# How excited about Christmas are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752 "2011-10-25T17:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/21 "2011-10-25T18:53:16Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I voted sort of neutral. Which really makes me sad, actually. I have always adored Christmas. > My daughter would say my house looks like it vomited Christmas (she has a way with words), but not this year, probably. Maybe. > > My mother is gone, my small family lives too far away to come for dinner. All the reasons I love it, are gone. ☹ > > But, in spite of what I just said, I’m going to try very hard to love it again. Cause I want to. I need a plan though. I can relate. We went from huge family gatherings down to about half that number and then down to…three. I almost had a Blue Christmas. But then decided to have our big dinner on Christmas Eve. The next morning we shared gifts (a few of them extra thoughtful to make it “mo’ betta”) then we cooked a fantastic Christmas breakfast. Later we went to a movie. I was surprised how many people were there. That evening we ate great leftovers, had a couple drinks with carols playing, and started a puzzle. It wasn’t awful. We made it. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/22 "2011-10-25T18:58:36Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Extremely excited, but only because I’ll be in Vegas and getting married the day after. 🙂 Oooh you’re so lucky! Where? How? (I got married there in August.) PM me if you want so not to hijack the thread. Back on topic: I hate Christmas. I’m even a Christian. I hate the materialism, the expectations, people lying to their kids about Santa Claus, and generally all the stress of “the holidays”. I think it comes from my “previous life” when I made minimum wage - I’d finally have my ass out of debt in November then BAM! Christmas presents had to be bought, goodies had to be baked, etc. etc. and I’d be right back in the hole. Then there was that Christmas many years ago when I was with a then-boyfriend and I woke up on Christmas morning to an empty stocking and no presents. After busting my ass to make sure he and his son each had a stocking and presents to open. Something snapped in my mind that morning and I’ve hated Christmas ever since. I can’t even fake enjoying it, it’s that bad. I usually spend most of December curled up in a ball on the couch trying not to have an anxiety attack. Hey, you asked…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/23 "2011-10-25T19:09:29Z")
Pretty excited. [My favoriest TV show](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p68h5QAbvPk) is already advertising a Christmas episode (yay!) and today we finally got the animated deer we tried all last November-January to find without success. Yes, the deer are tucked away now because there’s a (lighted) corpse digging itself out of the garden where they’ll stay, but still, Christmas is already on my radar. I love both Halloween and Christmas, though, so I’m not the type to complain about too early or too soon. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/24 "2011-10-25T19:13:24Z")
I have to say “ambivalent”, which is different from neutral, because it involves pretty definite but conflicting feelings. On the one hand, I loved Christmas as a kid and I still feel good about it, but I also tend to dread the extra demands it places on me in December. So I sort of switch between the “before” and “after” Scrooge. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/25 "2011-10-25T19:14:17Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > One of my earliest childhood memories was of my drunk father throwing our still wrapped presents down the steps, making sure to break them all. I remember another time when he kicked in a door on Christmas. One of my sisters is actually suicidal around Christmas and every year, increases her visits to her shrink during the holiday period. > > Chirstmas has always been a bleak, black time for me and I spent most of my life hating it. Plastic trees bug me and it seems perverse to cut down a living tree, cover it with crap, put it in your house and then just throw it away, etc. etc. > > BUT, my wife didn’t have my childhood and actually likes Christmas, so I have made an effort over the years to get into the spirit for her. We have a tree and (this is key) we spend Christmas with her family, who are much much nicer people than my parents and I get one night during the holiday to get drunk, eat bad junk food and watch Bad Santa with my wife. > > All these efforts have enabled me to climb up one click from the very bottom of your poll. Ever heard the country song, “Daddy, Please Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas?” I lived it, too, madmonk28. For years, approaching holidays made me really nervous. But after I got out and set up house, I started thinking about how I wished things could be. And slowly (scared) started making some of it happen. It’s great that you have your wife’s family to celebrate with. Weird how some other people actually DO have traditions and enjoy themselves, huh. I’m really glad you’re not Bah-humbug about it. And even tho you might still feel “not really a part of it,” I bet that after dinner, when you’re sitting with the guys in front of a football game, you look just fine to them. