The Grinch of allnurses.com

[traumaRUs]

Okay, not to be a Grinch, but really Christmas has become just so ridiculous. We all want this season to be happy with family get togethers, joy, peace and harmony. However, there are certain expectations of us too that we might not always be able to meet. The holidays can be stressful for many reasons. Here are some of my stressors. Can you identify with any of them? Please share what stresses you out during this season.

Christmas starts tooooooo early. At Halloween, fully two months before the actual date, we are forced to view Christmas decorations, Christmas pre-pre-pre sales, and the start of "what should you buy your kids for Christmas commercials.

Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies - ugh is all I can say. I can't do the continuous story of girl moves to the city for a great job, gets her heart broken by some guy, girl moves back home, girl meets hometown boy, falls in love, and gets a dog. Grrrr - I just can't stand all the sugar. Why not just be real? The holidays are stressful for many reasons - how about showing some real people at the holidays?

Emails after emails wanting me to spend money on "the greatest sale since the creation of sales." Any place I've ever ordered from is now sending me oodles and oodles of emails begging me to spend money with them. And what's with Black Friday, Black Friday Weekend and then Cyber Monday? So...we have day after day after day of sale notifications. When should I purchase, what should I purchase? So many choices. The positive for this (and yes there are some holiday positives even for this Negative Nancy - :)) is that I do like online shopping - efficient, quick and convenient.

The "guilt me" commercials on TV - you know the ones; where if you don't buy the latest laser gun, bicycle or video game/console for your child, you are somehow going to be perceived as a bad parent. Oh and of course these commercials are geared towards the kids so you have your kids begging for the next big thing too. And did I say the next big thing is $200+?

Office politics are high on my list some years too. Do you buy something for close co-workers, do you have some type of grab bag or something else? Is there a dollar limit? Are presents not allowed? I've worked several different places with different rules. In some places this added to the stress of the season too.

Christmas decorations - the biggest discussion at our house is when to put the decorations up. I am now (the day after Thanksgiving) looking at our decorated tree, with the outside lights twinkling. So, when is the optimal time to put up decorations? Is our house decorated too early? Or, should we have waited until two weeks before Xmas, like I wanted? And the next discussion is when to take the decorations down? I vote the day after Christmas. However other members of my family feel that they should stay up for another week or even two....another discussion.

Weird gifts - just saw a commercial saying I should gift my family with new toothbrushes. My family would probably be offended if this appeared in their stockings. Subscriptions to different apps seem to be another (at least to me) a weird present.

So, as the self-proclaimed Grinch of AN, surely I'm not alone? Come on guys help a Grinch out? What's your least favorite part of the holidays? What aspect of the holidays drives you crazy?

[Lane Therrell FNP, MSN, RN, NP]

You are absolutely right when you stated, "Christmas starts tooooooo early. At Halloween, fully two months before the actual date..."

I strenuously object to Thanksgiving getting lost in the commercialism shuffle. And I also object to my early December birthday getting lumped in with Christmas. Thank goodness my husband is totally ok with putting up the tree up on Christmas Eve and then leaving it up til January 6 (aka "Old Christmas" in my family of origin). I like to "do holidays" on my own terms. I suppose that makes me a Grinch in some people's eyes, but I prefer to think of it as effective stress management.

[Davey Do]

The first year that Belinda and I lived together in sin, she decorated the house with Christmas paraphernalia to the point that the living room looked like an explosion in a pawn shop.

I didn't like it.

Time passed and Belinda got so good at making our rustic hovel look like a home that, when she put up a little tree last year, it fit in so well and looked so good that I said, "Just leave it up".

I went to take a pic and show you all the tree, but the Blue Kitty had to get out in front and have her say:

[Flatline, BSN, RN]

The thing I have noticed this year, is the amount of toys, games...etc...that have to do with POOP and the toilet! or boogers! REALLY?? You cant come up with any better games that poop or snot games?? And why does that fascinate people? AND WHO BUYS this stuff??? Crazy!

Kids have liked that kind of stuff since time immemorial. I have a personal belief that it has something to do with social boundary and personal hygiene development. Remember the Garbage Pail Kids, Ninja Turtles that live in the sewer, the Toxic Crusaders, etc?

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

Kids have liked that kind of stuff since time immemorial. I have a personal belief that it has something to do with social boundary and personal hygiene development. Remember the Garbage Pail Kids, Ninja Turtles that live in the sewer, the Toxic Crusaders, etc?

Heh, I remember fart jokes as a kid, and threats to send my brother over to Russia (remember the cold war?) as a stink bomb..... There was a website called "Rate My Poo" not too long ago (not sure if it is still up)... And don't forget all of the other really gross stuff like 2 girls and a cup...... So, yeah, being fascinated & disgusted with bodily functions isn't really new.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Okay so who LIKES to wrap presents? I don't - I spent 2 hours wrapping gifts last night for grandchildren because they are coming over this weekend and obviously even the Grinch Grandma can't have unopened presents lying amok on the counter.

Grrrr...hubby tells me "don't buy anymore wrapping paper because we have plenty." Uh nope we don't. I get down to the last 2-3 presents and nope we are out. So, since we live in a town with not even a dollar store, I decide to put all the unopened presents in a closet in a box and hope the little kids don't go snooping.

Will have to get back to wrapping at the end of the weekend.

And, I'm searching our junk drawers for tape cause duct tape doesn't really look good.

[wondern, ASN]

I like it when they're all done, and looking fantastic, duct tape and all!

I haven't started yet.

[wondern, ASN]

Maybe Sam and Dave can help..."wrap,wrap,wrap,wrap, wrap"

[No Stars In My Eyes]

I have used the Sunday Funnies paper as wrapping paper, and my sister has used fabrics left over from sewing projects or some blouse/dress (not wearable) she found at a yard sale or flea market.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

My boys are grown so my present comes on the form of a check that they can use in any manner that helps them the most. I don't wrap it but I do sign it

[No Stars In My Eyes]

My boys are grown so my present comes on the form of a check that they can use in any manner that helps them the most. I don't wrap it but I do sign it

I'm happy with practical gifts. I'm not fashionable, don't care much about (or wear much) jewelry, and prefer to pick my own clothing during the year. Find me a funny book or something odd or interesting, yes. But, usually, the few small checks I get, I end up using for household needs, or groceries. I'm full of "Fa-la-la-la-la." Don't need to put a bow on laundry detergent or stuff to make a pot-roast.

[Coloradonurse1983]

Thank you. And whats with all holiday music on my favorite radio station that starts the day after Thanksgiving!!!! Puh-lease!

They start 24 hours of Christmas music here before Halloween.

[Trampledunderfoot, LPN]

When I was a kid I was terrible at giving away secrets, so when my Mom would ask what I was getting her, I got to where I would say "toilet paper!". Then one year I had the brilliant idea of putting my small gift in the bottom of a large box and filling the box up with toilet paper. My mom's face was priceless! She thought I'd finally done it! It turned in to a tradition, and now we all just get toilet paper.

The past several years, I have become very angry about Christmas all together. I love wrapping gifts, but never know what to buy. The whole thing seems off to me, pick a time of year to give gifts just because everyone else does? Why? If you love your family, why wouldn't you have done something earlier? Why wait till Christmas? This isn't even really the day Jesus was born. It has gotten to where that's not what it's all about anyway. Maybe I'm having a crisis, but I just don't know why we should celebrate anymore. Too much of a bother.

I enjoy some movies, I dislike the music but find myself singing it when I cook . I don't like how the lights outside are distracting when I drive.

Toilet paper is still fun though:).