It's not that I'm cheap. In fact, my tendency is to be anything but cheap. But I still find myself very short of patience and Christmas cheer and it only gets worse the closer we get to Christmas.
So what is it that makes me grumpy? I'm not sure. Part of it is probably that I'm an introvert and this is the time of year when there are a lot of demands to spend time socializing. Putting on a happy face and socializing is very tiring for me. My brother, 3 of 3 among my generation (I'm 2 of 3), seems to be the opposite from me in this regard. I think he gets energy from gatherings and he just doesn't understand me. But I digress.
Another thing that drives me nuts is the need to keep things equal. If you have kids you probably know of this requirement. It means that you have to give each child the same number of gifts. The price of those gifts also has to be equal, as does the WOW! factor.
Aside # $52.37:Did you ever notice that "WOW" upside down is "MOM"?Also, if you do the purchasing for grandparents you have to make sure that the WOW and fun factors are balanced well between your and your SO's parents.
Of course, I understand all of these requirements very well and am not prepared to simply toss them out and let the (cow) chips fall where they may. Nevertheless, trying to get everything to balance is hard. It leaves me weary and short tempered.
Another thing that bugs me is decorating. My wife and I have — er — different ideas about how to decorate. But I guess I must consider myself lucky overall if, for no other reason than that she doesn't with to go whole hog with the outdoor decorations. I'll admit it, I'm a lazy bastard. Especially where it involves working in the yard. Those outdoor decorations are expensive to buy, expensive to run, hard to store, and a pain in the bum to put up and take down. What's not to love? If any of my neighbors says anything about my lack of outdoor decorations I may just have to buy a menorah and put it in the window.
I could go on, but what's the point? So I'll just close with Bah! Humbug!
1 comment:
I didn't get into The Holiday Spirit this year, at all. Each year, I've opted for less and less, and this year : zip.
Not even as much as a stocking on the mantle for Beta The Wonder Dog (I plan to see if she notices; if not, this may become routine).
unrelated: your aside about WOW and MOM reminded me of WOMMA!
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