I wish I lived in a world with no holidays. They are so unbelievably commercialized, especially Christmas. The fact that selfish Canadians run to and from the mall days before Christmas splurging on expensive gifts for their loved ones and giving hundred dollar bills is absurd. Are you all unaware of poverty and world hunger? No one thinks for a second about the famished children who are dying by the hour. It is so heartbreaking. This country is so selfish, it is disgusting. Holidays bring out the worst in people. Christmas has become so unnecessary. People have forgotten what Christmas is supposed to be about. Instead of buying electronics and designer bags for our very fortunate family members and friends, Christmas should be about donating and giving to the poor, hungry, and homeless. They are the ones who are truly in need. —Christmas Sucks
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.
Christmas sucks because other people don’t celebrate it the same way i do!
Why don’t you continue being a good citizen and let other people live their lives? You’re right. Christmas has become too commercialized. And that’s unfortunate i guess. But it’s only once a year. Plus i don’t know how deep your understanding of economics goes but spending money that you have improves the economy. Some good is being done somewhere.
Plus, why are you so pissed off about people buying designer shit made by pretentious turds in Italy when they could be buying regular-people shit made by slaves in Taiwan?
Plus, some people do both you know. Some people both give gifts to each other AND to strangers. In fact, most people i know do.
Did you ever ASK anyone? Probably not..
Tthe poverty and hunger peeps can deal with their own lot at Christmas……..As for moi? Fucking off to the Land of Oz for three weeks of summer sunshine and dragging along my usual assortment of electronics packed in my designer bag! I EARNED THIS TRIP!
..I agree christmas is way outta control..I disagree bout more charity..IT DOESN”T WORK!
Riiiggghhttt. Many people work hard and this IS the one time of year they splurge a little on themselves or family. Not to mention donating to charities more this time of year.
Nice to have PC and internet access while all those people are hungry and poor still.
You shouldn’t judge before asking people, as ik has stated. For the past couple of years, hubs and I have told family to donate to the food banks instead of getting us gifts. They’ve gotten us something but have also bought food to bring to their local food banks.
We’ve donated throughout the year and also donate extra at Christmas. And I encourage my loved ones to do the same.
I appreciate your sentiment (it’s their somewhere) and your compassion for the less fortunate (wish more people cared!) but don’t paint everyone in the country with the same brush.
I’m too tired to save the world today…
http://www.eouterlimits.com/Libraries/SFIm…
Most people i know give to charity at christmastime. Maybe they donate money to an animal shelter or some sort of foreign aid (which, btw, unless you know the person receiving it goes into the pockets of greedy warlords anyway) Those who don’t have the money to spare often donate time. I personally give money to a Ugandan orphanage every year, give money to bide-awhile and spend time at an old folk’s home reading to them. Why? Because i want everyone to enjoy christmas. I don’t sit around and bitch about how everyone sucks. I do something to make things suck less. And that doesn’t make me extraordinary. Just conscionable.
Do you do either one of these things? No, seriously don’t answer here but look at yourself in the mirror and answer honestly to YOURSELF.
I have a friend that is so proud of herself because she doesn’t buy anything at Christmas. Of course, she has no issue with RECEIVING things at christmas – thinking that bitching about it is blinding us to the fact that she is conveniently forgetting commercialism when it is directed at her. Has she ever ONCE sent money or given her precious time to any charity or needy person or animal at christmas? No. She just bitches about how nobody else does.
Look at yourself very carefully and see what YOU can do to make your holidays a little less guilt-ridden.
I take care of my family first, I donate when I can and I love living here NS Canada, so if this country is so selfish and it bothers you so bad, save up and leave. I hear Iraq is nice this time of year.
10-1 you were sitting in a Starbucks on your Macbook, Uggs planted on a soft, comfy cushion as you typed this.
If this is instead coming from an unfashionable geek getting her KB on at the library or just polishing off the finishing touches on her home brew system, that raises you a few points in esteem in my eyes.
Well said, IK.
WELL. SAID.
Fundamentalists can wrap their chapped lips around my left teste and draw most succulently upon it.
That is all.
Thank you PK. Of course, i could have put that all in one comment and said a little less but nobody ever said i wasn’t highly skilled at unnecessary verbosity 😀
We’re not giving gifts this year – the Parker St. food bank will get our Christmas cash. The greedy monsters of commercialism can suck my arse crack this Xmas.
