The Old Lurker posted this quiz over at his blog so I've decided to channel my INNER GRINCH today to answer it --
What do you hate most about Christmas?
This is an EASY one -- going to any mall in December. Impossible to park, endless throngs of shoppers, too much noise, too much hassle, too much EVERYTHING.
What is your least favourite piece of Christmas music?
I'm one of those weirdos who LOVES Christmas music. I would gladly listen to, sing and/or whistle Christmas carols every day of the livelong year, were it not for the threats of bodily harm or death made by those around me. However, EVEN I have a handful of Christmas songs that simply DRIVE ME UP THE WALL if I hear them -- Jingle Bells, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus and Up on the Rooftop.
Plus I'm IMMENSELY pleased that some radio stations are FINALLY removing from their music rotations that UBER-CREEPY Christmas song about sexual harassment, Baby, It's Cold Outside. About goddamn time, too. That song has irritated me for YEARS.
What traditional Christmas food OTHER THAN FRUITCAKE (too easy) is being sent down the garbage disposal?
Now, I'm also one of those weirdos who LOVES fruitcake. Any kind -- light, dark, fruity, nutty, deliciously moist or hard as a rock -- I love it all! Plus I also love mince pie, which is probably #2 on most people's hit list. I can't think of ANY traditional Christmas food that I would not eat and, in fact, not eat to excess.
Which animated TV Christmas special leaves you wanting to rip the wallpaper off the walls?
That old stop-motion animation classic from the 1960s, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I've ALWAYS despised it. However, LOVE the song -- one of my faves!
What was your least favourite Christmas gift ever?
An LP of Wayne Newton's Greatest Hits that someone gave me when I was a teenager -- a TEENAGER, for gawd's sake. Danke Shoen for NUTTIN, Santa.
Who on your Christmas list is the hardest to shop for?
I find it relatively easy to shop for people because I pay attention to them throughout the year, taking note of their interests, hobbies, expressed likes and dislikes. However, I'm told by everyone I know that it's ME for whom it's impossible to shop because I'm a -- wait for it -- WEIRDO. I solve this problem by handing out detailed Christmas lists of specific items that I want. No more Wayne Newton albums for me!
How would you spend this time of year if you weren't caught up in all the holiday madness?
You know, I actually quite LIKE Christmas. But I make a point of keeping things SIMPLE, precisely so I DON'T get caught up in the holiday madness. It's all the rushing about, overdoing things, overspending and unreasonable expectations that RUIN the season.
Anyone else want to do this quiz, either in the comments or on your own blog? I'd love to read your answers!
I'mma stealing this!
ReplyDeleteTo play the non-p.c. level-headed person, is that people are attempting to apply today's often skewered/.warped p.c. morals to a song that was written during a different time period when the morals/sensibilities of what a woman should do and how she should act, as well as what a man should do and how he should act was radically different. To say what people are saying about the song is simply wrong and closed minded.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Christmas. We have learned to celebrate when our daughter, a nurse, isn’t working. It’s the together time that matters.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a fan of Christmas. Too much forced good cheer and the absurd levels of commercialism. I can do without. If I go an entire season without hearing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" I consider that a win. Along the lines of creepy Christmas songs, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is right up there. I don't have strong enough feelings about "Baby It's Cold Outside" to have much of an opinion either way but I agree that the original intent of the song wasn't creepy. It was written almost 100 years and things were different then.
ReplyDeleteWe'd be offended if you said you did not like fruitcakes :)))
ReplyDeleteI've danced a bit to Jingle Bells a few days ago in the mall which I looooove visiting during festive days! I'm like take all my money, take it, take it just put sparkles on everything and Christmas bows :)
I'm the same about paying attention when buying gifts!
I agree with you about shopping in the malls. That's why whatever I don't make is bought online. I love Christmas songs as well...and Christmas movies...although I am getting a bit sick of some of the Hallmark films.
ReplyDeleteOur "dislike" is they try to start the Season before Halloween... !!!
