The NC Double Scrooge: Decor Division
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree: how could such a lovely symbol cause so many problems? But it does — or perhaps it’s the futile quest for arboreal perfection that ties us in knots. Whatever the cause of your decorative disgruntlement this holiday season, you can vote on it here.
Coming later in the week: family/social obligations (which is where we’ve stashed the dozens of “what happened to all the ornaments at the bottom of the tr– CAAAAAAATS”-type poll entries); movies and specials; and, of course, the holidays in song.
For now: you can spell “wreath” without “hate”…but we wouldn’t advise it. It’s the catch-all decorations/Christmas spirit category: vote now!
NC Double Scrooge, Decor Division: Please Pick The Three (3) WORST
- People who get all bent out of shape about having to say "the holidays" (13%, 448 Votes)
- People who get all bent out of shape if you say "Christmas" instead of "the holidays" (8%, 265 Votes)
- People who leave their fading, drooping decorations up until February (i.e., "the tree" becomes "the Valentine's Day needle heap") (7%, 224 Votes)
- Epileptically blinking lights (6%, 194 Votes)
- The Tree Police: people who are obsessed with whether/when everyone ELSE gets a tree, whether it's real or fake, what goes on top, etc. etc. amen -- mind your business, Tannenbaum Polizei (5%, 183 Votes)
- Lack of snow/creepy warmth after 12/1 (5%, 163 Votes)
- Trees dropping needles the DAY AFTER YOU BRING IT HOME and then tracking said needles into every room in the house (4%, 149 Votes)
- The price of real trees -- what, it's made of platinum? Fuck off, "eighty dollars" (4%, 148 Votes)
- Ugly reindeer sweaters and their sudden resurgence as a party theme (4%, 135 Votes)
- Intrusive outdoor decorating (4%, 132 Votes)
- Having a birthday between December 15 and January 2 (4%, 127 Votes)
- The non-word "Xmas" (which, if you think about it, is really "Crossmas"...or "Ex-mas") (4%, 125 Votes)
- Fake snow (3%, 116 Votes)
- The @*&#! Christmas tree stand (3%, 108 Votes)
- Fake trees (3%, 97 Votes)
- JINGLING (3%, 96 Votes)
- Tangly tree lights (3%, 95 Votes)
- Too much snow (2%, 71 Votes)
- Actual Nutcrackers: what's with the creepy unhinging jaw and beard that gets in your nutmeats? Let's buy the walnuts pre-shelled, shall we? (2%, 67 Votes)
- Getting sap all over everything (2%, 60 Votes)
- Somehow not discovering the giant bare spot on the tree until you get it home, even though you examined it from every possible angle on the lot (2%, 60 Votes)
- Neckties that play Christmas songs (2%, 59 Votes)
- Being accused of buzzkillage when you refuse to mess up your hair with novelty antlers (2%, 59 Votes)
- Trees that don't smell enough (2%, 58 Votes)
- Your moth-eaten, misshapen kindergarten ornaments Mom insists on continuing to hang on the tree that are, even for a five-year-old, poor work (1%, 47 Votes)
- Not looking good in red and/or green (1%, 18 Votes)
- Elves (0%, 15 Votes)
- The "star versus angel" "debate" (0%, 14 Votes)
- Angry nippy wreath that won't hang straight and takes 19,245 tiny bites out of your wrists in the attempt (0%, 12 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,138
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Tags: Keckler NC Double Scrooge winter-holiday agita
Two comments:
1) My son’s birthday is the 23rd, and my dad’s is in early January, and so… yeah, it’s a pain for them, and it’s a pain for the people buying presents. (They’re hard to shop for at any time, and now I have to think of at least TWO things? Ug.) But I refuse to do the combo-gift unless it is *clearly and demonstrably* a gift worth extending to multiple holidays.
2) You rag on the people who leave their decorations up until February, but don’t want to take a poke at the ones who get them up before Hallowe’en has even arrived? We’ve got at least THREE of those people in our neighborhood, and… I love Christmas, I love Christmas decorations, but seriously, folks. THANKSGIVING DAY is the earliest you’re allowed to put up Christmas decorations. It’s not officially “the Christmas season” until you see Santa in the Macy’s parade!
