‘O Christmas Tree

I’m not linking back to the old posts[1. My archive is private and I just don’t want to bring attention to old posts sometimes, so it’s easy to just give mini reminders on current posts.], but Christmas and Thanksgiving and everything between Halloween and January 2nd is eh to me. It’s “eh” because everything is so chaotic and insane and rambunctious and… these are all kind of the same things to me, so I’m gonna stop there. /antlers

Call me a Grinch, but decorating for holidays is so tedious and, sometimes, plain mundane. Taking a tree out of a box to decorate and light up and display ‘just for the fun of it’ is so meh and eh and expected by society that, if you celebrate Christmas and don’t put up a tree you’re considered weird and Grinch-like. Maybe it’s for the fun, maybe it’s just for decor — like picture frames and wall decorations on Sims 3 for Sims’ houses, to add a moodlet to our current situation that contributes to raising our moods. Maybe. Who knows?[2. It’s supposedly some sort of “a sign of Christian faith”.]

I’ve helped decorate trees, listening to Christmas music and drinking hot cocoa between hanging candy canes and ornaments.

I’ve watched Christmas movie after Christmas movie with family to the point that, when a new one comes on on Hallmark these days, I feel obligated to listen to what someone says about it and pretend to be interested.

And I’ve contributed to decorating gingerbread houses, being told there’s a right way and a wrong way and being unable to eat the house afterward because “it’s for decoration and fun” or because “you don’t need to eat it” or because I had a friend whose mom felt she [the friend] didn’t need it[3. Toothpick moms and bubbly kids don’t mix, I’ve decided.].

It just becomes so routine and annoying and like the ‘same ole-same ole’ things. The tree goes up, then the tree goes down. And it’s not easy to get a tree back into that box.

I find it pointless.

Yet, this year I contributed to the tedious and mundane traditions of Christmas.

oh-christmas-tree
I kinda literally threw some things on there.

Grandmama had a small Christmas tree and let me put it up in my room. I wasn’t going to at first because of the chores it came with: taking it out of the box, setting up, decorating and putting away. Oh — and lighting it. You know, plugging it in. And unplugging it at night, if you’re paranoid about it catching fire. Or if you just don’t want it on at night. Or at a certain time. And what would a tree be without tinsel? Those strings of plastic or paper or whatever they actually are, falling from the tree due to the wind caused by the fan or just a person walking by.

In case you’re wondering, I decided to put up the tree in my room to see if I could change my feelings about it. Thus far, they have not yet changed. I even left it up without decorations for a week or two to see if I liked it better that way but, since Grandmama kept commenting on it, I added decorations just to get the talk off the tree. I only decorated it on the 17th. /christmastree

And, if you’re thinking that’s all I’ve contradicted myself with, you should probably come back after I make the gingerbread house. 😡 /gingerbread

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Comments on this post

As I associate Christmas with some major losses in my family, it can be hard to celebrate it fully. On the other hand, what I do try to do is see this time, which is the end of year and the beginning of another as time to reflect on where’s I’ve come in this year and where I’d like to go in the new year.

I do a burning bowl ceremony to release the negative and unhappy things from 2013 which are burned. I also make a list of the things I want to happen in the new year, which I save and then review. In my case, I review mid year and then again at the end of the year. It is amazing how many things I wish for actually happen. Not all of them, but enough to make me keep doing it:~)

I do wish for you a new year that brings you what you need. You have come so FAR in this last year and are learning so much about yourself. My wish is you can truly acknowledge your growth and not let the past pull you away from it. You have a powerful voice, Liz. I have a lot of respect for you:~)

Christmas means something different to everyone (or to some people nothing) and it’s hard when there is so many movies and things out there telling you to ‘have all the feels’ for it.

We usually have a tree, but sometimes we don’t. Just depends if we can be bothered or not. It’s the 23rd at the moment and we still haven’t. (Although, that is mainly because the tree is in a shed where we think a brown snake is living and those snakes can kill you.. so.. hmm.)

I don’t have a lot of feeling for Christmas. It’s mainly been about being with family. When my grandparents died it became very hard, because it had always been with them too. I am trying to make it a ‘thing’ for dad though, because he likes it.

Gingerbread house, go.