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/26 "2011-10-25T19:16:42Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > Aw. That’s too bad. I think you’re right - you will feel better with a plan. You need something new. Don’t try and make the exact same Christmas you used to love and end up disappointed that you can’t recreate that same magic… Maybe just pick the parts of it that were the best and inject some exciting new traditions into it! Maybe your new tradition is an exotic vacation! Maybe it’s volunteering or celebrating with a friend whose family is also far away. I hope you find your magic! \ I’m working on finding ways to make Christmas something enjoyable again. The overindulgence and materialism is doing nothing for me at all. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/27 "2011-10-25T19:22:39Z")
I’m pretty excited. We’re having the whole fam-damily at our house: my parents and brother and niece, his parents and brother, at least 4 (and hopefully all 5) of the kids, plus any assorted “strays” who want to join us. We’ve decided to have the big “do” the day after Christmas, so that the older kids can have Santa with dad, and still come join the fray. The baby will be 21 months, which is a great age for her to enjoy all of the excitement, but too young to care whether Santa shows on the 25th or the 26th. (And this way, her paternal grandfather can come see her on the actual day, if he wants to, without any awkwardness.) Last week, Mom and I were discussing menu, and I remembered a good idea I had at a couple of previous holiday open houses: soup party! Warm, simple, filling, and easy on the hostess, plus available for drop-ins and staggered eating schedules (since travel plans aren’t nailed down yet for the brothers nor the oldest kids.) Right now, it’s my traditional holiday breakfast (eggs Benedict, homemade cinnamon rolls, fruit) and oyster stew, chili, potato soup, homemade breads (cornbread, Mom’s biscuits, and yeast loaves,) and desserts, including pecan and pumpkin pies. Easy and yummy! Just ordered a few gifts off Amazon, since they were marked down a lot… and found a few others last week (good sales again - mostly piddly stocking stuffers, but those are also necessary.) Kind of can’t wait. The only reason I voted for option two instead of “giddy as a schoolgirl” is that I’m kind of dreading the extra household chores and shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/28 "2011-10-25T19:24:09Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Oooh you’re so lucky! Where? How? (I got married there in August.) PM me if you want so not to hijack the thread. Lucky to have the bride, but planning the wedding in Vegas didn’t take any luck at all really. 🙂 I’m not sure how to answer the “how” part of your question! Anyway, I expect this will mean I’ll be particularly excited about Christmas every year from here on out. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/29 "2011-10-25T19:26:09Z")
I don’t celebrate it but I do enjoy the campy Rankin Bass Christmas specials and the fact that I’m more likely to see Home Alone…so I suppose it’s a good thing overall. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/30 "2011-10-25T19:36:09Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I have to say “ambivalent”, which is different from neutral, because it involves pretty definite but conflicting feelings. On the one hand, I loved Christmas as a kid and I still feel good about it, but I also tend to dread the extra demands it places on me in December. So I sort of switch between the “before” and “after” Scrooge. This is pretty close to me too. I want to like Christmas, but it also worries me. Not so much financially, but when the family gathers, there’s bound to be tension. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/31 "2011-10-25T20:08:45Z")
Humm - I have to say I’m a bit surprised that anyone chose the: > [@](#): > > I don’t celebrate Christmas and even this poll pisses me off, you stupid bitch. option (but only a bit). However, I see the poster’s name is **poker in the rear** so perhaps this person has other problems to deal with - specifically the poker up their ass. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/32 "2011-10-25T20:18:30Z")