ReplyDelete@ G.B. Miller -- You know I luv ya like the conservative brother I never had, G.B., but I couldn't disagree more. Creepy sexual harassment has ALWAYS been creepy sexual harassment, regardless of the era or its apparent social acceptability. It's just that in the past, women had no social/economic power to directly confront it for what it is without incurring heavy, life-altering punishment. There wasn't even language to describe it, that's how taboo it was for women to object to predatory sexual behaviour. Words like "sexual harassment" and "stalking" didn't even exist until the 1980s but the behaviour they describe is as old as time.
ReplyDelete@ Jamie Meyers -- Yes, now that you mention it, I've never been fond of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" either. But I'm a BIG fan of the LGBTQ version, "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus"
ReplyDeleteWhat do you hate most about Christmas?
ReplyDeleteI hate that it starts in October. I can deal with the crowds and shiz because that;s kinda expected ....BUT NOT IN OCTOBER!!!!!
What is your least favourite piece of Christmas music?
Easy peasy ... I wanna strangle The Little Drummer Boy ... pa-rumpa-pum-pum
What traditional Christmas food OTHER THAN FRUITCAKE (too easy) is being sent down the garbage disposal?
Gingerbread ANYTHING!!!!! I love a cookie, I loathe a fruitcake--except for Carlos. But gingerbread? Honey, no ....no.
Which animated TV Christmas special leaves you wanting to rip the wallpaper off the walls?
I also lovelovelove Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It takes me back!
What was your least favourite Christmas gift ever?
My mother,god rest her soul, once gave me a knitted black and yellow sweater. i looked like a f**king bumblebee in that thing. But, she never ever knew i disliked it, so i get Good Son points.
Who on your Christmas list is the hardest to shop for?
Like you, I find it easy, and kinda fun, to buy things for others, but I can never think of anything I want or need.
How would you spend this time of year if you weren't caught up in all the holiday madness?
Somewhere quiet and peaceful ...like my own home. We tend to make Christmas a thing for the two of us, and our animals; so it's simple and quiet and peaceful, which is the best gift ever.
I just love corporate American Jesus - I gotta steal him.
ReplyDeletehmmm...before this post i don't think i ever thought of not liking anything about xmas. i guess now that i think about it, there is a lot of stuff that doesn't float my boat. like all the commercial stuff and junk but i just tune those things out and concentrate on the special parts i love.
ReplyDeleteNothing says Christmas like a good sexual harassment song.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, this was a fun post, I'm thinking of being a Grinch and taking it lol, how perfectly fitting that you got it from Old Lurker! Lol
Can I just say, theirs nothing weird about liking fruitcake. But there is about actually liking Christmas.
ReplyDeleteJP
I am as weird as you...LOL I really like fruitcake and Christmas music. I really don't like that 60s TV classic but do like the song.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to post these questions with my answers on my blog! So much fun.
It makes my heart grow warmer to see you answers to these questions and great to know I am not alone!
ReplyDeleteFruit cake and mincepies for me too - love them. I have a huge jar of mincemeat to keep me going through the first few months of 2019
ReplyDeleteOMG! YES! I am definitely doing this. It's nice to see someone else that enjoys this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you hate most about Christmas? Spending money. Hate to sound cheap, but I'm on a budget these days.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your least favorite (I have to spell it that way--I'm a
Yank, you know) piece of Christmas music? I like Christmas music, for the simple reason there's so many different types of it, from classical to church hymns to country to swing to showtunes to rock. I have very eclectic tastes in music, and Christmas is the only time of year you can hear so many different genres played one after another on the same station (or PA system at the mall.) It's like Top 40 from the 1960s and '70s. Now if you're talking about a PARTICULAR song, there's was one from the 1980s where a little girl asks Santa to keep her parents from beating on her. Don't get me wrong. I'm not at all in favor of child abuse, but this song was a shallow (but commercially successful) attempt to make a fast buck on a serious problem.
What traditional Christmas food OTHER THAN FRUITCAKE (too easy) is being sent down the garbage disposal? Any Christmas dinners I go to usually have a buffet kind of thing going on, so I just don't put it on my plate. I've never like peas, though I don't that's specifically Christmas food.
