Does anyone else really hate this time of year ?

I'm sure we're going to be really popular, but I have to confess I don't enjoy it either.
I'm not a Christian, I don't feel guilty about anything: I just think we've been swept along in a storm of commercialism.
I can't bear the fact that it starts earlier and earlier each year, and frankly, i'll be pleased to be done with it.

My mother was like you floradora but the problem was she spoilt it for everybody else with her moaning. I'm sure you wouldn't do this - would you?

Moi aussi

I get winter blues, and we used to go to the sun for 3 months.

Now I take vitamin.D. Not an answer for sun!

However this nov/Dec we have had the most amazing sunny days.

As My late Ma said, be thankful for your blessings. I most certainly am, but am I allowed a wee moan

I seperate the birth of the Christ Child from the commercialism of the 25th . If it means food and drink and goodies for the majority I have no problems with it, their choice, I do dislike the constant advertising coming into my home. I cannot feast knowing there are many starving but this is my choice. I love to see children out on their new bikes, I always wave to Father Christmas when the round table does the annual tour of the town, I have always loved the carol concert by the Salvation Army in the middle of town and am sad this year I can't join them to tin rattle. Not a bah humbug, just for me the blessing of the crib in the Cathedral, Midnight Mass , Christmas Day Matins and the exchange of the peace and greetings after services is Christmas.

I think many of us tire of the commercialisation. I ventured into the big shopping centre near here and left inside of an hour empty handed and came home and ordered everything on line. I did enjoy seeing the excitement and happiness of the children (which is the main reason I went as I won't see any children over Christmas), but unfortunately the true meaning of Christmas has been lost amongst the rush to buy presents and over indulge.

I think there are many more people who hate the increasingly commercial nature of Christmas than we imagine. The tidal wave of tat, the orgy of food buying we are swept along by is becoming horrendous. What worries me more than anything is the pressure that families with little money are under to fulfil all this expectation for their children.

Bah Humbug!

It’s something to break up the dark, cold winter nights. Nothing to do with Christian beliefs, except in a Johnny Come Lately sort of way. Ancient religions have been celebrating the mid-winter festival for thousands of years.

As I say every year, I would enjoy it a lot more if it only came round once every five years.

Yet how can some constantly keep on about the poor, the homeless yet spend so much money on luxuries ,

D’you know you don’t have to buy into all the commercialism, you are free to pick and choose. If you want a religious Christmas then you can. If you want a family Christmas then that’s a possibility. If you want to shut it all out then do just that.

Are we all sheep, on a hillside waiting for a celestial choir and SatNav directions to Bethkehem?

Bellsnana

Annie as Jesus said, I think, the poor are always with us.

While he was having a luxurious foot massage

Scales fell from my eyes re commercialisation when I was 18. many years battling with a kind of angry gloom in December. I've reached a rapprochement these days. It amazes me that we make such a crazy amount of fuss in the UK. Way more than other countries.
My husband says "its good for the economy" but I do wonder about the UK's "productivity" and the effect of Xmas:
Taking time off in Dec to entertain clients to lunch
Works Do
Recovering from works Do and talking about it
Conducting disciplinary procedures arising from Works Do
Talking about Christmas
Agonising about the secret santa
Staff doing online shopping in work or taking long lunch hours to go to shops.
Offices often close early on Xmas day (half day) and then stay closed until after New Year. Or if people come in they are thin on the ground and laid back.
After 10 days off staff come back completely wound down and take the rest of the week to get up to speed.

The luxury foot massage with tears as you mockingly call it was a symbol of preperation for his death, which he suffered for you . As you don't believe in him how do you believe the foot massage? Think best you stick to The Morning Star

Sorry folks - I LOVE Christmas! It is a brighter moment in the path to spring - when you think it will never arrive.

I love to see the children enjoying themselves. We buy in to the bits that make us happy and ignore the rest. If you do not like the commercialisation then let it wash by you; there are plenty of good aspects to Christmas to enjoy. Most people respond to charities at this time of year.

It is possible not to allow the pressure to get to you - just buying the gifts that you feel are appropriate, spending what seems reasonable and eating what you fancy.

Have just been to the cathedral for the shoppers' carols and craft fair - lots of folk full of goodwill and having fun and sharing a good time together and enjoying the singing. I cannot object to that. It was lovely.

Not symbolic at all if you read your bible Annie a very expensive oil was used. No one has ‘suffered’ for me, except in Christian mythology. And I’ve never read the Morning Star in my life, but I’ll bow to your superior knowledge about this paper.

I believe Hitler, William the Conqueror and Crazy Horse existed. I don’t follow their philosophy.

People have been complaining about the the commercialisation of Christmas since modern Christmas begun. Remember Scrooge, complaining because Bob Cratchit wanted Christmas day off and his diatribe against feasting and food to his nephew, followed by describing it as humbug? Well, a Christmas Carol was written in 1843.

Christmas is only commercial if you want to see it. I only shop once a week, I am a light television watcher and I have so many other things to do, that I really do not take much notice or see much of any commercial Christmas. Also anything that has no relevance to my Christmas, gets ignored.

We all shape Christmas to suit ourselves and those who do not like it see all the negative sides and those who enjoy it see only the things they enjoy.

I write that as someone who loves Christmas and celebrates it with my family every year with lights and decorations and presents and stockings.

I struggle with the commercialism of Christmas but was helped today because I bought presents at the Oxfam shop. So although it seemed like a lot of money it was going to a good cause.
And it has meant that today I have cleaned the skirting boards in the sitting room for the first time ever as we have visitors coming.
I think you have to make a positive choice to live Christmas well by still eating healthily and making it a good time for other people. Well that's what I am trying to do, anyway.

Me too, Luckygirl. Our Christmas is different now all the DGCs are in their late teens or early twenties. Adult Christmases mean less work and no more terribly early wake-up calls but I remember those days with fondness.

We don't buy into all the commercialism - we can't afford to but the cards, carols, food and drink, silly games and just being with the family is something I would hate to miss.

I belong very reluctantly and very hesitantly in the bah humbug group I try very hard to enjoy it and make sure I don’t spoil it for anyone else but I find absolutely nothing to get excited about and look forward to it all being over and I can dream about the lighter nights and the start of a distant spring
I don’t know how you can avoid the commercialisation unless you don’t own a radio or tv and never go out and have no grandkids ?

I love Chritmas, I had a horrible childhood with no gifts or love, so I love to make a fuss of people now at Chritmas and give what I never had, but my husband is the same as the OP, he hates it all, and he's so Bah Humbug about it all, not wanting gifts for himself or to give any, unintersted even in a Christmas card if one arrives, and going around moaning all the time, he really does spoil it for everyone ..I'm not permitted to even have decorations up unless I do all the work myself.

I am another who loves all things Christmas. This year however is tempered because my mum is so frail now, that we can’t see her being here next year, so am feeling sort of flat this year. But she will have the best we can do for her, which will not actually be to have everyone visit her as she can’t cope with it, but plans to pop in throughout the day from morning with gifts to lunch time with her lunch to late afternoon for tea and cake. She will sleep in between.