Are You In The Christmas Spirit?

(not a rant, btw – that’s why it’s here)

Are you? I’m not. Our housemate has decided that I must be a man in disguise because my overall attitude is just like her husband’s – namely, “Why bother? It’s only one freakin’ day so why would you bother trying to decorate and fight with lights and all that crap?”

SO and I have been married for 12 years. The last time we put up a tree or made any kind of a big deal about Christmas was the first year we were married before my mother’s ALZ ramped up. We’d moved in with her because her doctor said she could no longer live alone. The second or third year – I don’t remember – she destroyed most of our ornaments and such we’d stored under the basement stares during a marathon rummaging session. She destroyed a set of ornaments she’d been collecting for me since I was a kid. We found pieces of the (artificial) tree all over the house and garland draped over the dining room chandelier because she “had no idea what it was”.

We’ve never decorated since. If either of us were in a Christmas-y mood we always could live vicariously through our then-small nieces and nephews (my SILs always did a bang-up job with their decorating and such).

This year our housemate convinced us to at least buy a wreath or garland or so something to the mantel. I’ve got a collection of Christmas-related candleholders, so I put those out. The housemate is sewing stockings. The wreath never made it to the door because I couldn’t find the hook for it.

I don’t know…I hate sounding like an old fuddy-duddy because I always did love Christmas, but the older you get, the more it seems like a chore. I never thought I’d say that. Plus I’ve never been able to shake what my mother did to everything. Her anniversary, btw, was a couple of days ago.

The Christmas Spirit of today seems to be stress. I wonder if there really was some time in the past when most people went around in December full of extra cheer towards their fellow human beings? It’s a nice idea.

Long ago I decided I would only do the Christmas stuff I enjoyed doing. Which varies. I sing at Midnight Mass, I help decorate the church. I have a creche up that my daughter and I made out of clay when she was like eight. I seem to be writing a few cards to people I don’t see or talk to much. That is it. No tree, no gifts, no parties this year.

A nun gifted me with a little box of folded paper stars she made for me; I hung them in my window.

I am in the It is dark and rainy and I like to sit by the woodstove spirit. I kind of like Christmas but I don’t get all worked up over it. If I had small children that would be different.

We did a couple toy drives and helped out one charity that ran way short this year. And I’m getting to visit at least some family. So yeah - I’m feeling it. Even listening to the all Christmas music radio station a lot.

In the 10 years we’ve lived in this house, the sum total of our decorating was a wreath hung on the front of the house one time - and I only bought that because it was for a fund-raiser.

Frankly, since our daughter grew up and moved out on her own, I find it really hard to care. Last year I gave away all of my ornaments, and I’ve got 2 artificial trees that I meant to put on Craig’s List this year, but I forgot. We’ll be going to my brother’s for a family brunch and we’ll be doing a $10 goofy-gift swap. Honestly, other than that, I’d have been fine just hanging out at home.

It’s just not fun any more.

Being Jewish, lacking in Christmas spirit is normal for me, but this year my Channukah spirit is unusually low. I broke my foot and any kind of cooking is complicated, so cooking projects I normally look forward to are too difficult. I usually make candy, cakes, etc. to give as gifts so essentially there’s no presents this year, except the mittens I made for my nephew. My mom came over to visit and I lied and said I had put our channukiah* away because of the cat. In reality, it broke last year and I never replaced it.

I guess I’m going to my brothers for the last night. They’re very good cooks and I will enjoy eating some latkes and seeing everyone, but since I’m on crutches with a cast up to my knee, and they have a small, crowded apartment and two kids >5 + a dog underfoot, I’ll pretty much be sitting in one chair for the night. I’m kind of meh about the whole thing.

*A menorah is any candle holder. The special one you use on Channukah is called a channukiah.

A few years ago, some friends of mine and I took up the tradition of putting together bags for the homeless. We meet at someone’s home and whoever hosts provides the recyclable cloth shopping bags. Everyone brings some things to contribute: Scarves, hats, blankets, warm coats gleaned from Good Will, gloves, hygiene items, money, notepads, canned goods, dog treats, etc. We always include a printed list of services for the needy available in our area. We carry the bags in our cars to give to homeless folks we encounter throughout the year. I’ve met a lot of interesting and very grateful people by indulging in this practice.

We pool our funds and buy gift cards from the food markets to give to the local women’s shelter to disburse as they choose. They also appreciate our annual donation of time to help deep clean their facility. Always a fun few days.

