[xxxxpradaxxxx]

I LOVE Black Friday!

/points at his "license to kill" card

[KillYouWithMyMind]

I think it also depends on the amount of money you have to spend.

I have no money...

[Blkbear]

I think it was 2 Christmas' ago when one of my cousins maybe 4 or 5 at the time threw a fit because someone bought them the wrong colored toy.

That's pretty sad that his folks allowed him to do that, but had the gift been mine that the kid had flipped out about, the entire family would have have learned an Uncle Bear lesson that day. I would have picked up the gift and told the kid, that gift was going back to the store because it was obvious that he did not like it and nothing else would ever be given to him again for me period. I have a 13 year old nephew that learned that lesson, who now writes thank you notes for anything he is given, no matter if he like it or not.

I miss when you would enjoy the surprise more from giving then recieving.

It's still there, just not practiced in a lot of your circle of friends and family.

But I agree Christmas is a time where sales go through the roof for stores so they advertise early. I still take my family to my girlfriends at 7am to open presents every Christmas and always go to a midnight mass. Those things will always remind me of Christmas.

Well looks like what you miss with some of your family and friends, is alove in well with those you actually wise to share it with. And no one stops you from doing them and exposing others to what you enjoy that makes you feel good. So there is hope for you!

Another thing is when they took out Merry Christmas and made everyone say Happy Holidays because Christmas isn't "correct". That pisses me off.

"We" didn't do that, some did. And a really tiny thing to get POed about in my book.

[12MaNy]

.... as if Christmas is the only overly commercialized holiday.
.... as if it hasn't always been.
.... as if Christmas should be given some greater level of reverence
over other holidays when it is in fact as made up as the rest.

Amen brotha Ken.

A holiday's meaning is all in how you and your family decide to celebrate it. I think Christmas's meaning slightly varies from household to household. I'm not a big religion kinda guy, so for me...it's an excuse to bring family together and take part in the old fashioned traditions. To me, Christmas is a warm time of year even though it's cold outside.

[syb0rg]

Christmas has been "commercialized" every since there have been Christmas catalogs, Christmas cards and places to "buy things for Christmas".

But only for those that "buy into the commercial aspect of the holidays".

Who really cares that stores put up decorations and other things for sale early? Well the families that have loved ones that are not going to be around during the holidays and those that like to buy things early, because they know they will be busy later maybe. But really why does it actually matter?

If Christmas means something to you, beyond the commercialized glitz, then it really won't matter what the rest of the world is doing during that time.

If all you see is the commercialized world than how is it that whatever you were taught or thought before, was so easily brush aside by what anyone else things or does?

I'm exposed to all the same "messages" of spend spend spend but don't fall victim to it, mainly because I know my needs and wants and personal limits, so I only give what I can to those I'm willing to give to, be it time, money or what have you based on those limits.

There are no store displays or tv commercials, rude acting people or brats acting out because the size/color/cost of a toy is not what they wanted, that can ruin or change how I feel or deal with Christmas or any other holiday or special event. But that's me marching to the beat of my own drummer I guess.

I agree with you to a point. I don't let the Wal-Mart's and the Home Depots get to me. I still keep Christmas where is should be.


I'm just upset because it's got to the point where Halloween isn't even here yet and they are already throwing stuff up on the shelves to celebrate "old saint nick" magic night.. .. .. i

[jmiles3bb]

Personally I love Christmas, but agree with the way it'd headed. My fiance and I like to take it one holiday at a time though and don't get our tree, any other decorations, or really do anything Christmas related until after Thanksgiving. Poor Thanksgiving gets so overshadowed these days.

The other thing that gets pretty irritating is the people who just HAVE to inform you of how made up they think your holiday is and how stupid THEY think you are for celebrating it. If you don't like it that's fine, but don't try to ruin my holiday.

[Blkbear]

It's not really the commercialization that gets to me, just people acting like idiots during the holidays.

Prime example and everyone knows it- Black Friday. I won't go into details because everyone knows already. I just can't deal with people on that day, I stay at home locked in my room for fear of being exposed to the fallout of stupid.

I have to agree on the people acting like idiots. Especially for those "limited items" type Black Friday sales. And traffic near any retail shop bigger than a 7-11, is so packed it's not even funny. It's a good thing that I'm normally at work before most people get out of bed on days like that.

But I have to laugh when I'm see people fighting over items on the shelves or worse cart raiding and then fighting over the item. I mean come on you can buy all those things a month later, cheaper.

[12MaNy]

Personally I love Christmas, but agree with the way it'd headed. My fiance and I like to take it one holiday at a time though and don't get our tree, any other decorations, or really do anything Christmas related until after Thanksgiving. Poor Thanksgiving gets so overshadowed these days.

The other thing that gets pretty irritating is the people who just HAVE to inform you of how made up they think your holiday is and how stupid THEY think you are for celebrating it. If you don't like it that's fine, but don't try to ruin my holiday.

Thanksgiving is usually the biggest holiday for my family and I. Way bigger relative turnout than Christmas.

[Blkbear]

I'm just upset because it's got to the point where Halloween isn't even here yet and they are already throwing stuff up on the shelves to celebrate "old saint nick" magic night.. .. .. i

Well from the retailers view point, they have to get what is shipped out of the limited storage space and on display, because the normal items that have to be constantly stocked need the space in the back. It's one of the reasons that at the stroke of closing, all the Holiday items are rounded up and placed in an area of the store to be wildly discounted for the next business day, rather that stored, because most retailers don't have anywhere to "store" the holiday items and can't ship them back.

[KillYouWithMyMind]

I wish in the same town as my immediate family, then maybe I wouldn't hate Xmas so much.

I think that has something to do with it. I used to love Xmas when I lived with my folks. Never really had anything to do with presents, just getting to see my family throughout the entire holiday season.

Now they live about 2 hours away from me, still not too far but I only get to see them about 4 or 5 times a year.

So it's difficult for me to focus on the important parts of the holiday, I just see all the idiots driving around in their SUV's full of presents for their spoiled rotten kids, cutting people off in traffic to get a closer spot to the front of the store, shopping all day and night for a bunch of crap they don't need.