Your view on Christmas, and your age....

[actuarial]

My wife and I are non-religious, but both love Christmas.

We are FAR more excited about what we are getting the other than what we're receiving. I feel the same way with birthday gifts - I'm more excited on other's birthdays than on my own.

We don't do Christmas lists to each other. Usually we get either a) something we know the other wanted from earlier in the year but couldn't justify buying, or b) something we came across during the year that we're sure the other person doesn't know about, but would go buy immediately if they did.

I do dislike giving a list to my parents / siblings, as it feels like I have to figure out what they want to spend first. Getting something 'off your list' is basically the worst part of Christmas for me, but seeing family and giving gifts still makes it more than worthwhile.

 

[Udgnim]

extended family get together

I don't care about presents

age 27

 

[Homerboy]

Oh, and FWIW, I always loved Christmas when I was a kid up until I was about 16 or 17. After that, it just didn't seem the same though. Now, while I enjoy the traditions around the season, I mainly use it as a time to reminisce about Christmas when I was a kid as those times were awesome.

See that's the beauty of kids. You get to relive all that crap through them!

FWIW too, I will never EVER give cash as a Christmas present.

 

[ussfletcher]

This year is going to be kinda strange for me and my family. I just graduated and live in TX, my sisters are both attending VT in Virginia, and my Dad & Mom are in Okinawa, Japan since that's where he's stationed. My sisters are flying over there for C-Break but I'm staying here for work (me and my QCM went home for T-break, PM & supt get to go home for christmas) so it will be my first christmas alone. My girlfriend is working as well so she can't come out either.

I won't buy anything since I've got everything I need and as a single guy living alone I can afford to buy what I want or save up for it. I took care of my sisters by giving them cash since its liquidity gives it far more value to a college student than any gift. I've figured out my dad's gift, just have to buy it and mail it, same thing with my mom.

I guess I'll just build a festivus pole and stick it in my living room.

This post contains too many acronyms.

 

[rcpratt]

This post contains too many acronyms.

That's practically no acronyms compared to some of the crap I read at work.

 

[jiggahertz]

I'm 22.

I love Christmas, but only for the family time aspect of it. The tradition, going out for Chinese on Christmas Eve (yes, we're probably weird) and then going to church (I'm not religious, but I love xmas eve Church). Waking up and eating eggs benedict and junk food all day. Ham for dinner. Mmm.

I couldn't care less about the gift giving and receiving. In the past few years I have found myself needing or wanting absolutely nothing. I'll probably ask for some clothes this year, since I'm still building my work wardrobe and hate spending money on that. Other than that, I'll just ask for cash or gift cards, which I hate, but I'm not going to ask for something that I don't want. I think I lost my gift-receiving status from aunts and uncles after graduating college this year, though. Which is fine with me.

My family doesn't sound nearly as ridiculous as yours with the gift-giving, though. Giving gifts before Christmas, except in seriously special cases, is retarded. Shopping for next year's Christmas might be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. But I'm probably too logical.

My wife has done this with her parents for as long as she can remember, and since we've been together I have joined them. I thought it was weird when she first told me, but the place is packed.

 

[ponyo]

As a kid, I wasn't showered with gifts on Christmas like my friends. I was little envious of them. My parents bought me things throughout the year, no special day needed. We spent Christmas quietly as a family with very little gifts being exchanged. It was pretty much the same with all my relatives.

Now I'm in my mid 30s and with a family of my own. I shower my daughter with Christmas gifts. Half of the living room around the tree is usually covered with her presents. The only adults I buy gifts for are my wife and my mother. No other adults get any presents.

We have a rotating Christmas party at one of the relative's homes. All our extended families attend and bring presents for the kids. No presents for the adults. Kids have a blast opening presents while the adults watch. Christmas is for the kids and our job as adults is to make sure they have a fantastic experience.

Adults have agreed not to buy each other presents because of the pressure it brings. Some of my relatives are ultra wealthy so buying gifts for them would be extremely challenging. Likewise receiving expensive gift from them would make everyone uncomfortable since we can't afford to do the same. We all agreed it's best if each family only takes care of its own adults and just concentrate on the kids.

