[besson3c]

http://www.xmasresistance.org/
http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/

These sites make a good point, particularly the front page on the first site. I'm very tempted to jump aboard this bandwagon, and I would have no hesitation in doing so if I thought it wouldn't upset people in my family.

What do you guys think? Have any of you declared that you won't be buying gifts for people? Why aren't more people doing this already? Any stories of conflict with various family members over this kind of stuff?

[JoshuaZ]

I`d join in, but mainly because I`m a cheap bastard.

[Mastrap]

I like Christmas, I like Christmas decorations and I like giving presents for Christmas. I like meeting friends, I like the parties, the social life. One of my favourite times of year.

[JoshuaZ]

Its also the most depressing time of the year, as many people do not have the money for decorations, presents, seeing friends and family, or are not invited to parties. Shoot, some don`t even like our families.

You can`t have Christmas without `christ`, but everyone is sure trying.

[besson3c]

Also, I think that even if I held strong Christian beliefs that this wouldn't conflict with my beliefs. In fact, perhaps Christmas could be an even more spiritual time without the distractions and stresses associated with being stuck in a shopping mall and resisting the aggressive marketing pushes to buy more stuff that we always feel inundated with.

[Kevin]

Just buy yourself something nice. That will make you feel better.

[Albert Pujols]

The only time I bought anyone Christmas gifts were for those forced Christmas parties in elementary school. I remember my 2nd grade teacher going around asking all the kids what Santa would get them but deliberately skipping me just because of my race. She didn't know my beliefs.. and just because im Asian it doesn't mean I don't celebrate Christmas, which I don't.. but thats besides the point. I've never like Christmas since.

If someone has a problem about not getting a gift, they can suck it. Thats not what Christmas is about anyway and blah blah blah...

[JoshuaZ]

(Buy yourself a new iPod. Thats my plan this xmas. It`s going to make me feel better on the 13 hour plane ride back to America, and then the 16 hour ride back to Japan.)

[Kevin]

I think we shouldn't PAY for gifts, but make them ourselves.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Just buy yourself something nice. That will make you feel better.

Actually, no it won't. I simply don't want or need too many nice things outside of my computer, trumpet (it's been years since I bought one though, these purchases occur very infrequently), or money for vacations, CDs/iTunes music, concerts, and other random ticketed events.

I also think that most Americans spend far beyond their means, rack up too much debt, and have an unhealthy compulsion to buy crap they don't need (especially crap from Walmart, which annoys me even further). Part of me simply doesn't want to support this.

We live in a day and age where people don't truly "need" a whole lot that they don't already have. Buying a family member that cutting board they had on their wish list just feels like I'm saving them a trip to Sears. Has Christmas simply become running errands for people?

[d0ubled0wn]

What?! Our economy would flush down the toilet without all the gift buying at Christmas. I say you all must buy as many gifts as possible, use credit cards if you have to... a little more debt won't hurt anyone. The stock market is in a rally and I can't have you guys pissing all over my stocks just because you're all are too cheap to buy gifts.



Actually it would be great not having to deal with the stress of finding the right gift for every friend and family member. And really all it would take is to just float the idea around. I'm betting most people probably feel the same way. My friend's family made an agreement this year not to get gifts, except for the kids. I also hate buying greeting cards too. Instead of buying a piece of paper with someone else's words, just say it yourself.

[Cubeoid]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I think we shouldn't PAY for gifts, but make them ourselves.

What are you ... an elf?!

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by d0ubled0wn

I also hate buying greeting cards too. Instead of buying a piece of paper with someone else's words, just say it yourself.

Yeah, plus the greeting cards never sound like something that I would want to say. They need more robots, bears, clowns, and other cool things.

[ghporter]

I like the spirit, the togetherness, and the celebrating that go along with Christmas. But I do not like the commercialism that goes with it. I mean, there's something SERIOUSLY wrong with begining Christmas marketing in SEPTEMBER!!!!!!

