Is it just me who is related to Ebeneezer Scrooge or are others thankful that it's the 27th December - and that means 'it's all over for another year'?

Don't get me wrong though... I believe that celebrating the birth of Christ is a good thing (even though I'm not a regular church goer...). But for years I've found it increasingly difficult to come to terms with what Christmas has become nowadays!

The frantic (over) spending. The (over) eating - as if tomorrow morning the World would declare a famine for all of us - instead of for just a few millions, who we don't know anyway.
(BTW - that's meant to be 'irony' before anyone smacks me....)

I'm just sooooo pleased it's done and dusted. Christmas is a time for the tiddlers and sprogs. A time for them to (perhaps), enjoy the art of giving just a little more than receiving. A time for us grown ups to count our own blessings and hope that next year we can all be together once again in friendship.

But you must all have a very happy and prosperous 2010!

Dear Carol, I do agree with you completely. It seems I just put up the tree and overcooked for my family and now it is over of which I am not sad. It was nice to spend this time with my daughters from other states but it is also nice that all have gone home.

My grandchildren were wonderful to be with. I am still in awe at all the things they received. Only one, in my eyes, that was practical, pajamas!!

They had a great time with their electronic games which I was not interested in to their dismay.

As you said, nice to be over and back to normalcy. Happy Holidays to one and all.

lilbees

Totally agree. Sweep it under the rug for another 363 days. I'm worn out, wife is worn out, still cleaning up after the gang of 20 left us at 2AM on Christmas morning. Church twice in one week...overkill! The only winners are the merchants and they are complaining that business was bad. I say back to the basics, whatever they might be? Joe B.

Carole, I am a fellow Scrooge. I did not put up any decorations, cooked no holiday dinners, and did not buy any gifts. Wow! I really am a Scrooge!! (No family here to speak of.) I teach, and my students' obsession with "getting stuff" just puts me off. They didn't even want to donate food to charity unless they got something in return. Sigh.

Oh thank goodness I am not the only Scrooge here. I do enjoy spending time with the family and visiting everyone and my vacation time (which I always book for this time of year) but I hate watching my Mom try and cook 500 different things and killing herself just to see it all over in less than a day. And the kids..they get gifts all year long so why should we spend an enormous amount of money we don't have just to satisfy the "holiday"? We did not buy gifts this year. The children exchanged gifts which they chose and paid for themselves and that was nice to see them thinking about each other. The kids put up the decorations and I had Lou take them down today (he is just finishing). I do not want to wait until the day before we need to go back to work to clean up. We are now just going to spend the week relaxing and spending time together..which is exactly what Christmas holidays should be!

I am no Scrooge but I am so glad it's over too! Normally I am like a little kid at Christmas but the past several years I have found it exhausting! So much work! lol Now I need to get my fatter behind back to the gym! LOL

Hi Everyone I think I'm like Cathy.
But I do agree that most times now the true meaning of Christmas has been diluted. What I do now is give money to the family/grandchildren to put into their bank accounts because I feel they get enough toys ect and the thing they seem to appreciate most is when they get the boxes of crispel (and I mean big boxes) and the biscotti, home made chocolates etc they say they dont feel its Christmas until that arrives!! So lately I've been on a production line something like your mum, Nuccia. (I've just been telling them this next year I'm going to hold instructions classes so they can make their own - answer was 'but Granny they just wont taste the same' my children say the same thing!!- my reply was 'dont think that will stop me teaching you' - they'd need to try a better answer than that!!
I made some more crispel yesterday again because I promised my grandsons I'd make some more for new Year before they went back to University- they rest of the family will be getting their lot later!!
Wishing you all Good Health, Good Luck and Happiness fro 2010.
Love
God Bless
Emmy xx