I wanted to bake cookies or something, just to try it. But I don’t know. I fail so hard with food things. 🙁

I forget about food things.

I think you’re lazy… LOL! I personally don’t celebrate Christmas. Nor my household. (Chinese.) But I go in for the shopping. Preferably online, too.

Your tree looks bright. Super bright! I’d be scared to leave that on at night. Fire or something you know. I don’t blame you on that part either. Who wants to burn down a house, apartment, etc.?

I love gingerbread house making. That you’re not wrong on. LOL. Please post if you make one. Would love to see it.

I’m not lazy. I come from an abusive childhood and divorced parents. As a child, my mom and lard always made Christmas out to be about the money and the gifts rather than the thought and just enjoying it. It was all about fighting over me like I was some sort of prize (I was child support money) because they didn’t want me to go to my dad’s for Christmas. Waking up at six in the morning to open presents and being expected to react in a very specific way (a materialistic zealot) was required or else I’d get into trouble and put down and abused emotionally. Then, going to lard’s parents’ house for a few hours and having to act like everything was fine and dandy and react in another certain way was draining. Then, going to Mimi’s was exhausting because I’d be expected to be happy.

Christmas was pure hell for me, and I’m sorry you can’t see the difference between laziness and genuine distaste.

I read your back story on your blog. Hope I didn’t offend you. Wasn’t my intent. I was trying to side with.

I didn’t mean to me “rude or cruel.”

Sorry.

It’s alright; was just a misunderstanding. /heh

Well, I also noticed that I became less excited with Christmas as I grew up. Maybe because Christmas caters for giddy kids who are really excited to receive lots of gifts. In the family, mom usually decorates the house as early as October and would probably remain there for the longest time. I do nothing because mom knows where to place this and that.

The holidays are different for everyone. Not everyone likes to decorate, and that doesn’t make you a Grinch. You do what feels best and works for you. We don’t have to follow any “traditions”. Create your own, do something that you like, even if it’s something out of the ordinary.

I can see how decorating can be tedious, although I love doing it on Christmas since it’s my favorite time of year.

Your tree looks great, I love the star. We use a star for our tree topper as well 🙂

We have a comet-shaped thing full of colorful lights hanging from our porch, it stays there the whole year and we plug it in only during Christmas time. It is a good compromise between having to decorate the whole house, or making a tree, and still having that Christmas feeling I usually enjoy. That works for me.

Other than that, I do act like a Grinch during Christmas time, excluding the gift giving (and receiving), which I still enjoy a lot!

I don’t see you as a Grinch either! You still have a tree (and a mighty fine looking one at that) up. 🙂 I agree with you…the holidays are chaotic. It’s hustle, bustle, and get everywhere you need to be and sometimes it can make it hard to remember the important things like family and friends. I try and keep it simple, but haven’t succeeded yet.

Grinch sminch, it’s your life so you should do all the things (including holidays) however you like 🙂
Also, do people really make gingerbread houses for decoration and not for eating? I’ve never heard of that happening before.

Not everyone is as into Christmas as other people are, and that’s ok. Just think; one day you will be out living on your own and you don’t have to put up one decoration if you don’t want to. I personally love decorating my tree and seeing it lit up every night. I have my lights on a timer so I don’t have to worry about turning them on and off. I decorate not only for my enjoyment, but maybe even more so for the enjoyment of other people who can see my lights from ouside. I hate driving around at this time of year and seeing black houses. One of my favorite things is going for a drive on Christmas Eve and seeing all the houses lit up.

It’s okay. I do not see you as a Grinch! I don’t know if it’s me but whenever there is a major holiday or it is my birthday, I don’t really sense it nor go out of my way to “celebrate’ it. I just go through it as I would with any other day. Perhaps, I don’t value the holidays as much as I used to as a child. It’s funny though.. although my whole family is Christian, we do not decorate the house, put the tree (I don’t even know where it went), put on the lights on. We do nothing. The only things we do these days is go out with the relatives who live here for a meal, which is nice, considering I do not see my relatives that much. And I totally agree that taking out the tree and then putting it back can be tedious at times. :3

You guys don’t do any sort of gift-giving thing?

well every year, my mom does the gift-giving (:

Ohh, I see. 😛 /santahat