Thursday Thirteen - Round 8

Thirteen Rants About the Christmas Season

Shopping season begins too early
There is no reason they have to start bringing out all the Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving. Hell, this year it was out right after Halloween! Next year they might decide to start setting it up just after Labor Day. Ugh!

Crowded parking lots
It is totally unneccessary to block the entire row of parking while you either sit in your car waiting for someone to come walking down the row or coast along following people who are heading to their cars. You DO NOT need to have one of the first two parking spots in front of the store as there are always MANY at the back end of the parking lot. The damn exercise will do you some good!

Middlers
You know the type. The ones who insist on stopping in the middle of the aisle, or better yet in the middle of the entrance/exit, while they argue, wipe snotty noses, figure out where to head to next, or just stand around in oblivion. Move over!

Putting up the tree
When it's up, I'm happy. But assembly, lights and ornaments are the absolute worst part of decorating for Christmas. Do they have people you can hire to come do that sort of thing for you? Hmm!

Holiday food
The problem isn't that I don't like holiday food, it's that I like it too much. Oooh the temptations!

Scrooges
No, not the Dicken's Christmas character. The rotten, bitter, angry people that work at and shop at the stores. The ones who won't crack a smile. Barely speak a word to you. Complain loudly about anything and everything. If you're so miserable, take it home and take it out on yourself. Sheesh!

Buying presents for people who have everything and don't say what they want
If you don't tell me what you want, you ain't gettin' nuthin'! Nuff said.

Greed
So far I haven't had to go through this with WJ, but I remember a year being at my cousin's house. We doled out all the presents to the kids first. They each had a stack of them. Like a dozen a piece. Within five minutes they were all opened and tossed aside, and one of them had the gall to ask "Is that it?" I never bought those kids another gift. Yeah, that's it all right!!

Travel
Whether by car or air, I won't do it ever again. No. Way. No. How!

Spending so much money
This year not being able to buy freely has really got me down. I never really go 'crazy' with the spending, but I feel like I have to mentally justify every single penny I'm spending. It's making me crazy!

Screaming children
Your kids don't want to go shopping. They don't want to be strapped into shopping carts or dragged around the mall. So don't take them. They're miserable. You're angry. And you make the rest of us who didn't bring children want to slap you for bringing yours.

Jesus vs. Santa
Why can't we have both? They are two totally different, totally acceptable ways of celebrating the Christmas season. It is possible to celebrate more than one way.

Having to share
I will be without WJ on Christmas Day this year. It will be my first Christmas without him. I have to share the holidays with his dad and I don't like it. Not one bit. I'm pretty sure that's why I have so many things that are bugging me about the Christmas season this year. Sure, some of them bug me every Christmas season, but this one is extraordinarily rough. {sigh}