Kim Wetter

I Hate Christmas

Read the title. Read it again. I am 100% serious. I have never liked Christmas and this year I wanted to delve into why:

Have you ever heard of the 5 Love Languages? Yes? Well, I’m going to tell you anyways. People feel and give love in different ways. The way you feel love might not be the same as you receive love and one person can vary greatly from the next. These are the languages:

1. Physical – Do you know a “hugger”? These people show their love with physical contact. Just as some people will value a hug as a sign of affection.
2. Verbal – These people will tell you that they love you. They think you’re awesome, etc. A few well placed compliments or expressions of love will touch the hearts of these people in a poignant way.
3. Gifts – Love to these people means a well timed gift. They are the type “buying flowers” is perfect for. Conversely, some people show their love by giving gifts. A well-timed bloom is their way of showing they care.
4. Time – People who want to give their valuable time to you are trying to show they care about you. To them, you’re not just “hanging out,” but rather developing or fostering feelings of fondness. To some, your time may mean the world.
5. Acts of Service – Ever have someone do a favor for you without you asking? These people want to help you out in some way to show their affinity to you.

So those are the 5 Love Languages. If you couldn’t tell already, Christmas is hyper focused on one.

I want to make it very clear that I don’t think one love language is better than the other. Although I could go off about the perverse consumerism that causes people to get trampled at Wal-Marts, I won’t. That’s the way it is and I don’t really think it’s why I don’t like Christmas.

I know there are people who enjoy nothing more than to give a gift to a loved one to show how much they care. And I know there are plenty of people who love receiving gifts because it makes them feel loved. I appreciate these people. And that’s what the theory of love languages really means – not everyone is like you. For the best relationships, you should determine how your loved one gives and receives love. That way, you can cater to how they need to feel loved and you can appreciate their gestures of love more than you would have previously. And hopefully they do the same for you.

I’ve always been told I’m the worst gift receiver and probably giver. Most of the time I try to avoid gifts entirely. I don’t like them. I appreciate the thought put into ones given to me but I have a hard time showing that appreciation. They just make me uncomfortable. It’s not my love language in the slightest.

But this Christmas was wonderful. “Why?” you might ask. Well, I’ll tell you and show you if you check out the picture to the right. This year, I hosted dinner at my house. I purchased a turkey that was entirely too big and assigned a couple of dishes to my family members attending. I got gifts for my dad, sister and niece, knowing they wouldn’t approve of my “I spent $150 and two days on this meal” mentality. And I gave the gifts but it’s not what I really worried about.

Instead, I made an awesome Christmas dinner. I cooked an 18 pound turkey (seriously, anyone want leftovers?) which I had “brined” the night before. I didn’t even know what brining was before last week. Then I did the potatoes, green bean casserole and purchased cranberry sauce and gravy. (Make gravy? No. Let’s not get carried away about my skills in the kitchen.) My aunt brought squash and candied carrots. My dad brought rolls, stuffing and dessert, which I assigned to him because of my gluten free status. All in all, we had a feast. We just got to spend time together.

So those might be my love languages: time and service. I loved nothing more than to tell my family to sit back and relax because “I got this.”

It probably also added to the awesomeness that I was able to listen to Kelly Clarkson all afternoon because I was cooking. I’m not a fan of Christmas music but I’m a HUGE fan of Kelly. It really was a Kim Wetter Christmas and it was fabulous.