Anyone else hate Christmas as much as me?

Without going into too much detail, I genuinely have only had about 3 passable Chritmasses in the last 21 years, since my mother sadly passed away. I loved Christmas as a kid, at 35 I genuinely am as close to Scrooge as is possible… I absolutely hate it!

Today has pushed me one step closer to the edge… I gave up years ago trying to spend Christmas around family, my Dad would usually tell me all sorts of fibs to get me to attend then having got me there under false pretensese, we’d just end up fighting all day. So gave up a few years ago, and just decided it’s me and my GF on our own for the last few years…

Well, 2 years ago, our first together, was ok. Nice lie in, sunny yet crisp weather meant we went out on a decent bike ride whilst the Turkey was cooking, then ate lots, got pissed and fell asleep in front of the TV. I was slowly coming around to Christmas, then… Last year, contracted the Noro virus on Christmas Eve. Spent most of Christmas day in bed, the GF cooked everything (bless her) and what little I managed to eat, stayed inside me for less than 10 minutes! Felt better some time late Jan after that one…

And Today…? Blow me if it doesn’t smell a bit ripe outside, and why would that be? Well, our drain has decided to block up and flow over! So whilst the GF is prepping the Turkey, I spend half an hour gagging, trying in vain to unblock our drain so that we can take a sh!t again sometime in the near future! Of course, the drain companies aren’t working today, so cleared up as best I could, got my kit on ready to go for a road ride whilst the Turkey cooks… Vicious winds meant we nearly had 4 accidents in the space of a mile as both of us nearly got blown off the bike or into each other. Turned around and freewheeled most of the way home with a tailwind, giving it up as a bad job.

Next year, I don’t care where I am, but it will be somewhere warm, away from all the inanely happy people wearing stupid jumpers, where someone else is paid to sort out any crap so I can just eat, drink and do whatever the hell I want with no stress!

Bah Humbug!

I hate it because I don’t like being told what to do or how to behave but I put on a big smiley face for the Mrs and the kids. It’ll all be over in a few hours then it’s just a big drinking holiday!

I’m not a fan but I wouldn’t say I hate it, that would be me engaging with it. I’m just totally indifferent to it.

I bloody love it, but sorry to hear of your sadness and woes mboy!

Drinks with mates last night, lazy stress free morning today.

Didn’t think my mum would make this Christmas and she’s had the all clear – went to see her at home yesterday.

Broke tradition and been out for Christmas dinner with Mrs STR and Jnr STR – fabulous meal spread over 3hrs with lots of beer, fizz and wine, great company, walk back over the park – just settling down at home.

Had a manic few weeks at work, not seen the family much and just happy to have a few days at home enjoying the spirit of Christmas

The best Christmas I’ve ever had was in Fuertaventura when our oldest was 9 months old. We couldn’t face the family Christmas with the first grandchild and so buggerred off into the Atlantic. The weather wasn’t great, but paella from a shack on a beach fir Christmas lunch was brilliant. Just wish we could do it every year.

I don’t do christmas….any of it.Presents,food,decorations etc.Anybody asks and I just say ‘personal’ reasons.As in personally I think its bollix.

Next year, I don’t care where I am, but it will be somewhere warm, away from all the inanely happy people wearing stupid jumpers, where someone else is paid to sort out any crap so I can just eat, drink and do whatever the hell I want with no stress!

I am sorry for your bad experiences, but I would say in response that your last idea is a very good one. It sounds to me like you don’t want to hate Christmas, but that circumstances – past and present – have made it singularly unpleasant. So change the circumstances (and I don’t mean that in a patronising way.) I spent the Christmases of my youth in South Texas among the palm trees, and know that my parents loved the time away from the bustle of home.

A visit to the Caribbean, for example, where you could drink pina coladas on the beach to your hearts’ content may be just the tonic to give you a different, more pleasant experience, of the season!

There are some fantastic riding opportunities on the island of St Kitts, for example.

Whatever you do, I hope your day/season shapes up better than it has begun. :-)

I don’t do christmas….any of it.Presents,food,decorations etc.Anybody asks and I just say ‘personal’ reasons.As in personally I think its bollix.

