Christmas Time

It's December, which means it's finally Christmas season.

Well, for some, Christmas season started in October.

I don't like Christmas.

Well, I should clarify. I like the spirit of Christmas. I like having time off from work. Time I can use to visit with my family. Time I can spend at my Mom's house, visiting with her. Time I can spend at my Dad's house, visiting with him, my stepmom, and my little brother. Time I can spend with my older brother, and my sister and her husband. Time I can even spend with my extended family that I don't see much throughout the year. Time I can spend with my friends and loved ones.

What I don't like is the commercial behemoth that Christmas has become.

Every year, the Christmas holiday season arrives earlier and earlier. It's not uncommon now to see Christmas decorations sitting on store shelves in September. And as the seasonal juggernaut rumbles to life, it proceeds to suck all the joy, and togetherness, and love from the holiday.

Time normally spent with your loved ones is instead spent wandering from store to store looking for the perfect gift for them. The roads and stores become clogged with people and tempers are at an all-time high. They pump Christmas music over the in-store speakers and on the radio to try to instill some Christmas spirit in everyone, but its jarring to hear such uplifting music as you yell at your fellow man.

Sung to the tune of O Come All Ye Faithful

So, in the end, it kind of just spoils the mood for me.