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 Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 11:39 am
This isn't gonna be a thread on how needy or spoiled anyone is. As a matter of fact the title is pretty much misleading, which is why I'm glad I'm in a guild where everyone reads more than the title. Well, the title does have to do with my thread...well here goes...
I'll start off by answering my question: 0, well I did get one but I'll explain why I say 0.
Starting back in junior year of high school I stopped asking for gifts period. I figured if I wanted something I could buy it instead of waiting for Christmas and asking for it. Also, I knew my parents were in deep debt and they still are. Plus I just don't like the idea of asking for stuff, as if I wasn't spoiled enough as a kid. I still have however been getting, usually, one gift for everyone in my family and my ex-girlfriend. This year thought I did not buy a single gift for anyone? A big reason is because I'm broke because my car payment and I haven't been Einstein in handling my money this year. I did however receive one gift...a sub woofer and amp from my dad for my car. I don't really count it because A) I got it like a month before Christmas and B) it ended up costing me $200 to install into my car. This year, for whatever reason he felt like getting gifts. I don't know where he got the money from...my parents have none already because of him...
Anyways, now to the real reason to my thread. All this has me thinking. I really think I've lost the Christmas spirit. I'm not a Christian, therefore I no longer celebrate the original reason for the holiday. I don't really like receiving gifts and really don't like giving them right now. I think mostly because I don't have anyone I feel happy to give them to. I used to say that Christmas time was a time to spend with family, but this Christmas I just wanna be anywhere besides at home with my family.
Have I just lost my Christmas Spirit? I feel almost like a bad person, but I'm sure I'm just in a slump. Don't let this put a damper on your day. I'm not here for a pity party, just wanted to put my thoughts out there and see everyone else's view on this season. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. Don't go thinking I'm having a bad day or anything, just not treating this day anymore special than the rest this year.
Spoon Feed:
What does Christmas mean to you?
Are you filled with Christmas spirit?
What do you think of the above?
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 2:00 pm
For me, Christmas is just another day for me to relax and hang out. Of course, I usually see some cousins who I haven't seen in a while, which makes it all better. Basically we just sit around and play some video games, then eat dinner, then go back to playing video games until we all get too tired. Also, last year on Christmas, my uncle died, so it's got a bit of remembrance with it now.
Not following any religion myself, I just view this season as means to eat delicious food, catch up with out of touch family, and a season where I can sleep more. The gifts are nice, but I wish my parents would stop buying them for me. I figure they could use the money on themselves and be happy, but I won't lie when I say that I enjoy the gifts I've gotten for this year, as they're all useful. I only got a few gifts, but they're all useful. A bit of money here and there ( about 70 bucks, which is very useful to me ) a Snuggie ( say what you will, but that thing is a life savor and way easier than wrapping a blanket around myself to stay warm when using my computer or playing a video game ), and some new clothes ( which I now have about 6 - 7 changes of clothes in my wardrobe, so those are also very nice )
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Jafthasleftthebuilding Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 2:35 pm
Why not buy yourself a Christmas gift, it's hard to go wrong there. ;D A steak dinner, a power-sized
So far, I've been given one shirt, and it's an awesome shirt, deep blue with green stripes, but the size is extra large and my body isn't that big. I'm still wearing it anyway. It's one of the few times I'm impressed with the choice of clothing given as a present. :3
Anyway, Christmas is the time families come together and celebrate, that's what we've always done. It's quite a bit of fun. Of course, if things look a little bleak, it's a time of relaxation. It also puts me in a more giving mood when I have things to give. :3
I don't think I've ever lost my Christmas spirit, I don't plan to either. I love Santa Claus. With your situation, I'd just find a nice place to chill and enjoy the day. I'd like to just park somewhere and listen to the rain. =w=
Let's see... What else? Oh yeah!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PRAISE JESUS!!! biggrin
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:16 pm
I get stuff for christmas, I also send stuff out to friends and buy things for my family.
Christmas has beeen many things to me over time.
When I was little, it was a time when I got to eat nice stuff and get things. Which was great. And then have those things taken and pawned off by my father to buy drugs.
