This year, I was stuck celebrating Christmas because I have a girlfriend. I had to buy her presents, or I would end up getting dumped, plus I would also look bad, as the rest of my family is Catholic. Now, I don't have a job either, so this was really a bitch. I had to use some of the little money in my account for a holiday whose religion I don't even follow. I swear, Christmas is so pointless. Hell, I don't even get as much presents as I used to when I was a little kid. It doesn't help much that my parents don't make much, as they never went to college. I'm not trying to whine about it all. I'm trying to say I hate Christmas. All it is today is an excuse for businesses to make money. I don't celebrate it for what it was meant to be celebrated for. When I get older, I'm finding a girl who doesn't celebrate Christmas.

Anyone else agree that the whole holiday is a bullshit excuse for companies to make money?

yea for sure man...I here ya same traditions follow in the steps of marriage...its the dimond companies making a big deal out of marriage and throwin clean cut sparklie propaganda into the faces of thoes engaged...

My Christmas sucked too...I got one big present and that was some percription glasses...lol I didnt even have any Christmas Kronic to smoke...I was stuck with some mex Swag a tv some video games a real nice dinner and endless retardation communication with peeps.

Austin's 2005 Christmas "Bright Eyes_ Stoner_Modification" Song

I'll have a swag Christmas without you
I'll be so high thinking about you
Decorations of red hairs on a green Kronic tree
Won't mean a thing though, if you're not high with me
I'll have a swag Christmas, that's certain
When all those swag memories start hurting
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white widow
But I'll have a swag, swag Christmas without you

Peace,
Austin

Yep, guys, I agree. It's "Merry Xmas, now empty your pockets...", every year. Capitalismo, yes - sorry about all the traditional obligatory AJ, you know the truth about the Happiest Day of the Year, for sure...sorry about the duckweed, Austin.

Man, you guys are really pessimistic. I'm amazed you guys manage to find any happiness in your lives. Christmas, like any other holiday, is what you make of it. If you are going to look at Christmas from the materialistic aspect, then you are truly going to be miserable and are just following the corporate ideal of Christmas.

AJ, I'm thinking your GF isn't totally materialistic or you wouldn't have started dating her (just an observation). You could have easily made her something, or do something nice for as opposed to just buying presents. When you are a kid it's easy to get alot of presents since childrens toys, not to mention socks , are fairly cheap. As you get older the "toys" get more expensive. Is Christmas very corporate, totally. But, you can control that by removing the corporate element yourself.

Galvacon, thank DeBeers for pushing the whole diamond engagement propoganda.

Now to both of you, stop complaining about how bad your christmas was. There are many people who have it way worse than you (ex. families displaced by Hurricane Katrina). My christmas is nowhere near what I wanted it to be, but I made the best of it with what I had. I have a wife and child, and the only one that got presents was my son. I didn't complain, nor did I mind. For me, the best present was seeing my sons face when he first woke up on christmas morning and seeing all the presents waiting for him. It was a priceless moment that I will cherish forever. So long as you have family and good friends to share your moments with, you are way ahead of the game.

Thanks Busaiku...It nice to here a little refresher on the true spirit of Christmas.


peace,
Austin
(now where did I put my list of new years resolutions...from last december) :laugh:

Nice song you have there.............Krismas Kronic....... :laugh:

I see Christmas as a time to catch up with family, and its also an excuss to get para.............capitalism has effected the holidays, but if you have Kris-Kringle, than you have one present...............

I hated Christmas, too, till I had a child old enough to dig toys and candy. Now Christmas is fun again.

Hey...Christmas is one of the Only Holidays that If Christian Countries are fighting...That the Fighting Ceases...Then the next Day...People are shooting at each other...again

Here in Japan Christmas is a totally secular holiday..and to be honest I love it. Im not a Christian, and in the States I didnt do anything for Christmas there..but here..it has no Christian symbolism at all. Its all the "fun" parts of Christmas, and its more for couples or families with small children.

I know everyone complains about the commercialism of Christmas.. but.. when I look around here.. its one time a year where we HAVE TO actually sit down and think about what OTHER PEOPLE want.. and as we are forced to think about them, I think we often get a bit of insight into that person.. or in anycase we really do have to think about our partners. Its a day of giving..and I dont think thats so bad. Do businesses commercialize on it? Yes. Thats how the modern economy works. It makes jobs, etc.

