It's That Time of Year Again...

*Das Boot* · 11-06-2009, 03:48 AM

...For what most call the holiday season and what I call hell. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to being Santa and seeing the look in my kids eyes on Christmas morning. What I don't look forward to is all the suffocating social events and don't right rudeness of the general public. The bad part is, it has already started early this year. With that tree that fell on my house on 9/9/09, the contractor having people working on my house past dark and on the weekends (but not during the normal work week days) and my wife's best friend's upcoming "destination" wedding... I haven't been able to come up for air. Now, I'm heading into a time of year where every weekend and free evening through next year is carefully planned out for me... I'm going to snap.

My wife's the exact opposite and cannot understand why I feel the way I do. She enjoys going shopping with the hoards of people that believe it's perfectly acceptable to stop dead in their tracks when something catches their eye - even if it inconveniences the dozen or so people that were walking behind them. It's also perfectly acceptable to have an impromptu family reunion in a main aisle of a store - blocking it entirely. All the holiday parties with the people who's name you can't remember from the last time you saw them at the previous year's party. The kids running around like animals - including your own. The crushed hope that you may find a fellow kindred soul to make the time pass by faster (but never do). The plan of not eating to save room for large quantities of alcohol backfires when your wife gets mad - not because of your drinking, but the fact that you make her look like a pig because she's eating and you're not.

Ah it's the holiday season and I already can't wait for it to be over....

seacapt · 11-06-2009, 07:48 AM

I feel your pain! It's not so bad now living in a small town except for the once a year obligatory trip to Walmart

but I used to hate shopping. Found a tactic that worked pretty well:
1) don't shave for a few days.
2)put on your worst clothes.
3)drink a beer or 12
4) get someone sober to drive you to the mall and wait outside
5) be prepared to get all your shopping done in this 1 trip. People move out of the way when you appear to be drunk and dirty but sales people still love to take your money.You also sometimes make very colorful buying decissons when your half in the wrapper!

Addendum : be sober when shopping for the kids , you'll want to remember it when they grow up which happens way too quick!

flippedgazelle · 11-06-2009, 08:57 AM

"It's the most wonderful time of the yeeaarrr..."

people that believe it's perfectly acceptable to stop dead in their tracks when something catches their eye - even if it inconveniences the dozen or so people that were walking behind them.

This drives me nucking futs. It happens all the time in the local supermarket.

Last year, my immediate family decided to nix Christmas gift-giving with each other. We sent a CARE package and made a donation to a local animal shelter. We all went out to see a play and have dinner. It was very nice.

Parallax · 11-06-2009, 09:08 AM

humbug!!!!

*Das Boot* · 11-06-2009, 09:17 AM

Last year, my immediate family decided to nix Christmas gift-giving with each other. We sent a CARE package and made a donation to a local animal shelter. We all went out to see a play and have dinner. It was very nice.

That sounds nice, unfortunately my wife is a high maintenance woman that thinks she's low maintenance and it would never fly. We did have a tradition up until last year and that was to go bowling and get shit faced on XMas Day... It was about the only thing I looked forward to... well that and watching two of her sisters tally up the actual cost of their gifts as they opened them and watch whoever got less bitch about it. The brother-in-laws would secretly bet on who would bitch first - made it kind-of fun.

*Das Boot* · 11-06-2009, 09:19 AM

humbug!!!!

.........yup.

*scatron* · 11-06-2009, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Das Boot

Ah it's the holiday season and I already can't wait for it to be over....

It's the time of year to count your blessings. You seem to have quite a few - wife, kids, the means to go to a 'destination' wedding, people thinking enough of you be invited to their holiday parties.

Be thankful for them.

flippedgazelle · 11-06-2009, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by scatron

It's the time of year to count your blessings. You seem to have quite a few - wife, kids, the means to go to a 'destination' wedding, people thinking enough of you be invited to their holiday parties.

Be thankful for them.

You're right, but I'd rather go bowling and get shit-faced!

*Das Boot* · 11-06-2009, 11:57 AM

It's the time of year to count your blessings. You seem to have quite a few - wife, kids, the means to go to a 'destination' wedding, people thinking enough of you be invited to their holiday parties.

Be thankful for them.

Actually, I'm thankful all year long... as far as the destination wedding, don't get me started - it chaps my ass everytime I think about it and no, I'm not going... My wife is, I'm not on principle.

Parallax · 11-06-2009, 02:29 PM

*Ratmagiclady* · 11-06-2009, 02:44 PM

Aww, I just try and like it. All the pretty little lights in the street, pretending people aren't trying to buy a 'spirit of giving,' or blaming me and 'liberals' for that not working on account of the festival not being deathly-solemn and culture-war-like... (Nothing like being an 'anti-consumerist Commie' being blamed for the commercialism and insufficient piety among Wal-mart greeters among those celebrating the holiday religiously...) Ignoring people trying to turn decorations into a culture war...

Tuning out the muzak like everyone else....

Exhausting, though. No sooner's Thanksgiving done than it's time to get ready for Solstice, then there's Christmas with whoever celebrates that, and New Year's... I usually run out of 'trying to keep up' after the Yule vigil and let it go from there.

It's really not all that bad, though. (OK, the Muzak is terrible.)

You know, the thing is, though, people just get *way* too wound up about .... Being festive.

Everyone's got some kind of 'ideal' for the season and tend to get too invested in everyone (themselves included) making it somehow be that way. (And that's exactly what the commercialism tries to lock right onto, at that.)

Roast the darn chestnuts. It'll be OK.

That's what I say. Yaknow. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, wassail, and all that.

I always say I'm gonna start making stuff for the holidays in the bright half of the year, and rarely do seem to. Doesn't help to freak out about it, though. It's not the important part. I like the lights.

*Das Boot* · 11-06-2009, 03:28 PM

When I was little, the tree and decorations went up two weeks before XMAS. Then they came down XMAS afternoon. My wife's already talking about a tree - a live one! Crazy... As far as New Years, things are a little different. New Year's Eve is my 3 year old's birthday. Yes, he was a tax baby and like I've always told him - there will always be a party on your birthday... Plus it's another reason to get shit-faced!

Parallax · 11-06-2009, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Das Boot

...................... Plus it's another reason to get shit-faced!

Remember the good-old-days of youth when a reason wasn't needed?

*Ratmagiclady* · 11-06-2009, 04:06 PM

*laugh* In vino veritas.

Just don't look at me if you're wondering where the 'sanctity' went, again, this year.

Party on, dudes.

Be excellent to each other.

(Hey, anyone wanna go in on a padded keyboard for Das Boot this year? The season do make me feel Elfy.

)

little laker · 11-06-2009, 08:27 PM

I'd trade just about anyone jobs the next 7 weeks or so.

The photo lab I work in is located in the biggest shopping mall in the area. Not only will it be NUTS in here, but we are also the ones doing all the Santa photos.

My hours will be bumped from just under 30 hours a week to well over 40, the cell phone turned on, and on call 14 plus hours a day

My doctor has already bumped my perscription of painkillers, knowing that I'll need them

Thankfully I have good friends who are already planning on kidnapping me on a few days off, and hiding my phone.

The good thing is, after the holidays I'll have a couple of weeks recovery time.... I hope