Bah, humbug...

The christmas season is well upon us. Trees are up and decorated; lights have been drunkenly strewn over trees; holiday music is in it's third month of playing in stores...
...but something is missing.

Somewhere along the line, I seem to have misplaced my "holiday spirit."

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this time of year - giving gifts to friends and family; (soy)nog by a roaring fire - but I just don't feel all that festive. Maybe it's because I'm older; maybe I've become too jaded by a materialistic society. Who knows.

I wasn't always like this. I can remember being a kid, lying awake in my bed in the early morning; trembling with the anticipation of seeing what the jolly fat guy had stuffed down the chimney. I can remember racing down the stairs to a lighted Christmas tree with my sister, dumping the contents of our stockings on the floor and talking in excited whispers so not to awaken our parents. We failed, of course, and - after my parents got a cup or two of coffee in their system - wrapping paper would fly over the living room as it was ripped from gifts. Afterwards - after the carnage was cleaned up - we'd relax, have a little breakfast, and pretty much zone out for the day.

Now, I look forward to December 25th as a day off from work; a day to relax and decompress. More often than not, I'm working both the day before and early the day after so travel is very limited. I get more joy from finding something unique as a gift for someone instead of receiving anything. Hell, I have pretty much everything I need and there's nothing I really want (save for a better job).

Enjoy the holiday however you choose. And remember that gift wrap is recyclable.