I dont know..like I said.. I am not a christian in the least.. but particularly around Christmas I find myself "giving". My secretary is a single mother of a 12 year old daughter.. so I did Christmas for them. The 23 year old daughter of a museum curator I work with occasionally is also a single mother.. I sent them presents.. I am alone in the world. I dont have any parents or siblings.. no family here..but this time of year I try to do what I can to make someone a little happier. A psychologist would say Im buying off my conscience...and she or he would probably have a point. But..so? It doesnt change the expression on the face of the 12 year old opening a present from me. Everyone feels better.

Angry Jerk, I detest, absolutely detest when events like Christmas (and for that matter Hanukah) turn into excuses to pursue and worship materialism. Yes I hate that. However, I do enjoy seeing people who may not otherwise do so, meet up with one another, and at least for a day, a moment, reconnect. For some it is not all about materialsm. I hear you loud and clear. Again Angry J if I sound like a corn-ball idiot take it with a grain of salt but for me I try live Christmas sort of everyday. This Christmas my daughter's boyfriend donated to a Jewish charity for hunger and he's Catholic. I thought that was very cool of him to do that. I know it was really my daughter's idea but it meant a lot to me. Anyways you are not alone in your feelings Angry J. Millions of people feel alienated and empty with all this materialist nonsense so don't feel alienated but hard as it is for you to believe-there are many people who celebrate these holidays and don't get caught up in that crap. You know how to beat the Christmas blues? Two things - do something that makes you laugh your head off and literally laugh in the face of all the hippocracy and the other is go volunteer somewhere. I promise you it will flush the materialist crap out of your system and make you feel o.k. about yourself. AJ I am sure you know but I will remind you - your worth is never about what you can buy anyone its what you mean to them in terms of your deeds and words. Anyone can buy something for someone - not everyone can love someone...and I have read enough of your posts to know you care about people in your own way. The fact that you haven't fallen for all this materialist crap is a good thing. You are staying true to your ideals. Good on you.

Jason and I also went with #1 on the "real" Christmas Eve. We got a bottle of wine and watched the South Park Christmas Special marathon all night.
I think there's something truely brilliant about their take on Christmas.

Okay, Kelly, - can you remind me of the names of Mr. Hanky's wife and kids? I have mostly forgotten, but wasn't the "normal" boy named Simon? Was the wife Jennifer?

Ha!
I was drinking wine the other night.
All I remember is "Cornelieus", the bright kid. I forget "peanut-head's" name and the wife's...lol...

I like Christmas, but I steer well clear of all the rushing around like a maniac buying useless crap for inflated prices side of things. The one I can't stand is New Years Eve - bars etc charging you for the privilege of setting foot in their establishment, taxi's doubling their tarifs for the evening, every man and his dog wanting to get to the bar to be served at exactly the same time as me! Such a pain in the arse, I didn't even bother this year because Match of the Day was on BBC1 at 10.30!

Well its all over for another year.....

YAY no wanker relatives for another 12 months........

:xmascheer :xmassign: :xmaskiss:

you know, i thought i was a scrooge, but even i accept that christmas is good to be with family, and to get presents, however it is not as good as when i was a kid, and believed in sant claus, and besides, if anyone has the reason to complain then i do, as this was the first christmas without my grandma, as she died a few weeks ago, but christmas is what you make of it, and i enjoyed it,

plus, plenty of bargains in the january sales!!!!

So I'm a "scrooge" just because I don't want to give in to commercialism?

Call me nuts but I think yer grandma was able to see/feel you enjoying Christmas.

Because, primarily, of my mother's . . . unique craziness sorts of conceptions on things . . . and the clashes between us and our starkly different understandings and expectations, Christmases usually were fairly painful things growing up. It wasn't because people didn't care--I think I even knew that mother cared in her awkward way.

And I liked the food well enough.

But I usually got punished for one thing or another and despaired by the end of the day--yet again.

In later decades, haven't tended to exchange gifts with much of anyone since my wife married her co-worker.

I give what I can to loved ones and the poor the year around as I'm able. I particularly try to give to folks who can't give back and who won't remember or know anything about me. That's the most meaningful expression I can act out regarding The Reason for The Season.

So, Christmases and birthdays are not very big on my priority list. But they're not as painful as they used to be.

I luv Christmas! With all of its colors and lights and decorations and so-on and so forth. I do agree with you that Christmas has got to be the most "materialistic" holiday of the year. Some people have a dead wrong definition of Christmas. They think that it's all about "getting the presents you want" and "how much money was spent on the present". I have had experiences at Christmas that were with good people and bad people. The bad people were the ones who wanted gifts and perfection and nothing else- often times ruining the true definition of the Holiday for the recipient that is trying to cope with depression or anger because of other more serious situations.

I know where you're coming from though.

Sincerely,

a BLU nite SKY :cat: :cat: :cat: