Selfishness!!!

[Kim]

First a little background:

Last Christmas my GF and I spent about $300 + shipping (about $100) on my daughter and about $500 on her son. Originally we spent about the same but in the final shopping days we found small things that we added at the last minute for her son. I have no problem with this because my daughter was getting gifts from mommy’s side of the family too (and they aren’t poor).

Today:

My GF calls one of her lifetime friends (we'll call her Tina) to discuss Christmas this year. Tina tells her that she was disappointed in last years gifts because my daughter and her son had so many gifts and we spent so much on them.

Is that not pure fuckin’ selfishness?

An adult complaining because the children got more for Christmas from us than she did?

Ya know what’s even worse…my GF says she understands Tina’s position.

Pure selfishness!!!! Maybe times have changed and adults (men and women) really do act like that but until now I have never heard any adult say anything like that. I can’t even imagine a man saying it!

Unbelievable and absolutely disgusting.

We don't exchange gifts with out friends and would never consider expecting anything from them. We do a holiday cheer type of thing, instead where all the families in my neighborhood send around plates of cookies, or candy or a laminated Christmas story to share with their family. I love it, it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas and I wouldn't exchange it for expensive gifts.

Christmas has lost it's true meaning. Here's something I posted elsewhere recently....


Well, I know it's only the first part of November, but it's getting to be that time of year again....the holiday season.

I've been a little bit down this year. Generally, every Christmas, we take part in an Angel Tree, where we have each of our kids pick a child or elderly person (depending on the tree) and then go shopping and buy them the things off of their Christmas lists. We also do a variety of donations to the homeless shelters and such. These things are always my favorite part of Christmas.

I told my husband that I just don't know if we have the financial ability to do the things we usually do for those who are less fortunate this year for Christmas.

I started trying to come up with ideas of things we could do that would cost less money but still hopefully bring a little cheer to others who need it and help keep the true meaning of Christmas forefront in our minds.

I was bouncing ideas off my son (he's 9) when he says to me, "Well, we already have a lot of stuff, mom, and there are people who don't and Christmas is supposed to be about giving anyways, so maybe we can just not get stuff for ourselves this year".

Well, I assured my son he didn't need to forsake ALL gifts this Christmas, but I did have a talk with him and my two older kids and we decided that we would go with less this Christmas so we don't have to do less for those who need our help now more than ever.

That said, some of the budget ideas I came up with, in case anyone else could use a few, were,

*Take Christmas goodies to retirement homes and go and visit
elderly who don't recieve many visitors
*Take treats to the VA hospital and visit and thank the veterans
*Go to local businesses and see if they are willing to donate any items to go to the homeless shelter (Dentists will generally donate tooth brushes, paste and floss)
*Pass out flyers and organize a local coat drive where people can donate coats they've outgrown or no longer use and give them to the local homeless shelter


We've done all of these before and loved them all.

[Garak]

Unbelievable and absolutely disgusting.

We don't exchange gifts with out friends and would never consider expecting anything from them. We do a holiday cheer type of thing, instead where all the families in my neighborhood send around plates of cookies, or candy or a laminated Christmas story to share with their family. I love it, it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas and I wouldn't exchange it for expensive gifts.

Christmas has lost it's true meaning. Here's something I posted elsewhere recently....


Well, I know it's only the first part of November, but it's getting to be that time of year again....the holiday season.

I've been a little bit down this year. Generally, every Christmas, we take part in an Angel Tree, where we have each of our kids pick a child or elderly person (depending on the tree) and then go shopping and buy them the things off of their Christmas lists. We also do a variety of donations to the homeless shelters and such. These things are always my favorite part of Christmas.

I told my husband that I just don't know if we have the financial ability to do the things we usually do for those who are less fortunate this year for Christmas.

I started trying to come up with ideas of things we could do that would cost less money but still hopefully bring a little cheer to others who need it and help keep the true meaning of Christmas forefront in our minds.

I was bouncing ideas off my son (he's 9) when he says to me, "Well, we already have a lot of stuff, mom, and there are people who don't and Christmas is supposed to be about giving anyways, so maybe we can just not get stuff for ourselves this year".

Well, I assured my son he didn't need to forsake ALL gifts this Christmas, but I did have a talk with him and my two older kids and we decided that we would go with less this Christmas so we don't have to do less for those who need our help now more than ever.

That said, some of the budget ideas I came up with, in case anyone else could use a few, were,

*Take Christmas goodies to retirement homes and go and visit
elderly who don't recieve many visitors
*Take treats to the VA hospital and visit and thank the veterans
*Go to local businesses and see if they are willing to donate any items to go to the homeless shelter (Dentists will generally donate tooth brushes, paste and floss)
*Pass out flyers and organize a local coat drive where people can donate coats they've outgrown or no longer use and give them to the local homeless shelter


We've done all of these before and loved them all.

You have a good kid Kim. I am beginning to see that most people don't buy for their friends, I thought I was the oddball.

[MadShangi]

Sadly, Christmas has long since become something it was never intended to be: about selfish materialism, commercialism, and greed.

You hit the nail on the head there.

[Incognito]

Unbelievable and absolutely disgusting.