I agree on all counts these days, though I’d never pass up the opportunity to eat a good roast dinner and get pissed!

The best Christmas I’ve ever had was in Fuertaventura when our oldest was 9 months old. We couldn’t face the family Christmas with the first grandchild and so buggerred off into the Atlantic. The weather wasn’t great, but paella from a shack on a beach fir Christmas lunch was brilliant. Just wish we could do it every year.

Sounds brilliant, my facebook feed has a few photos of Spain & Lanzarote on it from friends one step ahead of me!

I bloody love it, but sorry to hear of your sadness and woes mboy!

Don’t worry, good for you, I wish I love it, but I can’t!

Drinks with mates last night, lazy stress free morning today.

That’s the other thing… Even 5 years ago I could go out on Christmas Eve, loads of mates would be out and it was a great time to catch up with lots of people you haven’t seen in ages. These days, it’s the total opposite! Went out with the GF last night, town was dead, nobody out!

Had a lie in, but the stress started the moment I got out of bed…

Didn’t think my mum would make this Christmas and she’s had the all clear – went to see her at home yesterday.

Glad to hear your good news.

I’m not a fan but I wouldn’t say I hate it, that would be me engaging with it. I’m just totally indifferent to it.

I’ve desperately tried to be indifferent towards it. Year after year after year… But it wouldn’t let me, it just wouldn’t let up! Just like Marmite, Christmas has insisted I either love it or hate it, and just like the yeast based product, I absolutely can’t abide it.

I hate it because I don’t like being told what to do or how to behave but I put on a big smiley face for the Mrs and the kids. It’ll all be over in a few hours then it’s just a big drinking holiday!

Suppose I can be grateful for small mercies, just got the GF to (attempt to) please… Think I’d have a meltdown if I was told what to do, how to behave and pretend I enjoyed it!

It’s a load of bollocks IMO

I’m delighted that I’m in the minority and that most folks can transmute the festivities into being about family and friends and happiness. It just seems like a massive, pointless lie to me. One based on consumerism and bullshit religious tradition. I wish I could overlook this bit but I can’t. :-) this is a fault with me rather than others I feel.

Days are getting longer now, which is very welcome.

Couldn’t care less about the day or the shite that goes with it.
Nothing more than consumerism wrapped up in story.
Having kids means having to do something BUT mine are amazing young ladies who know the value of things and know full well what it’s all about.
They don’t like it either particularly.
They aren’t keen on presents and for a number of years have just asked that money be put in their accounts.
Eldest has more than me!!
I’m fortunate that the ex is similar in her views on money, etc so doesn’t spend ££’s on them.

I love the fact that the roads are empty, everywhere is quiet and I can get out without the usual queues and idiots.
Well other than more than the usual quota of middle laners

Raises hand slowly, lowers head and runs for cover.

Don’t get me wrong, always have a nice Christmas Day – it’s all the hype, build up and expectations (not mine!) that bugs me.

I think it’s a necessary event to get us through the shortest days of the year.
It also gives people the opportunity to go and see their families if they live far away. And kids enjoy it, I certainly enjoyed it as a kid and I wouldn’t want to take that away from the younger generations.
But in terms of materialism, it’s awful. I avoid the xmas sales like the plague and spend the spare time reading, watching movies or seeing friends.

I avoid the xmas sales like the plague and spend the spare time reading, watching movies or seeing friends.

Add a bit of riding, and I can’t imagine anything nicer.

Christmas consumerism is appalling and degrading to the human race.

I just see it as an enforced break from work, which long term is a good thing. Otherwise life just rolls on and on! Personally I need to get away from idiots at work and can just about suffer the Xmas BS as a mechanism for doing so.

….and won’t somebody think of the turkeys?

I just see it as an enforced break from work, which long term is a good thing.

The vast majority of the worlds population, especially those that celebrate Christmas, are in the northern Hemisphere though…

Can’t we move this enforced holiday to the end of June instead? I can guarantee I’d be a lot happier then, and appreciate the time off work a lot more than now…

myopic – Member
Raises hand slowly, lowers head and runs for cover.

