which term I had never even heard of until fairly recently. (When you're 50 5 years ago seems fairly recent :-) ).
But I have to say that I am. I don't like Christmas and haven't for about 30 years. I'm not a believer so Christmas doesn't have that particular significance to me.
Our receptionist turned up at the office three weeks ago wearing a pair of reindeer antlers! She smiled sweetly and expected me to be overcome with a spirit of festiveness. I was more overcome with a feeling of WTF! I told her my middle name was Scrooge and she giggled a little and then said, with apparent seriousness, that she'd never met anyone with such an unusual middle name. I have to confess it took me a few seconds to realise she was serious! For the record, my middle name is Clyde.
So why do I dislike Christmas? Actually, why do I hate the damn thing?
It's partly family related. The world + dog trumpets Christmas as a family time. I happen to not much like my family. The old proverb about you choose your friends is true here... I like my youngest sister and I have a lot of respect for my mother; for the rest of the bunch.... Some of you might have picked up the odd whiff of my wishing I was back in Australia rather than here in the US but I assure you, that whiff, whilst quite real, isn't because of my family. It's much more that I miss my best mate and I miss the places...
But it goes deeper, much deeper, than family. Christmas is the time when one has to endure mind numbingly boring songs, carols, advertisements, childish lighting displays and people who try to jolly one up and seem to take it as a personal insult when they learn that one doesn't share their enthusiasm! I'm very enthusiastic about the Operas of Philip Glass and John Adams but I don't take it as an insult if you don't share my enthusiasm! Let us not even start on the Nativity Scenes. And I have to say that the stuff that passes as music this time of year has, to my tastes, as much relationship to real music as a dead dog has to architecture. If I have to listen to the 'little drummer boy' or 'silent night' or 'frosty the snowman' one more time I'm going to puke!
It's impossible to walk into a supermarket (here or in Australia or France) without being assaulted by the mindless pap intended to alert the forgetful consumer that this is Christmas and it's time to open your wallet.
And then comes the day itself. One is expected to sit there and ooh and aah over every frippery and watch with rapt attention as one present after another is unwrapped and the lucky recipient fakes surprise and enthusiasm. Worse, one is expected to play this act oneself. Woe and betide the person who is more interested in reading a book than playing this mindless game! Well thank you but I have better things to do with 4 hours of my life than to sit around like a moron watching you play the game.
So I'm a grinch and damn proud of it.
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1 comment:
I'm a believer, and, aside of going to Church on Christmas and singing religious carols a week or two before the holiday, I hate the whole thing too. And, no, my friend, I am NOT offended that you don't share my beliefs. To each his own, right?
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