We don't exchange gifts with out friends and would never consider expecting anything from them. We do a holiday cheer type of thing, instead where all the families in my neighborhood send around plates of cookies, or candy or a laminated Christmas story to share with their family. I love it, it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas and I wouldn't exchange it for expensive gifts.

Christmas has lost it's true meaning. Here's something I posted elsewhere recently....


Well, I know it's only the first part of November, but it's getting to be that time of year again....the holiday season.

I've been a little bit down this year. Generally, every Christmas, we take part in an Angel Tree, where we have each of our kids pick a child or elderly person (depending on the tree) and then go shopping and buy them the things off of their Christmas lists. We also do a variety of donations to the homeless shelters and such. These things are always my favorite part of Christmas.

I told my husband that I just don't know if we have the financial ability to do the things we usually do for those who are less fortunate this year for Christmas.

I started trying to come up with ideas of things we could do that would cost less money but still hopefully bring a little cheer to others who need it and help keep the true meaning of Christmas forefront in our minds.

I was bouncing ideas off my son (he's 9) when he says to me, "Well, we already have a lot of stuff, mom, and there are people who don't and Christmas is supposed to be about giving anyways, so maybe we can just not get stuff for ourselves this year".

Well, I assured my son he didn't need to forsake ALL gifts this Christmas, but I did have a talk with him and my two older kids and we decided that we would go with less this Christmas so we don't have to do less for those who need our help now more than ever.

That said, some of the budget ideas I came up with, in case anyone else could use a few, were,

*Take Christmas goodies to retirement homes and go and visit
elderly who don't recieve many visitors
*Take treats to the VA hospital and visit and thank the veterans
*Go to local businesses and see if they are willing to donate any items to go to the homeless shelter (Dentists will generally donate tooth brushes, paste and floss)
*Pass out flyers and organize a local coat drive where people can donate coats they've outgrown or no longer use and give them to the local homeless shelter


We've done all of these before and loved them all.

Maybe you could enlist your church to host a dinner meal for the homeless?

[Kim]

Maybe you could enlist your church to host a dinner meal for the homeless?

It's a great idea, TERA, but probably not one I'll use personally. The ones we do as a family we don't involve our church in simply because the church already has a very extensive and organized program with umpteen million humanitarian projects going on of much larger scope and scale then I could coordinate. For instance, I'm scheduled to go to a class at the church on knitting (I hate knitting) so I can help knit baby booties to go in the hundreds of thousands of baby kits we'll be sending out to impoverished countries, hospitals and homeless shelters that contain blankets, clothing, caps and booties for babies.

The things I listed in my previous post are things we do outside the church, although we do enlist the aid of fellow church members in carrying some of them out.

[shaazam]

""Is that not pure fuckin’ selfishness?

An adult complaining because the children got more for Christmas from us than she did?"""

petty envy and ingratitude is but one of the feathers in the tails of the peahen ! Garak

wimmin know the forms of courtesy but they really don't feel them and only follow them when it suits them - Emily Post knew all the forms of courtesy and so do most wimmin

that is wimmin will pick you up on peccadilloes and foibles of your conduct just before selling you down the river of no return but not forgetting to send you the invoice for the voyage

[Percy]

Next week, the Christmas lights get turned on, here in Exeter. It's only eerly-mid November

Exeter in the wilds of deepest Devonshire? I am astonished it hasn't been banned so as not to offend the Muslims.

[shaazam]

Exeter in the wilds of deepest Devonshire? I am astonished it hasn't been banned so as not to offend the Muslims.

not yet !

[Aug9th-LiveOrDie]

Yes it does, and quite frankly I'm sick of it. I think Christmas is one of (if not the most) depressing times of the year.

your right
I fuckin hate xmas
I tell everyone happy kwanzaa

[MadShangi]

Right now I'm going to hate Christmas. I'm not around any of my friends and family this year, and it's going to be a depressing winter.

[Stan]

My holidays have been pretty bittersweet for many years now. I mean...I'm supposed to ignore the fact that my son is not around. And not be able to reach him. Or to know that he got my presents or well wishes.

All the time folks whom I don't want to upset or rant to ask me how my son is doing. WTF am I supposed to say?

[Marx]

Try asking them have some tact, in a polite manner.

It wouldn't hurt for them to change the way they forward their well-intentioned regards.

"I hope your Son is doing well, when you see him next, pass on our regards." would be a drastic improvement.

[Incognito]

It's a great idea, TERA, but probably not one I'll use personally. The ones we do as a family we don't involve our church in simply because the church already has a very extensive and organized program with umpteen million humanitarian projects going on of much larger scope and scale then I could coordinate. For instance, I'm scheduled to go to a class at the church on knitting (I hate knitting) so I can help knit baby booties to go in the hundreds of thousands of baby kits we'll be sending out to impoverished countries, hospitals and homeless shelters that contain blankets, clothing, caps and booties for babies.

The things I listed in my previous post are things we do outside the church, although we do enlist the aid of fellow church members in carrying some of them out.

That's really awesome that your church members are creating those baby kits to send out to the poor in other countries. What a wonderful thing to do!