Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I have a cashmilon tunic from M&S, it's lovely and really comfortable to wear.

Grinch Warning!

Why can't Christmas just be celebrated on CHRISTMAS. Why is it a whole month long thing that I have to keep thinking about and seeing! Argh. Does anything else take over everything like Christmas does? I'm fine with having our cute cozy tree up for a few weeks, but I feel like I've spent all freaking month thinking of gifts. I hate gifts. /rant

ETA: specifically, I hate gifts around thi time because there's so much pressure to get presents for so many people and it's so expensive. I really like giving birthday gifts or gifts for random occasions.

A month long? I saw christmas decorations at Ikea about six weeks ago, so I'd say it lasts two months.

:(

I know, I'm grinchy too. I also really wish people wouldn't give me gifts as 'presents'. I mean, I understand but I don't do gifts. I prefer to just go to lunch and enjoy it rather than trying to exchange gifts.

Idji, I've been reading this book of essays, and it's improving my humor for these kinds of things. I really laughed at a few things, like

haha, that's great. If I'd known about Christmas, I might have tried harder to marry a Jew! (KIDDDDDDIIINNNGGGG)

Last year, at the store where I used to work, we had Christmas stock out in July. It was marketed as a cutesy "Christmas in July" theme; like, get your Christmas crafting out of the way now, so everything's ready in December. But actually those two aisles just stayed up until we started bringing out the rest of the Christmas stuff.

Christmas in July is a 'thing' though among craft markets and what not. I don't know why but I think some of it started as crafters offering custom stuff they could make but it might take months and if you ordered/bought in July, then whatever would be ready by Christmas. I've only seen it as weekend long things though, not in stores.

idji, I am so with you. I like a little bit of holiday cheer and that's it. Months-long, red-and-green and santa claus...kill me. It ruins it.
I will say thought, that I put my foot down and stopped buying gifts for my family (save my brother) a few years ago and asked they don't give me anything, and it has made things easier. Next is to do that with T.'s family, but his mom will cry probably because she already feels like I've taken her baby boy away and asking for a tradition to be changed might make her crack.

awww, i love christmas time in new york. everyone looks all snuggly in their hats and mittens, and the lights and decorations that go up over the streets are so pretty, and when you walk by a cluster of trees for sale on the sidewalk the smell stays with you all the way down the block. but it's a low-pressure time for me, because i don't have a circle of gifting friends. one person has a holiday party every year, and we pass around some little silly things, but mostly it's about drinking and wearing garlands. my sister demands a physical gift, and i buy something nice for my cousin because i love her like a daughter, but i can usually get away with just taking my parents out to a nice dinner or something, and that's it. so, have fewer/worse friends, i guess, and all your problems will be solved.

I think I'd be fine with it if it weren't for the gift giving. I think it's also because it's kind of culture shock for me since I'm Jewish and I didn't celebrate Christmas at all until I started dating my husband and he had all these gift giving traditions with people. I think it's super great that I'm included in that now, but my family never made a big deal about gifts. we didn't even do chanukkah presents after middle school. So, I've just never been immersed in this gift giving culture. Also, I don't have a job, so we're kinda struggling right now and I don't think any of our friends know that. I just really like celebrating at home, making cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and also making latkes during Hanukkah.

I fell with the motorbike today but I think I got away without serious damage to myself.

Hit the ground on the spot where I have the hip-protector; no bruises but the spot is slightly swollen and sensitive if I rub it.
Probably pulled a muscle in my inner thigh too cause it hurts a little bit when I stand up from a chair and it feels sensitive while walking too.

The bike probably needs a "new" turn signal, mirror, piece of the handle bar, brake pedal, brake lever and perhaps a throttle grip.

Ughghghg, that sucks Eric. Hope you feel better soon, and the repairs are not costly. It was on your winter bike, right?

So when I bought my house the people at my work gave me a housewarming gift of cash, which I then all promptly spent on vet care for Chester.

Christmas bonus gets spent on flea and heartworm meds for Chester.


All disposable income goes to the freaking dog.

