Pre Christmas Blues

[Siani]

Every year about this time I get a severe bout of Pre Christmas Blues I really don't know what triggers it off, but year after year it happens.
I suppose it's the glorified commercialism that has finally beaten me to the ground. This year it looks as though it will be a "longer than ever Christmas", as Christmas eve falls on a Monday, therefore we have 2 weekends either side..ugh!
Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas food, even like cooking it. I love to see friends and family etc. Holly, mince pies...great, but not so much, for so long.
I think it has got so huge that it is spiralling out of control. The shops are bursting with rubbish...people started preparing for Christmas end of October...why?
Last night I watched UK TV and there were about 10 adverts for Iceland in the space of an hour We are being brainwashed.
I used to love Christmas as a child but can only remember it celebrating it on the day plus Christmas eve and boxing day, no more than that. Even back in the 70's when my son was small it was not so long winded, I liked it more then.
What horrifies me is the retail trade...the Christmas sale with start about 2 days before Christmas eve...so all those people that have bought gifts before that would have benefitted from waiting until last minute.
All the true meaning has gone out of it.
I feel sorry for the children whose parents cannot afford Christmas, families living on the poverty line. They see other families who spend a fortune...it is a cruel time for some.
Every year I say I am going away to a country where Christmas is not celebrated. I may just do that
Does anyone else feel like me about it?

[lindosfan1]

Siani Totally agree with you, in our local Tescos christmas goods on sale from the beginning of October. I am not religious but christmas has lost its meaning. Before I retired I counted the Christmas cards, out of 170 over 100 were from people me and my wife met every day through work etc. So I sent a mass email stating I will be sending no cards in future and wishing them all a merry christmas etc. Besides saving money I must have saved at least one tree. Friends that live far away are different they used to get a letter with the card stating what we had done in the year and what we were planning, many of them used to do the same. It kept us in touch. In house we do not put up decorations as for turkey we both hate it. Roll on spring best time of the year. Happy christmas.

[BaaBaa.]

Mine is gonna be a cracker. I'm going to be waking up in bleak England alone for the first time in 6 years.

Might hang myself a sock up.

.....or I might go for a curry and get loads of booze in.

[MrPlum]

Good topic. I solved this question by getting out of the country and walking my dogs, with friends, on a foreign beach, for about 6 consecutive years. The pleasure of being out of it was immense. Now I have come back to it a little and am happy to host Christmas dinners, with the strict caveat of 'no gifts, no cards, no spending money, no religion and no politics!' It's become a real pleasure.

Where it is difficult is when you have young children. This shouldn't apply to most of us. Set an example and announce you are abandoning the commercial aspects of the holiday and will return all gifts and cards and see how many of your friends join you. You might be surprised. When in the UK I started to camp out for the night in the New Forest with friends. This also worked very well.

[STEVE G]

Every year I say I am going away to a country where Christmas is not celebrated.

I'm heading back to Thailand for what will be my tenth Christmas in a row. I have to as the 25th of December is my partners birthday!
I enjoy Christmas in Hua Hin as you pretty much avoid all that commercial stuff and basically just have a party or two. ( I'm not religious to any degree before anyone accuses me of being trivial about that side of things.)

[BaaBaa.]

Dogging isn't a great way to to spend Christmas.

[BaaBaa.]

Every year I say I am going away to a country where Christmas is not celebrated.

I'm heading back to Thailand for what will be my tenth Christmas in a row. I have to as the 25th of December is my partners birthday!
I enjoy Christmas in Hua Hin as you pretty much avoid all that commercial stuff and basically just have a party or two. ( I'm not religious to any degree before anyone accuses me of being trivial about that side of things.)

Would've been my 7th, I essentially ignore it apart from presents for the little lad.

[lomuamart]

I just prefer being as far away as possible from Xmas.
It's a Christian thing, isn't it? I don't live in a Christian country.

[Siani]

It's a Christian thing, isn't it? I don't live in a Christian country.

lomuamart ...it used to be a Christian "thing"....not anymore. I doubt if half of the people in the UK would even think about God on Christmas Day Many of the churches have been taken over by Tesco extra or Indian restaurants, the latter being owned by muslims. Many of the shop keepers are non Christian...with their corner shops packed with Christmas crap...all cashing in, they are hypocrites, its so depressing

I think some of the expats might celebrate Christmas in Thailand. Thailand there is 94.6% of Thais who are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. Followed secondly by Muslims, so they will not celebrate it. The southern tip of Thailand is mostly ethnic Malays. Christians, mainly Catholics, represent 0.7% of the population. So there is a little Christian religion there ....I am sure they do not make such a commercial deal out of Christmas like they do in UK and the USA

[Arcadian]

Bah humbug to all you miseries! Just come back from a week in London and will be retuning back there in a month for Christmas, first time after th, and .ree years in a Muslim country. We love all the hustle and bustle, food and present buying

[Siani]

Bah humbug to all you miseries! Just come back from a week in London and will be retuning back there in a month for Christmas, first time after th, and .ree years in a Muslim country. We love all the hustle and bustle, food and present buying

It's not a case of being a misery, I am the first to love a party, food etc..what I am trying to say is that it's getting out of hand. Too much OTT!!
You probably will appreciate it if you have not had a UK Christmas for 3 years. I am sure shopping in London is great, the lights....just watch out for the sales on December 21st

[BaaBaa.]

I just prefer being as far away as possible from Xmas.
It's a Christian thing, isn't it? I don't live in a Christian country.

Merry bloody Christmas!

[lomuamart]

And best wishes for a festive season to you as well, BaaBaa.
Actually, last night's remark was a bit hasty and off the cuff. However, I never really did like Xmas especially the hype as has been said previously. I always left present buying to the last minute and was useless at it. Couldn't even wrap gifts up properly. But I'll celebrate the 24th with a few beers and some open sandwiches. The 25th is always a non event for me normally because of a hangover.

[Dannie Boy]

Although there is a lot of commercialism, Christmas is what you make of it to a large extent. Just because everybody is after your hard-earned cash, it's up to you whether and how much you want to spend. I like some aspects of Christmas - the lights and decorations and even the cold would be a refreshing change. For me, Christmas is about family times and if you have young children or grandchildren it makes so much of a difference - nothing beats the look on the face of a 6-7 year old opening their presents at 6.00 am on Christmas morning.

I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm an atheist, but definitely not a strong follower of Christianity, but that hasn't stopped me enjoying the occasion. Now I'm living in Thailand and the children are grown up and back in the UK, so not much to celebrate, but we will still have a Christmas tree and decorations up and I will cook a traditional Christmas dinner.

[PeteC]

I think you need to look at things in a different way. All of us walk around with the weight of the world on our shoulders from what we read and hear everyday. We spend time trying to think of solutions that will never be listened to nor implemented. In addition we all have personal problems that come up unexpectedly throughout the year.

Do what the Thais do and use any possible excuse to have sanuk. Go to parties, eat and drink too much, spend time with friends and family and just forget about everything else for a few weeks. The problems will still be here for our attention after New Year. The spirit of the season is catching, if you're receptive. Pete