Is anyone else having trouble with Xmas spirit

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The memories of our loved ones who are no longer with us are difficult at first, but they will sweeten with time, and we will be glad we have them.
And, as the circle of life continues, our houses fill up with the little ones again, and you know in your heart, that those who have gone before us are still with us.
Love never dies.

As far as Christmas spirit goes, I really don't get in the mood until about a week before Christmas. All our kids and grandkids ever want is money, so that's what we give them...plus a little something to open. Out of 6 grandchildren, 4 also have birthdays between Dec. 11 and Jan 1, which is an added stretch on the spending.
As for my beloved, he buys himself whatever he wants, and he's not stingy with himself. Only things I can buy him are little comfort items like sweatpants and such.

When I was still in the greenhouse business, I had employees put up and take down my decorations, and we had evergreen garland, lights and bows around doors and windows of the shop and house, and fresh wreaths with red velvet bows hung on the doors. In the house, I had the same garland, lights and bows on the balcony railing and around the greenhouse doors. It was really beautiful.

But what goes up, must come down, and now there are no employees to do it for us.

My husband drags the Christmas wreath and grapevine reindeer out of the garage attic and puts them on the front stoop. Indoors, he brings one of my big standard figs in out of the greenhouse and puts little lights on it, along with pinecones in the pot to keep the cats from scratching in it.

A thought to consider...
The real Christmas spirit is love. Nothing will make you feel better than to do something nice for someone who is in need, whether it be emotionally or financially. If you are down, all you have to do is look for someone who has problems worse than yours, and do something nice for them.
Do it anomonously, if you can, and don't tell anyone what you've done. It will make your heart happy. I promise.



 
Ok, I am actually in the Christmas spirit this year... holidays usually stink for me. But I have found that I worried so much about gifts, and who gets what, and how much to spend... it was just nuts!!! I finally realized that it is not about the gifts, but about being able to share time with loved ones and friends. That is what are family focuses on anymore. We don't even buy gifts unless children will be present. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE to give, but why stress out over that during a time that should be so joyus??? I am actually looking forward to this year.

Anyhow, Texasgirl... I know how you feel, been there many of a time. I hope that you will find the mood and be able to enjoy the spirit of it all. And, just so you know... you are never alone!!!
 
For me the holidays are my most stressful time of the year. Work is ALWAYS slammed, both my restaurant and banquet space, I feel pressured to get all the peeps gifts of witch I have no idea what to get, nor the time to get them, and Christmas is always a reminder to me when I left home(by left, I mean kicked out at 15 but that is another story), and it can be hard to get in the mood.

I feel more for my mate, she LOVES the Holidays, and I feel like I let her down. I try my darnedest NOT to be a Scrooge, but I feel like I am never "festive" enough......................

I think when I am blessed with a child, it will be a shot in the arm for me, and help me enjoy the holidays more. Besides, then I won't look silly in the toy section all the time:LOL:
 
yes, I'll be part of the humbug group this year.... Maybe, next week will be different but so far. I can't get excited about the holidays.

I cant either pdswife. :neutral: I havent been for about 8 years now.
I'll be 100% honest. I hate it. I hate this time of year. Im forced to see people I dont want to. I have to ACT happy, like my life is a breeze. Plus, this 'gift' thing. I think its a load of dung. I want to give a gift when I want to.... NOT when I HAVE to. And all this music... argh. To me the music makes me feel fake. After work I dont want to hear any of it. If my life was with little stress then the music would be fitting. BUT.... this season is a huge pain in many ways and listening to NOEL makes me want to reach through the reciever... grab them by the ears and have them look at my bills and my stressful job.
Also, all these decorations. What in heck do they mean? Festive? Not to me. I just see corporations thinking how much of it they can sell, and what their bottom line is. 20 years ago this holiday MEANT something. Now its about corporations making money. Same with gifts. Kids say 'i want this... i want that'. You know what kids? I want to take the money for those gifts and give it to people that NEED it. The poor of this country.
Kids should have true gifts. Love, education, travel, good food, things to broaden their imagination, art and a warm comfortable room to sleep in.
I want to help people year round. Not just this time of the year.
Maybe Im just in an agitated mood now because of my cold, but thats how I feel. Its companies and marketing. For MOST people, its "I want" and what can I BUY for someone. Well folks, an Xbox is not love. Its gratification. :glare:
 
texasgirl said:
I just can't get into the mood, AGAIN!
I like it because it gives me the excuse that I need to buy things for people. I love giving gifts!!!
I just don't like all the other stuff that goes with it anymore. The lights are pretty, but, I'm not interested in going out and looking at them anymore. DH is putting his up at this very minute and I just couldn't care less!! All the inside stuff is still in the attic!!
I do miss buying all the things for my boys when they were small. Playing Santa and hiding things, then spending all night wrapping and putting things together. It use to be all about them, now it isn't. They're older and have very few things they want and it's like cd's or movies or things like that.
My candy making day is next Sunday and I don't want to go. I just cant' get into any of it.
Any other Grinches out there??

Well, I'm on the boundary right now :LOL: I caved in and did the outdoor lights simply because it was warm up here, and am tired of freezing my hands off in mid december to do that again. I'm like you texasgirl, I am a giver, whether it be material things or getting creative. I do miss playing Santa with my girl (she's 15 now) and assembling all the toys until all hours of the night :LOL: I have an idea of what my daughter wants (clothes, gift cards) , so much for the big boxes :LOL: I'm not really grinch, I just need a week or so. Once we get our tree I may be more in the mood.

