Thoughts on Christmas

I'm feeling a little disgusted with the general atmosphere out there in the world right now.  I just want to stay home, or go run away into the wilderness.  I just don't understand all the hype about "stuff".  I have been out of drinking water and milk for 3 days now.  I don't want to go to the store.  All the insanity about rushing to buy the latest, or hurry and buy this or that before they are sold out is making me crazy and wanting to be a hermit. I don't care if they are giving away the thing for FREE, there is no way you are getting me out of bed in the middle of the night to go stand in line to pick it up.  There is nothing I want that bad.

I finally broke down and went to the grocery store tonight.  I was half way into making dinner and realized I was out of tomato sauce.  Stuffed peppers NEED tomato sauce, so off I went.  While I was there I refilled my drinking water jug and bought some milk, and then I was out of there!  Thankfully the real Christmas trees just sold out.  That means that the parking lot can return to some sort of normal.  It's not like there are tons of parking spaces available on a normal day.  For  the last 2 weeks a fourth of the parking lot has been taken up by the massive tent selling trees.  Dead trees that smell wonderful, but are nonetheless dead. 

Anyway, I'm irritated.  Irritated that the stores are full of pushy, aggressive people competing with each other for parking spots, and then Christmas deals.  I'm irritated that the stores are pushing people to buy things they just don't need, and won't want in a month.  I'm irritated with the general selfishness and shallowness of the whole ball of wax.

I don't have any Christmas decorations up at home yet.  It's not that I'm anti Christmas, we are just undecided about real vs. fake and I'm not dragging out the boxes until we know what the heck we are doing with that stuff.  I don't want to be tripping over it for the next 3 weeks.  That will only get me more irritated.

All this might make me sound like a Hum Bug, a regular old Scrooge, but I'm not, promise.  I LOVE Christmas, but I DON'T love all this superficial crap.  I'm not big on decorations period - either for my house or for myself, and Christmas is the only holiday that gets any decorating around here..  My walls have a few things on them, but mostly they are pretty bare.  I like empty space.  I like simplicity.  I like things to look clean and uncluttered.  I don't wear a lot of jewelry or make up.  I'm just not into all the glitz.  I kind of think trees look really great in the forest, not necessarily in my living room.  And then there is the work factor to consider.

What comes up, must come down.  If I'm not excited about the task of putting it up, can you imagine how I will feel about taking it down?  With my current attitude what decorations do go up could be there till Easter.  When I think of the cost of buying, and shipping presents, a real tree, the stand, and all the ju ju that goes with it, the cards, stamps, blah, blah, blah, I get a little grumpy.  I'd rather take that cash and do something meaningful with it, or at least really fun - like a party!  or a trip! or at the very least some really yummy food.  The time savings, well, I can think of a MILLION other things I'd rather do than shop and decorate!  Taking a nap is at the top of my list of better things to do.

I love parties, and I like presents.  I will go to all the parties I am invited too and open any presents that come my way with a big smile on my face.  I will sing, and I will dance (if I get the chance).  But, I won't  go fight the crowds and waste my time and money on useless endeavors that just become next month's trash..