Santa's Not Angry -- Why Are You?

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, but I need to talk about something more important. Christmas. The radio stations began playing Christmas music on Nov. 1, and some people have their Christmas lights up already. Bravo, I say. Many people are pooh-poohing these early celebrations. To them I say, what’s your problem? Don’t you like Jesus?

Every year since I started working at the quickie mart, Christmas has been a mad dash and a blur. I didn’t have time to appreciate or have fun because I was running around, checking things off my list. Who wants to run around buying Christmas crap for their kids? You get frustrated and angry with all the dumb people around you in the stores as you wait in long lines, and it’s not unusual to amass a few assault charges here and there. I know my friends Dodie and Muffy have, but that’s not what we should be like. Santa is kind and jolly, not irate, haggard and potentially psychotic – at least not the real Santa who bought me a drink at a bar last week.

Well, on Nov. 1 when I turned on the car radio and heard a snappy Christmas song, the kind you can march to, suddenly - just like the Grinch - my heart grew ten times larger. Well, it wasn’t my heart, it was really my brain. It suddenly dawned on me that I want to enjoy Christmas like I did in the pre-quickie mart days. I want to watch Frosty the Snowman and It’s a Wonderful Life. I want to attend Christmassy things, like concerts, Hanukkah and tree trimmings.

My family agreed with me. We started by decorating the outside of the house early. Our motto is, “Give me liberty or give me death.” So we followed accordingly with inflatables, lights galore and moving reindeer. People stop and stare in admiration. The lights are so bright that it looks like daylight even at midnight. You might think our electric bills skyrocketed, but my sons came up with a great solution – they used extension cords and plugged into our neighbor Ann’s outside outlets. If she's going to enjoy our decorations, she's going to have to chip in and pay for them. So quit whining, Ann!

Done with the outside of our house, I set about decorating the inside and finished by Nov. 10. Now if you walk into my home, you’ll swear you’re at the North Pole or at Wal-mart’s Christmas section. We have Santas, nativities, ornaments, candy canes and lights everywhere. It's downright magical. You can’t even use the restroom without making eye contact with a hundred elves and reindeer.

Other people will soon rush around in a frenzy starting Black Friday, but since my halls are decked, I’m lounging around now enjoying some Christmas cheer, compliments of Croskey’s 24-hour liquor store (open 24 hours a week, that is). I bought most of my Christmas gifts there too – Toys for Tots will be amazed when they see my generous donations.

Anyway, the point is this: you have two choices -- run around like a nut at Christmastime, making it about chores and a to-do list OR you can have fun, help others in need, and spend time with your family and friends. I say choose to enjoy the holidays and make them more meaningful. And please keep the “Christ” and “ristm” in Christmas. But don’t call me. I’m busy.

~ Jackie

Click here to see a Christmas posting from a previous year, Has Christmas Gone to the Wolves?