I’m as big a fan of Christmas as the next person, but I’m wary of celebrating too much. I like a little eggnog, a few presents, a carol or two. But festive sweaters every day for a month, 10,000 watts of intricate lighting in your yard and holiday-themed songs on the stereo from morning ’till night? It sounds like an exaggeration, but I know people who celebrate that way, and it ruins it for me every time! But if there’s one Christmas tradition that’s more overdo-able than any other, it’s gotta be the tree. And this video, I think, illustrates that to a tee. Whoever heard of suspending wedding dresses and violas amidst the branches, or decorating “his” side of the tree and “her” side? Watch and be amazed!
Now that we’re on the subject, what ruins your holiday spirit?
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UGH! That video made me want to barf! WHAT ON EARTH WERE THEY THINKING?! …what on earth were *we* thinking? O_o
posted by Tindy on 12-17-2009 at 7:38 am
Is it wrong to want a revolving tree stand though?
posted by Andy on 12-17-2009 at 8:17 am
People who won’t let other people have their fun.
posted by Jacquilynne on 12-17-2009 at 8:52 am
what ruins my christmas is the several year debate of whether or not to say merry christmas or happy holidays……..i say who gives a crap, call it what you want. but you have folks on BOTH sides that take it too far!!! why cant we just be happy that its the holiday season, have some peace and joy? we got the right wingers that WILL NOT say happy holidays, and you have the left that insists that merry christmas is offensive……to both sides, shut up!!
posted by Crow88 on 12-17-2009 at 9:00 am
The revolving tree was actually pretty neat. But the decorations were…awful. When I thought the poor tree couldn’t support the weight of anymore tchotchkes, BAM. In came icicles AND bows. Yick.
posted by Bailey on 12-17-2009 at 9:01 am
Things that ruin my holiday spirit:
*Seeing the Christmas aisle set up the day after Halloween.
*Commercials for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even over.
*People who forget that not everyone is Christian; not everyone believes in the birth of Jesus (for the record, I am a [lapsed] Catholic).
*Commercials aimed at making one feel inferior if they can’t afford to buy their significant other a diamond or a Lexus.
*Matching Christmas sweaters on unhappily married couples.
*Work “parties” and being forced into participating in Secret Santa/ White Elephant activities.
Boy, do I sound like a total Grinch!!!!
posted by Renis on 12-17-2009 at 10:23 am
as an outsider looking in;
xmas appears to be a celebration of baby jesus, the patron saint of 4th quarter retail sales, where poor people borrow money at 22% interest to buy junk they don’t need for people they don’t like in a failing attempt to equate merchandise with love.
But, maybe that’s just me.
Oh, and somehow, flying deers with a glowing nose and elves who want to be dentists has something to do with this
posted by ee the c on 12-17-2009 at 10:41 am
For the last few years, my mom and I have let my son decorate the tree with only his ornaments but I suggested that next year we divide it into thirds and we each get a section, ha.
posted by Sarah in CA on 12-17-2009 at 10:42 am
Rude people ruin my holiday spirit. As someone who works at not one, but two retail establishments, I get yelled at for the most ridiculous things. I try everyday to be thankful for having two jobs when so many are struggling right now, but when people refuse to acknowledge me or simply just try to ruin my day with a put down I can’t help but hate the holidays.
posted by tellula blue on 12-17-2009 at 11:01 am
There is a house down the street from us that has FOUR of those giant inflatable Christmas abominations strewn across their entire yard.
I can only image it is an act of warfare against their neighboor across the street who has a mere three.
I can only image what things will escalate to next year.
