What is your opinion on the holiday season and it being a family time? Personally[and don't get mad at me its my opinion] I don't like the holidays and family thing. I think its one of the worse excuses on the planet. "I get to see the family" If you really wanted to see the family then a day on the weekend maybe, when it isn't a holiday, and you both don't have plans then meet up. If you want to see your family and they live in the same country call them up, talk to them on the weekends, and make plans for the weekends. I'm tired of people saying I don't talk to my family much and then when it comes to the holidays its suddenly about family. It just urgs me. Now I can understand if they don't live in the same country or state, but if you are living in the same country or state there is no excuse other then laziness. This is my opinion and my opinion only.
Its just a time of year when everyone has an excuse to be nice to people and be genuinely kind to people. Theres nothing wrong with meeting up with family, I fail to see how its a bad thing.. My cousins live in Texas and they have to fly up so I don't find them lazy for not wanting to pay to travel up here to see us in the random. Familys important and sometimes tradition is just tradition, y'know?
Tarnish, I already said that if you live in the same country or state. If you are bound by expensive and travel I understand those weekend visits wouldn't want to be made. But if you are live in the same country or state.
My dad lives in the same town and never attempts to talk to me. The rest of the family either. I just regard it as returning the favor. But I don't really enjoy the holidays because of family time. Family time makes me uncomfortable, really. I just enjoy them because they make me feel good. Christmas, anyway. Makes me all fuzzy inside. I just love putting up the Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music... etc.
Well yeah but that wasn't my whole point. Its a nice time of year where kindness and family is emphasized, two very important aspects of life. Whether you could meet up on other times, why not christmas? Its a time to be unselfish and give presents, whether your family lives ten minutes away or ten states away. I can't find anything wrong with that really. Its a time of year to just be happy and whether you need family to be or not be be is your buisness but I don't see anything WRONG with it. Family is family, love or hate em, you gotta live with 'em, why not embrace them?
I love the holidays. Halloween is my favorite, but Christmas comes second. I too believe that family time should be all the time. But for so many of us - even those who live in the same area - the most convenient times for everyone are the holidays. This is when everyone's schedule takes a breath; when the best chance is for the most family members to be able to participate. I'm a generally happy and optimistic person. I don't like all the commercialization of Christmas (especially when it pushes itself into mid-November). And I'm not a religious person, so I just celebrate Christmas for the family time. The crazy drivers and pushy shoppers don't really bother me. I just shrug it off and enjoy myself regardless.
I wish I were close with my family. But my family is... well. Not the type of family you become close with. I have a huge disconnect from them. My mom is the only family I see more than a few times a year. Other than my cousin Brittney.
The only time of year that family is emphasized. And I find something wrong with that. I think its ridiculous that family time only comes twice a year when the holidays come about.
You've never met my family. Not all family's are good families where it should be frowned upon if you're not close with them. My dad is a deadbeat alcoholic. We both live in the same, small town. The only time I see or even TALK to him is maybe two, three times a year on the 'big' holidays when we have 'family get-togethers'. Which doesn't include my birthday. The last time I got a happy birthday from him was probably five or so years ago. Even now that he has a new family of his own I still continue not to be included in it. Most of his side of the family are alcoholic assholes. So. I don't feel the slightest bit bad that I'm not 'all about' family time.
Well honestly we all live lifes, we're all busy, we all have troubles. And no ones saying you can't meet up on weekends, but the holidays are just a special way to emphasize family. If you meet up at the holidays and on the weekends, great. no ones stopping family from meeting up, and family time is all the time, just in the lives we have its hard to FIND the time, and everyone gets christmas off, well most everyone, and its when everyone can really just be with family.
I love this time of year. My wife puts up the tree the day after Thanksgiving and decorates the house. Last night her and my son were singing Christmas songs in the bedroom and my boy is hilarious when he does it. He won't sing the whole song, he chimes in at the top of his lungs whenever he feels like it. It's random and quite funny. And we always have the pre-Christmas, Christmas dinner. To stretch out the old tummy for the real thing...what, don't you do that?
I agree with you, Leaka. Though, I find it worse when the second you leave whatever relative you visited this year, everyone is immediately bad-mouthing everyone we just saw. It feels so fake to me and makes me queasy and spiteful at the same time
I totally understand what you're saying, Leaka. A lot of people just don't appreciate family the way they should. At the same time some people have family situations like Solaris'. It's tough. And like tarnished said, we're all just so darn busy! But it is nice to call a family member up when it's no day in particular - nothing special going on - and just say, "Hey, I miss you and hello." If you are fortunate enough to be able to make such a call.