The Quest for the Perfect Real Christmas Tree is my least favorite part of the season. My family always did the “go out in the woods and cut your own” thing, and it always ended in tears and frozen toes. It does not evoke happy memories. I would be totally fine with a nice fake tree, if only we didn’t live in an apartment with no storage.
BF and I have compromised by buying a tree from a lot for the past few years. It aggravates him that the whole “How about this one? Too tall… too short… hole in the side, could it go in the back? Too yellow… I only like Frasers” debate is on his side only.
My side is “It’s fine. It’ll look great when we decorate it.” I refuse to engage in The Quest. And we still went to 4 tree lots this year. And that’s still a huge improvement over my real tree childhood memories.
Personally, this year I’m extra happy because you can now actually buy a mostly-exact replica of Charlie Brown’s pitiful Christmas tree. I’m not generally a holiday person, but I sure was when I was eight, and that’s just hitting below the belt–I think I need one.
On the topic of Christmas trees, I bought small ones growing in the pot for two years in a row in this ridiculous belief I was going to somehow keep it alive until the following year. Lasted until February. Let me reiterate, it took me TWO years to learn that lesson.
This year I had a little person nagging me to put the tree up ASAP, so I Radioheaded it this year (Fake Plastic Trees). Half the price and will actually be able to use it next year
I volunteered a couple weeks ago at the annual Festival of Trees, which usually peps me up for the holidays, but some of the Scrooge-y comments here are ringing true and making me giggle.
We were all given battery-powered Santa hats to wear, with the words “I believe in Santa Claus” flashing across the white trim. Mmm…Christmas cheeeese.
And I was the “tree host” for the tree with tons of poinsettias around it. Most people were commenting on its loveliness, but there were a few lovely souls who just had to point out to me “Um, some of your poinsettias are dying; you’d better do something about that.” Thanks. Ho ho hofishcakes.
This “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” thing is so overblown. There are very few people in this world who are actually offended either way. I do, however, think it’s nice to remember that just as you don’t go around wishing everyone else a happy birthday when it’s your birthday, it’s always nice to remember that there are people who don’t celebrate Christmas. Half of my family is Jewish (as am I), and the other half Catholic – I always appreciate that my Catholic aunt makes a point to fish my holiday card out of the pile and cross out “Merry Christmas” and instead write in “Happy Hannukah” before she mails them off. It’s sweet and thoughtful. I wouldn’t spit on her if she did otherwise, but it means I know that she’s really thinking of me when she does it.
Remember, thinking of others and their feelings makes baby Jesus happy. (Or so I’ve been told.) :)
Oh, the blinky lights. HATE. Hate, hate. Am willing to tolerate all sorts of light/no-light/multi-colored/single-colored lights options in order to get along with my spouse, but I will not bend on the blinking. Hate. No blink.
And I agree with MsC and others — most folks should be glad I’m not just saying “F you,” especially considering I’m in the middle of first pregnancy emotional crazytown. If you’re lucky enough to get a “Happy holidays” or a “Merry Christmas” or even a “have a nice day” from me, take it in the spirit from which it was intended; don’t get hacked off just ’cause I didn’t use your favorite phrase.
My pet peeve is the tacky-ass plastic light-up Nativity Scenes people put on their front lawns. I mean, this is supposed to be the son of your God, your Lord and Saviour. Depicting him in crappy plastic effigy seems sort of, well, disrespectful.
(Which is probably hypocritical coming from a person who makes Decomposing Zombie Jesus jokes every Easter, but I don’t claim to believe in/worship the guy, you know?)
It was 80 degrees here yesterday so “Lack of snow/creepy warmth after 12/1†was at the top of my list. But normally it’s the blinking lights that get to me. Out-of-sync blinking lights are annoying enough, but what really makes me angry are the icicle lights that blink. Why do people set them to blink on and off when it does it in giant three-foot chunks? It just looks weird. Either the whole strand should turn off at once or not at all. And what also looks weird is when they don’t have enough icicle lights to cover the whole roof and there’s a gap at the end (or an excess of lights flung onto a nearby tree). Either measure before you buy the lights, or just get normal strands.
oh oh those inflatable lawn thingees … a neighbor has them, but only inflates them / lights them at night. So when I walk by during the day, all these “dead” reindeer, snowmen, and Santas are sprawled out along the lawn in morbid poses. Creepy!
