My Last Xmas.

  Yup. You read it correctly. This will be the last year I celebrate xmas. For me, it's not a matter or religion or beliefs. It's not a matter of money. It's not even a matter of giving...I do plenty of that already. It's just silly, and I'm going to tell you why.

  First and foremost, religion. Most people have forgotten the true religious meaning behind xmas. Hell, most children now aren't raised to understand it. They are raised to believe a fictional chubby man named Santa slides down their chimney and leaves them gifts. They are even manipulated to believe that if they aren't well behaved throughout the year, they wont receive gifts. So essentially, lie upon lie.

  Greed. And this is a 2 part blame game....Not only has it become a holiday of "wants", but it seems as though everyone tries to set the bar a little higher each year. If a child's parents cant afford the "in" gifts for their children, the children are embarrassed and at times ridiculed by their friends, causing depression, social issues, and other mental health problems.
  The parents themselves are effected by raising their kids with these ideas. As the kids grow older, they are taught to make "wish lists", with the idea that they will get the items on the list. This actually backfires on the parent that is unable to complete the list financially, and sets the parent up to stress unnecessarily before the holiday.
  The second part of this falls on the heads of all the corporations out there trying to make a buck. Advertisements of all types start months before the holiday. I dont think there is a reason to list the culprits here, as they are everywhere you look. Smells of pumpkin spice and xmas jingles are bored into your head like an auger. Then the people bitching about it being to early to start the holiday start, and they can be even more annoying.
  Companies have even spawned not one, but more recently two holidays in conjunction with xmas. Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In case Black Friday is confusing to anyone, it is meant to describe a time when financial ledgers were kept. If the numbers were in the red, they weren't making money; in black and they were making money and looking forward to stay in business for another year. Do I really need to explain the horrors of Black Friday shopping?
  Short paragraph....Xmas in July. As if we dont get enough misery the last 2 months of the year .

  Family. Wow, I cant even believe I am writing this, but it probably is the worst part about xmas. The people you are supposed to care about create the most horrible issues at this time of year. Older parents pulling young families in one direction to be with them on the holiday... Sibling rivalries. In-laws....and separated parents fighting over who get the children for that special day. So much stress is created over where to be and driving conditions and dividing time. It's no wonder that more people argue over the holiday.

Another major pet peeve I have with this holiday is one simple question...."What do you want for xmas?" This question has perplexed me for many years, and I could never quite put my finger on it until now. Why in the hell would you ever have to ask someone that question if you knew them? I mean to say, if you spend even a little amount of time with someone throughout the year, it should be easy to find out their likes, needs and wants. My parents are especially guilty of this and it really pisses me off. They refuse to spend time with my children throughout the year, and then expect me to tell them what the kids would want. So basically they are saying that they want to be nice to my children, but only on one day a year.
  And why would you only want to spend time with people only once a year? To me, that's very similar to going to a funeral of someone you met in line at a gas station a long time ago....You never really got to know them, but they seemed like a really nice guy....

  Excessive lighting bills. Tree fires. Weight gain. Higher than normal suicide rate. People stealing packages from porches. Fights in stores over the last toy. People shooting people over a parking spot. People in tents waiting to be the first in when the doors open....Sounds more like a horror story than a peaceful holiday celebrating the birth of a saviour.

  So yeah, this will be my last year celebrating xmas. I'll see it through, mainly because the gifts are already wrapped and paid for, and the cookies are already made....but then, I'm out. Just like I would be if we were discussing someone constantly pissing me off; I would separate myself from that situation so quick you would only see a dust trail.

  A little side note for anyone who kind of feels this way, but not really ready to quit yet......Make your own gifts. Spend time with people. Do nice things for them throughout the year. Try to get away from the commercialized aspect and more towards the true meaning.

And water the tree.