PeeperStorm on 16/12/2010 at 03:24
Ahh, Christmas; a magical time of year. Time to get new lights to decorate the house, because the lights that you had last year won't work anymore unless you locate the one bulb that's burned out. Time to try to buy gifts for people whose names you barely remember. Time to spend 2 hours wandering around in drizzling rain trying to find the perfect tree, so that you can kill it and prop its corpse up in your living room. Time to receive gifts of food products that you will never eat. Time to waste a few hours of time at the office attending a boring party because the boss requires that you go. Time for the kids to whine endlessly about the gifts that they want, gifts that you can't afford, gifts that will end up gathering dust in a corner if you do buy them because they don't get used. Time to vainly search the TV channels for something, anything other than reruns and Christmas specials. Time for the asshole bellringers from the Salvation Army to make your shopping experiences even more unpleasant than they already are in the overcrowded stores full of idiots. Time to attend crappy Christmas plays where you have to pretend that a pack of snot nosed brats is the most entertaining thing that you've ever seen. Time to spend Christmas morning with the siblings that tormented you as a child, the parents that don't love you, and the creepy uncle who loved you way too much.
Fuck Christmas.
Scots Taffer on 16/12/2010 at 03:56
Quote Posted by Tonamel
BRING ON TOMORROW'S HAILSTORM.Inline Image:
http://i51.tinypic.com/14ifx4g.pngOHSHI(hitting right now, building is shaking)
Renzatic on 16/12/2010 at 04:13
Enjoy your summer thunderstorm, you lucky bastard. I just walked outside and slid 3 feet on ice covered grass.
White Christmas my ass. More like covered in a glaze of rubber cement Christmas.
gunsmoke on 16/12/2010 at 05:44
Quote Posted by Vasquez
Any other Christmas nuts out there? Are you already counting days and wrapping prezzies and making shopping-lists for all things yummy? :D
We don't give loads of presents, but the few I do, I've mostly already bought. Our plans otherwise are quite simple, quick visits to family at some point and mostly staying at home, relaxing and reading, watching DVD's and/or playing games - if Santa brings any, but we've been good, so why wouldn't he :angel:
I love that timeless feeling of Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the peace and quiet, burning candles, sleeping late and going for a walk in the snow (this year we have LOTS of it, yay!) and then coming home for a cup of hot (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glogi) Glögi.
Eating till you explode is part of Christmas too, of course: The traditional ham and casseroles, cold-smoked salmon, variety of cheese, carelian pies, Christmas bread, red wine. And too much chocolate! :D
Christmas is my favorite day of the year. I LOVE Christmas, and get super insane about it month in advance. We decorate indoors and out, do a tasteful tree (not a bunch of gawdy bulbs), I cook an insanely awesome meal that takes several days to prep, and I put months of thoughts and planning into the presents I give.
This year, unfortunately, is a bit different. Between the economy decimating our incomes and the transmission going out in the Accord, I cannot do it up like I usually do. It actually makes me sad. This is my 'thing', and it's busted.
I had to pull the $300 piece of jewelry off of Zales' layaway. That hurt. We aren't going to really have any presents under the tree. Maybe a couple dime-store gifts, but besides that just the pet presents (dog and 2 kitties). The only thing we did was buy a used Wii. This was a combined gift. We split it and it is our gift to each other. We did that last week. I feel like poor white-trash this year because of this. Goddammit.
Vasquez on 16/12/2010 at 06:22
gunsmoke, I hope you'll have a happy Christmas, even though it's different than usual. And a Wii is a great present! Ahh, I remember our Wii Christmas, it was so much fun even though we only had Sports and Play :D
Quote Posted by PeeperStorm
Fuck Christmas.
Maybe you're doing it wrong? ;)
june gloom on 16/12/2010 at 07:54
the creepy guy in the tophat and greatcoat is selling orphans on the street corner again, buy one get one free
man i love this holiday
Queue on 16/12/2010 at 14:09
Quote Posted by Stitch
You state a lot of obvious shit but get it all spectacularly wrong, Queue.
What? You mean it's supposed to be
three gifts each, just like the baby Jesus got?
Quote Posted by dethtoll
the creepy guy in the tophat and greatcoat is selling orphans on the street corner again, buy one get one free.
Sign me up. I couldn't afford a turkey this year.
So all joking (poorly) aside, I do love this time of year. But we make it more about spending time together and enjoying each other's company--and teaching the kids to be thankfully for what we have (which is each other), and not crushed over what they didn't get (a silly iPod). The house is decorated on the inside with little lights and things the kids have made over the years--not outside where all the neighbors can see what we've done. We have an alpine-style (a skinny fir) tree that's been around since 2002, which has become a tradition to use, and gets wrapped up with reverence at the end of each year as my daughter has already asked if she can have it when she has a family of her own. And yes, we do have stockings we hang, which "Santa" loves to fill with little babbles and treats.
On Christmas Eve, we always have friends come over with their kids for a dinner and drinks party. Since it's what everyone asks for, I make my beer soaked Bar-B-Q beef brisket with homemade rolls, mashed potatoes (with the skins still on--don't forget to use sour cream instead of butter, and add chives), cole slaw, and butter-fried corn. The friends bring desserts. We spend the night eating, drinking, talking, conspiring, playing cards (while the kids play board games or what-not), and laughing--lots of laughing. And none of us bother exchanging gifts, because we'd rather just spend time together. Gifts aren't expected.
But it didn't used to be that way. I was one of the kids that got everything he wanted, and none of it had meaning--it was expected. Being showered with gifts didn't give me a happy childhood, or make Christmas this wondrous time of year, instead it spoiled me into thinking that I deserve everything I want just because I wanted it. But having a family and hitting bottom, both financially and health-wise, changed that--and I'm glad it did. We gained a perspective on what truly matters about the holiday season: that we're all still here.
Christmas shouldn't be about materialism. Instead, we make it about the one gift that truly matters the most--love. I know it sounds sappy and pat, but Christmas is the time of year that we remind the kids of just how much we love them without having to buy it. There's hugs, tickles, smiles, winks, games, small treats, movies, and lots of family-time. And at the end of the day, the kids are all laughed out, all kissed out, all smiled out, and go to bed with a warmth and happiness in their tummies that some cold piece of electronics or designer boots can't give.
That's just our Christmas. I know it sucks.
Harvester on 16/12/2010 at 18:01
Nice post, Queue. :thumb:
fett on 16/12/2010 at 20:02
Agreed - sounds way better than what we've allowed ourselves to get sucked into recently. It's difficult to spend time with family who are caught up in the consumerism of the thing without feeling like slackers for not buying everyone presents. We consider it a worthy sacrifice so the boys can have those memories with grandparents and cousins, but we're trying to sort through how to downsize the whole thing in our immediate family.
