Got something a little underwhelming this Christmas?
While the holiday season is traditionally a time to reflect on the joys and love we are privileged with, even the best of us might feel disappointed when we receive a set of blank Post-Its or a ShamWow. But some take it farther.
In a brilliant Twitter volley on Christmas Day, humor writer Jon Hendren (who goes by @fart) retweeted complaints by people who felt they deserved something a bit more under the Christmas tree. Here are some gems:
- “Just cried for like 2 hrs straight cause I didn’t get a car. #stubborn”
- “Am I the only one who didn’t get an iPad?”
- “No iPhone. I hate my dad.”
But if you’re feeling particulary ungrateful yourself, you might consider the sad case of Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
On this day, 841 years ago, Becket was blithely going about his archbishoply duties when he was set upon and stabbed in the back by assassins loyal to King Henry II. Hardly a Christmas fairytale. (In his defense, Henry said he was sorry after the fact.)
If all this harsh medievalness gets your interest piqued, head on over to the United Kingdom, where you can visit the York Minster (where Henry was coronated, irking Becket) or Becket’s own cathedral at Canterbury.
And if you’re still fuming about your own lame Christmas present, share it in the comments below. We’ll republish the funniest and most pitiable responses in a future post.
I got a single oven glove and an IOU. *thinking positive thoughts*
I got a $5 Target gift card and a $10 Deb gift card. They were leftovers from the gifts he got his mom.
I don’t understand how Christmas became a time of expectation instead of a time of joy related to… oh, I don’t know… Faith, and maybe even a real religion in stead of men sliding down chimneys in tights…. Robin Hood… okay I get it, but a fat guy…. there are limits, common leave it for wrestlers or something… And it’s just odd that someone even thought they had to give you an IOU on such a holiday… Sad.Next time something nice happens to you not around a Holiday (simple gestures to extravagant gifts), remember how it makes you feel as opposed to the feeling of getting something you wanted when you expect it… …lets get that feeling back.
I got a breakup from my ex on X’mas eve. And i still can’t get over it yet.
Last year I preferred spending Christmas with friends instead with my dad: this year those friends are no more friends and my dad is dead.
I hear some people say I didnt get….. whatever it was I say BLOODY GROW-UP!! Others have sufferd loss…Like DEATHHpoe you all have a fulfilling New Year
I had a empty house, no where to go an nothing to do, so i got nothing but thats ok.. cos i don’t need a reason to buy a gift for someone.. i do it cos i want to, not cos i have to
same with new years.. but it was the worste year ever cos everyone was out of town an it got a tad rocky here. ah well.. theres always next year 
an theres always airbnb.. who needs gifts! 
I received a pack of those space-saver vacuum bags from a $2 shop, you know, the kind you put clothes and blankets in. I tried to be up-beat and tell myself ‘well at least I can save some space in the closet now’ but they didn’t even work, they had holes in them. Sad.
The worst Christmas is when I see "takers" that forget the reason for the season; the birth of our Savior and family love !
My BF got me a bag of Kotex. When I confronted him, he blamed it on being Jewish..he ‘didn’t know’ about Christmas. He was 50 years old. :0(
Sad. Those pathetic comments (the 3 bullets) would have been fitting for http://www.whitewhine.com – wow, some people are just ungrateful for the good things they already have.
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of sunihsne.