I love that there are so many December babies hanging around here!
Mine is the 22nd, and since that was usually after school was out for winter break, we tried one time having a birthday party for me on the half-year. Everyone looked at us like we were crazy and said “but it’s not your birthday!” OH YEAH? WELL YOU LEFT FOR YOUR STUPID SKIING VACATION BEFORE MY ACTUAL BIRTHDAY CAME AROUND THANKS FOR NOT SHOWING UP TO MY STUPID PARTY AND MAKING ME PLAY PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY BY MYSELF, GOSH.
As an adult I’ve come to terms with it. I don’t like birthday gifts that are wrapped in Christmas wrappings – that’s lazy. I didn’t like combo gifts as a kid because those who did it gave crappy gifts. Now I use it to my advantage for things like a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Booyah!
Those inflatable yard “ornaments” make me see red … and not in a festive holiday way!
And my husband and I managed to turn both our mothers into rabid Tannenbaum Polizei the year we decided a full-size Christmas tree would not fit in our apartment. You would’ve thought we’d decided to stomp on Baby Jesus’ head. My mom threatened to withhold presents if we didn’t put up some sort of tree. We ended up getting a small tabletop tree to appease the moms, and I have to admit, it does look pretty.
@Shanna in response to IT IS THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
Thanks for denouncing your own holiday as lame in an effort to let all of us from a Christian upbringing know that you are cool with Christmas being more awesome… I guess?
The thing about “happy holidays” is it was once recognized (by me, anyway) as having nothing to do with being politically correct. It’s just something you say at Christmas in order to be kind and cheery, not all that different from saying Merry Christmas. Maybe when Irving Berlin wrote that “The Holiday Season/Happy Holidays” song way back in 1940-something people were already trying to be PC, but that seems unlikely. I mean, have you seen “The Minstrel Show” number in White Christmas?
Inflatable yard “ornaments”: my mother has a neighbor who plops “Santa” on the 2nd floor balcony every year, but rarely remembers to turn on the generator to inflate him, so he sort of … hangs over the balcony. My mother calls me each year to report “The Return of Flaccid Santa”. Because we’re just that kind of family.
December birthdays: I grew up with a girl who has a 12/26 birthday, and her parents were very good at separating the two into distinct celebrations. As she got older, she was more comfortable with the combo gift, which resulted in her 24th birthday/Christmas gift of… an entertainment center for her new apartment – stereo and tv included. Score!
My pet peeve is the tacky-ass plastic light-up Nativity Scenes people put on their front lawns. I mean, this is supposed to be the son of your God, your Lord and Saviour. Depicting him in crappy plastic effigy seems sort of, well, disrespectful.
This. Especially when there’s a tacky-ass plastic Santa and Frosty visiting the babe in the manger alongside the three wise dudes. I’m a big fat heathen and this ticks me off!
I’ll also put in a vote for the sad, sad deflated blowup figures. That just makes me want to knock on the door and ask the occupants to please turn the air on.
I’m from Bethlehem, PA (Christmas City, USA!) and we still have a public Nativity in the City Hall plaza. When I was a kid it seemed like the Baby Jesus got stolen every year and was always found in the basement of one frat house or another, so TPTB took to chaining Him in the manger. Yup, our Baby Jesus has a chain around his neck. And occasionally a scarf. Now they don’t steal Him, they dress Him.
I know that this is a very niche complaint, but my step-mom has a bunch of Santas that go up around the kitchen on top of the cabinets. Realistic on-the-stand Santas. With glass eyes. That follow you everywhere. And grin maniacally. Total heebie-jeebies from those things.
I’m somehow smack dab in obtrusive outdoor decorating central. I sometimes feel like the that Who in Whoville that’s all, uhm what is the big fuss, and other times (like now) I’m a total Grinch about it.
For Four years running there’s been this one house that went coo-coo crazy pants with outdoor decorations. Normally, this woman’s lawn looked like a gnome mated with rabbits and then got it on with a bunch of fairies and the product of these unfathomable spawning ran amok on her lawn. But then Christmas happens and…. oh god. First of all I don’t understand how the old lady living there affords the electricity bill and secondly, to make another Grinch reference, I don’t understand why someone would want the entire contents of Whoville strewn across their lawns.
