Christmas used to be my favorite holiday. I couldn’t wait to wake my parents up at the crack of dawn to go open the presents that Santa had brought me the night before. I loved helping my mom cook Christmas dinner and would anxiously wait for the rest of my family to get to our house to celebrate. Somewhere along the road, though, I began to enjoy Christmas less and less. Now, I can barely stand it.
My friends tell me that I’m a heartless witch when they hear that I don’t enjoy the best day of the year. They think I don’t have a soul and hate everything that causes happiness. That’s actually the furthest thing from the truth – I just hate everything that Christmas has become.
I hate that stores put up decorations and begin advertising on November 1st. Halloween literally just ended, there’s no need for all of that. I feel the need to bring my earphones with me when I go out because I can’t stand listening to “A Holly Jolly Christmas” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” a hundred times a week.
I hate that Black Friday sales start on Thursday. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday all about family, spent together around the television while we all watch football with our stomachs full of turkey and stuffing. Instead, we’re rushing through dinner so that we can go stand in the cold for hours in order to get the biggest television at Best Buy or the newest video game at Toys R Us.
Maybe it’s just my mother, but she gets very stressed during this holiday season. She always feels the need to buy expensive presents for everyone we know. She has to get more than she did last year, whether it’s for me, my sister or anyone in the family. Shopping means going out as soon as she gets home from work and not getting back until it’s pitch black out, sometimes after midnight. The whole time she’s yelling at people for taking her parking spot, for taking too long at the registers or for buying the last pair of gloves she wanted for my father.
I don’t think I’d mind so much if Christmas didn’t start as soon as Halloween ended. If decorations went up and songs started playing on December 1st, I’d be okay. If ABC Family didn’t have a countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas, I might enjoy holiday movies. If giving one homemade, heartfelt present was enough, I'd be happy. I don't need much so I never feel the need to give much, but I know that's not what is expected.
If you're one of those people who starts celebrating on November 1st, know that I don't hate you. If you can enjoy all of those things for two months, props to you. Just please don't get mad when people like me tell you we don't like Christmas. We have our reasons.