Actually neither am I. My grandparents on my father's side feel like strangers to me. They have done some mean things to him and so he doesn't talk to them very much because of those mean things. And since we rarely see them, rarely talk to them, I feel like I'm greeting strangers every time I see them. My grandparents on my mother's side though I like them.
like tarnished said, it might be the only time that people get off of work and kids get out of school to meet up. this is my first time home for christmas in 4 years. last year was completely alone, but my surrogate families kept me busy the other three years.
Yeah, I still feel that way with most of my family. It's been that way since I was little - so I have a hard time really caring when they don't care. I can't recall ever missing my dad. Come to think of it, none of my family on either side cares all that much about being close. Which is a shame, because I used to be extremely close to my aunt and uncle on my mothers side, and their three sons/my cousins. They lived right next door. But ever since they moved out of state wayyyy back in the sixth grade (i'm nineteen now), we see them maybe once a couple of years. They don't ever seem to want to put the effort into coming and visiting us, or put up with the hassle of us coming there. :/
The holidays are an excuse if you need one to re connect with family and old friends. You had a stupid argument a few years ago. Christmas Thanksgiving Easter Hanukkah is time for family so you call or write or go visit. It gives you the chance to make amends, if you want to. it is sometimes hard to find an excuse to say you are sorry call it pride, stubborness, whatever but the holidays are perfect for forgiving.
I completly disagree with you, Leaka. I don't care of people haven't bothered with their family all year round, if it being Christmas time is enough to make them phone their parents, who probably want to see and hear from them, than that's fine with me. Owkay, it would be nice if they made effort all year round, but I do beleive Christmas should be spent with your family. A few of my mates and that, they have their christmas dinner, they go out with their friends, and their parents go to the pub. I sit in with my family, nana and great granddad, who i oly see maybe three time a year as he live in Wales, we eat dinner, we watch the daft films that are on Christmas, we watch my sister sneak wine under the table and get drunk, and then on the night, when nana and granddad have gone home, we put on a DVD and munch our way through way too much chocolate with our parents. I'm not fond of my granddad as he is a moaner, and i try to avoid spending too much time with my parents, but on christmas, i think it is the one day where you can just forget it all. If you can't do it on christmas, for one day of the year, when can you ?
I think the whole thing is the fact that it's the day when people have time off work. People, if they get no other day off, they get Christmas. And travel is expensive, even if you live in the same province/state/country but not the same city. My family has such varried schedules, especially with some of us still in university outside Toronto, that it is very hard to find time together. Chanuka and Pessach are easy choices to make time to come together.
This is such a lovely evocation of a happy family getting ready for Christmas, tears came to my eyes. We don't have Christmas here, really (Muslim country). We have 2 beautiful religious celebrations a year though (just had one last week). There have been terrible fights over the years with my husband's family. Then my daughter was seriously ill last month. Everyone forgot their fights, and rallied round to help. Since she is on the road to recovery, the last festival was a real celebration. People I vowed I'd never speak to again were sitting round my table tucking in, and--I loved it! Life's too short and fragile to nurture ill will, although I really appreciate it's tough for those who have a very difficult family history. If you possibly can, try and put bad feelings aside once a year at least--it'll make you feel good to know you made the effort, and may mean more than you know to older relatives. Happy New Year everyone, whatever your religion!
Happy New Year to you too, madhoca! Was it Eid al-Adha you were celebrating? I think madhoca's post sums up my feelings about the holidays. Even if using select times to see family is a sorry excuse, there's nothing really wrong with it. So maybe some of us need these special points during the year to think about things and make an effort. Besides, there is something very cheery about other people doing the same thing you're doing. Sure, you can visit your families anytime you want, but I for one like sharing the festive spirit. It may seem commercial and tacky sometimes, but it is still a meaningful celebration for the religious folk.
I'm Christian, so Christmas is important. But it's also great because it's a time to see family, listen to Christmas music, get presents, and just enjoy the fun atmosphere. It's my favorite time of year.
I see both sets of grandparents nearly every day, but we see them anyways on Christmas. I see my cousins on one side every other month, but we see each other at least AROUND Christmastime because it's an important holiday to us and we want to share it together. And then there's always the sledding, Christmas cookies, transforming-non-reindeer-animals-into-reindeer events, and showing off our presents. lol. I hate how crowded the stores are, though, and holiday TV specials. Especially the cheesy movies that take over Hallmark - it's nearly impossible to watch M*A*S*H on that channel anymore. But TVland reruns are amazing, I love those. I guess I have a love-hate relationship with the holiday.
Yep! Still got some meat left in the freezer. We call it 'Sacrifice Festival' here. The other one we call 'Sugar Festival' (it's the one after the month of Ramazan). We also decorate everything in the big cities here like Christmas for New Year (and they play Jingle Bells in the supermarkets).