But this year…. nothing. So much nothing that I’m worried that something happened to the old woman who lives there.
One final note… If I see one more inflatable Santa riding a Motorcycle in my neighborhood, I’m gonna get stabby. It’s great you’re a Biker dude, but do you need to proclaim that so that people can see it from space?!?!
I’d like to cast a write-in vote for the effect of inescapable indoor pine trees on my allergies/asthma.
Those tacky, creepy Santa statues. I couldn’t even give it to my dog to play with because I was afraid it would choke on the ratty looking plastic beard.
My birthday is December 27th, but I didn’t vote for the “holiday birthday” thing. My parents always, ALWAYS made sure I got a separate present, and birthday cake, and a lot of my parties were slumber parties because: everyone’s off school! And nothing lessens the childhood depression of no more gifts to open like a whole other day of gifts to open.
Having said that, if you are wrapping a gift for a holiday birthday person, and you decide you’ll use the XMas paper you already have stacked on the dining room table rather than go to the hall closet to get the birthday paper, you are a lazy jerk.
I always use “Happy Holidays” and appreciate when others use it because it’s all about being thoughtful. I want them to enjoy the holiday season, and I don’t know which ones they celebrate.
@Em, that’s what I got this year. I’m in a studio apartment, so it’s perfect. There’s even a drawing of Snoopy on the base.
@Em I may have to buy that Charlie Brown tree right now.
I just have to say that these comments have made a shitty night better. Because OMG I am wiping tears from laughing and have scared my cats more than once.
The nation is the best. :D
And for what its worth, I voted for the tree dropping needles five minutes after its home and up. Also too much snow (I like a White Christmas but after like, mid-January it gets old)
Until people made a federal case of it, I honestly always thought “Happy holidays” was to incorporate Christmas, New Year’s and Hannukah into one greeting. It didn’t bug me until saying it became a Statement.
I’d like to chime in for the allergically-inclined of us to point out that “the tree not smelling enough” is the OPPOSITE of my problem with Christmas trees. The dining hall in my house at college put a gigantic (12′?) tree up immediately after Thanksgiving, and going to meals has been like being smacked in the face with a baseball bat of mucus.
People live inside. Trees live outside. There are reasons for that.
(And really, doesn’t it seem unnecessarily cruel to the environment to cut down a tree just so it can die all over the carpeting? That tree could be outside, fighting CO2 emissions!)
As a woman whose second baby is due on December 26 (and whose first child was born on December 15), I have had to come to grips with the fact that my children will have a less-than-ideal birthday situation. Luckily for me, half-birthdays played a prominent part of my formative years, due to having several sisters with summer birthdays who wanted to bring cupcakes during the school year. Knowing that my parents and extended family on that side are already in the habit of half-birthday celebrations has given me solace. Plus, I know how to throw a hell of a half-birthday party, and I intend to make them happen for my kids.
But let’s not kid ourselves — there will be 3 feet between me and my husband at all times this March-April. Holiday babies are kind of stressful.
One word: FLOCKING. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Especially when it is in non-snow colors – pink, blue, neon green, etc. It’s just wrong.
We don’t get a tree – with 5 cats and a small house, it would be difficult. But we get the best smelling wreath we can find, and go with that. Hung high on the front door, where the little darlings can’t get to it.
I also get irked by electric luminarias (candles in paper bags). I know it’s safer and easier to have a light bulb in a plastic “paper” bag, but the real ones are so much prettier and the fake ones look, well, fake. (I also hate the real ones done in white bags instead of brown, and luminarias being set out before Christmas Eve, but that’s just me being insanely traditional.)
@Tylia, I have an inflatable biker-Santa down the street from me too (and at Halloween it’s an inflatable biker skeleton; at Thanksgiving it’s just a regular inflatable non-biker turkey, so I guess that’s…good?). Ugh–every single year.
I hate inflatable yard decor. HATE IT. And my dog is terrified of it, so if the neighbors put it up, walking her is an experience.