As I got older, christmas became a time to dread. It meant going to see "family" that hated my guts(and still does). Meant getting yelled at for things I didn't do, beaten for things like daring to speak at the table, etc. For a while, christmas was pure hell, as were all the holidays.
Then it became a time when my family could barely afford anything special. It was just my mother, brother and I. Still an improvement over years prior.
This year, we're actually doing pretty well. I spent almost all of my money buying my mom a new pistol and some practice ammo for christmas(her old one didn't fit her hands). She gave me her old one, since it works well for me and I'm almost old enough to carry legally anyway.
As for what I GOT this year:
From my mom-
New field knife(needed it badly for camping and hiking)
Pistol(my mom's CZ 52)
New shirt(dark blue/black denim buttondown, I like it)
Headphones
From others-
Box of trinkets and tasty homemade jam - from a friend
Giant tin of popcorn - from my half sister
What I gave others:
Polish P-64 pistol - to my mom
100rds 9x18 Makarov ammo - to my mom
1gb RAM - to my brother
various trinkets and a nice holster - to said friend
Considering I only asked for the knife, and spent every last cent I had, I'd say it evens out. Hopefully I have more work next year and can afford to buy bigger and better stuff for people.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:20 pm
all i got for this Christmas is toiletries and cloths that were about 4 sizes to big....
this tells me that my family thinks i smell and that im fat....
i really hate Christmas..... stare
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:38 pm
Cloths? Like a tablecloth? If you were given an uber big shirt, you can wear it with someone else at the same time. Go bonkers. :3
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Jafthasleftthebuilding Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:58 pm
I'll just go with what Garfield said. "It's not the giving. It's not the getting. It's the loving."
I just like spending Christmas with the ones I love, and feeling a part of a family through our holiday traditions. The presents thing just ties in to all that. It does mean something, but it doesn't mean everything.
I'm not sure why so many people place so much importance on the getting gifts thing.... But I also don't get why so many are so quick to say it's all about greed or being spoiled, either.
Christmas is a lot like Thanksgiving to me. It's not necessarily as much about what it's supposed to be about...it's just a time of togetherness and celebrating that togetherness. If you've lost the Christmas spirit then maybe you've just lost those who you've felt most close to. I'd say reconnect and let people in. I guess that's something that's easier to say than do or may not even be the issue, but...yeah.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:03 pm
Yeah, I know it's not about the giving gifts and such. So I place little to no importance in it. The dynamic in my family has changed since my siblings and I have gotten closer to adulthood. We're all over 18 now and I think we've hit the stage where we have to work to stay close... the only one I feel close to anymore is my mom because we're the only ones that actually have heart to hearts anymore.
Togetherness is pretty much all it's been about in the long run for me and this years it's just not here.
Maybe next year...
Thanks for actually putting some thought in this guys. I appreciate, working on my Grinchiness. hehe
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:05 pm
I pretty much knew what I was getting for Christmas this year since I'm going to college next fall (Don't know why we didn't do this for my birthday which is much closer) I got colletge things. Hangers, Sheets, silverware, dishes... ect. Felt more like a home warming party and less like Christmas. And I picked a little over half of the stuff out since I will be using it for a more than the next four years they wanted to be sure it was something I liked.
I did get a amazingly pretty fire topaz ring, some money for myself, candy (yum!) and earrings. I consider myself lucky and count my blessings.
My grandparents came over and we had a huge and declicious lunch and just talked and hung out.
Overall it was a good day. And on Sunday a group of my friends are coming over and we're finishing our secret santa ordeal so there's still plently of excitement left.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:45 pm
I can understand where you're coming from. I've gotten very conscious of the fact that I have enough stuff as is and if I need something or really really want something I can get it myself.
Also telling people what you want and sending them off to get it defeats the "gifting" aspect and being given random stuff that you don't want/need/have a use for makes for awkwardness and is not something I wish on people I care about.
So I only got a few things but they where good and useful. Some clothes only some of which counts because some I got while shopping myself. A game called Apples to Apples which I've been meaning to get for a while and I ordered a program I;ve been wanting.
The whole point for me though is ideally to spend some relaxed time with my family, watch movies, play video games, and talk.
