A rant about Christmas...it's just my opinion, not everyone has to agree...also I am writing this on codeine...

In the spirit of the holiday season I must comment on how much money people spend on holiday gifts and how lazy we have become and how the menaing of Christmas is gone.

Being raised in a catholic home and hearing all about the birth of Christ from my CCD teachers and how Christmas is the time of celebrating Jesus' birth and giving and not receiving and spending half your christmas, or Christmas Eve in church...I think Christmas is a crock of shit.

Who was around when this suppose "son of God" was born? Anyone? No one I know. So how do we know he even exists? How do we not know that way back in the day the government decided that people needed to beleive in something to spend all your hard earned money on crap? I know people who work major OT and get a 2nd job, just for Xmas spending. it's retarded.

The worst part of it is, in church we use to hear that it's the season of giving and spending time with loved ones, not about spending a bunch of money. how a home made gift is much better than a bought gift. Ok, so who now-a-days has time to make a home-made gift for a loved one? I know I don't. And who the hell wants a home-made gift when there is so much nice things in stores or online?

Which brings me to my next point..Online shopping. Have we become that lazy we don't go to stores and muddle through crowds anymore? And fight over the last "tickle me Elmo?" And see the mall all lit up for the occasion? All we have to do is click the mouse a few times, drink some coffee, scratch our ass and Christmas is delivered to our front door by UPS. Nothing wrong with UPS because my man works for them and a lot of the drivers are hot and in the summer time, even hotter with their shorts. I know many women who gaze at the UPS drivers and flirt with them. I hear it all the time from my boyfriend and other women when I tell them what my man does for a living. Ok I degress...just thinking of the guys in Brown.

I for one have fallen into the online shopping. I have not been to the mall, except to let my baby see Santa and visit Hot Topic with the baby. I have not bought one thing from the mall. I have become lazy. I have fallen into the lazy American way of doing the EASY thing. Walking the mall burns calories and as you can see obesity has risen in America since the invention of online shopping. You can even get your groceries delivered. I don't think you would even have to leave your house anymore. You could become a fat hermit! I could live without leaving my house, but I think I would need to get out because I would become bored.

Back to the topic..I keep digressing...
As a parent for the past 5 years, I will admit that Christmas presents have become more and more expensive since technology has changed for small children. My daughter got the VSmile gaming system last year from "Santa" with the games. When plugged in and played with, the graphics were weak and the games sucked..from my POV, but to her it was the best thing since sliced bread, UNTIL her Nana bought her a laptop. Yes my almost 5 year old has her own gateway laptop. And the worst thing is, she knows how to use it. She knows how to put her games in, click on the mouse and play the games. I'm glad she knows how to use the computer since when she goes to school I'm sure every classroom will have their own laptops and they will do work on them. Instead of learning to write a proper letter, all letters will be typed and printed out. I of course have fallen for typing letters, instead of writing them. once again, the EASY WAY.

Remember sending out Christmas cards with a nice handwritten letter to each person asking how the family was doing and how life was and updating people? Now we order Christmas cards with our names already on them with a picture of the family. Some people even type out newsletters and include pictures of their family and brag about how "little johnny" is doing at his IVY league school and no mention of the oldest sibling and how hard she is working and doing with raising her 5 year old without any help from the father and working 2 jobs...sorry a little resentment towards bragging newsletters.

I think the whole Christmas thing is annoying. I was reading in the paper that people living in the Potomac and Bethesda area (15 minutes from me or so) actually have decided to hire my latin brothers to do their christmas lights at about $800 a house. this includes putting them up and taking them down. So we have become lazy in placing our own lights up..once again the EASY way of things. we placed our own lights on the trees when I was younger. My dad got on the ladder as my mother yelled to be careful and then complain the lights weren't straight. And I put together the reindeer and only to realize we had lost a piece since last year. I fixed it and rigged it to be standing in the yard for the season. I put lights up in our house this year with clear masking tape and only for them to fall down and stay laying on the floor like track lighting in airplanes. No reason to pick them up, I feel they are nice looking. I could care a less. The tree has lights so that is nice. So we keep the tree on and the lights off...save a few bucks on the electric bill to use on CHRISTMAS GIFTS!

I know I am rambling and somewhat getting off the main topic and reason for writing this rant...I apologize. I took some tylenol with codeine and I'm a little loopy.

For me when I was little I enjoyed riding around the neighborhood and seeing the christmas lights. Some were a little too much, like National lampoons Christmas, and some were dull and boring. I also enjoyed lighting the illuminaries and kicking them over and watching the bag burn. And the candles in my window which would annoy me and i wouldn't be able to sleep. And the anticipation of waiting for Santa to come to my house and come down my chimney, except in Florida where we had no chimney. he came in through the front door. I loved leaving cookies out for Santa and making sure Rudolph was taken care of. What about the other reindeer? no one cared about them. Anyone know the names of all of them? I don't. I just know Rudolph was the poor reindeer who was shunned because of his nose that lit up. Just like Dumbo and his ears. Now being a parent my daughter loves seeing the lights and can't wait for Santa. We don't have a chimney, so Santa will come in the door. unforntunately we can't leave the door unlocked because of our neighborhood we live in.

Holiday parties have become a place where your coworkers get drunk and rowdy and you see them in a different light. our holiday party won't be like that because it's during the day and at our office. So much for black mail. And my daughter's school doesn't do anything for any holiday. Too many religions at her school. Too many people to offend. In my school we had little stockings and we got candy canes and watched a holiday movie during class. It was fun.

I have spent too much money this year because I had to get both bosses something and then my secret santa and then for the assistants holiday party. Plus we all had to pitch in $5 for the holiday party. And bring a dish. The total is $85 on people I have known since this July.

I don't want to total up on how much I have spent on the baby and S because it would make me sick. And make me wonder why I did it and make myself angry on how much I have spent on crap that will be out of style by next Christmas and something bigger and better will come along.

I should of stuck with making gifts for people and the whole spirit of Christmas like my priest as a child said to do. I would of saved money and then just said all the home-made gifts(that would look like my kid did them) were from the baby and she get credit and I just look like the grinch. I would rather of saved all the money and gotten the baby a few small items from "Santa" and left it at that.

I don't plan on attending any masses for Christmas. I plan on letting the baby go with her Nana and then pick her up and go home to await the arrival of Santa and his reindeer. I look forward to cleaning up the huge mess from all the presents and wrapping paper and taking the tree down..I have become cranky in my old age.

And the people who make New Years Resolutions only to make it till the middle of January are also retarded in my book and I don't plan on making any. I have no reason to set goals that will not be accomplished and failing at a new diet.

Bah Humbug!