The Grinch in me comes out - Christmas insanity, share your stories \ stacker news ~alter

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The Grinch in me comes out - Christmas insanity, share your stories

1029 sats \ 18 comments \ @Signal312 27 Dec alter_native

This is as good a post as any to write up my Christmas woes. And I recognize that this is mean-spirited, but I'm gonna let it all out. It's just the sheer waste of completely and utterly OFF gifts, that drives me nuts at Christmas.

Here's what we got: Multiple gifts of big boxes of trashy junk food (fancily boxed and ribbonned). And given to the kids, which really sucks, because I can't just toss it in the trash. Think stuff like this:

Also another gift, of a semi-expensive rock tumbler. No way in my wildest dreams am I ever going to take up rock polishing as a hobby. Just NO WAY EVER. Zero interest. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. Probably thrift store.

It goes so against my grain to do this automatic, ceremonial gift giving. It's so insanely wasteful.

I know, I know, gift giving is a social thing, etc, etc, it's all about the thought.

But I still cringe when I get these types of things. So inefficient, so wasteful.

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34 sats \ 0 replies \ @bief57 27 Dec

Sorry, but I'm laughing at the "stone polisher" gift. Who comes up with that? lol

I don't know if it's because of where I come from, or my social circle, or just my way of being, but no one I know gives me a gift, nor do I give them one. The only people I give gifts to are my daughter's friends because they are small children, and not to all of them, but only to the closest ones. The only person I give gifts to is my husband (and my daughter, obviously). If I lived in the same country as my parents and siblings, I would give them gifts too. Given this context, I find it funny to see how in other places they waste money buying (useless) gifts for people they surely don't know very well or aren't that close to. A stone polisher?? doesn't make any sense.

34 sats \ 2 replies \ @Aardvark 27 Dec

My holiday was essentially a junk food buffet, and listening to my uncle explain to everyone how government spending doesn't cause inflation.

So... average?

29 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec

Ha. Did you try to engage with your uncle? I can understand completely if the answer is no.

Here's what I think to myself - it's not actually the counterparty that I'm arguing with, that's the target. It's anyone else who's listening.

So if nobody else is listening, it's useless.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Aardvark 27 Dec

I tried explaining how the central banks operate and how government debt is used as an asset to create even more debt, but I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm retarded or a conspiracy theorist.

I didn't put a whole lot of effort into it, he knows better because he gets his financial news from the source. Bloomberg...

34 sats \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined 27 Dec

Being way out of step with the prevailing culture leads to lots of these moments.

Try to appreciate what you can and stoically accept the rest.

30 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec

I'm pretty decent at hiding my feelings about this kind of thing. Maybe that's not so great though - maybe I should push a little harder to make the gift giving thing just a LITTLE bit more reasonable.

34 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 27 Dec

Maybe, but I just let this stuff go because I don't see where I can make a net positive impact with an objection.

You probably have to lay the groundwork throughout the year, by talking about how you don't like wasteful/harmful gifts. There's no guarantee anyone will listen to you though.

34 sats \ 1 reply \ @ama 27 Dec

Indeed, it's one of the two most disgusting period of the year, together with easter.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec

I don't mind the Christmas part at all - I kind of like that. It's just these insane gift giving ritual part of Christmas that I don't like.

And granted, it's that part of the holiday that's trumpeted more than anything. But I do enjoy the lighting, the music, the togetherness.

I'd enjoy singing carols together too, but NOBODY does that anymore.

34 sats \ 5 replies \ @OT 27 Dec

Can you sell the rock polisher for sats?

Keep the junk food for next Halloween

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec

Hmm...maybe I could sell it. Seriously, would it be worth trying? Doubt any stacker would want to pay for it.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bief57 27 Dec

There are thousands of stackers with different hobbies, you're sure to find someone.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @stack_harder 27 Dec

a true stacker wouldn't want to doxx his address or reveal his secret identity as a rock collector and avid polisher

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec

And where would I do this?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @OT 27 Dec

You could try selling on nostr:

https://shopstr.store/

Or even here on SN under the Agora territory.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @njbass 27 Dec

just regift it to some kid. my kids love rocks.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @stack_harder 27 Dec

man i want some jellybeans after looking at that picture

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec

I'm going to note one thing that DID work fairly well this Christmas.

I set up a jigsaw puzzle table, and had one going all the time. It's a decent, low-stress way for family to spend some very time together.

At the least, the older family members don't feel completely out of it (because other family members are doing tech stuff).

It's interesting to note how cognitive ability really declines over time. Not that I didn't know that, but my in-laws are maybe...10 times slower at putting together the puzzle, than my kids. Just very slow at visual recognition, seeing patterns, etc.