It's not just Christmas eve tonight it's also Chanukah eve

And away we go...those of you more familiar with me may be atleast somewhat familiar with my thoughts on this holiday season. Mainly that I do not like it. Now before all you Christmas enthusiasts and Holiday cheer spreaders jump on top of me with your "Bah Humbugery" and call me a grinch (which has already happened once this season) let me atleast leave some thoughts about the season to ponder.

Christmas last for one day, ONE, that's it. It does not deserve, nor require, two months of preparations and jingles and t.v. specials and parades and costumes and all the other stuff that has come to be associated with Christmas. Why does santa have to move into all the stores while they are still packing up the bats and pumpkins fomr Halloween? Also this holiday called Christmas, atleast the way it is observed and practiced by the vast, VAST majority has nothing at all to do with the religious notions of Christmas. I suppose an argument could be made that since the baby jesus received gifts from the three wise men that gift giving is part of the holiday, but the next time you rationalize all your spending remember that (I heard this on a CBC radio special about consumption) that most Canadians put all the Christmas spending on visa and it takes an average of SIX months to pay it off. That's July, that's half-way to next freakin Christmas and you are still paying off last years presents. If this holiday season is supposed to be about friends and fmaily and reconnecting and loving and sharing etc than shouldn't we focus more on that istead of desperatly running all over the city searching for gifts we feel we have to buy? I recently wanted to spend time with a friend who I hadn't seen in several months, she told me she was busy becuase she was visiting friends the next day and HAD to get them presents. Similarily I don't understand why people put so much effort in finding the perfect gift in the stores...it's not the perfect gift for someone because it was mass produced to appeal to a very broad section of the population. Any gift that you have found and purchased off the rack in a store for someone is not a personal and unique gift because the EXACT same item is going to countless others this season. Those of you fortunate enough to have visited with me during this holiday break have all received some home baked cookies. I am sorry to anyone who missed out on cookies or who I did not get to visit, I will bake you something nice in the new year I promise. The beautiful thing about this gift is it was cheap (I like all university students am poor and have much better things to spend my precious few dollars on than crappy mass produced consumer goods) and quite frankly I spent more time, effort and dedication baking delicious cookies from scratch then I ever would have buying my friends gifts at the mall. **anyone who did give me a mass produced consumer item as I gift I do genuinely appreciate that you thought of me and I assure it's the thought (for me anyways) that counts way more than the gift.**

Okay that should nicely cover my thoughts on Christmas and consumption, moving on to other related topics.

Why must everyone be so Christmas-normative about this time of year. I know this may come as a big shock to a lot of people but not only is Christmas not celebrated by everyone but not everyone gets into the "spirit of things" at "Christmas time." It's not Christmas time, it's winter time, or holiday season because yes there are a lot of holidays that do happen to fall in and around mid/late December. Basically I think it's unfair that I have to get excited that you decorated your christmas tree or that I have to listen to Christmas carols all the time, I am not being a grinch when I don't get excited for Christmas, it's not my holiday...have you ever gotten really excited about Chanukah? Have you ever heard a Chanukah song in the shopping mall? Someone I know remarked on the 23rd of december that it was "Chritmas eve eve" That is just ridiculous.

Okay, that's enough holiday rant. Basically I want to wish all my readers, regardless of what holiday you chose to celebrate and how you do it, to be safe. Enjoy your break, visit your friends and family, laugh, reconnect, get drunk have fun and don't stress out about anything.



P.S. I know I feel like I post a lot of these "a new interesting post to come soon" p.s.'s But I do honestly assure anyone who still bothers to read this blog that a new, non-ranting post is in the works. Hopefully it will be up before new years so stay tuned.