We work very hard at our house to do all of the shopping we need to BEFORE THANKSGIVING. You see, this has two benefits. First, we avoid the huge, rabid, "I gotta buy Christmas stuff NOW" crowds. Second, since we plan this sort of thing in advance, we actually think about the gifts we want to give. We don't have a big crowd to give gifts to anyway, so this makes the job even easier.

I LOVE giving presents, so I will continue to do so. But I absolutely despise the psychosis that gets into the air in malls this time of year, and only gets worse until Christmas...only to be followed by a different psychosis involved in returning the @#$#%^#$#$@#$@#$@@@@ gifts people got just a day or two before!!!!!!!!

I think I need a drink. Egg nog with rum, anyone?

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Egg nog with rum, anyone?

It's way too early in the year for egg nog

[Cubeoid]

Originally Posted by besson3c

more robots, bears, clowns, and other cool things.

I think the whole world needs more robots, bears, and clowns.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Stradlater

It's way too early in the year for egg nog

Not when there's rum involved! It's NEVER too early for rum!

[Kerrigan]

Frankly I think that Christmas has been butchered enough. It's bad enough that Christmas was turned from a religious holiday into a gala of corporate profiteering. Now the PC crowd wants to strip Christmas of its last remaining religious connotations, which would make the holiday completely meaningless.

I'm not a religious person myself but I can see the harm that is done when a society's important traditions are scrapped in favor of a meaningless, multi-culture celebration based on nothing.

My family never celebrated Christmas and I continue that tradition (nor that dumbass holiday Thanksgiving).

To see everyone in a tizzy for two months prior to the day of consumption is pathetic.

If you have to give a gift - do something nice for a stranger.

[Kerrigan]

screamingFit, somehow or other you have managed to capture the actual meaning of Christmas

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by besson3c

Actually, no it won't.

I was being sarcastic.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

What are you ... an elf?!

You just want me to stuff your stocking!

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by screamingFit

My family never celebrated Christmas and I continue that tradition (nor that dumbass holiday Thanksgiving).

To see everyone in a tizzy for two months prior to the day of consumption is pathetic.

If you have to give a gift - do something nice for a stranger.

Do you celebrate any holidays?

I'm with Mastrap. I like the fact that holidays bring people—friends, family—together. I like the seasonal traditions (bringing out family recipes, etc.).

[MaxPower2k3]

i'm a jew.

that's my excuse.

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by MaxPower2k3

i'm a jew.

that's my excuse.

And you have your own family/friend gatherings to attend to

[gururafiki]

Giving gifts is fine, but it's silly that it is so commercialized. Christmas has lost its specialness to commercials and "seasonal sales". With my family, we limit how much we are allowed to spend per person to $15-20 a present.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Its also the most depressing time of the year, as many people do not have the money for decorations, presents, seeing friends and family, or are not invited to parties. Shoot, some don`t even like our families.

You can`t have Christmas without `christ`, but everyone is sure trying.

Many people live in misery all year round.

[11011001]

I'm going to blame not buying any presents on final exams Mine last till a few days before christmas!! Yay!!! (there is an upside to everything)

If I can, I plan to be on a flight to Korea come christmas day. Muahahahhaha. I'm a selfish greedy bastard.

[production_coordinator]

My family has taken the focus off of giving gifts by having a very inexpensive gift exchange. We have the limit at $10 so you need to think creatively.

My friends go overboard every year buying gifts for their family members. It's rather rediculous.

[JoshuaZ]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Many people live in misery all year round.

Not all of us can be you, or aspire to your level of misery.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Not all of us can be you, or aspire to your level of misery.

What are you talking about?

[JoshuaZ]

Its called a joke. See, you say one thing, I say another, somewhere someone laughs. Thats how it works.

[teknopimp]

Originally Posted by besson3c

...I'm very tempted to jump aboard this bandwagon...

i've jumped on the bandwagon. i'm all for the secular movement. besides, at work i deal with clients of all kinds and it's impossible to tell who's what these days, so it's better safe than sorry in my book.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Its called a joke. See, you say one thing, I say another, somewhere someone laughs. Thats how it works.

