It has begun ... (annual Christmas rant thread)

[Sefiru]

By now I'm pretty used to stores putting out their Christmas stock the day after Halloween.

However, my coworkers have already put up decorations in the office. At this rate, I'll be heartily tired of Christmas by the time it actually arrives. *sigh*

Anyway here's a thread for the most "wonderful" time of the year. I would like Christmas more if there were less of it.

[ehbowen]

Anyway here's a thread for the most "wonderful" time of the year. I would like Christmas more if there were less of it.

In the United States, we're supposed to have Thanksgiving. Remember that? No one else does, either.

In the Christian religions, Advent normally begins four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. That's plenty of Christmasing, as far as I'm concerned.

[Yei]

By now I'm pretty used to stores putting out their Christmas stock the day after Halloween.

However, my coworkers have already put up decorations in the office. At this rate, I'll be heartily tired of Christmas by the time it actually arrives. *sigh*

Anyway here's a thread for the most "wonderful" time of the year. I would like Christmas more if there were less of it.

Honestly, there are some parts of Christmas that I loathe, and yet other parts which I like. Interestingly, the extent to which I like/do not like a particular event is directly related to its overt Christian religiosity and/or naked consumerism. Obviously, I'm not fond of Christmas carrols, or Christmas movies which teach the 'true meaning of Christmas.' And I have come to dislike excessive gift giving. Not because gift giving is bad (I like the idea), but because so much of it is based on buying worthless bits of plastic. I'm not sure if anyone else feels this way, but I look back on all the crap I used to get for Christmas and I wonder if I really needed it. Not all of it of course. There were some wonderful and thoughtful gifts (especially as I got older). But I'm sure that I didn't need half of what I was given, or more.

On the other hand I love the colours that come out around Christmas. I like the parties, the feasting, the way people begin to renew themselves. And I always enjoyed decorating the Christmas tree. Interestingly, all activities that have a place in my religion. There is an irony in that, somewhere.

[Eastling]

By now I'm pretty used to stores putting out their Christmas stock the day after Halloween.

I wish we'd gotten to wait that long to put out Christmas stock at my workplace. I got up at 6am on October 15th to help put out all the ornaments.

I was not impressed.

[PerditaPickle]

In the United States, we're supposed to have Thanksgiving.

I always wondered what Thanksgiving was like.

I wish we'd gotten to wait that long to put out Christmas stock at my workplace. I got up at 6am on October 15th to help put out all the ornaments.

I was going to say, some of the stores here had Christmas stuff out well before Halloween, too.

I could live with it if they at least waited until after Halloween and Guy Fawkes (which is 5th November).

[Sefiru]

I always wondered what Thanksgiving was like.

Canada's is in October (and on Monday; why the US has theirs on Thursday is beyond me). In my experience, it's a family dinner writ large; there are traditional foods and such, but not really any other activities associated with it. (Individual families might have them though.)

[Sefiru]

Obviously, I'm not fond of Christmas carrols,

Oddly, I much prefer religious carols over the secular Christmas songs. The latter often seem superficial and part of the commercialized 'Presents Day' part of the holiday that I really dislike.

I do enjoy the chance to decorate a tree and put up All The Sparkly Things. But that's not happening until after my birthday (mid-December). When I was younger we put up the tree on Christmas Eve, and left it up until New Year's Day. Only seeing it for a short time made it more special, I think.

[Darkhawk]

Oddly, I much prefer religious carols over the secular Christmas songs. The latter often seem superficial and part of the commercialized 'Presents Day' part of the holiday that I really dislike.

Also the music is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

Traditional religious carols have gravitas, often vocal harmony, quality actual music.

(Also if you get me drunk and angry in December you have a 50% chance of getting me loudly and vengefully singing Adeste Fideles.  I... can't remember quite what got me on this the first time it happened but I think it was something about laughable historical inaccuracies.)

[Eastling]

Also the music is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

Counterpoint: "Fairytale of New York."

[PerditaPickle]

Oddly, I much prefer religious carols over the secular Christmas songs. The latter often seem superficial and part of the commercialized 'Presents Day' part of the holiday that I really dislike.

