I think I am turning into Mrs. Scrooge.. Normally, I am a happy, healthy and giving/generous person however, the older I get, the more I am feeling more resentment around Christmas due to the fact of, the obligation to give a gift is making me feel some resentment, because, I GIVE ALL FRICKIN YEAR on my own without a reason.. now because its December, there is pressure for more gift giving..
maybe I'm cheap...maybe my perspective is skewed..maybe I need an attitude adjustment which can be re-focused by 3 weeks beside a pool and a cabana boy bringing endless pina colada's..
yea, that's it, I need a holiday.

I don't think its wrong to feel like that at times. You grow up waiting for Santa Claus to come.. then one day YOU are Santa Claus.. and yes, ALL YEAR long.

Even Santa needs a break from it at times.

tis the season to be Jolly.....fa la la lah lah la la lah lah.....

It is sad when people forget the reason for the season.

... I decided that I am going to be lighthearted and happy this Christmas...no money..a lot of family issues..a unpredictable future...all the haters...yup...I am going to flush all that mental anguish where it belongs...So tis the season...and I will spend it focused on the little thing that matter...like peace on earth...good will to mankind...and let's not forget...Christmas lights!!!!!...love the pretty glowing colors in the snow..

try to stop and count my blessings
I have a little fake tree but at least it's a tree
perhaps my gifts beneath are modest but they are given with love
I will bake the boys favorite goodies that remind them of being little
I will laugh and play with my grandson

We give all year long and then comes a season when we have to share with love.Its ok I guess its ok if one ends up wondering if all the other giving was without love or if we gave not for the sa
ke of giving but for something else.Even I end up thinking if maturity is bringing out the scrooge in us rather than it was the other way around.God bless you.....

And what exactly is the "reason for the season"?

So ... why no stop the Christmas pressies and just have a nice time with family? Do a nice dinner and enjoy each other's company.

I haven't had money for proper Christmas pressies for a number of years. I'm happy if I can get a few small things together. My kids don't mind in the slightest. They come to spend Christmas with me because they love me, not because they want pressies.

I understand there's somewhat more pressure on it in the States and Canada and the UK, but bleep it, it's your money, your life, your choice innit?

Sadly I feel the same RustyKitty. To me it is just more and more commercialized. We start seeing Christmas decorations in stores before Halloween. The outside pressures to give, give, give increase every year.
I am buying very little this year. My daughter in law decided to make, and I think that is a great idea and has more meaning. It will still involve purchasing supplies but I think it will all mean more.

Thinking about this ... I think it becomes far easier to put things in perspective when you

- haven't got much to spend (and you can decide to not spend so much if you do have money to spend): Explained below.

- kind of withdraw from society as much as possibly. For me this means: Don't watch tv and certainly skip commercials. Don't listen to the news, or once a day at most.
That sort of thing. We are all caught up in this loop and commercialism is a BIG part of that.

I don't watch telly, so I don't see any commercials, I try to avoid listening to news -even on the radio-, because it gets you connected to these energy fields of fear, anger, resentment.

The inner peace and tranquility I experience since I started doing that is phenomenal. It does not mean sticking your head in the sand. I am aware of what is going on in society and the world, you still receive that stuff one way or another. And I acknowledge it. I just choose to not get sucked in by all that negativity, commercialism, greed, fear etc etc.
Makes the quality of life a helluva lot better!

This is also related to money. I have little to spend, I'm not keen on shopping, prefer online shopping. Meaning I am hardly exposed to advertisements, commercial stuff at all.
The difference when you do have money to spend: you probably go shopping regularly, and because you have money to spend, you tap into that stream of "What's out there?!" "What's the new fad that I have to have?!"
I don't care about the "must haves" and "fads" cos I can't buy them anyways.
Meaning I also don't have to tap into that commercialized stream.

Now I don't like not having much to spend, but I gotta say that it's nice and tranquil to not have to keep up to speed with fads, commercialism etc.
Very little 'disturbances' in my energy field.
And then you find out that it's all a load of b*||cr@p anyway. You're not missing out on anything much.

I love the holidays. Santa Goof will never be a grinch!

I want to back to the old days when for Christmas we recieved knittened slippers,mitts,scarves and touques. You gave and recieved what you needed or what you made. And if you were really lucky, maybe even a candy cane that you treasured.
The day to relax and play, where the chores went unfinished, but just for the day.
The day when your father never worked,...yes that was the only day I seen my father all day long.
Didnt realize it back then, but now I wish it was still that simple and cherished.:-)
I think most people forget those past memeories, and lots of people go into debt to buy others things that they can afford, to show that they "love" the other.
Silly.
Oh sweet memories...

I feel the same. Ha ha. I'm no scrooge, but I feel as if I have a lot of pressure on me. Time pressure, to buy all the presents before it gets even busier. The last thing I want to do, is go shopping, once the children are off school, because then it gets ridiculous. And I know how busy places make me feel, bleeding nauseous. . Must...... take...... a...... holiday......soon.

Bah humbug.

I kinda feel that way ... but if you know where your gifts go to through the yr its not a bad season... do what you want ... and always good to help a child in need ... around this time of yr to ... hard not to ...when you see the less fortunate ... around you ... but I sure could go for those pina coladas...

The days of black and white TV.

Now we have Iphones and X boxes, for the times they are a changin'