Being Scrooge
08:00It's a while since I've written a post that's lost me readers so I thought it was high time some of my controversial nature was released publicly. I can't keep showing you my glossy, well finished public exterior without letting a bit of me shine through right?
Apparently I'm a Scrooge.
I was reading the Moments blog written by Liz and she asked about Christmas spirit or whether it's too early. Bear in mind it was November 15th. I commented that it was too early (and some other stuff which will come apparent further down) and she called me a scrooge.
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| {Via} |
So here's my views on holidays. I may update you during the next month or so, letters from a Scrooge or something seasonal like that. Grinch maybe? That's probably a good one too.
Ok bullet points are maybe easiest.
1) I hate decorating for Christmas. I call Christmas decorations dastardly dust catchers. We put them up a week before Christmas and take them down shortly after new year. Christmas is one day, there's no need to spend the whole of December adding and adding and bedecking just to show you've got the Christmas spirit. Who's judging? You?
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| {Via} |
2) I hate the need to show people how much you love them by buying them a ton of useless presents just so they'll look all pretty piled up under the Christmas tree. That my friends is purely selfish, look how generous I am-ism. (I added the ism to make it sound like a real thing). I would far rather buy people things that they want, whenever I want. Obviously I buy for Christmas, it's a great excuse to buy presents. But not ridiculous bath sets that they won't use but look pretty all packaged up in plastic and some shiny shredded stuff.
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| Anyone remember the year these were THE gift to get? |
3) There is no such thing as the 'magic of Christmas'. We each have our own spirit within us, we can choose if that spirit will be kind, giving, loving, welcoming etc, all the things that retailers try to sell us as the magic of Christmas. Why wait all year to share the magic? Show people they matter to you all year round!
4) I sometimes have a massive urge to dress up like Cindy Lou Who and stand in the town centre at Christmas time shouting, Christmas is not about this! Go home, spend time with your family, stop getting into debt, don't be a weakling!
I don't think I've got the hair for it though.
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| {Via} |
5) Christmas to me is this: Getting up with the excitement of going to church, singing the songs about our Saviour's birth, coming home and celebrating that birth. Sure we do some traditional things like give presents but we eat what we want to eat (more on that later I'm sure). Seeing the joy on my husband's face when I've given him a present that he loves that he didn't really realise he needed.
6) Our Christmas dinner last year was homemade pizzas and it was the best Christmas dinner I've ever had. We woke up, made the dough and left it rising while we went out to church. We came home, made our pizzas (in itself a fun task) then opened a pressie or two while they cooked.
We kinda figured that if Christmas dinner is meant to be special, why not make it our favourite meal, something we really love to eat. So we did.
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| They tasted delicious no matter how they look LOL! |
7) Some of my learned friends (Google & Wiki) tell me Jesus wasn't even born at Christmas time, we're just taking the Pagan festival and using it to celebrate His birth. In theory then, anything other than remembering Jesus has it's roots in the Pagan festival right? I'd be interested to know what traditional things we do (Except giving presents, the three Kings did that right?) are rooted in Jesus' birth.
8) I refuse to wear a tacky 'Jesus is the reason for the season' badge. My faith and Christianity should be able to be seen by others throughout the year by the way I conduct myself and live my life, not by a pin badge.
9) I will be wholeheartedly taking advantage of the holiday season by attending some Christmas craft fairs. Just because I think decorating the house in November is ridiculous, doesn't mean I should miss out on selling my wares to those who have presents to buy.
10) Dus and I like to ensure that things fulfil their 'Christmas Destiny'. Remember on Friends when Phoebe gets all upset that the brown trees don't ever get to fulfil their Christmas destiny? No? Well that's kinda the gist of it.
One biscuit left on a Tuesday night? Better eat it so that it can fulfil it's Christmas destiny.
One pair of hot pink shoes left in a size 4? Better buy them so they can fulfil their Christmas destiny.
Got it? Good, you can use that too if you like.
So there we have it, I'm a Scrooge by today's standards.
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| Dus playing with his Christmas marbles last year |
You should note that Dus likes to decorate, he fully gets into the 'spirit of Christmas' so really, to the outside world, my scroogeism is well hidden.
You should also note that for all my scroogeism, I proposed that this year, instead of a badly catered for church Christmas party in a venue that didn't really care about us, I volunteered to cook Christmas dinner for
So come on then, tell me what Christmas traditions that you have or do that can be related to celebrating Jesus' birth?
