The Death of Christmas

This is what Christmas was when I was young:

I am no longer young. As I aged, Christmas, or as I will type it from now on, Xmas, slowly lost it's luster. I used to like buying things for people, and would plan out everything in advance, but grownups don't have the same time (or frankly the enthusiasm) as younger people. Eventually I felt like I was buying things for people not because I wanted to give them something but because I felt obligated to do so. If you know me at all, I don't do things just because I'm supposed to. I challenge all traditions and I've realized that if I feel like buying something for someone, I just do it. I don't need or want to wait for a specific holiday to give that person said gift. I just give them the gift because I care about the person, not the holiday.

So where does this leave me? Xmas, like all religious holidays, has become an irritating family obligation.Why the hell can't we just get together whenever? Why do families only feel the need to tolerate one another on holidays but no other time during the year? The cool holidays, like Halloween and New Years are for friends to drink (St. Patrick's day is almost non religious at this point as well), and Thanksgiving is for families to gorge themselves on food they really shouldn't. So wtf Xmas and Easter?

Religious holidays are becoming more and more pointless. For those few people who still believe that Xmas is about Christ, this time of the year must be a depressing cavalcade of consumerism and greed that has totally gone off message. Now that everyone's saying "Happy Holidays" to be polite to the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, etc, and basically just going on present fueled binges, does Christ even cross the minds of the average person anymore? I know some Christians are screaming about the "War on Christmas" but, let's face it, it's a secular holiday now, and kind of a disgustingly materialistic one.

So that's me, Xmas Debbie Downer. What's the male equivalent of that? Bobbie Bummer? Anyway, yeah, Xmas lost it's appeal to me. I get a day off work and I get to see my family, but honestly I'd rather skip the holiday and go see my family because I want to see them, not because I'm obligated by some holiday that no one really understands anymore.