posted by Niyati on 12-17-2009 at 11:10 am
at work, so I can’t watch the video, but here’s my list of things that ruin the season for me (esp this year):
(keep in mind, I’m deep in South Carolina, so a lot of this may be exagerated here but not so much elsewhere)
*Xmas stuff going up after back to school season
*People making such a huge deal about how it’s Merry *CHRIST*mas rather than Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays. I think it’s selfish to only wish Merry Christmas since other religious organizations participate in the holidays…(sure we can argue the point brought up in the Haunakah article about xmas and those kids getting presents, blah blah blah)
*This city’s sudden obsession with Festivus (hey! something came on TV a decade ago, let’s honor it with drinking and shopping…seriously)and it frustrates me b/c it’s such a groupie mentality
*Radio stations only playing certain Christmas music (I swear to God, “little drummer boy” one more time and I’m going to flip)
*Horrible Christmas-based sequals to mediocre Christmas tv movies that are hyped like the second coming…
*The pressure to have everything up/decorated the day after Thanksgiving. It’s a week before xmas eve and our tree is still in three parts in the living room and I haven’t picked up a single gift. I feel like a failure for not being ready, but then again my focus is on grad school apps, so I think my future wins on that one…
*People out shopping who throw all morals/rules out the window and elbow to get to items. For God’s sake, your kid doesn’t need this wheely hamster bad enough for you to fracture one of my ribs…
So, I do love certain parts of the holiday (nighttime xmas light runs, for instance), but I just hate the pressure/what it turns people into.
@ee the c, amazing analysis, btw.
Thanks for letting me share. :)
posted by OkieMelissa on 12-17-2009 at 11:16 am
The one and ONLY time I have ever laughed at talk radio was when a particularly obnoxious radio show host was commenting on the unseasonable heat in December, stating,
“Boy this hot weather is awful this time of year! I can’t get in the mood to Christmas shop sweating in a Tshirt. Hey Bob doesn’t this heat keep you from getting in the Christmas spirit?!?”
To which Bob replied, “No being a Jew keeps me from getting in the Christmas Spirit.”
I spewed my soda all over my car I laughed so hard.
posted by karen on 12-17-2009 at 11:29 am
What ruins it for me is everyone else’s complaints.
People need to just figure out what works for them and do that and then DON’T feel guilty about not conforming to anyone else’s ideas.
I like to go all out. The decorating (with perfectly even lights), the shopping (even with crowds), the wrapping (elaborately), the meal planning, cooking and serving are all the things I LOVE to do. Just because you aren’t good at these things, stop telling me not to do them because I enjoy it.
You do your Christmas your way — and I’ll do mine my way.
But my one big pet peave is crooked lights. Random lights thrown on bushes, crooked lights partially on the house, etc. I have a hard time with my “live and let live” mentality when it comes to crooked lights.
posted by Karen on 12-17-2009 at 11:50 am
That video scares me.
posted by LeAnn on 12-17-2009 at 12:12 pm
I love most stuff about Christmas, but there is such a things as going too far. Those trees were HORRIBLE!
I like simplicity when it comes to decorating.
Merry Christmas everyone.
posted by Tracie on 12-17-2009 at 12:56 pm
OKAY! Who puked their Xmas spirit all over the tree?!?!
Man, those trees were awful!
posted by Jeff M on 12-17-2009 at 1:41 pm
Those were the ugliest trees I have ever seen.
Things that dampen my holiday spirit
*Christmas decorations, songs, etc starting before December
*5 hour Christmas sales that make those of us who work in retail not be able to go out of town for Thanksgiving because we have to be at work at 4 am.
*Being told at work that I have no right to say Merry Christmas but have to say Happy Holidays (which I ignored)
*Having to fight with my kid’s school because they are learning about Chanukah but are not allowed to say the word Christmas at school (cant we have a balance of both?) I don’t mind her learning about other religions but I feel that mine has been pushed into the closet.
In my world, Christmas would go back to being a religious holiday instead of a commercial one.
posted by veete on 12-17-2009 at 2:26 pm
Karen got it right on the money! Christmastime is what it is, and people get funny about it. You can only change what you do yourself. Put on your big girl panties and deal.