Don’t get me wrong, always have a nice Christmas Day – it’s all the hype, build up and expectations (not mine!) that bugs me.
Pretty much sums it up for me as well , really really not a christmas person, would happily give the day a miss , but with older kids/adults and a fab grand daughter , it has to be done

I’ve managed to upset someone who lives a couple of roads over by walking past on (on the other side of the road), and not responding to a random “merry Christmas” that I had no idea was apparently aimed at me, from some one I’ve never met before, 20m away, and who I’ll never meet again. I live in west London – no one talks to each other. Oh well.

Pretty much opted out of it.
Still buy people presents but that’s about it.
Seems that, despite what the adverts portray, it’s actually a time of year that makes many miserable.
Family politics and tensions. Pressures to spend lots of money on stuff people don’t really want or need…and to wear hilarious Xmas jumpers.

It’s a festival of consumption. Not pretty or sustainable.

Kids deserve a good Christmas, that’s about the nicest thing I can say.

Christmases were generally shit as a kid. My first Christmas memory was my Dad getting pissed, beating up my Mum and leaving us for his “other family”. Two sets of kids, one with his wife (my mum) and one with his girlfriend – no wonder we were always skint.

Anyway, Xmas after that wasn’t really much better, bitterness from both sides and me and my siblings fair game for pawns and/or cannon fodder.

Once I grew up and left home I’d had a guts full of it. My house/flat was never decorated, and Christmas consisted of dragging my hungover, coming down arse out of bed for 11am – go to Mum’s for lunch, stay about 45 mins and head home to sit in the quiet – hated too much noise back then.

Nowadays with a family of my own I’m starting to enjoy it more, spoil the kids, eat too much, drink – the only time of year I do drink and be merry. Mrs J is working most of it though, her next day off is Tuesday.

As religious holidays go, it’s not my favourite – that would be Easter!! 2 bank holidays like Xmas, but it’s usually getting a bit Spring like and it’s great for catching up with mates and getting some rides in.

Erm, No.

It’s stressful having 11 around, and being in someone else’s house, but on the whole it’s pretty good fun.

I tend to do my own thing at Christmas, as I’m anti religious, so I’ve been out on the bike otter spotting on the canal with a mate, didn’t spot any otters!

Did have some beers though, and went to a another friends to relive them of some snacks and more beer.Now at home, about to watch a film.. so a pretty nice day all in all.

I tend to feel obliged to reply with happy Christmas, it tends to be easier as people seem offended if I don’t, or start lecturing them on how crazy they are!

Yes, consumerism gone mad. Not allowed to say no to buying yet more tat despite not having the money. Forced to lie to the kids about Santa and pretend that Christianity is the one true way. Brilliant recipe for a great day.

Seems that, despite what the adverts portray, it’s actually a time of year that makes many miserable.
Family politics and tensions. Pressures to spend lots of money on stuff people don’t really want or need…and to wear hilarious Xmas jumpers.

Sadly, that’s often reflected on this forum. I’m expecting the annual, “Recommend me a good divorce lawyer” thread to start in the next few days.

Henrik Ibsen set many of his plays at christmas time. There is something about it which brings all the repressed thoughts and anxieties to the surface.

It just seems like a massive, pointless lie to me

This, and the fact that the lie is propagated from a very early age by the bribing of young children with presents. And then you find out Santa isn’t real, and probably Jesus, but you still have Christmas anyway. WTF!?

Food, yes i like that bit. The commercialism annoys me but i try and blank it out.

I think it’s a necessary event to get us through the shortest days of the year.

I was doing fine until i started worrying about buying presents and wondering if people would like them or not. Yeah Winter is setting in but for that reason i need to buy stuff to see ME through the winter – winter normal clothes (i’m still wearing a 2 year old jacket), winter riding clothes of which i had none, and i really need a portable bike washer as i have no yard and can’t run in off the back street to refill my bucket incase someone steals my pride and joy. And what did i get? A chainsaw. For the wood burning stove of the house that i don’t even own. And all the fallen trees are soaked now anyway. And i got rid of my car and don’t fancy a back breaking walk with a garden sack full of wood over my shoulder from the local woods every time i want firewood. Like, Winter’s a hard enough time anyway without getting caught up in “Consumerfest” (TM); your heating and lighting bills go up you eat more and you need to buy jumpers.