Which animated TV special leaves you wanting to rip the wallpaper off the walls? I think they showed it only once, but one had Rudolph meeting Frosty in Arizona or Texas or someplace like that and performing at a rodeo. I think Rankin/Bass were running out of ideas and really scraping the barrel by then.
What was your least favorite Christmas gift ever? Probably some piece of clothing my mother fell in love with and then insisted I wear every other day for a month.
Who on your Christmas list is the hardest to shop for? My teenage niece and nephew. I got the latter a DVD of Jaws, and then asked him some time later how he liked it. He thought it moved kind of slowly and was not all that scary. JAWS NOT THAT SCARY?!?! REALLY?!?!
How would you spend this time of year if you weren't caught up in all the holiday madness? I don't know. I find Christmas a rather glamorous holiday. I even find the commercialism glamorous (except for that song about child abuse.) Though I'm not suppose to, and as someone who thinks God is unknowable, I even find the Mary-and-Joseph-in-Bethlehem story glamorous (especially when the Nativity scene is bordered by colorful lights!) I think December with its long nights would be kind of depressing if not for Christmas. If you know anything about the holiday's pagan roots (Yuletide), you'll know those long nights is why the holiday exists in the first place.
One year, you need to move into my house in mid September, when my Piano Man starts practicing for winter holiday shows. You will be very happy. Feel free to ignore the confused, nasty looks the entire household will be sending your way.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever heard Christmas music where it sounds like it is tech designed in WalMart over a very loud speaker, then you have heard awful.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on your answers. "Baby, it's cold outside"? That should absolutely banned. Fruit Cake, no.
Oh but I loved Rudolph! I always felt so sorry for those unwanted toys. One of our favorites is Scrooge, the musical with Albert Finney from 1971, I think. It is so good! If you haven't seen it, look for it! And dont be a grinch! ☺
ReplyDeleteToo many questions...but I usually dislike Christmas shopping totally...I can never decide on what to get someone...they might not like this, it's a stupid thing to give someone, it's probably not their style, it will be too big, too small, too cheap, too expensive, too boring, too cute, too useless, too useful, it's junk made in China, its got artificial flavors, it has high fructose corn syrup, it's not good for the environment, I can't afford it, they probably already have it...you get the picture.
ReplyDeleteI think I might have to steal this too. I didn't see you as the type that would enjoy Christmas songs. Which proves just how little I know about you.
ReplyDelete@ LL Cool Joe -- Yes, I'm a pagan who loves Christmas music! Makes no sense whatsoever, I know. But that's just the kind of hairpin I am, as they say.
ReplyDeleteSanta Baby really pisses me off. 54 convertible, light blue? How about we redistribute the wealth?
ReplyDeleteI particularly loathe "The Little Drummer Boy".
ReplyDelete1.the 2 months before Christmas..agree with him
ReplyDelete2.the Chipmunks..I guess that's Christmas music to some.
3. Mince pie
4.I don't watch any of them..Not a fan of animated films
5.Can't remember a bad Christmas gift..maybe an appliance of some sort?
6.. EVERYBODY.. We are in the stage of our lives where if we want it, we go out and get it. We don't exchange anymore. A little sad.
7. The same way I spend January? Dinner with friends. Peace and calmness
Merry Christmas
'Baby It's Cold Outside' has always made me a little queasy. I did give my reaction a rethink after hearing Loesser's daughter talk about it on NPR some years ago. Her parents sang it together at parties and her mom was furious when her dad sold it. She says it's a flirtation song. Ok, well, it doesn't translate well to this day and age, does it?
ReplyDeleteI hate the noise and the mess and the ciaos and everyone thinking they have to cook mounds of food, bake tons of cookies and over decorate. I like simple and Hubby and Daughter are the same. So Christmas Day, we just relax and enjoy each other's company after the large family get together the night before. I also love fruit cake. Am thrilled some folks are waking up to realize Baby it's Cold Outside is about male dominance, sexual abuse etc. Plus, I've never considered it a Christmas song. Not one word in the lyrics about Christmas or Holidays etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I hate about Xmas? Tourists, weekenders and snowmobilers.
