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So... This journal entry happens to end up on Christmas... That’s great... It’s not getting in the way or anything, I just feel obligated to talk about the holiday since the journal entry lands on it. Problem is I’ve found myself getting more and more bitter toward the holiday as time goes on. I dislike how much importance is put on it and how much importance is put on gifts. I know gift giving is part of the holiday, but some people just lose their f*cking minds. I’ve heard of people being trampled trying to get into stores on Black Friday. I’m sure the deals are great and all, but is it really so important that people need to risk getting hurt or hurting others to get a trinket that will be forgotten about by the next Black Friday just so people can go out again and get something else? I don’t really think so. I’ve also heard of people going into huge debt to buy Christmas presents for other people. The gifts are a nice gesture, I’m sure, but I’d think most people would understand not getting much or anything at all if the giver couldn’t afford it. Hell, if it were me I’d even feel bad for taking a gift if the person went into debt to get it. I’ve come to think that gifts should be special. Maybe give one or two and when they are given, they should have some meaning behind them. For example, let’s say someone has wanted a thing for a long time, and a friend or loved one finds it and gives it to that person. Or say someone is a huge fan of something and a friend or loved one gets them a gift associated with that thing they like. I’m sure there are other good reasons to give a gift, but those are the two that come to mind most often for me.

Since I’m on the topic of gift giving, I broke down and accepted a thing from the old lady I sometimes work for. It was for a good reason though. I saw something I could give to my dad that he might like. It was a Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy five-in-one book. I knew he liked the movie, so when I saw it I thought he might like the book. I wrapped it in a plain brown paper bag that I cut so I could wrap it nicely, then decorated it by drawing on it and making a bow. Dad really liked the bow part and said he didn’t want to damage it, so we saved the wrapping. He also spent some time flipping through the book trying to find a funny like he wanted to show me. Apparently he’d already read some or all of the books in the one book confused He still seemed to like it though, so I’m happy about that.

Anyway, there is another reason I’ve started disliking Christmas: it’s taking over and stomping on other holidays. Thanksgiving is already almost not a thing, and “Black Friday” for some stores now include the day before, which is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving mostly has to do with just food, so I get why it’s pretty much ignored by other places that don’t sell food, but it seems wrong. It’s even wronger that they are starting to or trying to take over Halloween. We’ve already got two months dedicated to the one holiday, why do they need to go for more? I get it in some sense, because Christmas is the biggest holiday, that’s the thing you want people to pay attention to and wring as much out of people as possible, but good grief, don’t take the fun one away. Practically every store can participate in Halloween, and it’s a fun one that gets people to go out and have some fun, so I wish they’d just let us enjoy it before blasting us with Christmas non-stop for two months. In fact, personally, I get so bored of Christmas before it comes around that I’d rather drop a hammer on someone’s foot than return a “Merry Christmas” saying or something equivalent. I swear I turn into pre-holiday-cheer Scrooge mixed with pre-heart-change Grinch around this time.

There is probably more to say that I had on my mind during the week, but after going over the holiday stuff, I can’t recall what any of that might have been. Oops. Guess I’ll just end it here, after I say I do hope people had a good holiday, whether it was Christmas or something else. Just because I have grown to dislike it, doesn’t mean other people have to feel the same way. Tata.

WC:
F01 = 13693