The Christmas holidays bring out the best and worst in everyone.
Sometimes we become the Christmas Grinch.

What are some of the things, events or phases of the holidays that you would prefer to not participate?

i see no reason to wrap presents ..... Hate helping wrapping the gifts pain in the ass.
The wife thinks thinks that every party, open house and gathering is a must go to event. NO it's not... Every year we go to this family open house and the decoration are the same (terrible) the only saving grace is the Swedish meat ball. It a waste of an hour of my time.

Are you a Grinch and what is it?

...putting up outdoor lights. Seems like every year I put away the lights (all working fine) and the follow year only half of them work.

^^^4cards.....I used to be the same way.... But this year, I decided that less is more. K.I.S.S. works pretty well when it comes to outside Christmas lights .

The thing that gets me the grouchiest about Christmas, is trying to coordinate everybody's schedules. Two of my kids have gotten married recently, and they are pulled in different directions ... It's hard to keep the traditional family doings together.

4cards;1828172 wrote:...putting up outdoor lights. Seems like every year I put away the lights (all working fine) and the follow year only half of them work.

Same. I even started buying better lights, thinking it would make a difference.

Needless to say, it doesn't.

HitsRus;1828174 wrote:The thing that gets me the grouchiest about Christmas, is trying to coordinate everybody's schedules. Two of my kids have gotten married recently, and they are pulled in different directions ... It's hard to keep the traditional family doings together.

agree. it also getting harder to get everything accomplish for Christmas and the kids offer little help or they wait till the last minute then ask what they can do to help.

I dislike Christmas music. I think it's all horrible.

wildcats20;1828228 wrote:I dislike Christmas music. I think it's all horrible.

This.

I dislike the whole gift giving part of Christmas, b/c I've had too many experiences where people scoff or appear unappreciative of gifts they receive. I can't stand people receiving gifts with expectations. Bah-fucking-humbug.

As usual, I can agree with some parts of the sentiments expressed, but not all.

Belly35;1828171 wrote:
i see no reason to wrap presents ..... Hate helping wrapping the gifts

In this day and age, with less time to enjoy Christmas, wrapping presents is one of the moments I have during the season to capture that feeling. I just like putting some music on, locking myself in the house for a few hours, and taking my time making them look nice. I'm not anal about it, doesn't have to perfect, but I like to scrape the scissors on the ribbon to make it curl up - just like I did in elementary school.

However, the new-fangled wrapping cutter that slides along a straight-edge is a Godsend. I can't cut straight with scissors to save my life..

HitsRus;1828174 wrote:The thing that gets me the grouchiest about Christmas, is trying to coordinate everybody's schedules. Two of my kids have gotten married recently, and they are pulled in different directions ... It's hard to keep the traditional family doings together.

All good things come to end - birds gotta fly, fish gotta fry. My nephew got married last year, and moved to Florida this year. His wife is from Ecuador. Last year they spent Christmas with our family in Columbus; this year they're spending it with her relatives near Miami - and my sister is outraged ........

4cards;1828172 wrote:...putting up outdoor lights. Seems like every year I put away the lights (all working fine) and the follow year only half of them work.

I hear ya. What I can't figure out is, how do the folks who do it well, year after year, have their outdoor lights look exactly the same year after year? And with millimetric precision? I'll have to find out where they do their shopping for their decorations.

HitsRus;1828174 wrote:The thing that gets me the grouchiest about Christmas, is trying to coordinate everybody's schedules. Two of my kids have gotten married recently, and they are pulled in different directions ... It's hard to keep the traditional family doings together.

Between my siblings and me plus our spouses/significant others, there are 13 of us. At this point, my mom sends out an email in early November that says this is when our Thanksgiving is (always Friday) and this is when our Christmas celebration is. If you can be there awesome, if you can't we will miss you, but we get it.

Fab4Runner;1828357 wrote:Between my siblings and me plus our spouses/significant others, there are 13 of us. At this point, my mom sends out an email in early November that says this is when our Thanksgiving is (always Friday) and this is when our Christmas celebration is. If you can be there awesome, if you can't we will miss you, but we get it.

yep.... that what we do also

Fab4Runner;1828357 wrote:Between my siblings and me plus our spouses/significant others, there are 13 of us. At this point, my mom sends out an email in early November that says this is when our Thanksgiving is (always Friday) and this is when our Christmas celebration is. If you can be there awesome, if you can't we will miss you, but we get it.

