Bah Humbug.......kind of........

I am NOT the Grinch.  I love Christmas, okay, love is a strong word.  I like Christmas, just not as much as others and not as early as some people in the world.  Today is September 30th~tomorrow my favorite month begins.  Please let me enjoy the crisp fall air, crunchy leaves, pumpkin flavored treats, wearing sweaters and all of the joys of October before you start in with the holiday cheer.  I started a new job last week.  I really think I'm going to like it.  I have learned a lot and am starting to feel comfortable.  Well, I was feeling comfortable until today when I realized that I didn't have the heart to ask one of my co-workers to turn off the Christmas tunes.  I get it--she's had a rough week and was trying to cheer herself up.  Eat chocolate like the rest of us.  Couldn't she annoy me with show tunes instead--those are upbeat!  As I sat in the too warm office listening to Silent Night this afternoon I did have some Scrooge thoughts dancing through my head instead of sugar plums.  To everything there is a season, Christmas is in the winter!I know it was a long summer but I refuse to skip fall!!

I'm a little slower than most to warm up to Christmas.  I start to get a little excited on December 1st.  I am seldom able to enjoy it sooner because I find the hype of Black Friday and the fact that it has now taken over Thanksgiving out of character for what it is all supposed to mean.  How can we be thankful and enjoy family members when a certain faction of them are trying to scarf down the bird so they can hurry and get in line at the mall for the newest gadgets?  I can't feel warm fuzzies when I am watching news footage of yet another death by stampede at Walmart over low priced electronics.  I guess it is safe to say that I have become jaded.  I am quick to notice the greedy gleam in the eyes of those looking to profit off the holiday. The people who drop loads of cash on the hot ticket items so they can run home and list them for astronomical amounts on E-bay forcing frazzled parents to pay way too much out of sheer desperation. I realize that higher profit margins are good for the economy and keep people in jobs.  It isn't good for my morale.  I actually went through a phase of dreading the whole thing~the pressure to come up with amazing gifts on a tight budget helped me do a number on my credit rating.  Who needs good credit when all of the relatives are reasonably happy.  Half of them probably returned my thoughtful gifts but that is all part of the season now. The goodwill and good cheer of holiday lore have been replaced by rude, annoyed or frustrated souls caught in the trap of consumer lust and blatant commercialism.  I am giving myself a headache and my mood is darkening just thinking about it.  If only my co-worker knew the havoc she wreaked on my psyche today.

There are those who still understand the meaning of Christmas;  people who remember magical memories and the ways that certain traditions made them feel.  I am trying very hard to get back to that.   I am working on actually liking Christmas again.  I would have an easier time liking it if it wasn't shoved down my throat earlier and earlier each year.  I don't need a countdown in July.  I don't need to see it on the shelves in August and I don't need to be listening to carols at the end of September.  Bah Humbug--I know.  I have friends who adore it and I respect that.  I envy them in a way.  Just respect me when I say that all things are good in moderation.  Christmas moderation should start after Thanksgiving and your lights should be down by the middle of January.  I do give kudos to those who find ways to make their lights work for other holidays throughout the year.  While I'm at it, I may as well say that leaving your wreath on your door until summer when it is brown and looks like a fire hazard annoys me as well.

Happy October my friends!  Eat a cranberry bliss bar at Starbucks (yes more consumerism), drink a hot cocoa for me and pray for my sanity!!  I think it is safe to say that though I am most likely certifiably insane I am harmless and sometimes just have to rant in a blog to amuse myself.  If I can keep from getting too annoyed, I may actually send some Christmas cards this year.  I'm not going to get ahead of myself though.  Chances are I may be done with Christmas by the end of October at this rate!!