Ha! Christmas music falls on deaf ears with me. Holiday cheer? Bah humbug. Seasons greetings? Right here buddy. Oh holy night? Holy hell shut up! Let's buy things we don't need wrapped in expensive paper just to waste bows and ribbon and patience. Let's shop at 4 in the morning and cut people off in traffic and argue over parking spaces. Let's shop on Christmas eve because the perfect gift is more important than being with your loved ones. Whoooooo!
Okay, so there was some truth in that last paragraph. Some of it I believe in. And maybe all of it could have come out of my mouth in the last few years. But what's the cause for this social rebuttal? Just years and years of being stuffed full of purchased holiday spirit, gift wrapped and hand signed? Maybe? Maybe it's the same reasons why i kinda poo-pooed on Valentines Day and Thanksgiving... It doesn't seem to out of reach for me. But it wouldn't be me if I didn't look at the other side. So that's what I'm going to do.
Aside from the psychotic parents that believe their kids' love can be purchased from Toys R Us, and aside from the annoying coworkers that drizzle 'Seasons Greetings' cards to half the office in the first week of December, and aside from 4am shoppers and Christmas Eve shoppers and Christmas Day shoppers, and aside from cheap, barely functioning appliances and electronics that probably aren't even that good of a deal, even at the low low price of $299, aside from all of that, this really is a special time of year, as long as it is approached with the right attitude.
If you put all of those 'asides' aside, what's the harm in getting caught up in the holiday spirit? It's finally a time of the year that people tend to act with a little more random kindness. It's a time when you think to get a gift for someone that you appreciate them, since no other time of the year is deemed acceptable by our culture. It's a time to take children imaginations to a new extreme, and to keep their senses scintillated with winter decorations and Christmas collaborations. It's a time to pass down family traditions, family recipes, and family ornaments. It's a time to not get mad when someone cuts you off in traffic. It's a time to rejoice in the relationships you have built outside of your family. Work. Friends. Etc. We get to be nice, and not have to have a reason. We get to donate money without looking at our checking account. We get to wear Santa hats and goofy sweaters without judgment. We get to spoil the ones we care about. We get to welcome new members into a family. We get to relive memories of Christmas pasts, immersing ourselves in the pure elation felt when we opened our first board game. Our first gaming system. Bike. Baseball Bat. We get to see family again. Drink hot chocolate. Eat well. Sleep better. For my friends, we get to continue traditions we've started. And for the rest of us, we get to get caught up in a season that reminds us how much good there can be in this country (this sounds a little too much like what Baseball does for America in Field of Dreams... Oh, people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.).
So, has this scrooge been cured? I think it's safe to say my disinterest in the holiday season never settled too deep into my skin, but now, based on what I know, who I have in my life, and where I see my life going, this time of year, above other holidays or seasons or months, but today, and the next 3 or so weeks, represent something more than a holiday. This time represents a state of mind that should make life a little better to live. So before you reject it, try to embrace it. Sometimes, its not worth it to fight what can be inherently good.
Oh, and its December, so I allow myself to watch Love Actually...
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