Makes good sense.

The phrase, "Happy Holidays". I was saying it for some time, but the past few years I dropped it and always say, "Merry Christmas"... unless I know the person is Jewish, then I say, "Happy Hanukkah".

As I got older I've become less and less fond of Christmas.

My family is old school Italian, it revolves around 3 massive gatherings. For each one I mostly have to stay start to finish because my mom gets pissed off. I'm just over it. 3 gatherings seeing the same people, doing the same shit. Also my cousins all popped out kids at the same time. They are around 7-9 now and they act like wild animals.

Last year the immediate fam did Puerto Rico over Xmas and it was amazing. I lobbied to do it again, but got shutdown with the quickness.

Morons crying about their fictional "war on Christmas" because not everyone does everything the exact same way they do.

Heretic;1828562 wrote:Morons crying about their fictional "war on Christmas" because not everyone does everything the exact same way they do.

You mean the same people who will judge the shit out of you for your own beliefs are mad that you don't agree with their beliefs? No way.

"Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise".

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2015/12/03/lawmaker-blasts-ut-post-inclusive-holiday-celebrations/76734956/

Zunardo;1828569 wrote:"Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise".

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2015/12/03/lawmaker-blasts-ut-post-inclusive-holiday-celebrations/76734956/

That's a year old.

superman;1828588 wrote:That's a year old.

Yes, it's aged well.

Apple;1828544 wrote:The phrase, "Happy Holidays". I was saying it for some time, but the past few years I dropped it and always say, "Merry Christmas"... unless I know the person is Jewish, then I say, "Happy Hanukkah".

I could not care less whether someone says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to me. Either way, they are being friendly and saying something nice. I celebrate Christmas and I usually say Merry Christmas, but who really gives a shit? I thought Happy Holidays meant Christmas and New Years until I was like 11 years old, lol.

Fab4Runner;1828616 wrote:I could not care less whether someone says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to me. Either way, they are being friendly and saying something nice. I celebrate Christmas and I usually say Merry Christmas, but who really gives a shit? I thought Happy Holidays meant Christmas and New Years until I was like 11 years old, lol.

Yeah, I tend to be happy that people are saying pleasant things in greeting to me, as opposed to being hilariously upset that they're not saying the specific greeting I was looking for. People who fit into the latter category probably should get a bit of perspective — mainly that those sorts of greetings are the ones people give in passing to someone they've only had minor interactions with AND with their personality, that sort of thing's probably going to be the top of the line as far as people wanting to talk to them.

Heretic;1828673 wrote:Yeah, I tend to be happy that people are saying pleasant things in greeting to me, as opposed to being hilariously upset that they're not saying the specific greeting I was looking for. People who fit into the latter category probably should get a bit of perspective — mainly that those sorts of greetings are the ones people give in passing to someone they've only had minor interactions with AND with their personality, that sort of thing's probably going to be the top of the line as far as people wanting to talk to them.

I am always happy when someone says something pleasant in greetings/salutations this time of year too and I don't care what words they use as long as it is pleasant and sounds meaningful. I personally dropped saying, "Happy Holidays" because it never felt genuine, like I was being restricted just for PC-sake. For me it is, "Merry Christmas". If it offends someone they really need to get a life.

Heretic;1828673 wrote:Yeah, I tend to be happy that people are saying pleasant things in greeting to me, as opposed to being hilariously upset that they're not saying the specific greeting I was looking for. People who fit into the latter category probably should get a bit of perspective — mainly that those sorts of greetings are the ones people give in passing to someone they've only had minor interactions with AND with their personality, that sort of thing's probably going to be the top of the line as far as people wanting to talk to them.

I know when someone says "Good morning!" I'm like "eff you, I'm not a morning person."

superman;1828711 wrote:I know when someone says "Good morning!" I'm like "eff you, I'm not a morning person."

Figures.