You know what, OP? Maybe you should be complaining of the selfishness of what we Canadians do the REST of the year, instead of what we do at Christmas, because how many other days of the year do we feel the overwhelming desire to take the money out of wallets and spend it on OTHER people- as in our loved ones- instead of OURSELVES? Yes, our expressions of appreciation are filtered through a priveleged, commercialized existence, but look at it this way: for the rest of the year we’re busy buying OURSELVES designer purses and $600 pendant lamps.
What do you expect but for the expression of love and appreciation for loved ones to be commercialized here? Yes, it is sad, but take a look around you; notice the huge toy drives for under privleged children, the food drives for the local shelters; are they really so big at other times of the year? Our society may be shallow in comparison to that of the Congo, but we do what we can in the ways we are familiar with. I think a lot of us here DO care about what happens in the rest of the world. I think the level of awareness is decent here, compared to some other countries. Unfortunately, throwing money at third world problems has been proven not to work that well.
Fuck you OB. Me wanting to lavish time/things/money/other on my loved ones is none of your goddamn business. With what little I have after taxes to pay for your socialist wonderland, that is… fuck right off!!
PS I don’t give to charity – after taxes there isn’t enough left, if I want my rent and utilities paid on time that is. I tell charities to ask the government for my donation, since they have all my money…I’m sure as hell not making a donation from my fucking credit card…
Yeh sure give to the food bank, so meth heads can have more money for meth, good cheer, gimme gimmie,. I’ll forget the evil people do, when they stop doing evil things.
….I didn’t mean that ALL expressions of love and appreciation are commercialized there, but the bigger ones sure tend to be.
Santa says BOOO HOOOO HOOOO
…dang fucking lefty scolding (trying)..why don’t you donate your ass for firewood to a chilly crack baby ..fuck you festively
Well said, I_K. I agree with you 100%. I also agree with whatutalkinaboutwillis too. I think most of us have been/are now/know someone who is in a similar situation financially. (This could also apply to one’s time, I suppose) Charity begins at home. I’m not about to spread myself thin in order to donate money/goods/time to a charity. If I can afford it financially or if I am able to make good use of my time, I will (and have) definitely help out where I can. But bottom line is sometimes it’s not always possible and family comes first. I also think that while it’s great that most people are extra-charitable and mindful of the less fortunate as is customary this time of year, (ie. the first 3 weeks of Dec), what about the other 49 weeks of the year? The need doesn’t cease when we’ve taken down our decorations and packed up our presents. Charity/volunteering/etc should be something that is kept in mind all year long.
OB I hear you loud & clear on the commercialism…but that’s not christmas’s fault.
Secondly as for how I celebrate with my family at christmas, what’s always been the best part of xmas to me …& that’s getting together with my large family as being the most important part.
Giving all my available disposable cash to charity isn’t an option, while I have already helped several charities… have you never heard “charity begins at home” ?
I’ve bought the meal for Christmas, the centre piece is a free range turkey & is at this moment it is probably enjoying strutting around its yard about 5 kilometers from here & will (unfortunately for him) be killed on the 22nd & I’m picking him up around noon on the 23rd.
I’ve got an entire prime rib from a family farm not far away either, who raise green products, a grass fed beef , a 100% Nova Scotia product for New Years day.
Things that I personally feel are better for them, than the latest piece of plastic, electronic device ,or current clothing fad !
As for those who use the ‘its christmas time so I splurge to buy my family etc Gifts’.
What’s wrong with doing that any time ?
My honey has a hobby & she mentione dto us she would like to have an item. The next day I seen 1, & bought it for her & gave it to her, because it was Tuesday…Why Wait ? Lifes Short !
& IMO making someone wait all year for the possibility of a nice christmas present is L a m e.
I K is on point today.
Actually, you are wrong OB, Christmas is the time when people do more for charities than any other time of the year. Most charities collect the bulk of their money, food, volunteerism and rely on this annually to replenish much needed stock to distribute throughout the year. The fact that you would even sit down and write a bitch without being aware of this little factoid is proof you are not as close to charitable organizations as you would lead us to believe. Charities don’t point fingers and accuse people of not doing their part, they are thankful and grateful for what people “donate” and do for them.
It’s people like you pointing an accusing finger, that make the rest of us want to tell you to piss off. Now, PISS OFF!!
OB, are you an Occupy Nova Scotia protester?
me ma gets a happy turkey every christmas, more. i believe from bill parker, she picks it up on the 23rd. here’s my favourite turkey http://images.wikia.com/southpark/images/3…
Cats hate Christmas, too…
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/cats-hate-c…
I’m with ShittyD. Christmas is probably the time of year that many people donate more to charity. I sponsor a couple kids, buy food/coffee/non-alcoholic drinks for the streetfolks around my neighbourhood, year-round, but it picks up at Chrostmas.
