What's the worst thing about Christmas?

[phil_at_dayboro]

One of several Worst things is,

In a few Months you will be one year older,

 

[Ejperchenough]

One of several Worst things is,

In a few Months you will be one year older, /QUOTE

Better make some Italian friends, they say " how young are you?" Instead of how old are you

 

[Gordon_Sims]

One of the things that bothers me most is that no matter how you choose to celebrate Christmas within the walls of your own house, others seem to be waiting to tell you how wrong it is. When my wife and I were younger we went a bit too far with our Christmases. We had lights and decorations all over the house and so many presents under the tree you couldn’t get near it until over half of them were unwrapped. We quit decorating outside, in part thanks to neighborhood thieves and vandals, and reevaluated what sort of message we wanted to send to our kids about Christmas and cut our gift budget way back, so now our focus is on Christ and family. Before we were attacked for spoiling our kids. Now we’re criticized for not giving them enough and for being too religious. The bulk of the complaints come from the same people. The most amusing one was when we were told that we needed to keep spending obscene amounts on our son while spending nearly nothing on our daughters because he’d grown accustomed to lavish Christmases and forcing him to cut back was unfair and abusive (although it was apparently plenty fair to spend more on him than all the girls combined). One source of concern about how terribly we were spoiling our kids has since converted two spare rooms and a large section of their basement into storage space for all the gifts their son doesn’t play with (many of which, while unwrapped, never made it out of their boxes).

As far as the worst thing, I’d have to agree with someone else who said being sick on Christmas. It’s happened to me a few times and nothing is worse, especially when you’re a kid, than being too sick to even open gifts while everyone else is having fun around you.

 

[PhiloMed]

Echoing HoosierDaddy above, I would say my least favorite thing about Christmas is the Christmas complainers. Specifically, those who think it’s all “too much work” “too much money” “not worth the trouble” etc etc.

I am one of the few who think it should be work. It should be effort. We’re honoring the birth of our Lord! He is coming! Shouldn’t we have a big celebration for Him?

When I was a child, Christmas time was absolutely magical to me. Our family celebrates a traditional Polish Christmas Eve. Multi-course meal, followed by some gift exchange with family. Midnight Mass (when it was actually at midnight). Christmas Day was a little less festive since we did all the celebration the night before, but also fun with a different kind of meal. The decorations, the gift wrapping. All of it just lit up my world. My grandmother, great-aunt, aunt, and mother did all the preparing. Came to find out later that none of them enjoyed it.

As I got older, I noticed my family “scaling back” more and more. They decided to stop the gift exchange. We shortened the number of courses for dinner so we could be done earlier. Fewer decorations. The reasoning behind it was that “it’s too much trouble”.

I’ll also mention that I was the only child in the family. I was the only child of an only-child father and a mother whose siblings never had children of their own.

I missed the magical feeling of Christmas. I hated the complaining and hearing “it’s too much trouble” and I feared the tradition would disappear completely.

So when I was in my very early 20’s and still in school I decided to just take over. To heck with everyone else’s wish for streamlining. I was going to go all out. I decorated my mother’s house to the 9’s, brought back the multiple courses of Christmas Eve dinner, and if they all didn’t want to do a gift exchange then fine- I placed a single small gift at everyone’s place setting.

Been doing it that way for over 10 years now. Two children of my own to bring into the fold now. The festivities are held at my house instead of my mother’s. I start preparing days or weeks in advance. It’s magical again. Nobody complains because my husband and I do all the work. They just have to show up.

And as for the amount of money spent, well, I feel that the gifts are things I would buy anyway. The kids need some new toys and clothes. The sales are often really good and if I purchased these items at a different time I would be spending more money but spread out over the year.

 

[Xantippe]

When I was a child, Christmas time was absolutely magical to me. Our family celebrates a traditional Polish Christmas Eve. Multi-course meal, followed by some gift exchange with family. Midnight Mass (when it was actually at midnight). Christmas Day was a little less festive since we did all the celebration the night before, but also fun with a different kind of meal. The decorations, the gift wrapping. All of it just lit up my world. My grandmother, great-aunt, aunt, and mother did all the preparing. Came to find out later that none of them enjoyed it.

I loved Christmas as a child but now that I’m a grownup I understand how much work it was to make all of that magic happen. (In our family, we also have the Polish Christmas Eve traditions to cope with, but with adjustments. Salmon, not carp, and Christmas Day Mass, not Midnight. But even a streamlined Polish Christmas Eve is pretty taxing.)

