| been awhile. Miss me? I know I'd miss me. Following is a very opinionated, belated psuedo-christmas post. If it bothers you to read opinions that might not agree with your own, don't read. You are free to leave.
I'm sure you've read/heard the phrase "Merry Christmas" countless times the past few weeks. And I'll bet it was plastered all over ever other Xanga site (a few users taking the time to make it look all pretty). It's a wonder people don't get sick of it. I know I do. In fact I hate the phrase. I have for some time now. When we have our family get togethers the festivities kick off with everyone and his mom (quite literally) shaking everyone else's hand and wishing the traditional "Merry Christmas." Except me. I either smile and nod or say something intelligent and witty like "yeah.." It doesn't matter though. No one cares. Everyone's too busy greeting everyone to notice. Which is the main reason I hate the phrase: How many people actually mean it? Seriously. The second half of November and the entire month of December (with an increase in intensity the two weeks before christmas) we're bombarded with friends, family, waitresses/waiters, store employees, television, radio, store music all wishing us a merry christmas. Who wouldn't get callous to that? Very few people truly hope you have a merry christmas. The rest are too engrossed in their own affairs and gifts they have yet to buy or are going to get to really care whether or not your christmas is good for you. Christmas is nothing more than a corporate holiday anymore. Don't believe me? Read the newspaper. Read the statistics on how much people spend this time of year. It's a time for merchandise stores to increase their sales; for sales clerks to increase the frequency of their migrains; for old, crotchety customers to increase their complaining; for commercials to increase their levels of idiocy and annoyance; for the anti-social to increase their anxiety; and for everyone else to increase their debts. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind Christmas itself, and I enjoy buying gifts for my family and close friends, but I've come to despise all that's been attached to it. People get stressed, overwhelmed, angry, and irritated when this is supposed to be a time of joy and peace. Then there's the greed factor. We live in a greedy country as it is. So I guess it's important that we teach our kids how to carry on the tradition. I mean, what's the point of telling your children that some fat old guy who lives with elves (which are more like keebler elves than actual elves) in the arctic building toys so he can distribute them to all the good girls and boys? This conveys the message that kids only have to submit to authority and obey rules when it's convenient for them, when there's something in it for them; laws don't apply when there's nothing to gain. The original "Santa", St. Nicholas, was a kind and generous man who only wanted to make people happy. Where's the lesson of generosity in Christmas? The other day I was at the mall and I walked by this mother who had her two kids with her, one on either side. As I moved past, I heard the little girl exclaim "You only spent $75 on me!!" Then I waited for the slap that should have followed, but it never came. Anymore, the majority of children only see christmas as a time of getting things, and then they scream their brains out when they don't get exactly what they want.
And then we have the politically correct Christmas during which the PC Police arrest you if you say anything that even refers to the actual name of the holiday or to anything religiously (mainly christian) affiliated. MERRY CHRISTMAS! oh...did I offend you? I'm sorry. Wait. no I'm not. Happy holidays? What is that garbage?! If it offends you that I'm wishing that you'll have a happy and enjoyable Christmas just because you're not a Christian, then I suspect that you seriously need to revaluate your prioities. If this is too difficult for you, I would happily afford my services, guaranteed to have your pathetic life put into perspective for you. As an added bonus I'll throw in a few examples of things that actually will offend you. Free of Charge. As much as I hate "Merry Christmas" I hate "happy holidays" even more. On what other holiday do you hear people say "happy holidays?" That's right, none, despite the fact that the name implies that it can be used for any holiday. The term was created by morons who have nothing better to do so they make up some stupid reason to march, chant, picket just so they can feel like they're making some kind of difference. So they earnestly fight for freedom of religion while simultaneously fighting against christianity. Isn't it odd that Christianity is the only religion not allowed to be free? These fanatics are trying to strip this country of Christianty and God under the guise of freedom of religion. Hey, I have an idea, let's reprint every bill and every coin so that we can remove the words "In God We Trust" because I'm suddenly offended by that even though I've grown up with it, even though it's been on every piece of money since they started printing it, even though this country was founded in Christian roots. Seriously, do these people have nothing better to do than to fight for something so meaningless? Are their lives that pathetic and boring? But I digress. "Happy holidays" = unnecessary and idiotic.
And while I'm on the subject, I also hate when people refer to halloween as a holiday. It's not. Do I get the day off from school? Am I off from work? Does anyone get the day off? Are there festivals? Are there parades? Is anything being celebrated (besides rotting teeth and greed)? no, nunca, nine, nay, negative, and uh..no. Halloween was created because people were afraid of demons or spirits or demonic forces. All of halloween's traditions come from these same people trying find ways to ward off these evil spirits. Alright! let's go celebrate people hiding from demons! Sounds festive. Halloween is not a holiday. So don't call it one.
oh, and just a few facts. Christmas is not originally a christian holiday. It was implemented by catholics in the 4th century to coincide with the many pagan festivals celebrated around december because they couldn't get the converts to stop celebrating these traditional festivals. So they made up christmas and gave it a christian twist. In fact, all of the christmas traditions (i.e. mistltoe, decorating, trees, gifts, etc) were all taken from said pagan festivals. The early christians never celebrated Jesus' birth. They were more interested in remembering His death and resurrection, the basis of Christianity.
Christmas wasn't celebrated over in the U.S. until the 1800's.
In other news: Interpol = awesome. It's been awhile since I've had a favorite band, but these guys just might cross that line. Give them a listen if you're into such stuff as emo, indie, or classic rock.
If you actually took the time to read all that, you have my respect. I know I hardly every read the entirety of a post if it's long and boring like this one. Leave the love. Or hate if ya got it. |