6 comments
Oh no, don't tell me that tacky bass plaque made it to the UK?! Someone gave one to my dad several years ago. The bass wiggled and sang a silly song about the river or something. Tacky!
ReplyDeleteOh no, don't tell me that tacky bass plaque made it to the UK?! Someone gave one to my dad several years ago. The bass wiggled and sang a silly song about the river or something. Tacky!
ReplyDeleteI agree with much of what you say but I love getting ready for Christmas, making decorations and all the preparations. Mine go up two weeks before Christmas Day and come down around the 11th Jan. Maybe it's because I'm so far from home and family that I like to make it a special time. Oh and by the way I don't think you're a scrooge LOLL
ReplyDeleteWe are even more similar than one may have thought. I was laughing as I read you post and saying, "me too" to many of the statements.
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas decorating is to put up the tree and let the kids go wild decorating it. Since the kids were little it was done on the first of December and taken down on the first January. Most of our decorations are Jesus centric and only over the last few years have they become a little less so (kids got older)
Gifts are to a budget and strictly adhere to. Not a million things, just on main gift and a stocking. I started the stocking for the kids when they were little. I would kind little items on sale throughout the year and put them aside. On Christmas eve I put the stockings on the end of their beds. When they woke they could empty them and enjoy the contents.
We then went to church and since for most of the kids lives I worked for the church we tended to be there a bit longer than most.
When we got home again, we would open the other gifts before having lunch. OUr lunch usually consists of real ham and salads with something special for dessert or a BBQ or whatever takes our fancy. Often we would have folks over (frequently some who didn't have family around). There was usually some sort of larger extended family gathering either before or after Christmas. Gifts there are done as a secret santa style with each person contributing one gift to a set value - we are all scrooges in our lot.
As for our traditions, each year when the girls were little we would set up the nativity and read the Christmas story directly from the bible at the same time as setting up the tree. Now we just set up the nativity - maybe we should read it again. We also used to do an Advent calender where the girls would open a box each day and read the part of the nativity story and put the relevant decoration on the tree. Haven't done that one for a few years now.
I am staunchly anti-santa. We have never had santa. Right from when the girls were tiny we told them there is no santa (or easter bunny or tooth fairy) They don't miss out on a gift and Jesus stays the focus. My reasoning is that if we tell them Santa is real and so is jesus in the same moment. what happens when they discover that santa isn't real??? perhaps jesus isn't either? Lots of folks thought I was 'ruining' christmas for my kids. No I was just keeping the focus where it belongs. My kids are all well-adjusted and love that we did that. We were very strict with insisting they didn't tell other kids as each person has their own perspective...
anyway I have rambled on for ages. suffice to say - we share many similar views.
As I've got to know you a little, I feel I can speak my mind. First of all, I agree with most of what you've said. I HATE the commercialism of christmas and the way it seems to start in October.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I'm an aethiest. To me Christmas is a pagan festival, Christ has no place in my Christmas. To me it's about spending time with family and getting some time off work! I'm sure that's going to be a pretty controversial statement I've just made.
One thing I don't like that you've said is that you hope people know you're a Christian by the way you behave and live your life. I don't think you have to be religious to treat other people with kindness, help them when you can and live your life morally. I too try to live like that, but I don't think it's connected to what you believe in.
I don't mean any offence by this comment, I appreciate you've spoken your mind so hope you don't mind me speaking mine too.
Wow Samantha....I didn't realize me calling you Scrooge would get our panties in a ruffle...LOL
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that Christmas is to commercialized but I still enjoy it...Christmas that is...not the commercialization !
We don't exchange big gifts, but I do over decorate the house but I do it because I like it ! Call me superficial but I like all things that twinkle ...Christmas is filled with twinkle.!!! I love it.
It would be a perfect wonderful world if everyone showed each other what they mean to them throughout the year...but we don't live in a perfect world and some people need a kick in the butt ( a reminder) to treat their fellow man with kindness...and that's why we have Christmas ...so that at least once a year...all the grumpys out there will be nice to each other...and all the Scrooges can put out their dust catchers and enjoy a few days eat, drink, having fun with family & friends!! LOL
BTW...Eggnog is my favorite Christmas tradition!! It helps me deal with my family!! LOL
Hugs,
Liz ..aka Santas elf