In my current neighborhood, one house has decided for a unique decor: the shape of the state of Texas, with “God Bless Texas” inside. All in lights. I’m still puzzling over the relationship between God Bless Texas and Christmas. Maybe they think Christmas is a uniquely Texas holiday? Like it’s the day God blessed Texas? So odd.
My birthday is January 4th which means that I didn’t have the option to celebrate my half-birthday, since we were all busy celebrating “America’s birthday”, so the way my parents usually handled the whole Christmas/Birthday situation was to purchase a REALLYBIGEXCITINGEXPENSIVE present that could be split in two. For instance, one year I got a video game system for Christmas, and a whole bunch of brand new games for my birthday. My parents had it kind of rough, when I think about it, because both of my brothers birthday’s fall on or near holidays as well (Halloween and Thanksgiving) and they did an excellent job of making sure we each felt super special on our birthday, and never like an inconvienience. Which is, I think even more important than doing seperate presents, occasions, etc.
My partner’s birthday is 12/24, so he suffered through Birthmas presents while growing up. I’ve done random “surprise” birthdays sometimes. Like, if I surprise you with something in September, you’re REALLY surprised.
The whole “Happy Holidays” thing is completely manufactured by right-wing talk radio. My father (god bless him) has succumbed to the mind-control waves that must be embedded in Fox News broadcasts… he was getting all cheesed off about it one year. My question: these retail store clerks that you’re all indignant about … do you REALLY think they are anti-Christmas? Hell, no — they’re trying to move as much merch as they can. And as was pointed out by other posters, I think the idea of Christmas and New Year’s as “the holidays” is a pretty long established concept. (I’d love to trace the earliest usage: I bet it goes back pretty far — long before anyone was worrying about “PC or not PC.”)
Inflatable lawn ornaments: I have to say, I love when there are neighborhoods or blocks which cooperatively join in crazy decorating (Winterhaven in Tucson, where I grew up; 34th St. in Hampden in Baltimore, etc.) but some of the inflatable things can be pretty creepy and/or tacky when just on their own and not well maintained.
I always had little Charlie Brown trees in my tiny New York apartments. I loved those. Sometimes I did artful arrangements of birch branches for more of a winter-tree theme. I just liked having lights in the corner … it brought back memories of sneaking out and sleeping next to the tree some nights when I was a kid, looking at the big colored bulbs.
@Victoria and Scarlettb – I hear you with the allergies. When I was just a sprog, my family did the whole live tree thing every year. And every year I was the whiniest, surliest, most miserable, annoying little brat. Then when I turned 9 or 10 I had an allergy test and discovered that I’m allergic to just about every type of evergreen there is. My mom promptly switched to an artificial tree and the whole family had the first merry Christmas in years. It turns out I’m much more festive when I can breathe.
My dad, my brother, and I all have birthdays between Thanksgiving & Christmas. And my SIL & nephew have birthdays in January. (My mom’s birthday is near Mother’s Day. Now *that’s* a PITA.) Having most of the family in the same boat probably helped, but I like it. It was slightly annoying for a few years when I realized that I got a lot of combo-gifts from friends, but my dad tended toward overdoing it, so once I got out of my sulky teens I decided that it balanced out. And there are bonuses (I don’t think I’ve ever had to work on my birthday, and rarely had to go school).
Maybe the trick is to approach it as if you have a birthday season — so you have a couple of smaller gatherings instead of one big blowout… but that means you get multiple parties, which doesn’t entirely suck. I never did the half-birthday thing, but I’ve had birthday parties earlier in December, or in mid-January. (And if you delay, you can make it a general “let’s celebrate the fact that the holidays are over” decompression fiesta.)
Also: I am so happy that I can once again register my general hatred of elves in all forms! Effing elves, man.
the trick is to approach it as if you have a birthday season
Hey, I do this and my birthday is in March.
@Krista, and the other posters with children who have December birthdays: if you don’t want to do the half-birthday in June because their school friends won’t be around, how about just counting back 9 months and using March 25th or thereabouts? In church tradition 3/25 is the Feast of the Annunciation; in modern terms it could be Mom Peed on a Stick Day. I’ve had 60 years of a December birthday myself, and as a child I always wished I could have a beach birthday party, or get fun summer toys instead of all the wooooollllly socks and mittens. (Now I’m a knitter, so go figure!)
