That’s right. I said it.
(Note: If you’re in a happy, perky, “gee whiz it’s Xmas!” kind of mood, you may not want to read this one today. I’m not trying to be a buzzkill or anything, which is why I’m only sharing this bit on my page and not in any of the forums or boards I’m on. I’m not burning down anybody’s Xmas trees on their sites, so don’t come here and try to plant one.)First things first – yes, this is a rant. No, it’s not some self-pitying, whiny diatribe about how everybody is having a special christmas and I’m not. Do I care what anybody else is doing today?
No. No I do not.
Maybe it’s the years I spent doing holiday retail work. Maybe it’s the Xmases not spent with family. Maybe it’s the Xmases spent in countries other than the USA. Maybe it’s any number of things. Whatever it is, the end result is the same:
Xmas is the biggest non-event of the year.
I’m not christian or pagan (or anything else for that matter), so there’s no religious significance to the date. I don’t get all bubbly and mushy over the thoughts of christmas carols and opening presents. I don’t buy into the mass-commercialization of a day that has no real meaning. I don’t agonize over finding that perfect gift for everybody on my list.
I don’t even have a fucking list.
You know when I buy people presents? Whenever the fuck I feel like it. I don’t have to wait for some arbitrary day to say, “oh, it’s Xmas, now I can finally give so-and-so that thing I know s/he’d like.” What the fuck?!? If you find something somebody would really like, don’t be a dick and make them wait for it – just give it to the person and be done with it. Tell them, “I found this and knew it’d be perfect for you.” They’ll be stunned that you thought of them out of the blue and be even more appreciative. Don’t believe me?
Try it sometime.
And while I’m on a roll here, fuck that “holiday spirit” bullshit too. What’s that supposed to be? “It’s Xmas, so we should be nicer to people?” You know, if you weren’t so busy killing people to get the last whatever-it-is that your kid’s just gonna die without, you’d realize you should be nicer to people all the time, not just for a few weeks each year.
Do you really need a calendar to tell you when to be nicer? Shit, here’s a free tip. Burn your damned calendar. Don’t know what day it is? Oh well, guess you’d better play it safe and be nice, huh? See how easy that is?I realize this may sound a tad similar to last year’s Xmas rant, but forgive me. Maybe all of 2 people were reading this page last year, and now that there are at least twice as many readers, I figured it wouldn’t hurt if a little of the same ground were covered this year. Maybe if there are six readers next year I’ll think up some new stuff.
Oh, and before anybody gets it in their head that this is because I’m alone on Xmas, don’t go there. I was alone yesterday and everything was just fine, so why shouldn’t it be fine today? Because it’s a holiday I don’t celebrate? Yeah, that’s a good fucking reason. Alone does not mean lonely.
I am not lonely.
I’m not angry, grumpy, moody, out-of-sorts or anything else you might like to attribute this entry to. I’m fine. I had a pretty good day today. I biked into Ikebukuro and back (in record time, no less), did a little shopping, had a tasty lunch and am going to chill out at home this evening. What’s wrong with a day like that? Nothing, that’s what.
So if you’ve made it to the end of this and have it in your head to leave a comment about how I “shouldn’t be a Grinch” or some other bullshit holiday special platitude, you can take that Xmas tree you’ve come here to plant and shove it right up your ass.
Trunk first.