Me too - I feel a bit odd singing the religious ones, but I do prefer them.  Maybe it's just a bit of nostalgia from when I was small and stuff, I'm not sure.

I do enjoy the chance to decorate a tree and put up All The Sparkly Things. But that's not happening until after my birthday (mid-December). When I was younger we put up the tree on Christmas Eve, and left it up until New Year's Day. Only seeing it for a short time made it more special, I think.

Happy birthday for mid-December!

My husband's family apparently always waited until after his sister's birthday in mid-December to put the tree and that up, too.

I can't remember what we used to do when I was a kid but as an adult I've tried to recapture the magic of childhood Christmases by putting the tree up the first weekend in December, but I like to take it down again as soon after New Years day as possible to regain a sense of lovely clear space in the living room.

(This year our place has gotten into a dreadful mess which I don't have spoons to deal with so I can't see the sense of putting up the tree quite so early as that but I'll see how I feel once December is here.)

By the way my husband was just telling me that every time someone mentions the C word in November Santa executes an elf!  Poor elves...

Edit because typo

[Aisling]

Counterpoint: "Fairytale of New York."

This is one of the few contemporary Christmas songs that I actually like.  I'd add Love Spirals Downward's version of "Welcome Christmas" and Jackson Browne's "Rebel Jesus" to that very limited list.

I'm much more likely to listen to traditional carols, mostly out of pure sentimentality.  My dad used a songbook of traditional Christmas carols to teach me how to read music when I was very young and those songs still are near and dear, even if the message they deliver is not.

[Kylara]

Anyway here's a thread for the most "wonderful" time of the year. I would like Christmas more if there were less of it.

Our stores had Christmas stuff out WAY before Halloween...it's bonkers.

I actually love Christmas.  I adore Christmas music of all kinds (I could probably listen to it all year round...I only play it out loud in December though, because otherwise I think hubby might loose it lol).  I think, for me, it comes back to happy childhood memories.  We always played Christmas music while decorating the house and holiday break always meant playing games and solid family time. 

I miss decorating.  I try to, but we have no space for a tree (and three cats who would love to play with it), so mostly I settle for garlands high up on the curtain rods, and non-breakable ornaments hung from the kitchen cabinet handles (we have a set of neat metal animal cutouts that I love hanging)

I definitely think that gift giving can be excessive, and it can also be great.  My friends like giving good gifts, as in gifts people actually want.  My Pagan friends often craft stuff to give, which is awesome, or give consumable things that are useful as well as lovely.  I adore giving gifts, I like finding things that I think people will really like.  It's sometimes an excuse for me to buy things that I think are neat but I personally don't like (I don't do a lot of girly stuff personally, but I have two close friends who are into lots of girly things, so I buy makeup related stuff for them)

[SunflowerP]

Anyway here's a thread for the most "wonderful" time of the year. I would like Christmas more if there were less of it.

Host note: For those who want to rant or rave more specifically about music, the traditional 'Christmas songs you hate' and its 'antidotes' counterpart will still be posted this year - but I'm not putting them up until December !

That doesn't mean you have to refrain from mentioning music in your rants in this thread, or anything like that; just that this thread isn't replacing those threads.

Sunflower

[goblin-queen]

Anyway here's a thread for the most "wonderful" time of the year. I would like Christmas more if there were less of it.

Well said!

What really gets my goat...my Yule goat if you will Is how freakin' commercialised it all is! I was in Liverpool St station yesterday and there was this *huge* Christmas tree, I thought 'aw that's nice' but when I got closer it was covered in perfume boxes.

But what really sticks in my clack is companies using Santa Claus in adverts. I'm looking at you Coca Cola.

[Dynes Hysbys]

By now I'm pretty used to stores putting out their Christmas stock the day after Halloween.

It started in August in my local shops.

Why why why do live bands insist of playing Christmas music as a slow dirge?  There was a brass band playing even the up tempo stuff at half speed this afternoon. I have now vowed that I am going nowhere near a shop until at least the middle of January.