"What Christmas Means to Me" by D-bo: age 19

Holy shit, you guys! Christmas is almost here! In case you couldn't tell by my gratuitous use of exclamation points, I'm pretty excited. Seriously, Christmas is my second-favorite holiday. I don't think I know one person who wouldn't agree with this statement:
Christmas is awesome!

I know a lot of you cynical types are sitting in a Starbucks reading this on your Macbook, sipping your fancy coffee thinking "Bah Humbug! (I might've stolen that part.) Christmas is so commercialized!" Oh gee! Thanks for opening my eyes to the consumerist bullshit, Che Guevara! I'm no longer one of the sheeple!

I'm not talking about that Christmas. I'm talking about the warm, fuzzy Christmas. The Christmas that, for a few weeks a year, brings out the best in people and restores your faith in humanity. (Something I've been lacking lately.) I know it's schmaltzy, but when I see a Salvation Army volunteer out there in the freezing cold, ringing that sad, little bell in hopes of collecting some spare change for charity, it brings a tear to my cold, cynical eye. (Shut up!) I think I might volunteer to do something like that this year.

Anyway, warm and fuzzy. That's what I was talking about. I love that feeling. See, I'm pretty much an athiest, so Christmas for me isn't a religious holiday. To me, it's more of a celebration of the good in humanity and a chance to show those you care about that, well, you care about them.

I love Christmas traditions. I love shopping for the people I love. I love seeing all the decorations. And for that little period, I don't even mind if it snows. I also love watching almost every Christmas special that comes on. (Except "Rudolf." I find it incredibly boring. Also, it sounds suspiciously like Adolf. More like "Rudolf the Red Nosed Nazi!") It fills me with that happy feeling I used to get when I was a kid. Not the "Yay! Presents!" feeling, but the it's- Christmas!-everything-is-great! feeling. And for some reason, as many times as I've seen it, "The Grinch" still makes my heart grow three sizes every time I watch it.

But, there are a couple of bone(r)s (sorry, I couldn't resist) that I have to pick with Christmas:

1.) It starts way to freaking early. This year, I saw the first Christmas commercial of the year weeks, yes weeks before Halloween. Hey Christmas, it's not enough that you're the most popular holiday in the Western World? Now you have to encroach on Halloween's territory? It was a bad enough when you were doing it to poor Thanksgiving* Now you're just getting desperate. And there's no need to be. As I said before, you're awesome. Just be yourself. Over-exposure is a bad thing. By the time you finally arrive, I feel like puking mistletoe and tiny, stringed lights.

2.) The closer you get to Christmas, the more you dread it. The more you realize that you have to spend too much time with your family, the more you wish Christmas would never come. (I know it sounds whiney, but I geniunely don't enjoy spending time with my family.) I'm sure other annoyances will come to me but right now, that's the only one I can think of. (because it's still two months until Christmas.)

But, Christmas is so cool, that every year, even though I sort of hate it and I know I sort of hate it and I remember sort of hating it last year, it gives me hope that this time will be different. That this will be the best Christmas ever.

*Speaking of Thanksgiving, the Christmas Season shouldn't start until Santa makes his at the Macy's Day Parade.

**Also speaking of thanksgiving, this is also my Thanksgiving post. it's such a sad little "holiday," nestled in between the two most kickass holidays. Nobody really notices it. It doesn't even get a whole day. By the time Thanksgivng evening rolls around, noone's even thinking about Thanksgiving anymore. As soon as Santa comes on, it's Christmas. Even it's own parade isn't named after it. If you pay attention, most people call it Macy's Day Parade. They're not even considerate enough to call it Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade. Sorry Thankgiving, but you do kinda suck.