@Strega, the seasonal carol for you will be “Noelves, No ELVES!”.
But please leave Legolas (as played by Orlando Bloom) for me. Thank you.
I voted for the people who get pissy about “Happy Holidays” because it’s so stupid. It’s fine to say Merry Christmas, but why get your knickers in a twist about “Happy Holidays”? It kind of gets to feel like a “it’s MY holiday season! MINE!!” weird possessive thing. As Jon Stewart put it, “the season wouldn’t feel the same without people going out of their way to get offended by nothing”. (See more Jon Stewart awesomeness here: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-december-6-2010/the-gretch-who-saved-the-war-on-christmas – around the 5:30 mark the little “First War on Christmas” movie begins: “It seemed with all the peace on Earth and goodwill towards men, people just plumb forgot to be offended by all the petty bullshit that divides us!”)
Also, trees that don’t smell enough. It’s not really Christmas without the overbearing scent of pine!!
I grew up with real christmas trees and have had them as an adult and never had a problem with any of them. But my husband deals with plant pests and the phone calls he fields this time of year – oh lordy! Ants, spiders and preying mantis eggs hatching all over your house. We have a fake tree this year.
@Elizabeth “The Return of Flaccid Santa” made me spit tea all over my keyboard this morning. I think it should be the name of a new stop-motion Christmas special.
Oh the curse of the December birthday… add to that being one of three kids with December birthdays, but the one with the birthday closest to Christmas. And the only one that got combo gifts. And dealt with “well it was just Christmas, I’m kind of worn out from celebrating.” Not that I’m still bitter…
My friend threw me a half-birthday party last year and it was awesome. It took 32 years, but I finally learned how to celebrate my birthday – move it to June.
I generally wish people Happy Holidays and it’s both to cover off holidays other than Christmas, and to include New Year’s. And anyone who doesn’t like it can bite me. I worked for Orthodox Jews for years, and my boss’ sister routinely wished me a good Shabbas. I didn’t get all up in arms about it – I wished it back, and went on my merry way.
Oh lawn ornaments. I don’t mind *one*, although I don’t want one on my lawn…if I had a lawn, which I don’t. Yeah for townhouses! But when there are 12?? One of my parents’ neighbours is such an over-decorator that we drive by his house just to see what monstrosity he’s created this year. And it’s not just Christmas – Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day… I wish I was kidding about that last one. I’m not.
My daughter’s birthday is actually 12/25. Yeah, The Day. It could have been a hassle but we adjusted. Her birthday is celebrated on June 25th and for Christmas Dinner we had birthday cake for dessert. Birthday cake that said, Happy Birthday Jesus and Julie.
When family came over, I stood at the door and stopped each one to determine if they had the dreaded combo present. If so, they were required to go immediately to the guest room and re-wrap the present in available birthday paper. She got plenty of christmas presents that day and hardly any birthday presents, which we opened with the birthday cake.
Have to confess to having used Christmas wrapping paper for birthday presents a couple of times. . . but the birthday in question was in August and the paper happened to be all I had.
Mark me as another who was surprised to see “non-word Xmas” on a list created by Sars, who’s always struck me as somewhat of an etymology geek. I would have picked that one if it had been phrased as, “the people who get their knickers in a twist about Xmas because they don’t realize its actual derivation”.
I DID pick the “holidays” controversy, though, because it irritates the hell out of me. Like so many others here — it’s Christmas AND New Year’s, and for me, Solstice, so yes there are multiple holidays, get over it.
I used to be extremely attached to the idea of going out into the woods and bringing back a tree. You know what, I’m older now, and I live alone, and I admit that I’m lazy. I have a fake, pre-lit, table-top tree. And it makes me happy. I don’t see where its realness or anything else is the business of anyone who is not living in my apt. (The cats have no opinion except that they really seem to like to crouch under it.) I burn some pine-scented candles.
I leave it up until Twelfth Night, except when I slip by a few weeks (but at least at that point I don’t leave my blinds open to “share” it with the neighborhood any more). Except for the year when I broke my wrist the week before I was going to take it down. That year, that sucker stayed up until MARCH.
