• Registered: 2002-04-18
  • Posts: 8,116

Topic: The Christmas Spirit

totally cheesy thread, but bite me it's Christmas.

We've all had those Christmases where we just never got into the mood....  Or perhaps you've had a string of Christmases where you never were in the mood, and you're afraid you're losing the Christmas spirit with age. 

Personally, I always feel an urgent need to embrace Christmas while it was around.  Sure, once New Years is here we can't wait to never see Christmas again,  But here's the thing: we've got about one month to enjoy this time and all that it entails before it's gone for a whole year once again.  If I never get into the Christmas spirit, I feel a sense of loss at having missed something important.

What makes the Christmas spirit for you?  Is it shiny presents wrapped under the tree, or is it actually the old ideal of "seeing friends and family?"  Is it how we love-to-hate the hectic overpopulation at the local mall?  Does celebrating the birth of Christ really get you going like the pastor says it's supposed to?  Is it seeing garland everywhere, or the houses covered in lights all over your neighborhood, or seeing Winterfeast and Old Man Winter in Ironforge? 

And oh- does it usually snow over Christmas for you, and how big of an impact is it when it does or doesnt?

If you're out of the spirit, what gets you into it?  What could get you into it?  Does the love of Christmas die with age?

If Kevin Costner were a super hero, his super power would be the ability to always find a rope of proper length and tensility coiled at his feet.

2 Reply by Frost

  • Registered: 2004-04-28
  • Posts: 1,842

Re: The Christmas Spirit

I'm pretty nonchalant about Christmas, really. I used to be excited when I was a kid, but not really anymore. I think there were two main constituents of it: The presents and the happy family members.

The presents themselves don't really hold that much allure anymore. As mentioned in another thread, I never know what to wish for now - as a kid, there's always some neat toy that you just can't wait to get your mitts on (N64 kid, anyone?), but I expect most people grow out of that. It's nice to get presents, of course, but I just don't get that 'heureka, my life is complete!' sensation from unwrapping a videogame or whatever anymore.

In my case, there's a shortage of happy family members as well. To be frank, people are getting on in years, getting sick and dying, and somehow the main point of discussion at the dinner table always ends up being everyone's declining health. By all means, complaining together is one of the things that ties a family together, but this particular topic does tend to put a damper on the mood.


As such, I don't really have a Christmas spirit anymore. There is, however, a certain mood I get into around that time of year - I think it's more closely tied to winter than Christmas, really. It's an odd mix of nostalgia, complacency and melancholy, and while that doesn't sound altogether positive in its constituent components, they sort of combine into a 'peace of mind' state that allows me to sit back and enjoy the beautiful winter sky. I wouldn't call it a happy state, as I often reflect back on things that made me sad (and I do tend to focus on those things in general), but it always ends up with a smile of appreciation and a 'well... all in all, it hasn't been that bad'. It's a rather poetic sensation, really.

</emo>

Thought for the day:

I fear no evil, I fear no death, for the Emperor comes for me.
  • Registered: 2004-02-07
  • Posts: 2,769

Re: The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas spirit definitely matures with a person as that person matures, which I think is partially what Frost was getting at. You ever read about those stages of human maturity that some philosopher came up with? The first stage is being crazy selfish about material goods, and later stages get towards altruism and love and family. I sorta start to miss the crazy excitement of being the N64 kid.. but there's still plenty of magic having family around, and celebrating life and the fact that we're all together, and remembering those who have passed away, and looking forward to good things to come. It's still a bit awkward for me to give nice gifts, because I'm still on a pretty tight budget =\

Well knows he who uses to consider, that our faith and knowledge thrives by exercise, as well as our limbs and complexion. Truth is compared in Scripture to a streaming fountain; if her waters flow not in a perpetual progression, they sicken into a muddy pool of conformity and tradition. A man may be a heretic in the truth; and if he believe things only because his pastor says so, or the Assembly so determines, without knowing other reason, though his belief be true, yet the very truth he holds becomes his heresy.

4 Reply by das

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  • Registered: 2003-03-08
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Re: The Christmas Spirit

i'm not huge on celebrations and rituals really, but to me it's about seeing family that i don't see much and spending time with them. I otherwise try my hardest to avoid getting sucked in to the season if i can help it, christmas music doesn't agree with me nor do the 10345045694567 shoppers in every store. To me Christmas is about the day and maybe a day or two before/after it where i am seeing my family.

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  • Registered: 2002-03-19
  • Posts: 9,989

Re: The Christmas Spirit

I hate Christmas, mostly because it sucks for me.  Ya I get presents and that part is cool I guess, but it's only long after Christmas is done that I can enjoy the fact that it happened....well except for getting to occasionally see some of my cousins I don't get to see often, but that is usually for like 3 hours on Christmas Eve.

Mostly it has to do with having divorced parents and the struggle to enjoy Christmas when it involves trying not to offend anybody with who I decide to spend time with, dealing with family politics that I can't stand, the frenzy of people shopping, and dealing with how stressed out everybody is in general while being stressed out myself.  And it is always a struggle to find the money to give anybody the kind of presents I would like to give.