I look forward to Christmas just to see kids happy face and expressions and to spend time with my family and relatives. Plus the food is usually awesome.

 

[CPA]

I'm getting my daughter a horse for Christmas. I hate myself.

 

[amdhunter]

It'd probably be fun if I had someone to share gifts with. The last time I received a gift from anyone was when I took part of ATOT Secret Santa a few years ago.

Pretty much all I do is give my brother's wives money to buy stuff for their kids. It's always clothes too, so the kids end up not caring. I am usually invited to their Christmas celebration, but if I actually show up, I am totally ignored.

I still don't absolutely hate Christmas though. I'll usually light my dogs face up with a new squeak toy or something...lol

 

[Perknose]

Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.

For the rest of us!

 

[D1gger]

I actually have grown to hate Christmas.

I hate having to spend time with relatives I don't like.

I hate trying to put on a happy face and wish everyone a "Merry Christmas" when I would rather be at home watching football.

I hate buying gifts for people that have everything or I don't have the foggiest idea what they would like.

I hate taking my staff out for Christmas lunch and trying to make conversation about nothing.

I hate the commercialization of Christmas, and the entitlement attitude of people who all think they should receive a huge stack of gifts.

I hate that people think we should spend time together, simply because we are family, but the remainder of the year don't see or call each other.

I hate having to attend "open house" parties that we get invited to, don't want to go to, but have to make an appearance.

and most of all I hate Christmas music.

Baa Humbug!

 

[Perknose]

My Christmas memories from childhood are absolutely magical. Racing down the steps in the morning to that lit tree and presents, balsam incense burning in the chimeny of the "log cabin" holder, was thrilling.

As an adult, the Christmas Eve celebration at my church is still pretty cool.

Other than that, the magic is long gone. I've even stopped sending out Christmas cards, it became a laborious effort in fake cheer and futility.

Unlike most of my friends, I never wanted to grow up. All these years hence and I still don't. Christmas is for kids.

 

[h8red]

I totally agree. This year I told my family and my wife's family that I am not participating in the gift exchange. I don't want/need anything in the $15-$35 range that I wouldn't just buy myself. I just usually end up getting the in-laws some gift card anyway. What is the point? I just want Christmas to be about spending time together, not spending $$ together. Of course I get all the kids something because they are young enough that they don't understand.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I totally agree. This year I told my family and my wife's family that I am not participating in the gift exchange. I don't want/need anything in the $15-$35 range that I wouldn't just buy myself. I just usually end up getting the in-laws some gift card anyway. What is the point? I just want Christmas to be about spending time together, not spending $$ together. Of course I get all the kids something because they are young enough that they don't understand.

My mom has been giving my wife and I gift cards the past couple of years. I told her this year to save her money and no gifts are needed and we're not doing gift cards anymore either. In that scenario, we're basically just trading money so what's the point? Except it isn't even as flexible as real money because you're tied to a particular store/restaurant/whatever. Last year my mom got us gift cards to restaurants we don't like and had even mentioned to her earlier that we didn't like them. I don't expect gifts from anyone, but I was not happy with that.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Unlike most of my friends, I never wanted to grow up. All these years hence and I still don't. Christmas is for kids.

You are wise, my friend. I pulled out my old Commodore 128 (see sig) and hooked it up so I could play the games of my childhood. Christmas always makes me remember those times.

 

[Jeff7]

28

For quite a lot of years, the concept that came to mind with Christmas was "profitable." And indeed it was - many relatives would send gifts, and in time, just money, because no one else in my family knew anything about the stuff I liked (technology and computer things), and in return, they'd usually want a nice card, or even just visiting over Christmas. (My more immediate family's thing was "gifts exchanged should be of approximately equal monetary value," which mainly applied to my sister and I.)

I didn't do much with the decorations, and since living on my own, I've done no holiday decorating whatsoever. It just doesn't "do anything" for me. The closest I'd come anymore would be using what I now know about microcontrollers and make some kind of fancy lighting display. Actually doing that tends to be at odds with my inherent laziness though.