Also the so called "Santa Clause" is really Saint Nicholas the greek bishop of Myra (Turkey) the patron saint of archers, sailors and children. ^_^
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:57 pm
As Waku and others have stated, it's not about the gifts. It's about the loving. Today, my family and I spent half of our day in the nursing homes of my grandmother with dementia and my great uncle who has a back problem. It was more about the being together as a family and really sharing the day.
As for presents, I only received a few bigger things. I got my new camera (needed desperately since I'm a reporter and not having a camera was horrible.), a new Sims game, a gift card to Barnes and Noble, and a pair of Celtic knot earrings. My whole family kept things simple and small. I mean, I love giving gifts. I spent about half of my money in the bank on christmas gifts and I don't mind it at all. I got these blue topaz earrings for my mom and yeah, I spent more than I should have, but seeing her face when she opened them was priceless and meant so much.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:21 pm
I'll paint you mornings of gold,
I'll spin you Valentine evenings...I got a card from my mom that made me cry. I want to blame it on my hormones, but what the card said had some truth to the current situation in my household: I'm growing up.
I've found that what I get and give is practical than luxury. What my dad doesn't is that, the CD I gave him, is a CD he bought for me 5 years ago. It's a band he likes and one that I no longer enjoy. So, why not?
Every holiday is when the tension in my family comes to head and it really wears on me because I try to keep the peace. I just end up getting in the way, but hey, at least I gave it a shot.
EDIT: Present-wise, I didn't get my parents anything besides a card. x3 My dad was nice enough to get my a** out of the fire by giving me a gift card he had gotten for my mom to give to her. I made four individual clues and made her hunt for the card (it was to See's Candy).
My mom got me two shirts and two pairs of pants, the Pixar movie UP, HP and the Half-Blood Prince, The Other Boleyn Girl (the book), Kite Runner (the book), Public Enemies (guess what...! the book!), The Legendary Starfy NintendoDS game, and a gift card to New York and Company's clothing store.
My dad got paid for the two classes I'm taking next semester, a gift card to GameStop, a certificate to the art store (so I can get supplies for school), an eBay gift card and statuette of a two-headed dragon to keep the bad dreams away (a long standing story between my dad and I). Though we're strangers till now,
We're choosing a path between the stars.
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Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 1:32 am
Kals is questing again!My family used to each give a gift to each other family member for Christmas, but as of last year we decided to only buy gifts for the children -- meaning my brother's two daughters. The couples decide if they're going to get things for each other. I am the only single person in my family which means I am not supposed to get any gifts for Christmas. My nieces gave me a bunch of shirts this year, which will be nice for my practicum.
I kind of miss hunting out the perfect gifts for my family members; I used to put a LOT of thought and effort into it. I still do with gifts for my nieces. My budget, however, appreciates only having to buy two gifts instead of six.
Actually the thing I REALLY miss about Christmas (and the entire Advent season really) is going to church. My work schedule was such that I didn't make it to church even once during Advent, and last year I stayed home and helped my niece make cookies for santa and hang her stocking instead of going to the Christmas Eve service. I miss the hymns and carols, the little kid singing "morning star" and the traditional Moravian beeswax candles. Check sig for details!
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Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 3:42 am
Pisces got the one thing he actually asked for: a cappuccino/espresso maker. >w< And of course plenty of chocolate. I'm pretty sure I'm going to open a coffee shop by the ocean somewhere. xd
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Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 1:55 pm
What does Christmas mean to you?
What Christmas means to me is a time to spend with my family, eat lots of food mostly food I don’t like a lot…but I don’t really mind(I don’t know hwy at this time of the year I have a big appetite for junk food like: pizza, hamburgers and all that, that is not Christmas food) I love eating all sorts of food, going to the mass in the nigh we are sort of a very catholic family or a very conservative one, receive presents from all my aunts and uncles and of course my parents. A time to spend money lol buying presents, and lately a time to spend with my family the only one along with summer to see my family.
Are you filled with Christmas spirit?
This year no I don’t know why maybe its those magic pills Im taking that have my kind of sedated.
What do you think of the above?
Its natural, it happens.
And this year I receive 0 PRESENTS
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