As I got older, I noticed my family “scaling back” more and more. They decided to stop the gift exchange. We shortened the number of courses for dinner so we could be done earlier. Fewer decorations. The reasoning behind it was that “it’s too much trouble”.
I’ll also mention that I was the only child in the family. I was the only child of an only-child father and a mother whose siblings never had children of their own. I missed the magical feeling of Christmas. I hated the complaining and hearing “it’s too much trouble” and I feared the tradition would disappear completely. So when I was in my very early 20’s and still in school I decided to just take over. To heck with everyone else’s wish for streamlining. I was going to go all out. I decorated my mother’s house to the 9’s, brought back the multiple courses of Christmas Eve dinner, and if they all didn’t want to do a gift exchange then fine- I placed a single small gift at everyone’s place setting.

Very good!

Been doing it that way for over 10 years now. Two children of my own to bring into the fold now. The festivities are held at my house instead of my mother’s. I start preparing days or weeks in advance. It’s magical again. Nobody complains because my husband and I do all the work. They just have to show up.

And as for the amount of money spent, well, I feel that the gifts are things I would buy anyway. The kids need some new toys and clothes. The sales are often really good and if I purchased these items at a different time I would be spending more money but spread out over the year.

 

[PhiloMed]

I loved Christmas as a child but now that I’m a grownup I understand how much work it was to make all of that magic happen. (In our family, we also have the Polish Christmas Eve traditions to cope with, but with adjustments. Salmon, not carp, and Christmas Day Mass, not Midnight. But even a streamlined Polish Christmas Eve is pretty taxing.)

It’s heavy on the picked herring and sauerkraut. A bit of an acquired taste, but we do it out of tradition. Nothing in aspic. I make salmon and cod, cauliflower with breadcrumbs and butter, and pierogi.

It is still a lot of work, but I enjoy it. I’m told my great-grandmother (the original babci) enjoyed doing it also. That love of food prep did not get passed down to her children and grandchildren, however. Everyone DOES appreciate it, though. That is what makes it worthwhile. They tell me how much they are looking forward to it. If they complained about the work and then didn’t appreciate when it was just laid out for them, well, then I probably wouldn’t enjoy doing it as much.

 

[Book_Worm]

I just spent a week decorating the house for Christmas. There are five Christmas villages in different locations, my collection of cooking Santas for the kitchen, my Christmas dishes (all 28 place settings) and linens, Christmas shower curtains and towels, and wreaths, candles, and other assorted knick knacks. A waste of time? Ridiculous! Every single time my eyes fall on one of these things, my heart is happy! It’s Christmas! We’re celebrating the birth of our Savior! Joy!

When we begin to celebrate holidays without loved ones who have passed on, the grief is raw and painful as we realize what we have lost. But as time goes by, we begin to dwell more on the happy memories we shared with them and feel grateful for the Christmases we shared. And, as a PP pointed out, the passage of time also brings us the blessing of grandchildren, which renews our own wonder and delight.

I’m almost trembling with excitement as I await the looks on the little ones’ faces as they open their presents. They are still small so it is within our power to grant their wishes. And buying presents for the less fortunate from our church’s Giving tree or special holiday clothes for the students of a local school who have very little can be very rewarding. A friend who teaches there told us of the happiness and pride with which these children wore their new finery. What could give more joy than bringing happiness to others?

And how much happiness and enjoyment will our family and friends get from the delicious foods and treats we prepare with so much love? Yes, it’s a lot of work, but most things that are worthwhile are.

And all of this because of the birth of a child 2000 years ago! The Advent prayers and candles, the Christmas pageants and concerts and the beauty of midnight Mass. So many opportunities to contemplate the meaning of the season and thank God for the great gift he gave us.

The worst thing about Christmas? It only comes once a year and doesn’t last long enough.

 

[schaeffer]

I am one of the few who think it should be work. It should be effort. We’re honoring the birth of our Lord! He is coming! Shouldn’t we have a big celebration for Him?

When I was a child, Christmas time was absolutely magical to me. Our family celebrates a traditional Polish Christmas Eve. Multi-course meal, followed by some gift exchange with family. Midnight Mass (when it was actually at midnight). Christmas Day was a little less festive since we did all the celebration the night before, but also fun with a different kind of meal. The decorations, the gift wrapping. All of it just lit up my world. My grandmother, great-aunt, aunt, and mother did all the preparing. Came to find out later that none of them enjoyed it.

I missed the magical feeling of Christmas. I hated the complaining and hearing “it’s too much trouble” and I feared the tradition would disappear completely.

So when I was in my very early 20’s and still in school I decided to just take over.

I grew up doing the traditional Polish Christmas Eve feast, etc etc.

Similar to your family, as the elders aged…much of it fell by the wayside. My children grew up far away from all family, but like you…I resurrected some of those old traditions. My mother still mails me Oplatek, they sell it during Advent at her church, and I cook some of the old dishes. Every once in a while I am able to gather a few people for a full on Christmas Eve meal and really do it up, other years I am only able to do a nod to things. But I don’t want to lose the richness of those traditions.

The work I put into it is definitely worth it.