Concerning gifts, my gift-buying ability always sucked. I don't know what someone else wants, and I also don't want to have someone else spending perfectly good money on something for me that I don't really need. Sure there's thought and all that, but I really don't need 4 calendars each year. (Yeah, I get lots of calendars at Christmas - seems like the universal "I don't know what to buy you" gift.) So of course my pragmatism-gene would kick in sometimes, and I'd sometimes comment, "If we all don't know what to buy each other, why not just call it even and not do the gift exchange thing at all?"
I'm a really sentimental sort, I guess.

 

[Leros]

I haven't had a fun family feeling Christmas since I was about 12. I'm 22 now. I figure I'll enjoy it again once I start my own family.

 

[TallBill]

28,

I don't believe in Jesus or Santa. I don't like getting gifts, and I don't like being forced into giving gifts. I do like seeing all of my family though.

Felt this way about xmas for a long time.

 

[exdeath]

31, for me it's about time off work, sleeping in, hanging out with family, food and movies, and the excited kids that can hardly contain themselves.

The adults don't really do gifts expect for little token things like tshirts and license plate frames, etc. We already have everything else we want and don't have to wait for Christmas, and then we are talking big $1000+ purchases and not things that would be reasonable as gifts anyway. Though I did surprise my parents with a nice LCD for their PC one year when their 19" FD CRT started flipping out.

The black Friday thing pisses me off, it's a total exploit of people's competitive "oh noez somebody might get something that I won't" nature, and all it does is create chaos and obstacles for people like me that are better off staying home. The same thing as everybody buying out PS3s and trying to sell them on Ebay and people paying 3x more just so they can say they had their's first. There aren't even real deals half the time, it's just shit you can get any other time of the year. I can't stand competition. If I want something, I already have it, or I will order it and pay the extra $5. "Only 10, hurry!!!!!1!!!!1" and you walk in like a week later and there are 20 more on the shelf collecting dust for the same price... /facepalm

Marking a new product plays on that same fear. Notice how nothing... graphics cards, cell phones, game consoles, cars, NOTHING ever comes out anymore that isn't "in short supply" or "in danger of being sold out on launch day?". Never used to be like that until the last decade... you generate more hype and demand and a longer shelf life in the market when something is kept perpetually "hot" by keeping supply less than demand.

 

[rudder]

Well seeing that we have been bombarded by Christmas crap since September... and in some cases August... I am sick of Christmas. Retailers used to hold off until after Thanksgiving at least.

Then there are the in-laws. Last year I got frustrated because basically every one just swapped gift cards or cash. Now this year I think they are actually buying gifts... but they still call an ask for exact details of what to buy. I don't expect gifts from them for my children... it is a nice gesture... but the other 11.5 months out of the year these people make no effort to be a part of my children's lives. But we trod down there every Christmas eve anyway. The family christmas thing has turned into a chore.

 

[IronWing]

We put up tons of Christmas lights because we like pretty lights and they help prevent winter depression and we make lots of food. No gifts.

 

[shortylickens]

Big commercial scam. If people ever used this time to cherish their families I havent seen it in many years.

31.

 

[Kadarin]

I enjoy the Christmas season, but probably only because I've gotten everyone around me trained to not buy me anything, nor to expect anything from me. The only thing I really dislike about it are all the "keep the Christ in Christmas!!!1" idiots who post on Facebook and whatnot all the time. For me it's a way to celebrate the coming of winter (skiing!) and a great excuse to party with friends and spend time with family.

 

[vi edit]

Then there are the in-laws. Last year I got frustrated because basically every one just swapped gift cards or cash.

I'm the same way with birthdays too. My sister is a couple years younger than me. Her birthday is in early Jan, mine is at the end of Feb. It just seems like we pass the same $20 back and forth each year. Really, what's the point? I tried explaining that to my wife who was addressing the card and all I got was some string of mumbled profanities with the word "cheap" thrown in there.

*shrug*

 

[lxskllr]

I like the idea of Christmas, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Take away the commercialism, and the Christ it's still a pretty good season. Tree in the house, good food, good drink, and TV is entertaining for a month.