Happiness is Just a Curly Fry Away!

It turns out I’ve been looking in all the wrong places — all this time, all I had to do was eat Curly Fries from Arby’s!
Of course, if you believe that, have I got a holiday for you! It’s called Christmas, and it’s where people come up with all sorts of things that are supposed to make you feel happy — none of them the original reason for the celebration: dying trees jammed into living rooms, blinking lights, crazed shopping trips… Actually, I don’t think I could say it better than I did last year, so I’ll just quote that post and move on…
It’s no secret that I dislike Christmas time. I actually really love Christmas Eve and Christmas Day — it’s all the stuff that leads up to it that I hate. I can’t stand the lemming-like behaviour of brain-dead Christmas shoppers… bumping into each other as they mill around the malls desperately. I can’t stand the gaudy colours associated with Christmas — the ugly lights draped over people’s houses, pulsing and flashing like a headache. I hate the horrible driving conditions, and how everyone turns into an idiot as soon as there’s some snow on the road.
If Christmas were just a two-day celebration of the birth of Christ, I would be perfectly happy. Instead it’s a 4-6 week ordeal where everyone is cranky, busy and stressed… so I’m a bit of a Scrooge.
Still, this one hasn’t been so bad — thus far. We’ve had two Christmas parties and have 3 left to go. The first party was more of an obligation, but it was OK. Last night we had a nice evening with our small group. I attribute the lack of stress this year to a more strategic approach to what we say “yes” too. Nic, of course, would be living in a winter wonderland if I let her, but I’m trying to keep our focus on getting ready for the baby and surviving the season with our wits and patience intact.
Our church is doing a “Retro Christmas” this year, a series about getting back to basics during the holiday season, and it couldn’t be more appropriate for me. I know I’m Scrooge, but I’d like to think that once all the preperation is done, we’ll be able to have a nice, simple, uncluttered, unpanicked Christmas together — all 2.5 of us.