Anyone else dropping Christmas this year?

[wip3outguy7]

I've been working on the idea with my wife for a couple of years and I finally got her on board. This isn't for reason of religion or to prove some kind of a point. I'm not trying to start shit, either.

My personal reasons are that I'm not very close to my family (emotionally or geographically) and I grow more bitter about the retail industry and their practices as I get older. The money can pay off mountains of bills and the stress of trying to make time for family gatherings and deal with unnecessary traffic I can do without.

So who else is cutting out Christmas this year and possibly for good?

[lisalover1]

Nope.

[Xonticus]

I feel ya on that one, but the past couple of years I've been slowly trying to pay attention to what people would actually USE in their daily lives, and get them that.

Example: My soon to be brother in law was in need of keeping appointments and the thing, but doesn't use his cell phone much etc. So I got him a decent wristwatch and he uses it every day since and it has improved his life because it makes it easier for him to keep tabs on the time. It is something simple I know, but if you think about it it is essential in the world we live in.

By this philosophy for Christmas I've been saving a lot of time and money not buying stocking fillers and junk that people would normally just throw away, saving the environment a bit and keeping true to the holiday of giving.

And to go off on a slight tangent, I feel like this about Thanksgiving as well... Thanksgiving just about buying a turkey and stuffing your gut anymore, and in the retail state of mind most places put out their Christmas decor a week before Thanksgiving.

Oh and DON'T get me started about Black Friday.

Cheers!

[Luke]

Fuck no.

I'm usually looking for a reason to celebrate. Consider tonight, I'm throwing an Monday Night Football party. Why? It's a reason to get with friends and have fun.

Plus, I live charity side of xmas. Not only have I donated and bidded on items in the RB auction, my wife and I "adopted" a poor family for xmas.

[wip3outguy7]

OH well, of course donations. But I do that all year long, not just at a specific time.

[J T]

Not me. I love Christmas. I'm not even Christian. I just like having an excuse to get together, exchange presents, and share a meal and festivities. My brother is a little more on your boat. He doesn't like celebrating holidays and thinks he should be able to send a gift whenever he wants without feeling obligated. However, even if he is on a holiday boycott, he doesn't send gifts off season either, so I think that's kind of a crap notion of his. I also only ever see him on the holidays and we always have a good time, even if he grumbles about holidays. Family is family, and sometimes the holidays are the only time we get people to come together as a family again. I like them for that.

[ieatramen]

I cut it out once 2 years ago. When i say cut it out i mean all the financial aspects of it. My wife and i just didn't have the money. Neither of us are very close to our families either so we just hung out at home, traded Christmas cards, and watched the Christmas Story. We had a great time once we realized that was just how it needed to be. This year we have a little more money, but we both know that bills, out of necessity, need to take precedence.

[fastbilly1]

Like Luke, I celebrate it to be with others. It is the only holiday I care about and the only one I actually take days surrounding it off for. But that is mostly due to my older brothers family coming in to town and it is the only time of the year I see them. I guess it is best said that I do not celebrate it for its religious reasons but for its social ones.

I ascribe to the belief that a gift should be something that someone would not buy themselves, but would still be useful to them. So things like USB missile launchers are a no go, BUT a Titanium Spork for the hardcore traveler backpacker in my family is a good call.

[vash23n]

My entire family has pretty much dropped Christmas this year. Not because of any point we are trying to prove and not because we aren't religious (actually we are all atheists, but we have always celebrated Christmas anyway), but because we have no money whatsoever. So my wife and I are buying a present for our nephew (his second Christmas) and something for each other. Not too big a deal for me as my family has never really had money for Christmas, my sister and I would only get a couple things, but a couple things we really wanted and not a bunch of junk we would end up throwing out a month later.

[Xonticus]

Like Luke, I celebrate it to be with others. It is the only holiday I care about and the only one I actually take days surrounding it off for. But that is mostly due to my older brothers family coming in to town and it is the only time of the year I see them. I guess it is best said that I do not celebrate it for its religious reasons but for its social ones.

I ascribe to the belief that a gift should be something that someone would not buy themselves, but would still be useful to them. So things like USB missile launchers are a no go, BUT a Titanium Spork for the hardcore traveler backpacker in my family is a good call.

This.