I'm a 16 year old girl and my family has always poor. My parents are immigrants and have always struggled to make ends meet. They don't have enough money to heat our house in the winter let alone have enough money to give me presents for Christmas. I've always been diligent in school and I do really well on standardized tests (I got a 219 on the PSAT in October and I qualify for national merit scholarships). I also make my bed in the mornings and often cook for my dad. I think I'm the perfect child and many adults would have loved to adopt me when I was a kid. I've always hated Christmas because my friends love doing Secret Santa each year. My upper middle class friends are all more wealthy than I am and can afford gifts that cost over $50. I'm too proud to tell them that my dad earns $35,000/year (before taxes) and my mom earns $15,000/year. They have to pay a $2,000 mortgage each month. I often have to work at McDonalds for 8+ hours so that I can buy a good present. I'd rather buy myself a present for Christmas because I rarely like presents that my friends give me. My parents rarely buy me anything. For my 16th birthday, I went to a Best Buy myself to purchase an iPod Touch with the money I'd earned working at McDonalds. I hate giving and receiving gifts because I actually need to work on weekends to earn enough money to buy one of my friends a gift! And I'm rarely satisfied with the gift that I receive.|||No, I know several people like you.|||Not at all: Blessed are those who give nothing, and ask for nothing in return.|||no i never got the idea either|||Reduce your carbon foot-print end the "Santa Clause" fiasco! Consumerism is NOT sustainable. XMAS is only about consumerism it is NOT about somekinda religious "WHOLLY DAY" or something .... A! Kill a TREE 4 J.C. ....|||Why is this under politics?

火车采集器