I hate to say it, but even celebrating Christmas as a Christian is a joke because it is next to impossible for me to do any celebrating around this time, and it is hard to remember the Christian meaning of the holiday in the first place because that isn't really what anybody I know has in mind when they think of Christmas.  But oh well, I can honor my beliefs about that sort of thing any other time during the year whenever I want...who says I have to do it on Christmas.

/scrooge

Seriously though Christmas sucks.

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  • Registered: 2003-07-27
  • Posts: 2,244

Re: The Christmas Spirit

Posted this in a blog last year..

Since I was a kid one of my favorite parts of Christmas was going to my Nanny and Poppy's house on Christmas Eve, a few blocks away from me. Following Christmas Eve Mass and visits to exteded family members, I'd go there with my family and prepare for a large Italian feast. It was tradition. Every year I was greated by the smell of Fritillas, Lobster, and an assortment of other wonderful food. Poppy would always be sitting on the couch when we walked in, eagerly awaiting the celebration. My sister and I would take turns on the computer, play ping pong, wait for Santa to come around on his fire truck, or come up with our own renditions of Jingle Bells on drums. Then we'd open presents from our grandparents, eat dessert, and pass out usually around 11 PM, half way through the third showing of A Christmas Story. I think the best part of Christmas Eve was the anticipation that Santa was going to come that night. The hype and buildup was such a rush and one of the best feelings in the world.

We did this every year. One year it was decided that we would go down to my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve. My Poppy was furious. "Thats ridiculous" he argued. "TRADITION. You're breaking our tradition." And I agreed. But my parents dragged us down to my Aunt's either way. I had a good time, needless to say, but it wasn't THE Christmas Eve. Poppy and I discussed all night how important it was to keep the tradition and I agreed. He was against it and I was on his side.

The next morning we would wake up, open presents, and have Christmas Day at our house as was only fair. The same held true for New Years. Nanny and Poppy's house the Eve, ours the day.

This year it's different. The loss of my Poppy has had a terrible impact on me already, and it's just going to get worse I fear. We're going to go to my Aunt's for Christmas Eve in an attempt to not upset any members of the family. We're trying to avoid the traditional house for the holidays for the benefit of us all. I think I'm the only one that feels Poppy would have wanted us to have it there. Oh well, what do I know. I'll only be 19 at the time.

An odd change I've seen over the years is that I've come to love buying stuff for people as much as getting stuff. Some of you may not believe this but it's true. I get a kick out of going way out of my way to get something someone impotant to me wants or I know they'll like. Go figure.

I've definatley changed. I think (and hope) it's more for the good. Over the past few years, I've tried to preserve some of the kid in me for the holidays, but this year a monumental chunk got taken out. Hopefully one day we can go back to tradition, though it'll never be the same. In my heart, Christmas Eve will always mean 129



On the topic of Christmas spirit I think a bit of me died when we broke the Nanny and Poppy tradition and then a bit more after my poppy passed.

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  • Registered: 2002-04-18
  • Posts: 8,116

Re: The Christmas Spirit

Originally posted by: Legal_My_Deagle
I hate Christmas, mostly because it sucks for me.  Ya I get presents and that part is cool I guess, but it's only long after Christmas is done that I can enjoy the fact that it happened....well except for getting to occasionally see some of my cousins I don't get to see often, but that is usually for like 3 hours on Christmas Eve.

Mostly it has to do with having divorced parents and the struggle to enjoy Christmas when it involves trying not to offend anybody with who I decide to spend time with, dealing with family politics that I can't stand, the frenzy of people shopping, and dealing with how stressed out everybody is in general while being stressed out myself.  And it is always a struggle to find the money to give anybody the kind of presents I would like to give.

I hate to say it, but even celebrating Christmas as a Christian is a joke because it is next to impossible for me to do any celebrating around this time, and it is hard to remember the Christian meaning of the holiday in the first place because that isn't really what anybody I know has in mind when they think of Christmas.  But oh well, I can honor my beliefs about that sort of thing any other time during the year whenever I want...who says I have to do it on Christmas.

/scrooge

Seriously though Christmas sucks.

I find that sad sad  I'm sorry...

I recently became aware of our own family politics.  They haven't existed for us until recently as there was no divorce and no one was yet married.  But now two of my siblings are married and four out of five of us live in different towns with significant others.  And I've found out that my family tends to monopolize Christmas, as we've had generally the same traditions for at least 26 years.

but the wives and husbands in the family have their own family too.  With all the Christmas in our family, between my parents, both sets of grandparents, and the wives and husbands, it's been getting harder and harder for everyone to meet up.    And honestly the in-laws are all getting the shaft in the deal sad

It hadn't occured to me, as I kind of do what I want, and family politics don't bother me because if I don't want to do something I just won't do it.  But some of my in-laws are a little more submissive and having a hard time adjusting to our family. sad  I want to tell them to learn to just say no.

**

I wish this time of the year didn't stress people out...  I love Christmas,  I love everything about it- from the presents to the decorations to the Christian Christmas story, the saturation of life and mass media, to seeing the family- it's the one time of the year I can deal with advertising becoming intrusive because hey, it's Christmas, who cares.  I really wish other people could find something they love about the season as well sad

If Kevin Costner were a super hero, his super power would be the ability to always find a rope of proper length and tensility coiled at his feet.