What, right now? It’s _October_, ffs. Let me get through Halloween, put up the inflatable turkey, and look through a few magazines for recipes that sound awesome but our families would never eat before we start talking Christmas, please. After Thanksgiving, I’ll be bouncing around in antlers and baking cookies with the best of them, but not right now. > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I voted sort of neutral. Which really makes me sad, actually. I have always adored Christmas. > My daughter would say my house looks like it vomited Christmas (she has a way with words), but not this year, probably. Maybe. > > My mother is gone, my small family lives too far away to come for dinner. All the reasons I love it, are gone. ☹ > > But, in spite of what I just said, I’m going to try very hard to love it again. Cause I want to. I need a plan though. I agree with **Elret** about not trying to recreate your past Christmases; you most likely couldn’t recreate them even if your mom hadn’t passed and the rest of the family lived right next door, because we’re all changing, all the time and that inevitably brings changes to when and where and how we celebrate holidays. What you have to do is what you would do anyway if all your family was still around: find the core meaning of what you do, and find a way to honor it while working within the framework of the changing reality of who you are and what your lives are like. You’ve been through this before. Christmas when you were a teenager likely wasn’t the same as it was when you were a pre-schooler, and it was different again when you became an adult and left home, then you got married and it changed again, and if you had kids it changed again and again and again as they grew up. You got through all those changes just fine–Christmas being different didn’t ruin it. This change won’t ruin it either. I like to think of times like this as my _Lilo and Stitch_ holidays–they might be little, they might be different, they might even be broken. But they’re still good. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/33 "2011-10-25T20:22:29Z")
This will be my first Christmas since losing my mom. I’ll be going home to spend Christmas with my grandmother (my mom’s mom). I’ll be glad to see my granny but I dread Christmas this year. I’m going to have to pretend for several days that I’m totally ok because if I’m upset, it’ll just upset my granny, and she’s too old to have her nerves shot any more than they have been this year. So yeah. NOT looking forward to Christmas. I’d fast forward the year to January if I could. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/34 "2011-10-25T20:34:18Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > So yeah. NOT looking forward to Christmas. I’d fast forward the year to January if I could. Ever notice that kids can’t wait for December 25, but adults can’t wait for December 26? OK, now I’m starting to get psyched for it. Not the Christmas specials, or the presents, or the endless renditions of Jingle Bells, but sitting around the dinner table with my family, laughing until my dad turns red as a beet, playing cards with my nieces, and eating tons of Chex mix. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/35 "2011-10-25T20:37:24Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > What, right now? After Thanksgiving, I’ll be bouncing around in antlers and baking cookies with the best of them, but not right now. Yah, I suppose being in Canada with our Thanksgiving in early October it makes things a bit different. Really, after Halloween and Rememberance Day it’s pretty well just a rush into X-mas. Of course, I’m an X-mas spaz (I LOVE it) so I would probably out of control even if I did live in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/36 "2011-10-25T20:44:33Z")
Used to be xmas season started after Thanksgiving. Then it started after Halloween. Now the stupid thing starts after fucking Labor day. Soon July 4th will be the start. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/37 "2011-10-25T20:46:25Z")
I am a huge fan of Christmas - but it is a bit early. I want to enjoy Fall for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/38 "2011-10-25T20:46:37Z")
I’m unexcited by Christmas, and a little bit pissed about the whole thing. There are too many holidays grouped together, then nothing until spring. Christmas should be moved to the middle of winter to break up the depressing monotony. That said, I’ll celebrate it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/39 "2011-10-25T20:47:37Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > …eating tons of Chex mix. Chex Mix! _Yes_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752/40 "2011-10-25T20:50:56Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Chex Mix! _Yes_. Or as my BIL calls it, scrabble. And egg nog, kringle, cookies, and horrible horrible ribbon candy. > [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](#): > > I’m unexcited by Christmas, and a little bit pissed about the whole thing. There are too many holidays grouped together, then nothing until spring. Christmas should be moved to the middle of winter to break up the depressing monotony. I think we should move the 4th of July to the middle of winter. A day of summer weather would be great! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-excited-about-christmas-are-you/600752.md?page=3)