Could be worse. No one gave me any housewarming gifts at all and the only Christmas bonus I've ever gotten was a coupon for a free turkey. Not a live one, either.

That's true. But Chester would love a turkey.

I come from a large family and I know you may or may not be seen as an 'outsider' trying to change family traditions but when I was young, we gave gifts to everyone in our family. It really got to be too much, so then we went to a 'pick a name, give a gift' which worked for quite a few years until one of my relatives decided that him and his wife would just receive gifts and not give gifts. So now our family just gives gifts to the kids. I guess what I'm saying is maybe talk to your husband about it. I think things that are made (including cookies) are a good option if you are trying to quasi opt out of gift giving.

Overall, I don't think it should be stressful but it often tends to be.

It would be kind of awesome if they'd give you the option for a live turkey, or if you could someone use to to rescue a turkey.

Glad you're not too badly injured, Eric. I too hope the repairs aren't too costly! (Even with just my bicycle, it sometimes feels like parts are expensive and I *know* they aren't)

Aww...Veg_Eric! Glad you're all right.

I just signed up for a 2 and a half hour kundalini yoga and meditation workshop for tomorrow night. I should be all zen afterward!

Yikes Veg-Eric, so glad it wasn't worse. I hope your bruises ease up soon and that you can replace everything that broke cheaply and easily.

As far as Christmas, I hate the manufactured stress of having to find a meaningful gift and not break the bank. We're a bit tight on money because I'm not working, so I really don't want to spend even a few hundred dollars on gifts. But if you don't give gifts you feel cheap. I feel ungrateful because we are getting some really kind gifts from people for Leela, but so many of them are clothes that are the wrong size. And all that means is that I am going to have to try and figure out where they were bought and go to the store and try and exchange them without a receipt. Or, more likely, donate them. One of Brett's friends gives Leela the tackiest things and then asks us to send her pictures with Leela in them, which I refuse to do. There doesn't need to be evidence of me putting my kid in a leopard mini with a hot pink clutch and tights that make it look like she is wearing high heels.

I will go you one better in the Grinch department. I hate children's parties. I wish we could get together and celebrate a kid's birthday with cake and a potluck and spending time playing together. Instead, you have to buy a gift between $25 and $50 for a hunk of crepe made in China for the child, who already has too many toys, so that the kid can play with it for about ten minutes and the parents can spend hours complaining about the fact that their houses are stuffed with too many toys and who needs all this STUFF, anyway? When we get invited somewhere I generally decline because at this point $50 is our grocery bill for the week. I was annoyed that after asking for no gifts for Leela, someone brought us stuff anyway, which I regifted at the next party we had to go to without even opening it. Seriously, why can't we get together and just celebrate?

Mandatory gifts are my biggest pet peeve. When did you have to have disposable income or time to craft to celebrate?

It's taken me years and years, but I've pretty much taught my friends and family that I love them, and I want to celebrate with them, but I don't do gifts. It ruins every occasion for me to stress out about what to buy and how I'm going to pay for it, so I just tell everyone that I don't want gifts, and please don't expect anything from me. Some people still give me things, and for most people that I'm close to I try and make something (like a plate of cookies or if I have time, a crafty etched dollar store jar or something), but I really hate the idea that we need gifts to enjoy a holiday/birthday/whatever.

For Christmas poopiebaby is getting a little wooden train set with extra track and tunnels and stuff from us (four whole packages to unwrap!), and a piggie puppet and a stuffed rattlesnake. People keep asking me what else we're getting for him and I'm like - isn't that enough?! I mean, I know my parents and siblings are going to give him stuff too, so he's going to have plenty. When did Christmas become about how many forking THINGS we can give our kids?

I am really stressed about what to get my nieces and nephew for this reason. They have so much crepe. Like loads of crepe. They have a 'playroom' that's just full of crepe. I love them, and I want them to know that they are each special and have superb personalities and whatnot, but I just, ugh. crepe.

A sentence I just typed: "will I regret taking an hour off [from final-taking and paper-writing] to wash dishes and braise radishes?"

Is there such thing as being too vegan?