Just because “society”(wtf that is) makes it aol commercial amd junk, most people I know use the season to help others, while being generous with their own families. This year I’m going to donate $$ to my sponsor kids’ charity and send cards to my loved ones telling them I did it in their names.
And, OB, you don’t/can’t know the motivations of oters. I-K makes some very good points I would like to echo.
Just chill out and have some turkey.
Wp
that was great xeno, love sixteen
Goddamn hippies.
hey ob ..why don’t you donate your tofurkey ,miso gravy, steamed quinoa ,foraged green and organic cranberry compote along with the hemp trousers and dream catchers you were going to give your soul mate ..I’m sure there’s a child waiting somewhere that would …not know what the fuck to do with them :),
cookerguy FTW.
Honorable mention to:
“Charities don’t point fingers and accuse people of not doing their part, they are thankful and grateful for what people “donate” and do for them. “
God damn right, Steve
oh and wheelie, you’re wrong, I do know the motivations of otters
http://favim.com/orig/201104/10/Favim.com-…
*chuckles and slaps knee*
The poor OP is only speaking about this issue because they care about others and everyone is attacking him/her. I as well feel guilt about having so much when you know many other parts of the world are suffering at this time and every other time of the year. Our wants and what we assume to be our needs are out of control and we are raising an entitled group of individuals that would be dead in the water without mommy and daddy buying them everything everyone else at school has. We are brainwashed to believe we have to keep spending money to keep the economy going. To some degree that is true because we are now in this materialized society where we are told living large is the way to help others. However, if we keep going we are never going to be out of it, we are creating a rich and poor society and everyone who is on the rich side now will soon be heading to the poor side because we can’t sustain this lifestyle in the western world.
I get it OP your feeling guilty to even watch others that have so much and still want more. There is no simple answer or solution to this problem right now. I will say that people better enjoy it while the good times are still here because it can’t last like this forever. The Americans are learning this now and we are going to be next.
Christmas wasn’t my idea. It was yours.
Try this. Love one another. Take good care of one another.
Well put Robyn. I think a lot of the reaction comes from the fact that Christmas is a special family time of year and OP is trying make one feel guilty. The visceral reaction to that is STFU. What OP said is poignant but the scale of the problem is immense. Northern Africa is becoming a desert due to climate change and the world population just passed 7 billion, the suffering is about to get a lot worse.
Most of these suffering children are in countries with unstable governments, where criminals control the distribution of goods. Getting aid to the right people is very tricky.
OP, your heart is in the right place, maybe you should volunteer or throw your energies into helping the poor and hungry right here in Nova Scotia. Otherwise have a Merry Christmas.
You’re absolutely right bout one thing DR..a shit storms coming and the west is going to be covered in it..
AHAHAHAHA XENO NUMBER SIXTEEN KILLS ME.
it’s not the holidays o.p., it’s the people and stores that are fucked up. over the last few years, i have celebrated less and less the days. just makes me sick, to think of all those little bratty basteards, getting everything they want, because they want it,NOW.
where the fuk did parents go wrong, and let their spawn take over, and let the stores, dictate, that if you don’t buy this for your brat today, they would hate you forever. case in point, about 2 weeks ago. a commercial on telly, stated that you just have to have this thing, if no other, and make sure your mom or dad, get it before stock ran out, usually never.
OB … I’m late chiming in on this one and will admit that I haven’t read the comments … but fuck.
If we didn’t have holidays, people would have a lot less time off of work … to spend with their families.
If we didn’t have holidays, we would have as much time to celebrate things that make us happy with the ones we love.
If we didn’t have holidays, we’d buy the same shit for our loved ones, just over different times of the year.
If we didn’t have holidays, we’d still be donating to charities because this stuff goes on all year … not just at Christmas.
So … go fuck yourself OB … we’ve been seeing hungry children on TV since we were tots ourselves and those who can, and choose to, will contribute to charities that provide for the needy in other parts of the world. But, we live in the Western world … some can and do buy expensive things for their loved ones … it’s their choice. Look down your nose upon them … but it’s still their choice.
Christmas doesn’t suck … you suck!
Either OB is a troll or some brokeass curmudgeon who’s facing the holidays alone. If the latter, I deeply apologize for whatever circumstances brought you to this point.
However, the poor will always be with us. I, for one, cannot be everywhere and I cannot save everyone. The best I can do during the holidays, as at all times, is to treat those around me with dignity and respect, and to give comfort and companionship to friends and loved ones who might otherwise be alone.
Ugh shoe chick, do you really call your man, “hubs”?
Barf.