As Onzadog and Mattyfez say, it’s best not to use the word “hate” though, as you might offend someone. I’ve avoided Facebook all day now. Be indifferent and maybe get away somewhere nice next time. Plan it nice and early and tell nobody and you’ll have a lovely trick up your sleeve all year long! “**** you Jesus freaks i’m off to Thailand to ride some elephants!” “Merry **** Christmas from my Wi-Fi enabled beach hut!”

:thumbs:

£300 to unblock the drains outside the back of my house…

Three Hundred F***ing Quid!

But apparently “it’s only £250 tomorrow, or if you can wait til Tuesday it will go down to less than half that”…

I hate Christmas even more than ever now! Raw sewage coming up through the drains outside the back of the house, and people trying to take advantage just cos of a religious f***ing holiday that I despise in the first place, aside from the fact that I’m not religious anyway!

I fully expect to make at least regional news tomorrow, if not national, as I don’t think I will be able to take responsibility for my actions very much longer! Can see it now, “A Drunk Man in Worcester has been arrested after threatening dozens of people trying to give him Christmas Cheer to force feed them the raw sewage overflowing into his back yard right now, having claimed that everyone was trying to rip him off just because it’s Christmas!”…

I’ve been a happier bunny, put it that way!

Wow I love this traditional seasonal thread, it always reminds me how people love to dislike something.. anything… and if you want to find those people then stw is the place to be. Oh and merry Christmas everyone… I’m loving today’s fun and am king of the Lego… At last…

I tried to do it myself earlier this year.

Ended up paying £150ish but £300 is still good vfm, trust me.

Ps. It’s only a hollow festival of consumerism if you want it to be.

..and this ‘traditional seasonal thread’ wouldnt be complete without someone saying how wrong everyone is for not liking something :-)

There’s nothing unique about today, it can be done any day of the year. Especially lego.

Merry Christmas to you all!!! You miserable bastrds!!! :D

I didn’t say it was wrong in any way I just stated it was one of those things that people like to dislike. As for Lego I only do it if it’s a birthday gift or Christmas so three times a year at most and I help with the initial builds although I suspect they won’t need my help soon.. :cry: . We tend not to get it for any other reason, I myself got a pair of socks, call it rampant consumerism but I will wear them until they have holes in so I don’t feel too bad.

Weight of the world mate! Take every day as a learning experiance…. Rough with the smooth. Trust me i know

I’ve had a great day. We don’t go daft buying stuff, our kids are pretty undemanding. I treated myself to some vinyl and my other half got a new coat to a replace a well worn one. It doesn’t have to all be about consumerism. Last night we got together with friends which we haven’t done for a while due to work. Hopefully we’ll manage more of that before we have to go back to work in the New Year. We’ve played Trivial Pursuit, done some colouring books and had a lovely meal with my family. But to be honest we don’t need Christmas to enjoy a nice meal.

The blockage will most likely be in the nearest manhole which might be shared with a lot of other residents. (depending on your location obviously) If the issue is not on your property, the water board usually pay for the team to unblock it. (well they do where I live anyway)

We’ve had this a few times due to neighbours flushing unspeakable items down there. :twisted:

Wot CR said – if it’s a shared sewer i.e.more than 1 house it’s now the water company’s responsibility. Successfully got a manhole replaced earlier this year and a blockage cleared the year before.
http://www.thameswater.co.uk/help-and-advice/8654.htm

I like Christmas – it’s a pagan festival put in place to celebrate the procession towards spring from the longest night. Bastardised by Christianity then again by Western consumerism. If I think about it Christmas makes me feel sick but I try not to think about the bullshit, think about the fact I am celebrating something “earthy” and just get on with it.

Family Politics – that’s all I am going to say. I put a smile on knowing that it will be another 364 days before I am forced to do it again

From my sister :)

It’s All About.
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,The Baby Cheeses…

I’m in the hating it camp too. The only good thing about Christmas Day is that I don’t get disturbed with work, the Blackberry stays silent.

I’m up at the folks’ place just now and would much rather be at home under the duvet waiting for Boxing Day. Don’t get me wrong, enjoy spending time with my folks, it’s just that Christmas sucks.

:)