Categories: Ramblings

Christmas has come and gone. The food has run through our systems, the presents have been unwrapped, the decorations have been put away, and the commercials are off the air. And I couldn’t be happier. “What’s wrong with you?”, you may ask. “Even atheists like Christmas!” Don’t get me wrong, I used to like Christmas. In fact, I looked forward to it more than my own birthday. But when I become old enough to realise that commercialism was now the true meaning of Christmas, my Christmas spirit took a nose dive. I’m tired of the overpriced trinkets, the commercials that try to dredge up childhood memories of Christmases past to sell their products, the hustle and bustle during the few days before Christmas and the false goodwill.

I felt more Scrooge-ish this year, ’cause I was flat broke. No wait, Scrooge has money, so I guess I felt more Grinch-ish. If it weren’t for the money my dad gave me, I wouldn’t be able to buy my little sister a present. Even though I despise the holidays, I keep up the charade of Christmas spirit for the benefit of my sister. She’s the only one in our family who actually looks forward to Christmas, as all youngsters do.

But some of my Christmas spirit was restored this year, as while my sister was shopping, she dropped some of her money. And some strangers returned it to her, strangers that looked like they’d rather take your money. Hearing Christmas carols on TV and seeing the joy in my sister’s face also helped. I do want to love Christmas again, to feel the way I did when I was a kid. But for now, I just need to focus on the real reason for the season. That’s the only thing that keeps me from strangling a mall Santa with his own beard.