So this is christmas...

The holidays have arrived. Officially. Because I say so.

Every year I get crankier and crankier about how early we prepare for Christmas--music and decorations up before Thanksgiving, parties before the first week of December is even over. Actually, every year I get crankier and crankier about everything. Ha. But it is in winter that I am at my most cranky. I'm not a fan of winter in general, all the snow, and the bad weather, and the snow...it's something the Lord and I are working on. He made the season after all, why should I hate it? But really, I do. He wouldn't want me to lie either. I like to see winter in pictures, touch it and catch it on my tongue maybe once a year. Do I like to walk around in it? Slosh through it in my supposedly-but-not-really-water-proof boots? Skid around on it in my traction-challenged motor vehicles? No. No, I do not.

And Christmas, while it helps slightly, mostly makes me even crankier. All the fake cheer, ugly decorations, blech. Just the outright cheesiness of it all makes me want to be aloof and mean just to balance things out. I just hate that everyone thinks it has to be Christmas to be nice to each other. See? At the heart of my grouchiness is really love for all that is good and holy. If we were all nice and lovey to each other every day of the year, in a quiet, humble way, we wouldn't feel the need to spew all this "grown-up Christmas wish" crap at each other every December.

And really, that's what gets me. That even though we paste sappy grins on our faces and hold hands like the old Coke commercials, all that good will to men isn't really genuine anyway. We aren't even sincerely nice and lovey to each other at Christmas. In December, people still gesture in not so nice ways when they're cut off. People still cut in line at the McDonald's double drive-thru (not bitter, I promise haha). People are still kind of mean. And for goodness sake, what about that guy that died in Walmart on black Friday? How Christmas spirit was that?

Now I know for all this craziness, there's plenty of happy stories going around too. It's not that I'm such a huge pessimist. I just dislike that there's such a fakey sanction on December that you have to pretend to be all loving and kind, even when you're not. Let people be who they are and that's the end of it. Mean people aren't going to cease being mean just because it's Christmas. Let's not make believe they will.

BUT... but.

As much as I'm not a huge Christmas fan, I can set aside my opinions and appreciate the holiday when I deem it appropriate. The week or two before Christmas is when I deem it appropriate. It's getting to be just that time. For example, just yesterday I busted out my Christmas playlist on iTunes. Yes, I have a Christmas playlist. I like Christmas music for two weeks out of the year. The two before Christmas day, and wouldn't you know, that day is today. I stop after the 25th.

There are some other things I like about Christmas. Tasteful decorations, spritz cookies, White Elephant on Christmas Eve even though I've missed it since 2005. In general, I'm not as much of a scrooge as I let on. I'm just a little more private about my enjoyment of the holiday. I enjoy it, but I don't OMG LOOOOVE it like a lot of people do. That being said, I wish you all very happy holidays, Christmas included. And now, I bid thee, good night.