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Why I Despise XMAS

I believe that a majority of us lose our affinity for the holiday season as we get older. When we are younger the concept of Christmas, at least in my case was centered on the idol otherwise known as Santa Clause. This mysterious man was the center of the “kid year” for me, as I couldn’t help but wonder how he knew exactly what I wanted. Obviously there is no Santa Clause, much less an ideal conception of Christmas. Actually, the modern conception of Santa Clause was “invented” in the 1830’s in the United States, which at the time had the best of intentions. But as we know, Christmas has become “commercialized” to an unbelievable extent; an extent that has really crushed what Christmas truly means. Any major holiday in this country is commercialized beyond belief, which to an extent is incredibly depressing.

At this current moment in my life, it is a fair statement to say that I generally despise the holiday. To be more accurate, it is a giant pain in the ass. To me, December 25th is just another day, except that I have to get out of bed earlier than usual. About the only joy I get from the day is seeing my younger relations enjoy the day. I guess it is a bit different if one has kids and “someone” in their life. I don’t even shop and if I do, I sure as hell am not buying crap for other people; I’m buying the crap for myself because it is on sale. Am I the Grinch? I don’t think so, but buying people crap that they could otherwise obtain on their own is not the right way to express your affinity for another individual. That is to say, it seems rather tedious and meaningless at the same time. On top of that, it goes to show how materialistic we have become as a society.

The day after Thanksgiving or “Black Friday” is a marvelous example of this. Personally, I really do not know what possesses people to “camp out” in front of stores all night in order to garner crap that they could have otherwise bought at any other time. Yes, there of course are sales and such, but come on. It simply amazes me how a religious holiday has turned into one of the biggest cases of usury in history; usury is a sin, by the way. No, this isn’t a rant about moral integrity, but rather, it is an exercise in irony. The point is that if Christmas is such a necessary holiday, it should come with a “clause” that excludes pettiness from the affair. If you truly want to patch up differences and such in your life, this is the time of year to do that; or if you wish express your appreciation (or lack thereof) for someone in your life, this is the time.