That said, someone please tell me that video was a spoof.
posted by Carrie on 12-17-2009 at 2:35 pm
Nothing ruins my Christmas because there’s nothing to ruin. It’s my Savior’s birthday. If someone wants to have a runway of lights, so be it. If someone isn’t a Christian and doesn’t celebrate Christmas, so be it. If someone lost their spouse during this time of year and they can’t stand this season, so be it. I celebrate it as an important day marking my higher power’s birth. And yes, I know the whole,”it wasn’t really December 25th–Christianity picked that date to coincede with a pagan festival” deal. Who cares? The spirit (to me) is, “PEACE ON EARTH GOOD WILL TO MEN.”
posted by Helenann on 12-17-2009 at 3:25 pm
Nothing ruins my Christmas. I love everything about it (though warm weather would be nice). The kitschier, the better. I love cheesy Christmas specials, the crowds at the store, decorating, Christmas sweaters/sweatshirts/Santa earrings, excessive light displays, penguins in Santa hats, embarrassing my dogs by putting antlers on them for the Christmas card photo, overeating the goodies people bring to work, and candlelight Christmas Eve service at church to top it all off. It’s a celebration! Where did all these Scrooges and Grinches come from? And if a Jew wants to say “Happy Hanukkah” to me, I will NOT be offended. So why should he be offended if I say “Merry Christmas”? Let’s all enjoy the whole thing and keep in mind that “peace on earth, good will to men” is the message to ALL of us.
posted by Siobhan on 12-17-2009 at 3:34 pm
Donation saturation. By the 2nd week of Dec I am fed up with everyone’s requests for handouts. From co-workers who do their children’s fundraising at work to company sponsered fund raisers to the old stand-by media articles about this that or the other charity not getting enough.
posted by Carmichael, CA on 12-17-2009 at 4:01 pm
Things that limit my Christmas spirit:
Seeing Christmas decorations for sale in Target before Halloween costumes are put away.
The song “Sleigh Ride.” I can’t listen to the radio for more than five minutes without hearing that song…then it’s stuck in my head for hours.
Christmas lights turned on before Thanksgiving…hang them in nice weather, sure, but wait until later to turn them on!
That said . . . can I get one of those rotating tree stands? Motorized, so I can decorate my entire tree and have every branch displayed?
posted by Jonathan on 12-17-2009 at 5:26 pm
Yay Helenann!
*I despise almost all Christmas movies except for It’s A Wonderful Life and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (the animated version, not the demented Jim Carrey one). Especially anything shown on ABC Family, Hallmark, or Lifetime. I’m sure this sounds Grinchy, but I can’t stand the cheesy morals at the end of all these stories. It’s like Disney channel for adults.
*Those giant inflatable decorations on front lawns. They’re so ugly!
posted by Carli on 12-17-2009 at 5:53 pm
Christmas, as Helenann put it so wonderfully, is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Sure, it wasn’t ACTUALLY December 25th, but its not about the acurracy of the date, its the importance of it. Christmas does in fact have Christ in it, so why not keep Him there?
I have no problem with people saying Happy Holidays or Happy Hanukkah, but don’t tell me that I can’t say Merry Christmas. Thats the biggest damper for me, that people fly off the handle as soon as Christmas is mentioned. Its ridiculous.
Other than that, I’m a Christmas nut even though it doesn’t sound like it. I love the lights and the trees and the carols and the snow and the giving, which is the most important part for me, the giving not recieving.
posted by taytay on 12-17-2009 at 6:52 pm
Honest to goodness folks, my mother had a revolving Christmas tree when I was young. It was actually motorized, though, and turned all by itself so that you could see all the ornaments, not just the ones in the front. Can’t remember, but I think it might have had the ability to play Christmas tunes. My mom was so psyched about it that she bought one for my grandparents as well. As much as I look, I have not seen a revolving one since.
posted by Amanda on 12-17-2009 at 7:56 pm
I think that video was the thing that finally put me in the Christmas spirit…and made me nostalgic for what feels like the early 90s.
It was HILARIOUS!
But, I’m a pretty grinchy person. I used to love all of the carols and movies when I was a kid and things were novel, but not so much anymore, and there’s all the pretension and commercialism and tradition and religion and family time. *shudders*
posted by Leigh on 12-17-2009 at 8:58 pm
Amanda – try k mart. I know I saw a tree revolving in the tree display section. Worth a shot!
posted by okiemelissa on 12-18-2009 at 12:01 am
There’s very little about Christmas that irritates me…life is usually a little bit better because of the lights and the merriment (and, ok, the libations). That being said, what exactly was the “fake snow” that they were putting on those poor trees? It looked like the world’s largest Oreo cookie threw up. Yikes!
Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas!
posted by Nathan R on 12-18-2009 at 3:20 am