A Rambling Raconteur

I don't like Christmas.
Please don't take this as an opportunity to willfully misunderstand me and begin proclaiming my heresy in disliking the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, I am ever thankful for Jesus and his birth. Jesus has nothing to do with my dislike of Christmas. I think it's interesting that his birth probably didn't actually occur in what we think of as December, but I'm not a biblical scholar, so that's an argument for someone else. Allow me to reiterate: Jesus's birthday is great. It's very important and I think everyone should devote a time to celebrating that in their own hearts. That's really where my celebration ends though. I'm a textbook introvert. I will read my poetry on stage for everyone to hear, but I'm probably not going to discuss the most intimate moments of my faith with a group of people in ridiculous sweaters. I'm a very private person, and God understands that. He made me this way. I do not like gaudy decorations, repetitive carols, and parties where everyone brings a garishly wrapped, meaningless gift because for me, those things have nothing to do with Christmas. They do not correlate to my own personal tastes so I rarely partake in them.

There is another reason that I don't like Christmas, at least as we think of it as a collective culture. I have very little "Christmas spirit." I don't get jolly. Quite the contrary, actually as I have a tendency to be morose or even a bit grumpy around the holidays. This hasn't always been the case. When my dad was still alive, I fed off of his surplus of spirit. This was the man who would leave the Christmas lights up on the house (and turned on every night) until Valentine's day or so. He used to pretend to be Santa and call the children and grandchildren if his friends on Christmas Eve to talk to them about what they wanted and whether or not they'd been good that year. He loved that stuff. Seeing him so happy made me happy too. But he is gone, and with him went my Christmas spirit it seems. Again, please don't misunderstand. I'm not the Grinch. I'm not out to destroy your Christmas. And I'm not a character in a Lifetime movie; I'm not waiting for that one eccentric person or random event or sappy child to remind me of the "true meaning of Christmas" or help me get my groove back or whatever. I'm good.

So please understand, by my own personal tastes and convictions I do not celebrate the ornamental, over-priced, "wise-men"-at-the-manger, consumer-driven, fat-guy-in-a-red-suit, holly-jolly Christmas. Personally, and mostly privately, I celebrate the birth of a savior born to die, who inspires saints into sinners, and who never commanded tinsel to be placed upon a tree.

These views in no way make me holy or special. Just different. I only ask that my difference is respected.