Surely somewhere it needs to be funny, no?

[JoshuaZ]

Can we just be friends?

[Mastrap]

Only because it's Christmas.

[PacHead]

Wow, there's some real grouches (and probably a few cheap bastards) on this forum.
What the hell is wrong with christmas ? It's a fun time of the year (especially for kids), and exchanging gifts with friends and family is fun.

[JoshuaZ]

Now thats the spirit! Wait... its still a month away. I guess we have some time left to make bad jokes about each other.

[Salty]

I love giving to other people. I'm giving my mom a mac mini for Christmas this year, and I'll probably give my dad a Wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse to go with mom's new Mac mini . As well I'm giving my sister a hand bag that would have cost me 25, but they were being sold by two missionaries in our church to help fun the schooling of their kids while they're on the mission field, and they're the nicest people ever, so we're saying I spent 40 dollars on my sister . And I'll probably get her another something.
On average I spend at least 100 bucks per family member, and someone normally tends to come out ahead, last time I had money it was Dad, I paid 100 towards a surround sound thing and then I spent more on him, that Christmas I think I spent like 300 bucks.

I love Christmas, I love the celebration of the incarnation, as well as the fact that you have an excuse to give something really nice to someone and there's a better chance they won't feel bad about you spending so much on them.

Really I like having nice things for myself, but I love knowing I did something nice for others too.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Salty

I love giving to other people. I'm giving my mom a mac mini for Christmas this year, and I'll probably give my dad a Wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse to go with mom's new Mac mini . As well I'm giving my sister a hand bag that would have cost me 25, but they were being sold by two missionaries in our church to help fun the schooling of their kids while they're on the mission field, and they're the nicest people ever, so we're saying I spent 40 dollars on my sister . And I'll probably get her another something.
On average I spend at least 100 bucks per family member, and someone normally tends to come out ahead, last time I had money it was Dad, I paid 100 towards a surround sound thing and then I spent more on him, that Christmas I think I spent like 300 bucks.

I love Christmas, I love the celebration of the incarnation, as well as the fact that you have an excuse to give something really nice to someone and there's a better chance they won't feel bad about you spending so much on them.

Really I like having nice things for myself, but I love knowing I did something nice for others too.

If you want to do something really nice, and very Christian, why not put all that money into a charity, or volunteer to work at a soup kitchen or something?

Not that there is anything wrong with spending $100 on each of your family members, but if I really wanted to celebrate the incarnation, I think personally I might feel more inclined to do something like this rather than enjoy the spiritual connection you feel with a set of surround sound speakers.

[PacHead]

Originally Posted by besson3c

If you want to do something really nice, and very Christian, why not put all that money into a charity, or volunteer to work at a soup kitchen or something?

Screw that, let the grouches who boycott christmas give their own money. They're not buying any presents afterall so they should have cash to spare.

[Salty]

I'll probably end up spending a lil over 600 dollars this Christmas. The Mac mini has been planned for the longest time. This is just a great time to do it.

That said, this year I will likely give over three-five times that much to non-profit organizations through my weekly tithe, as well as any giving I decide to do above and beyond that (and honestly I don't really keep track).

So it's not as if this is the only time I decide to do nice things for people, it's just the time people feel least awkward about receiving gifts. I'm still debating taking some of the extra cash I'm getting from an inheritance and buying our Associate Pastor an iBook . I took two friends from school out the other day primarily because they normally have to eat caf food, and then bought my former roomie a really nice pair of jeans, since he has no cash to buy new ones, and has lost two pant sizes since the last time we got him clothes.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Salty

I'll probably end up spending a lil over 600 dollars this Christmas. The Mac mini has been planned for the longest time. This is just a great time to do it.

That said, this year I will likely give over three-five times that much to non-profit organizations through my weekly tithe, as well as any giving I decide to do above and beyond that (and honestly I don't really keep track).