ReplyDeleteWhat is my least faourite piece of Xmas music? Anything overly religious (and that means ANY religion, not just Christian!!!) :)
What traditional Xmas food is sent down the garbage?
OMG...NONE...NEVER...THROW...FOOD...AWAY... :) Actually I just don't make what I don't like. I remember plum pudding, not a fan...but I may try to make it this year because Alex wants to try it!
Which animated TV Xmas special leaves me....?
NONE!!! I love them all!!! :) "I'm a dentist"...
What was your least fave Xmas gift ever?
A makeup mirror when my other siblings got a coupon for free driving lessons...why???? :( grrr...okay, I'm over it lol...
Who is the hardest to shop for?
Not an issue anymore! It's just me and Alex and the furballs! :)
Last question: I'm so happy and lucky NOT to be caught up in ANY holiday madness ever. I'm so past that and it feels good.
Btw, love the Office Space reference!!! :)
I do not like The Little Drummer Boy song at all. The crowds at the stores make me nervous.
ReplyDeleteI believe in God and Jesus...and that Christmas is the time we celebrate Jesus birth.
ReplyDeleteI like most every food served around Christmas..especially all the cakes and pies...:)
I love shopping for gifts for my fammily..I never spend much but it pleasures me greatly to give to my kids, grands and great'grands...
I can't think of even one Christmas song that I don't like..
Christmas will never be the same for me since I've lost part of my heart...but there is so much to be thankful for and I can't think of a better time to be thankful than at Christmas. xo
Ohhh I totally love this post!!!! I don't do Christmas. I haven't for 50 years.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Debra!
ReplyDeleteOk, lets see if I can do the questions!
What do I hate most about Christmas, I think the malls too, but the second on my list, is people who hate Christmas. My older brother is one of them. It's like even if you say Christmas, your ears are going to fall off! LOL! And, when I say he hates Christmas, he really hates it! But, he will eat the entire turkey! LOL!
I don't know if I have a least favourite piece of Christmas music? I'm like you Debra, I LOVE Christmas music. As soon as December comes, I am listening to it everyday!
I love food, so this is another hard question! I love mom's fruit cake, so I haven't had any other type. I love mince pie too!
Well, as I just wrote on my blog, I love the animated TV Christmas specials! Boy, am I sucking on these questions! LOL!
My least favourite Christmas gift? Dollar store candles. Now, I am not one to put a $ sign on things, but when I lit them, they sparked and melted fast! It was dangerous. I say dollar store candles, but they could have been purchased somewhere else?
How would I spend this time of year, if you weren't caught up in all the holiday madness? I like Christmas. I would just do things differently. Families can sometimes be hard. I'm grateful for everything, but I would like to just sit around, play cards, laugh and have fun. "Not argue"! LOL!
Big Hugs!
I forgot about the gift question. We really don't exchange gifts anymore. It's mostly food gifts now! LOL! But, I would say, it would be my older brother!
ReplyDeleteBetween Hanukkah, Christmas, and Solstice December always has me running. I look forward to the lazy days when it's all done. :D I'm with you on the mall thing. I do whatever I can to go nowhere near a mall in December or early January. My least favorite Christmas music is anything that shows up before December 1rst! Most Christmas food is OK with me, but I love talking the husband (who really doesn't need much convincing) that we should get some good fried chicken in honor of Hanukkah (fried foods are traditional for the holiday). I don't know if there's any particular Christmas special I really dislike. My brother's wife is the toughest to shop for. LOL, I'd spend the time with family, but with all the time saved from shopping and such, I'd read and drink tea more. :D
ReplyDeleteWell, from one weirdo to another ;) I love fruitcake too but detest mince anything! It has SUET in it. What the hell is that?!?!?!?! I know the birds love it! :)
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about Christmas is the Muppet Christmas Carol movie. The worst thing about Christmas is the 'in your face' obligation to celebrate a religion or else you hate Christmas. The idea of a time for giving, feasting, caroling, and a myth for children is great - especially at the beginning of winter. Originally a pagan holiday - it still is a wonderful time; but not the fruit cake.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
just did a podcast where I bitched about all the stuff I hate about Christmas too.
ReplyDelete