My family is too far away.

My friends understand me, we might go out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant, about all we would do.

My neighbors invite me for Christmas eve dinner, I bring a pie, or a bottle of wine, or something ordinary as a normal guest gift for such an invite, not a holiday related gift, and they don't care.

Christmas, a good time to watch 2 or 3 movies, take a good long outdoor winter walk, or just sleep in late.


Bah Humbug!

Relax and appreciate the ancient celebration of the solstice!

So I work for charity wrapping presents Christmas Eve and recover on Christmas day, although I always buy the dog a present. I used to give big Christmas eve dinners for my family and friends, but my parents died and my siblings spend more time with their in-laws or live across country and most of my friends don't drive at night or live in another state.

We all find our own way to enjoy life.

Between the tacky jeebus trinkets and the "war" on Christmas, by December 26th I'm ready to stab myself in the eye with a fork. Not to mention the crass consumerism, asshole drivers and nightmare customer service experiences.

I wouldn't mind at all if it just went away...

The Cat Christ plate started as a spoof-vertisement in the British comedy magazine Viz.

But according to Wiki, the spoof became a real product and was actually sold for a while:

Recently, Viz actually manufactured some of these items for real and sold them, including a china plate depicting "The Life of Christ...In Cats", featuring tacky pictures of a cat in various stages of Jesus's life, and the Elvis Presley Dambusters Clock Plate of Tutankhamen, a clock featuring Elvis in the style of Tutankhamun's death mask in addition to Avro Lancaster bomber planes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIZ#Spoof_advertisements_and_competitions

I'm crushed. I would proudly hang that sucker on my living-room wall and watch the reactions.

Maybe LeftishBrit or Mr. Blur can keep an eye out for us at the "boot sales" over there in Blighty!

That plate is full of awesome.

the "Elvis Presley Dambusters Clock Plate of Tutankhamen"!

There are hardly any dogs. It's a bleak world.

The saccharine frenzy and hype over nothing good makes me ill. Ironically, if that plate was really available, it would probably be under many Christmas trees.

at least here in the US.

I will buy a few presents for my kids and give bottles of wine to a few friends. I'll have the kids over (well, one of the two already lives with me), my ex may come over, we'll hang out, cook, eat, talk and laugh.

I really enjoy the day. It is a great excuse to go nowhere and just do only what we want. I share the disdain for the commercialism, the rude people & bad driving/heavy traffic. I do all that I can to avoid it.

I will take refuge here in the AA forum, avoid TV and do what little shopping I do on-line.

Julie

I love the spirit of giving.




And I encourage any and all to give to me.




I always take the week off between xmas and new years and just relax. We'll go to a party or two during December but only if there's beer. My daughter will ask for the video games I guide her to and then we play xbox and PS3 until our fingers bleed and then go watch movies.


It would not hurt my feelings if Florida got a little colder for that week though. At least, on the day I don't go play golf.

I also actually like a lot of christmas music - even the religiously inspired songs. As much as I like metal, I can't stand christian metal but I love some christmas music.

And Grinch. Ahh the Whos down in Whoville...

I thought cats were the devil's familiars.


Must be why I love them.

This year we're setting up the weekend before Thanksgiving so we (okay, just me) can enjoy the decorations longer. My wife bought me a third tree during a post-season sale last year, so now we have three: one for traditional ornaments, one for ornaments we've picked up on vacation, and one for weird ones. Light-up yard deer, lights on the eaves, wreaths on every window.

And not a single religious icon in the mix!

My wife and I are both atheists, but we both still love Christmas and the season in general. This year will be our first year back home for Christmas in 3 years, so it'll be extra special for us.

My child may come up for a couple hours. She eats w/her dad's family. Hubby is electrical engr by training, loves to put up lights.

Can't get friends from city to come see us. No gas money, working, no reliable car.

Hubby's sons are busy working, or too far away (tulsa) with no reliable car. got nothing to talk to the younger one about. He only cares about heavy metal & fantasy movies and black t shirts.Highschool dropout who works at walmart.

The one that works and makes good money spouts anti-obama bullshit and can't understand why I am mad at him for spreading lies. He's naive & almost 40 but quite immature --raised by a stupid fundie mother. I stopped communicating w/him in June. His girlfriend is a Dem but can't understand critical thinking either and defends his stupidi
ty.

Last t-giving I was in OKC sitting on a stool in kitchen cooking. Panting violently when ever I got up & moved a few steps. Made dressing, sweet potatoes w/marshmallows & choc cheesecake pie. Didn't get to enjoy it. Went to ER at 7 pm, had pulmonary emboli (blood clots in lungs) & uncontrolled diabetes, either of one would have killed me within 24 hours.

My folks are dead, I am an only surviving child w/no nieces or nephews.
Not expecting any guests on t-giving or xmas due to above reasons.

On my fence I will put up my posters: Isaac Newton, christmas baby, and AXIAL TILT IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON w/my beautiful painting of the earth and sun and the 23-1/2 degree tilt of the axis.

I didn't know anybody. My only contact was when I went back to my family's house at the holidays or just for a visit.

Hang in there, ok?

I no longer work retail; and my new job gives us the week off between Xmas and New Year's with pay. Now if I didn't have to endure my family it would be a "christmas miracle."

My last holiday shopping season in retail (2010) a nice customer gave me a card w/a little candy cane taped to it. I like candy canes and I was trapped behind the register so I took it and thanked her. When the line died down I read the card... Did you know it's a "J" not a cane? (You know, "J" for Jesus) And the red stands for his blood and the white for purity (or something like that)?

tasty blood and purity

I should've held onto the pamphlet...it makes for endless entertainment. That reminds me, I need to stock up on my blood & purity sticks...

Cry Havoc! and let slip the cats of Christ

with hand-crafted traditional germanic fleigenpilz like these:

But I think that will have to wait until I can move out. Which can't happen soon enough....