Has Christmas changed or is it just my messed up family??

Blue Skittles · 12-25-2006, 09:56 PM

Ok, in the past few years I haven't been home for Christmas with my family. This year I come home, and things are sooo different. No one cares anymore. My own sister and brother didn't even acknowledge the fact that I came home, or even said Hello to me. That in itself blew me away. My parents are ready to "give up" on Christmas and both have said they don't want to do celebrate Christmas next year because no one appreciates it. This would be referring to my sister and brother (who are 18 and 20). I'm 23. My sister, every year, since the time she was 3 years old, pulls the EXACT same act. She makes a Christmas list 3 pages long. She wakes everyone up early to open presents, and then complains that she didn't get everything she wanted, states the items from "the list" that were missing, goes back to bed, and ignores everyone for the rest of the day. Yes, at 20 years old, she is STILL pulling this act. My brother, who can't even sit and talk to anyone, decided he was goign to go out today and visit his friends, and doesn't even have the decency to show up on time for Christmas dinner. He shows up 2 hours later. What happened to Chrsitmas??? I hate it. I was really excited about being able to spend it with my family this year, but quite honestly, the way things have been, I'm never coming back. What a disgrace.

IntoTheFire · 12-25-2006, 10:09 PM

Yeah I think it has changed alot since I was a kid.

I'm 19, and this year it was very, very played down and quiet.

Usually, all I can remember about Christmas is my Mum freaking out whether the turkey was gonna de-frost in time, whether the vegetables were good enough to taste, whether the table was set well enough, whether the programmes we always watched at night were gonna clash together. I always remembered my Grandparents and my Mum's family having dinner with us (My mum was hostess extrordanaire back then) and my younger sister being really excited cos it meant she didn't have a bedtime. She's 13 now, my brother is 16, and their attitudes towards Christmas have definitely changed.

My Dad spent most of the time in his bedroom today, building up various pieces of furniture (my sister's bedroom has just been re-decorated) and was being very anti-social. My Mum seemed alot more interested in the tv, my brother went out, my sister played her new computer games/watched new dvds etc, and that was that.

Everyone's in bed now, and that's one more Christmas day gone.

Until next year...only 364 days to go eh?

redrose85 · 12-26-2006, 04:31 AM

wow... that's pretty sad. Seems like those two families are missing the point of it all.

DinkyTeacup · 12-29-2006, 10:43 AM

Yeah, I remember Christmas being more lively and fun when I was younger. Now that I'm 22 and all of the other younger siblings and cousins are in their teens, Christmas is pretty much mellowed out. The grownups act tired.

My suggestion for next year's Christmas is to invite your parents over for a nice dinner and gift exchange. Show them you still appreciate Christmas and that you care enough to still spend it with them and make it a memorable experience. You can even suggest a family Christmas vacation somewhere.

If your siblings don't want to join in, then that's their problem. They're old enough to know better. Your sister needs someone to tell her to stop acting like a 5-year-old brat. As for your brother, perhaps he'll one day realize how it important it is to show your family how you appreciate them, but by then, it might be too late.

12-25-2006, 09:56 PM	#1
Blue Skittles Offline Gold Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Canada Age: 26 Posts: 1,091	Has Christmas changed or is it just my messed up family?? Ok, in the past few years I haven't been home for Christmas with my family. This year I come home, and things are sooo different. No one cares anymore. My own sister and brother didn't even acknowledge the fact that I came home, or even said Hello to me. That in itself blew me away. My parents are ready to "give up" on Christmas and both have said they don't want to do celebrate Christmas next year because no one appreciates it. This would be referring to my sister and brother (who are 18 and 20). I'm 23. My sister, every year, since the time she was 3 years old, pulls the EXACT same act. She makes a Christmas list 3 pages long. She wakes everyone up early to open presents, and then complains that she didn't get everything she wanted, states the items from "the list" that were missing, goes back to bed, and ignores everyone for the rest of the day. Yes, at 20 years old, she is STILL pulling this act. My brother, who can't even sit and talk to anyone, decided he was goign to go out today and visit his friends, and doesn't even have the decency to show up on time for Christmas dinner. He shows up 2 hours later. What happened to Chrsitmas??? I hate it. I was really excited about being able to spend it with my family this year, but quite honestly, the way things have been, I'm never coming back. What a disgrace.

12-25-2006, 10:09 PM	#2
IntoTheFire Offline Bronze Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Gender: None Specified Age: 22 Posts: 157	Yeah I think it has changed alot since I was a kid. I'm 19, and this year it was very, very played down and quiet. Usually, all I can remember about Christmas is my Mum freaking out whether the turkey was gonna de-frost in time, whether the vegetables were good enough to taste, whether the table was set well enough, whether the programmes we always watched at night were gonna clash together. I always remembered my Grandparents and my Mum's family having dinner with us (My mum was hostess extrordanaire back then) and my younger sister being really excited cos it meant she didn't have a bedtime. She's 13 now, my brother is 16, and their attitudes towards Christmas have definitely changed. My Dad spent most of the time in his bedroom today, building up various pieces of furniture (my sister's bedroom has just been re-decorated) and was being very anti-social. My Mum seemed alot more interested in the tv, my brother went out, my sister played her new computer games/watched new dvds etc, and that was that. Everyone's in bed now, and that's one more Christmas day gone. Until next year...only 364 days to go eh?

12-26-2006, 04:31 AM	#3
redrose85 Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada Gender: Female Age: 24 Posts: 2,362	wow... that's pretty sad. Seems like those two families are missing the point of it all.

12-29-2006, 10:43 AM	#4
DinkyTeacup Offline Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: US Gender: Female Age: 24 Posts: 49	Yeah, I remember Christmas being more lively and fun when I was younger. Now that I'm 22 and all of the other younger siblings and cousins are in their teens, Christmas is pretty much mellowed out. The grownups act tired. My suggestion for next year's Christmas is to invite your parents over for a nice dinner and gift exchange. Show them you still appreciate Christmas and that you care enough to still spend it with them and make it a memorable experience. You can even suggest a family Christmas vacation somewhere. If your siblings don't want to join in, then that's their problem. They're old enough to know better. Your sister needs someone to tell her to stop acting like a 5-year-old brat. As for your brother, perhaps he'll one day realize how it important it is to show your family how you appreciate them, but by then, it might be too late.