So it's not as if this is the only time I decide to do nice things for people, it's just the time people feel least awkward about receiving gifts. I'm still debating taking some of the extra cash I'm getting from an inheritance and buying our Associate Pastor an iBook . I took two friends from school out the other day primarily because they normally have to eat caf food, and then bought my former roomie a really nice pair of jeans, since he has no cash to buy new ones, and has lost two pant sizes since the last time we got him clothes.

Very respectful... that's very sweet of you. I hope a lot of good karma comes your way.

(no sarcasm intended)

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

Frankly I think that Christmas has been butchered enough. It's bad enough that Christmas was turned from a religious holiday into a gala of corporate profiteering. Now the PC crowd wants to strip Christmas of its last remaining religious connotations, which would make the holiday completely meaningless.

You mean as opposed to hacksawing another culturual/religious tradition into your own to make your religion easier to swallow for people?

[production_coordinator]

I'm a big fan of hand made gifts.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by production_coordinator

My family has taken the focus off of giving gifts by having a very inexpensive gift exchange. We have the limit at $10 so you need to think creatively.

My friends go overboard every year buying gifts for their family members. It's rather rediculous.

Same here. For immediate family members it's a card, usually humorous, and a small gift. For extended family it's only a card. Although, now that we have my niece we've all become a little deranged. No one is buying her crazy-expensive stuff. It's more about buying her lots of little things and the pleasure we get from seeing her chewing on or drooling on all the little things we get her. Seeing her giggle and laugh is truly priceless.

(My mom left for my sister's today and I'm stuck at home on Thanksgiving working. )

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by PacHead

Screw that, let the grouches who boycott christmas give their own money. They're not buying any presents afterall so they should have cash to spare.

This grouch is giving his usual $200 donation to the local men's shelter for their Christmas activities.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by Salty

I'll probably end up spending a lil over 600 dollars this Christmas. The Mac mini has been planned for the longest time. This is just a great time to do it.

That said, this year I will likely give over three-five times that much to non-profit organizations through my weekly tithe, as well as any giving I decide to do above and beyond that (and honestly I don't really keep track).

So it's not as if this is the only time I decide to do nice things for people, it's just the time people feel least awkward about receiving gifts. I'm still debating taking some of the extra cash I'm getting from an inheritance and buying our Associate Pastor an iBook . I took two friends from school out the other day primarily because they normally have to eat caf food, and then bought my former roomie a really nice pair of jeans, since he has no cash to buy new ones, and has lost two pant sizes since the last time we got him clothes.

Good for you, Salty. It's nice to give people un-expected, and nicer than usual, presents. For my Mom's 65th birthday my step-dad bought her a fully loaded eMac and I got her a nice flat-bed scanner and color laserjet printer. Between the two of us we spent over $3500. But she loves computers--She's retired and spends a lot of time on it keeping up with family--and it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things where she deserved a big treat. She was ecstatic and still talks about it two years later. And it was one of the last big memories we have of my step-dad before he got diagnosed with cancer and died.

So, good on you for treating your family well.

[Salty]

Well I confess it's partly just that I'm sick of hearing my mom talk about the viruses she has on her computer . Seriously though my parents have wasted so much money trying to keep that thing going. Their monitor isn't so great but it'll work. And... yah. I just hope they like it.

[andi*pandi]

I'm with mastrap. I like christmas, the feelings it implies, the cooking, the choosing gifts for other people, even wrapping... yes it can be stressful, but if it were easy it wouldn't have any meaning. Lately as we have all gotten older, we've grouped together to get fewer but larger gifts--last year it was plane tickets for my folks to spend the holidays with us. Fewer gifts to wrap/unwrap, but a whole lot of meaning and satisfaction.

about handmade gifts: I make cookies/candies for a few neighbors. It's funny to see who even acknowledges it. I think it's seen as old fashioned now. But that's what I like about it.