe the holiday my way. Stress free, peaceful, reflective, and giving moral support to the man I love while he deals with a tough situation.

by Anonymousreply 48December 12, 2022 3:43 AM

I'm with you 1000%, OP. Unfortunately, there really is no escaping it. Everywhere you go is crowded with shoppers, and that fucking Christmas music is playing non-stop. It gets stuck in my head, so I hear it even when it's not blaring from some random speaker.

by Anonymousreply 49December 12, 2022 12:23 PM

R49, for me the solution is to stay away from stores! LOL! I've sent gift cards to my siblings, and I try to do minimal grocery shopping at my local supermarket, and that's about it. I agree the music is beyond annoying. My personal playlist includes Jazz and classical music. Very soothing.

by Anonymousreply 50December 12, 2022 1:47 PM

Wear ear buds and play your own music when you go out shopping this season. It helps to block the triggering tunes.

by Anonymousreply 51December 12, 2022 5:33 PM

I don't go shopping at stores or mall except for the supermarket. This is the first year they're playing all these banal rock tunes that have nothing to do with Christmas but keep throwing in the word. They're not even throwing in the old rock standards like All I want for Christmas is You, Jingle Bell Rock, and So This is Christmas or even Santa Baby. Forget about Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, The Andrew Sisters, Andy Williams, Doris Day and Julie Andrews which they seemed to have on constant rotation until last year.

by Anonymousreply 53December 13, 2022 1:36 PM

I don't have the same wonder and marvel as I had as a kid, and I'm not always the most naturally social and gregarious person in the world.

But I try to do things that will, if not create magic, bring kindness and warmth to others.

That being said, the holidays can be rough sometimes for anyone. There are years it's really been just another month of the year. As with everything in life, it's at least partly what you open your heart to and/or what you put into it.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 54December 13, 2022 1:42 PM

I sense some lonely, bitter people i this thread...

by Anonymousreply 55December 15, 2022 11:38 AM

[quote]It’s the darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere, so I do enjoy the lights, baking, feasting, and conviviality around the winter solstice (I’m an atheist). One doesn’t necessarily have to partake in the capitalist fantasy of spending an inordinate amount of money - if you enjoy the trappings and the nostalgia, then enjoy them wholeheartedly. If not, then just be you and don’t feel you have to defend your choice. :)

That's really good advice. I remember the sense of wonder as kid, starring up into the sky & looking for Santa Claus, but I enjoy the baking, the lights and try to do more for charity. Thankfully COVID put an end to the office potluck, gift exchanges & other tedious Christmas duties that wear you down

by Anonymousreply 56December 15, 2022 11:52 AM

Get festive; let your balls hang!

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 57December 15, 2022 1:20 PM

Wow, there are in fact a lot of scrooges on this thread, sad!

by Anonymousreply 58December 15, 2022 2:09 PM

I don't like Christmas music.

by Anonymousreply 59December 16, 2022 2:22 AM

I can't stand that Jingle Bells shit! Let It Snow. Here Comes Santa Claus. It makes me want to scream. Frosty, Rudolph, all those fuckers. There are some lovely carols but they are never played. Just the commercial crap.

by Anonymousreply 60December 16, 2022 4:37 AM

OP, you're a sour old thing.

by Anonymousreply 63December 17, 2022 11:18 PM

A lot of people are going to get sick at Xmas. Long COVID’s going to show up at all the parties and gatherings in a jingly stocking cap.

by Anonymousreply 65December 17, 2022 11:48 PM

Well then R65, you better make sure you are not one of them. Hide under the bed as much as you can and always wear your mask, even when driving by yourself in the car. You just can'tbe too careful.

by Anonymousreply 68December 25, 2022 9:56 PM

Play boring but medium fast techno music. It gets you in a sort of robotic head space to do repetitive things, like wrapping gifts, cooking a big meal, putting ornaments on a tree, or driving from store to store. That’s the major change I have made, and it works pretty well.

by Anonymousreply 69December 25, 2022 10:17 PM

I usually adore Christmas in a lot of ways, but I too am burnt out. Maybe because it feels like as you age, the years go by so much faster. By the time every Christmas season rolls around, I'm like "again, already!?". Not to mention every holiday seems to start months before it actually happens. Once it arrives, I'm burnt out. Sounds crazy, but I feel like if it came once every two years, it would feel more special.

by Anonymousreply 70December 25, 2022 11:49 PM

Well asshole r70 it’s almost over so you can stop being burned out.

by Anonymousreply 71December 25, 2022 11:56 PM

[quote] Well asshole [R70] it’s almost over so you can stop being burned out.

Go fuck yourself you insufferable cunt.

Wow, now I definitely feel better. Thanks hun! And Merry Christmas!

by Anonymousreply 72December 26, 2022 12:07 AM

R72 try harder. I don’t give a shit about you.

by Anonymousreply 73December 26, 2022 12:08 AM

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