Bah Humbug!

[Jusdifferent]

I am non-Christian, as well, and I pretty much feel the same way. I have never liked X-mas. I hate the chaos, the crowds, the forced commercialism... *We moved back to the US from Canada this year, due to a job transfer. ( Yes, I miss it horribly - don't ask :-<) Our old neighborhood, back in Canada, was very largely non-Christian, and we both felt very comfortable there. Yes, there were Christians, but they minded their own business, by and large, and we all got along. Here, ( northern US prairies ), both Christianity, and Christmas is hugely "in your face". My husband has to constantly defend his secularism at work, and has faced a good bit of prejudice, because of it. In this uber-conservative, Christian community, we have been made to feel like freaks because of our refusal to participate in "Christmas activities". Neither of us ever liked Christmas, but now, we both pretty much hate it.

 

[Jusdifferent]

I try to help make a traditional Christmas for my Grandchildren.

I have a personal trauma or legacy related to the Christmas holiday and those memories override everything else. I do not decorate or participate in holiday activity if I can avoid it. My wife passed a few days before Christmas [a lot of years ago]; she loved "Christmas." The emotional strain on me is severe this season. In spite of the limited "emotionals" of being an Aspie.

I do not believe in "religion(s)." No, I am not an atheist. I believe there is a God or force in the Universe that makes 'life' exist and function. Just not a God like the one or ones in all the 'religions' that I am aware of.

Music: Since I do not believe in Religion, "Christmas" music is either of no interest or too silly. When I want to listen to music I depend on the MP3 library in my cell phone.

Here in The Republic Of North Texas, Winter begins at Christmas. I am 'heat treated' from decades of residing here and hate the cold. When the Cold turns solid and makes a coating of white slippery mess on the ground and on the roads it is even worse. This is another reason to not want to have anything to do with "Christmas": It is the start of the annual Eight Weeks Of Miserable Cold. Also it is the primary marker that Financial Events are about to Reset and all the fees [insurances; officialdom's licensing fees; other kinds of fees and charges that start over every year] that were paid and done with are about to be due again.

So "Bah!!! Humbug!!!" Indeed. I have met that guy with the bones for hands under his black cape, touched and tested the sharpness of the edge on the blade of his scythe several times: Combat in the war in which I was a participant; Again when I was scheduled to die from medical problems and was pulled back [Vivid dream of the check-in station on the way to "eternity." Plenty of time to look around. They called my name on the PA System to get my assignment for whatever is next and I woke up as I was listening to my name being called.]; a couple more times of holding hands with the guy in that black cape in all of my years. If I had a "Scrooge" encounter with that last ghost all I want is to read the dates on the gravestone so I can plan a little better.

I hear you <3 I've had some REALLY bad experiences around this time of year, as well. The "holidays" are just hard on a lot of us, and some folks don't get that :-<

 

[Jusdifferent]

'Humbug' means fraud or phony so I agree with the majority of it. Except I have a tradition of either reading the original Dickens work of A Christmas Carol or watching the Alastair Sim version of the movie. (The boy is Ignorance; the girl is Want.)
I find the forced frivolity a humbug. I find the overwrought sentimentality a humbug, but I have tended to see the good works done by altruistic people as more genuine as I grow older.

Although I don't like Christmas, at all, I would be very interested in seeing/reading that! ( The Sim version of Dicken's CC. ) I don't suppose you have a link?

 

[umbrellabeach]

I used to get so excited about Christmas when I was a kid and the season seemed to last a long time. Now it seems short and although I'm still excited for it (or just for presents?), it's not as intense as it was. Especially since I now have so many other demands, especially my stupid retail job (and of course we have to work a lot around the holidays). So it's kind of dulled. Even worse, when I am looking forward to it (or anything else for that matter), and the time finally comes for it, people manage to ruin or taint it one way or another.

I'm feeling particularly crappy right now because last night I went to a Michael W. Smith (my favorite childhood artist) concert that I'd been excited for and my experience wasn't as good as I'd hoped. My parents bought me a CD of his afterward, but for some dumb reason we couldn't find out the tracklists before buying, and I already had three of his albums... guess what, the one I got had mostly songs on albums I already had. And my parents bought his Christmas album but refused to trade with me. So I just gave them the other one. I managed to rip the Christmas one on my computer but now I associate negative feelings with it so idk if I want to keep it.
Mom said we could get me another one on Amazon, one where I'd actually KNOW what I was getting beforehand, but IT'S NOT THE SAME as one from a concert, you know?! I can get anything from Amazon anytime. Not so with a concert.

People ruin everything. Adulthood ruins everything. And I'm only 23.

 

[Walsie]

I am non-Christian, as well, and I pretty much feel the same way. I have never liked X-mas. I hate the chaos, the crowds, the forced commercialism... *We moved back to the US from Canada this year, due to a job transfer. ( Yes, I miss it horribly - don't ask :-<) Our old neighborhood, back in Canada, was very largely non-Christian, and we both felt very comfortable there. Yes, there were Christians, but they minded their own business, by and large, and we all got along. Here, ( northern US prairies ), both Christianity, and Christmas is hugely "in your face". My husband has to constantly defend his secularism at work, and has faced a good bit of prejudice, because of it. In this uber-conservative, Christian community, we have been made to feel like freaks because of our refusal to participate in "Christmas activities". Neither of us ever liked Christmas, but now, we both pretty much hate it.

What a hypocritical bunch of phonies. They should mind their damn business. People should mind their own business, period.

Winter Chrissy sucks, but winter sucks, period.

I go to church, maybe see a friend, send two people their cards end of November, and that's it. No obligations. Few slaughtered carols torture my ears because I live out in the boonies. Stopped buying pressies last century. Living in another country helps!

The last time I went to the West (Oz) for Chrissy, the commercialism was so bad, I grew mothballs instead of neurons; and once again was excluded by my siblings. After five years of not seeing them, I should have known better.

I wanted to run back to freezing Korea. Did I say I absolutely hate winter, snow and wearing seven layers of clothes?

My mother keeps asking me why I never see her at Xmas. I have to work. Semester doesn't finish until December's end. Thanks the good Lord for small mercies.

 

[Oleg Steptoe]

Although I don't like Christmas, at all, I would be very interested in seeing/reading that! ( The Sim version of Dicken's CC. ) I don't suppose you have a link?

The original novelette is in the public domain and can be downloaded from kindle or project Gutenberg for free

Christmas Carol, A (version 2)

There's a BBC audiobook podcast on Stitcher or prob. BBC.co.uk

Gutenberg does audio books too for free.

OK. Here's YouTube. It says 86 min. and it looks about right.