Get out and look at the lights! It sure gets me in the festive mood. I like to poke fun at who does what (between hubby and me of course). Like Michele mentioned, we should take photos of our house, or even others around the area and post them.
 
It's much too early for Christmas spirit. Give it some time and before you know it, you'll be right in the middle of it. At least, that's how it works for me.

S.O. got all the Christmas decorations out and has most of them up already, she's been shopping and is acting as if December 25th is tomorrow and she has so much to do!
 
I am in the Christmas spirit pretty much all year. The only year I lost the Christmas spirit for awhile was 2000 because my mom died December 11th of that year. I had a different kind of Christmas spirit when that Christmas arrived because I met James (in person after talking by computer and phone for months) just a few days before Christmas and we spent that Christmas (and every one since, as he arrived in South Carolina to live Christmas Eve 2001) together. Things have been hard for us (last Christmas we had TV dinners and for 2 weeks could only afford one tiny meal a day, our bank account spends as much time below zero as it does above, James has had difficulty finding a job, we are 1,000 miles from James's family including his daughter, we are almost 3,000 miles from my family [including daughter and grandkids], etc.), but we try not to let any of that get to us. We are both big kids and we celebrate the True reason for Christmas and we celebrate being alive and having each other. We have been watching all of our Christmas DVDs this last week (I watch them whenever the mood hits me during the year too). The only thing that really brings us down now and then is that we can't afford to get each other much, but somehow we always manage to pull it off and get each other something. So yes, I am full of the Christmas spirit pretty much all of the time. If you need some, I have plenty to offer you. :cool:

:) Barbara
 
Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. Our son was born on Christmas day 43 years ago which has just made it more special all these years.
However, this year my husband is in the hospital suffering from heart failure. He may never come home, much less be with us this Christmas. I can't think of shopping and decorating, at this time. The gifts that I give will be gift certificates or cash.
This is not a happy holiday season for us.
I'm sorry if this shouldn't have been posted.
 
Dear Essiebunny,

Don't be sorry, of course you should post that. We are your DC family and we care about you. I will keep your husband and you in my prayers.

Barbara
 
You have the best people in the world here to listen to you and send you love and support.
Prayers for you and yours.
Marge
 
Essiebunny,
you have all of your DC family right here. Lean on us all you would like to. I know how hard this must be..So, if you need to come anytime and let us lend a shoulder and an ear...Thoughts and prayers, that this and all things are easier to bare.
kadesma
 
my heart goes out to marge, tg, sush, and essieb, and everyone else who spirit is sad this christmas.

i wish i could send you my son for just a day, so you can sit him on your lap to tell him all about frosty, and rudolph, and coal in the stocking :glare: , and the whole shebang.

things have been rough around these parts of late, which should normally have shoved any kind of christmas spirit right out the window. but this is my boy's first christmas that he's beginning to understand how it works, and it's just the most wonderful thing that has rekindled that spirit in me.

how can you be down when you have the sweetest little boy listening, nay, hanging on every word of every story about santa, and his elves and eight tiny reindeer. it's every bit of the wonder and fantasy that is christmas just sitting there in your lap: the joy of family traditions, dreaming of gifts, brilliant lights and pretty decorations abounding. he encompasses every bit of love and hope that has ever existed, and because of him - for me - it's gonna be great.

i know you all can remember that. that feeling, almost an anticipation of the joyous events of the season, and the warmth and love of your family. i'm sure if you look down deep enough; look really hard enough, you'll find a tiny little flame, maybe just a spark, of what you loved about christmas.

you know, if you should find in yourself, even just for a short time, maybe you'll be able to share it with others. so many in this world need you, maybe you don't realize it or can see that anymore. it should'nt take you long to find someone who could use a little kindness.

and that, my friends, is the best gift given at this time of year. the hope that if we all just stop and care about each other, just to show a little love to our fellow man, the world might just be a better place for one day.


so no, virginia, santa's not dead.

not so long as there are little boys (and girls) that need to hear of the miracle of christmas.
 
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oh, goodness, why am I crying----oh, Buckytom, you said it all so beautifully
and all my heartfelt sympathy for those of you experiencing such sadness now---I lost my mother in law in October (really she was given to me as a mother for the one that God took with cancer at age 9) and Thanksgiving was really tough without her--it was her favorite time of year. But then I look at my 4 year old granddaughter and this was the first year that I was told that she didn't cry on Santa's lap and actually told him what she wanted. We have at least a few more years to bring the majic and wonder of Christmas to her life though it's difficult this year. But life does go on. I do have to admit that living overseas where you aren't assaulted by Christmas in August and sick of it by Halloween does help----decorations in Kazakhstan did not show up until last week and only on a small scale as this is basically a Muslim country. The city does set out pretty lighted Christmas decorations however that are beautiful to look at. And of course the snow and -15 degree weather does help to put one in the mood. They don't commercialize Christmas over here like we do in the states and no one has to decorate unless they want to. It's not expected. And that in itself takes off the pressure.
 
OooH!

texasgirl said:
and this year, he is adding sidewalk lights that are giant christmas bulbs:huh: :wacko:

Dear TexasGirl,
I saw some of those in a local display but I fell in the ice and snow and by the time I recovered they had taken down the display. Can you tell me where you got them? Or the company that made them? Searching for "Giant Christmas Bulbs," as you can guess leaves me in a huge sea of search results.

Thanks!
 
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