Good god I cannot stand this holiday.
I don't hate it but it kinda sucks everybody just assumes you celebrate it too. Or forget that Christmas can bring shitty memories back to some people. Or the whole extra focus on consumerism. It's like that video "Santa hates poor kids" or something. You're setting up some pretty bad expectations right off the bat if you're not careful. We each got one gift for Eid Al Fitr. We were fully aware that our mom was buying it for us, and that it deviated from the norm because it was something expensive, and to appreciate that. I know some people celebrate Christmas the same way, though, so that's good.
I don't really like the Christmas holidays either. The whole season is so shallow and... mechanized. I won't complain about getting gifts, but it bothers me that we're expected to get each other stuff. Even when the person we're buying for doesn't "need" anything, we still buy him stuff because that's just what we're expected to do (Why buy people gifts for Christmas anyway? For Jesus?). So yeah, definitely the consumerism. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with Christmas (Why not buy loved ones gifts for Christmas?), but everyone going on autopilot spoils the whole season.
Mechanized. That's a great word for it. Or maybe just 'industrialized?' It's an 'economic' event now, rather than a spiritual or emotional one. The few gifts I bought this year, I bought irregardless of price. I bought them with a clear intention of making directly better the life of someone dear to me.I don't really like the Christmas holidays either. The whole season is so shallow and... mechanized.
This. I bought gifts for people when I knew exactly what I wanted to get them before hand and when I had an exact reason to get them that thing. If I didn't have those feelings about someone, that person didn't get anything. Of course, that meant that there were a lot of people in my life that didn't get anything. I don't mind, either.I bought them with a clear intention of making directly better the life of someone dear to me.
I'm with you. Luckily I'm staying with my dad (my mom is still in my hometown because of work things for her, so is staying with a former neighbour. plus my dad and I are in a hotel because the house they are building isn't livable yet) who isn't into xmas either. In fact, 3/5 of my family dislike xmas, and my brother is only into it because his wife is like, 100% xmas. The big problems for me are the consumerism for consumerism's sake, and what I call the "Enforcement of joyfulness".
I enjoy Thanksgiving far more. An 8k Turkey Trot to start the day, then I can gorge myself on food and football the rest of the day. That's it, no bullshit presents or overplayed songs.