At this time of year, I enjoy giving cashiers an extra $20 for the next person through the line and plugging a few extra quarters in the parking meter for whoever uses the space next.

Doing these little things puts me in the holiday spirit every time. I don’t decorate or bother with all that fuss, though it makes me smile to see the efforts of those who do.

Happy holidays to all!

I’m not in the Christmas spirit, but I intend to get some Christmas spirits in me tonight.

I’m a discount store cashier. You can take the Hanukah/Christmas spirit and shove it up your ass.

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: This is my favorite post so far.

I think I’ll go to a discount store today and hug a cashier.

Thanks, CheshireKat

Actually it’s not so bad, though I am very tired of counting gift bags and chocolate gelt (coins wrapped in foil). But we do get a lot of people buying toys for gift drives. I love the folks who go out and do the grunt work.

There’s just the two of us. No kids, no friends with kids, no one really to spend Christmas with. The house isn’t set up for guests, anyway. Every year I make a Christmas roast. The SO decorates by putting up a lighted wreath on the front door, and a wreath, her collection of nutcrackers, and any Christmas cards we may receive, over the fireplace (wood stove insert).

The SO was just laid off from her job. She thought she’d be safe, since the has a BSN and so many other people had been laid off. Unfortunately, that wasn’t so. (She did go to her company Christmas party yesterday though, and her boss knows everyone in the Nursing department of the school where she’d like to teach. Taught at least one of them.) I haven’t been skiing since my dad died over a decade ago, and I’ve been supporting the both of us for the past four years anyway.

So it’s very low-key here. I dream about winning the lottery and buying a helicopter and dressing up like Santa Claus to deliver toys to kids in a children’s hospital or someplace. That would put me into the Christmas spirit, doing something ‘magical’ for kids.

I do not fear the Red Jacket Man, for my Christmas is strong.

Ask me that again, and I’ll kill you.

More this year than in the past couple of years. We’re into our Christmas movie rotation, and before each movie, I play a seasonal song on the guitar, which we try to sing. It’s good for a few laughs. Neither of us get overly maudlin about the season, and we are far from being religious, but it’s good memories. We also don’t exchange gifts, so there is none of that pressure going on.

I like Aspenglow’s post, but I also like Annie-Xmas’ post, so, flip a coin.

I live by myself, and no one ever comes over, but I put up a small fake tree and a few decorations anyway. I enjoy watching Die Hard by the glow of the tree lights.

I decorate, eventually, whether the family wants to or not. Every year it’s a variation of the same, depending on what we find in which boxes until all the spaces and places are filled. When you walk in our door it’s like the Yellow Brick Road leading to the next thing and the next, except in green, gold and red. A Happy Holidays sign points the way because Tis the Season. The giant gingerbread boy gets propped up in a convenient chair. The long greenery and star garland frames the entryway between the front and back of the house, requiring my tall guys to hang it over, and maybe over again until I say it’s even. The santa and teddy bear music box carousels go on the top shelf of the corner cabinet. Snipped candle rings encircle the base of lamps. “Somebody” drapes gold garland across the window tops (You gonna do it now? You gonna do it now? When you gonna do it?) The Christmas tins come out to be filled with spiced gumdrops and too much chocolate. Husband and sons grumble if I send them back out into the garage to find The Last Important Thing We Can’t Do Without.

And as Christmas Eve approaches, if I’ve forgotten one single thing, somebody says something like “Well, where’s the Santa’s Workshop plaque?”

I haven’t done Christmas for the past 15 years. I grudgingly did Christmas for the 17 years I was married. Childhood Christmas was a farce. I’m so happy to be rid of it. And I avoid most of the canned music in stores by staying home.

Yesterday, however, my ears were assaulted by that blasted drummer boy. There is no escape.

Not yet. We just moved, which is exhausting. My husband isn’t in great health, and I had some health issues hit me like a truck this fall, so as much as I love Christmas, this isn’t the year, and I’m not sure when the year will ever come again.

Despite the fact that I’m Jewish-agnostic and don’t know the first thing about the Bible, I freakin’ love Christmas. Call me cheesy if you will, but it’s my favorite holiday by quite a long ways. Lights, trees, cookies, music, baking, fireplaces, presents . . . there’s a reason people in Northern regions have always had a big festival around midwinter - you need something to get you through it. Christmas is just the thing.

So yes. The Bing Crosby is strong in this one.