Mrs. Scrooge

As I have mentioned every year I very much dislike Christmas.
Wait for it....... (to quote Barney Stinson)
Yep I heard you all scream in disgust.

It's that time of year where we are all bombarded with ads, store decorations and holiday music everywhere outside your home. You can't avoid it.  My Starbucks looks like a Christmas Card.  Isn't the owner Jewish?  Couldn't he help me with this?  Jeez.
My grocery store this weekend looked like all the elf's had a hand in decorating our store as well as all that Christmas Muzak that was being played.

You see I know it's not considered "normal" to dislike this holiday if you were born Christian.
But I do.
I hate the stress of it!
I hate the Martha Stewart part of it!
I hate the whole damn ball of pine needles that need to be swept up constantly and that one that always misses the vacuum and finds my foot right through my sock to make me scream like a banshee.
I hate fake trees.
I hate pulling all this stuff out to decorate and then have to hall it all away!

I do however love, love, love Paula Deen's Mama's eggnog! 
Oh my that can make me sing Christmas Carols. (and surprise I don't like them either)
That eggnog can make the biggest scrooge like me wear red and green and decorate to make Martha proud.

I do believe if I had kids it would be different.  Seeing their excitement and joy is contagious.
That always makes one smile.  I used to love seeing my nieces and nephews at the holidays because they were pure joy. But there are no little ones right now in my life.
So we are Mr. & Mrs. Scrooge here at our home.

In the old days (when I had my corporate job) we liked to run away at Christmas.
Maybe Jamaica or somewhere warm.
But we are poor now and there are no trips so we have to be here in Christmas hell.

The neighborhood, a.k.a Stepfordville, is awash in holiday activities and decorations. 
God forbid you don't decorate your home. You will hear about it. Lest you not partake they ask you why?  WTH? It's none of your business.
As I mentioned to you all a few years ago I got so much grief one year from neighbors about not decorating outside I thought of buying a menorah for the window so that people would leave me alone.

I have no excuse now like, "Oh I travel so much for work I just don't have time."
Now I work from home. 
I can blog on my lunch break so why not get my fat ass outside to put up all the Christmas "cheer."

I want to like this holiday.
I used to as a younger person.
Loved a real tree, now a real tree means a mess to me.
I now find it a 6 week period of obligations to family, friends, strangers and beyond.
The baking, the money, the people, the "have to" mentality.
I am not baking because I want to but because I have to.
I am not giving because I want to but because I have to.
I don't mean my loved ones. I mean like your hairdresser, the mailman, the dog sitter etc.
My paper person actually sent an envelope with our bill last year so I could put his/her Christmas gift inside. I found that rude and had no intentions of giving him/her a gift and now I was felling like a shit because of it.
I find it stressful and honestly if I could go to sleep now until January 3rd I would be thrilled by that opportunity.

So I have made a pledge to really try to suck it up and make this a happy holiday time.
I realize that money isn't what it used to be in our home so I can't give everyone that gives me an envelope money so they will have to deal with it.  If it means my paper is wet or ruined so be it.  If my hairdresser doesn't color my hair well that's okay because I only see her now a couple times a year and the rest of the time I do it myself to save the money.

I still don't think we will be doing a real tree this year or caroling.
Hey, I'm taking baby steps.

Although I must admit in my very early 30's I went caroling with my cousins as we all pulled a sled of booze to keep us happy, warm and not shy of singing our little hearts out.

Okay I am going to start a new tradition.
I will begin drinking the Paula Deen's Mama's Eggnog starting this month.
It may help.....you just never know!
Cheers!