I Honestly Hate Christmas!

[ssdsco]

I have a large extended family of 20+. We get together every year for a buffet, Christmas story time and play Chinese Christmas. Everyone brings one gift, new or used with a garage sale value of $20+. Chinese Christmas is always a lot of laughs with the stealing that goes on. So for my side of the family a $20 gift and a gift for my parents is it and all in cash this year.

On my wife’s side they all hate the holidays due to the obligatory gift giving. It turns out to be mainly a cash exchange because no one wants to be bothered to find a gift someone would really appreciate.

http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/chinese-christmas-gift-exchange.html

[qwertysue]

This year, we are actually under budget in money and I put the extra in our storage unit so that I wouldn't keep buying. It's not like the recipients would love us just that much more if we gave another present.

I'm excited about today--the entire family is going to the local high school to help put together baskets for those who applied and qualified for this wonderful, possibly holiday saving gift. We have a million things to do and toyed with the idea of skipping it, but I realized that it is because we HAVE a million things to do that makes it important that we take time to help others. Yes, we are in bk, but it could be much much worse.

[chpxiii]

ssdsco, I've played that game before, just for christmas though. I'm glad you guys have fun. I personally can't stand the game.

[genseeker]

Me, I love Christmas. My family all gets together and we catch up with each other. This year I can't make it because I don't have the money for gas to travel out of state. But tonight my brother said they will call and I can talk to everyone. My family all knows we filed BK, as do hubby's parents. I always keep an eye out for gifts year round because I like to get something special for each person. Like one year I got my 2 nieces birthstone sets in silver. And this year a nephew is getting a great hunter's kit. He got his first deer this year and his mom ok'd the butchering kit and I know he will be thrilled.

[Flamingo]

I hate all the gift buying that I feel obligated to do. I hate that my husband spends money on me that we do not have even though I tell him not to.

I did do one good thing today that I have to laugh about and it didn't cost me a dime.

Next month I start not paying on any of my credit cards. I realized that I had some points left on amex. So I traded them in for 3 $100 home depot gift cards for my husband and a resturaunt gift card. He loves home depot and will be happy. Hey, I earned those points, I might as well use them. I need to check to see if I have points on any of my other cards.

I will be happy when Christmas is over though! I'm much more a Thanksgiving kind of girl.

I just saw your original posting plus all the replies. I just had to respond because over the past few weeks the History Channel had a documentary on Christmas and how Christmas actually came about (the traditions we now have). Christmas originated in the 1500/1600 Old England and was a raucus time, very much similar to our Mardi Gras here in the US in New Orleans. It was a yearly jovial celebration. There was a period of time when it was banned in England but the Victorians revived it because the celebrations were missed and really had nothing to do with the Birth of Jesus. During the 19th Century CHristmas traditions as they are now started with gift giving and it's strong ties to children. This "spirit" as it came about during those times has now turned into a giant commercialized money making time of year. Now you feel obligated to buy presents and the spirit has been lost. We all long for that "Christmas Spirit" that I am sure we have all felt during our lives as we put that dollar into the homeless person's hand on the corner or wrap a present to give to an adopted family who has nothing. Now it is who can outdo who with the best present and when we hit on hard times such as we have as to having to file bankruptcy, it's tough to try to keep any spirit going especially if you have little ones. What makes it tough also is for our friends or co-workers who have no idea we filed BK and we have to be careful how we handle the holidays. I found very creative uses for the Dollar Stores and other discount stores and shopped during the year for gift items, getting many expensive items for under $5 and putting them away for Christmas. Lots of people bake and give baked goods at Christmas which always goes over well.

I love that you brought up the "being obligated" scenario as people just agonize anymore over Christmas and what to buy. If anyone reading this can get ahold of the History Channel program I was talking about, it will be an eye opener as to how the holiday evolved.