Hate Christmas? Then you're a grinch in need of converting

[Slytovhand]

Now, I for one really don't like this 'Christmas' thing. I has almost no religious significance (in reality, there's almost no chance JC was born in that time of the year, and most of Christendom didn't even 'celebrate' christmas as an event until quite recently... it wasn't even acknowledged as anything at all - and still isn't in some Christian societies).

I'm a pagan - shamanic druid to be precise (though I'm a lazy one at that ). I celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes, and the Cross-Quarter Festivals. These things have value in my life. Christmas does not.

Also, Christmas has now basically become a consumerist day to spend (under the allusion of 'giving' to people - yes, I'm cynical... comes from my upbringing).

So what really pisses me off is that because I don't choose to 'celebrate' this day which has no relevance to me, I'm a 'grinch' who needs to be converted! Or at the very least, argued with.

Of course, it's not just me... my local (which is actually national) radio station had 4 people who were anti-christmas, so they did this thing where they tried to 'de-grinch' them.

I mean - what gives people (or makes people think) that they have the right to do that? What about people's right to believe something different?

And should I, therefore, try to convert everyone who is a 'grinch' because they don't celebrate Beltaine???

(sure, it's one thing to be offended by 'Merry Christmas", but that's a different kettle of fish!)

[Boozy]

In this case, it was obviously just a bit of shtick for that radio program. I have to assume that these 4 "grinches" agreed to be on the program. So no one's forcing them to do anything. Unless the show's hosts are stalking and harassing unwilling pagans, I wouldn't get real worked up about this.

I'm also assuming that the show was light-hearted and that these four people were more grumpy types than practicing members of another faith. There is a difference between trying to get someone into the spirit and converting "the heathens".

[Slytovhand]

Well, they didn't promote (that I recall) what they were going to do before they asked for people to ring in.

And no, they didn't seem to profess another belief system - but some people have valid reasons for not liking Christmas anyway. The 2 that I heard were talking about the consumerism of it all, and how fake it is in their lives.

I still find the whole idea offensive. Why not just leave them alone?? They're actually allowed to not like Christmas. We don't actually need to be 'put in the spirit'... it's a life choice.. we're allowed to be grumpy

While I'm annoyed with the radio program and it's bit of shtick, it's the attitude of other people who just seem unable to accept that people may do things differently -and thus the use of the 'grinch' word automatically...

[Amethyst Hunter]

Christmas used to be my favorite holiday. Presents, food, snowy weather, vacation from school, more presents...

Then within the last decade or so everything started going really sour at my end. People and pets dying off left and right, family crisises (sp?), and so on. I considered last year's Christmas to be one of the few good ones in recent years, because nobody died! (I have literally had back-to-back Christmases where relatives bit the big one. Kinda puts a damper on your ho-ho-hoeing when you're wondering who's going to go next, doesn't it?)

Christmas 2003 was by far THE worst holiday. That was when my beloved kitty took sick suddenly and was to the point where I had to have him put down. For damn sure I didn't feel like celebrating shit that year, and if anybody had DARED tell me to be 'merry' or whatever, they would have gotten a faceful of knuckle sandwich (ditto for anyone who might've uttered the fatal words "but it was just an animal").

And I know I'm not alone in semi-dreading this time of year, because I have friends who've had similar experiences (one friend, like me, lost her favorite kitty to illness at this time too). So you just never know what someone may or may not be feeling. Holidays bring up a lot of personal baggage for some of us.

What I'd really love to be able to do is, if I ever had my own house someday (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA), have a quiet friendly dinner gathering where everybody who had crappy family, or no family, or who was just feeling generally down could come over and we'd just chill out eating good food and maybe watching some amusing things on TV. No fuss or muss, just friendly company.

I say, embrace your inner grinch. He/She is there for a reason.

[Slytovhand]

What I'd really love to be able to do is, if I ever had my own house someday (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA), have a quiet friendly dinner gathering where everybody who had crappy family, or no family, or who was just feeling generally down could come over and we'd just chill out eating good food and maybe watching some amusing things on TV. No fuss or muss, just friendly company.

Orphans and Wannabe's... yeah, know of them

[smileyeagle1021]

I have to agree with Slyt on people thinking that us non christmas celebraters are somehow wrong.
My coworkers were dumbstruck at the idea that I WANTED to work on Christmas. My manager thought he was doing me a favor by giving me Christmas day and Christmas Eve off (though I did end up trading for Christmas day)... no, I have no family within 500 miles... I have almost no friends to speak of... and the few that I do have are spending Christmas with their families and I wouldn't want to intrude. For me Christmas is a day to sit at home with nothing to do because nothing is open with no company save my cat... if the "oh, you're just a grinch who needs to have his heart grow 3 sizes" people are willing to move my family closer, make it easier for me to have friends (hard to do on the graveyard shift), and while I'm bitching, provide me with a serious relationship, so that I have a reason to celebrate Christmas... then I'll stop being a grinch.

[protege]

It's not that I *hate* Christmas, but I hate some of the bullshit that surrounds it.

Namely, the massive influx of *idiots* on the roads. I live not far from a major shopping mall. When December starts, the main roads usually turn into parking lots. Too many idiots who don't know what green lights mean or don't know what to do at the damn stop signs.

Then I get to deal with some annoying relatives, mainly on my dad's side of the family. I don't hate them, but I find it a bit odd that my aunt only pays attention to us only once a year, and how his mother basically ignores us the other 364 days.

The holidays are simply a bit depressing. I live alone, there's no girlfriend...and since my family is literally right down the street, it's not anything special to be with them.