To be perfectly honest — all of the rest of the holiday decor can go away by Twelfth Night, but… I would gladly sign a petition to tell people in the Northeast that I would be HAPPY if they would leave up their outdoor lights for longer. I dislike the whole winter-time “it’s pitch dark before you leave work” thing, and since I’m more Solstice oriented, “bringing light to the darkest days of winter” is one of my Big Things, and I feel, why stop that in January? Let’s brighten the WHOLE winter.
Not with inflatable snowmen and Santa ornaments, though. Just lights. (Oh my god, a friend’s neighbor not ONLY has the inflatable snowman, and inflatable polar bear, and full sleigh and reindeer, and life-size cut-out Coke Santa and Mrs. Claus… but they have this thing where they have a globe that fits over their lamp-post light, except the globe is a snowman’s head, and… “Oh, look — it’s just not the holidays without Frosty’s head on a pike!”)
Hai, Dec 25 birthday here.
Moving it to another date doesn’t work. I tried that when I was a kid; it’s just depressing.
For kids, getting gypped on loot and not having a party are the two worst things. The way my parents worked it, and it was as good as the situation could be, I think, was to have Christmas on Christmas Eve, and my birthday on Christmas day. If we’d go visit family, we’d still do our thing on C-E, and when everyone showed up on C-D for the Christmas feast we’d have birthday cake for dessert.
My parents finessed the loot by wrapping a lot of inexpensive presents so it still felt like a gift orgy. Like, battery-powered doodad in one gift, batteries in another, etc.
I don’t really care if someone who doesn’t know me all that well wishes me a “Merry Christmas” – but I do appreciate the folks (both casual acquaintances and total strangers) who wish me a “Happy Holiday” instead of assuming that I’m Christian. As noted, there are several other holidays that get lumped into the seasonal celebrations, from Thanksgiving at one end to New Year’s on the other – not to mention Christmas for the Orthodox Christians who still use the Julian calendar and don’t celebrate Christmas until January 7th.
Well intended, but I can’t see it catching on. “The night your parents did the nasty”? Tough to explain to a 3-year-old, too.
But I do like the idea mentioned above of a real surprise party, on a totally arbitrary date. I would have liked someone to do that for me even if it hadn’t been a surprise. Stlll would, in fact.
For me, it’s the birthdays. My grandmother’s was 12/25, so insisted on getting separate birthday and Xmas gifts, wrapped appropriately. Mine is 1/8 – close enough so that you get combo gifts (grr). Seriously, one year I got a pair of earrings – one for Xmas, one for the birthday. NO.
My parents get massive points for trying to separate the two when I was younger. They did the half-birthday celebration for me, so June. Now, it’s less of a thing for me. Still don’t want the combo gifts, though…..or as it’s also known – “I forgot your birthday so this counts for both.”
I’d like to add: The busybody in the office who gets, as it were, all lit up over how you choose to decorate your office for Christmas. It’s extension-cord this, voltage-overload that, ungrounded-wire the other thing. For Santa’s sake, they sell three-plug extenders at Home Depot, it’s unlikely that I’m going to burn the joint down with one of them.
My friend whose birthday is December 15 is sick of Christmas, so (at her request) I JUST get her a birthday gift.
I have been converted to fake trees. I loved the real ones, but fakes have two big advantages: (a) I can put them up and take them down whenever the hell I want, rather than worrying about the wilt factor or fire factor, and (b) I can hang any damn ornament on any damn branch instead of going around like I’ve got Cinderella’s shoe to fit on the various wilting branches.
My partner’s birthday is Dec 31. Neither of us is much of a party-goer nor do we give much of a damn about “New Year” celebrations… so I just told him the day is his, all his, and that is that! Probably would not work if we hade a huge social circle, but we don’t, so there.
I am a big fake-tree fan, but that’s due to having been diagnosed with the tree allergy as a baby. We had the same fake tree (the kind you had to poke each branch into a central pole) since before I could remember until my late teens. That tree was like an old friend, especially for a little kid. Mega-exciting when Mom got the tree and decorations out of storage each year! Learning to assemble the thing *all by myself* even became a rite of passage somehow. I miss it, actually.
On the other hand, I did outgrow the tree allergy early on, so I can now enjoy everybody else’s $80 extravaganza, complete with the wonderous aroma, and still not have to vacuum. Win!