Pardon my language. Actually no, FUCK YULETIDE CHEER. Y’know why? Because it’s turning everyone into monsters, MONSTERS I tell ya!

I don’t know if I just haven’t noticed it before because I’ve been in my own Christmasy bubble, or maybe it’s because I get to work in retail this holiday season. But it does not feel anything like Christmas. People are BITTER. I’m trying here! Michael and I put up a tiny cute tree, we’ve been watching pretty much a Christmas movie a night. But hell, the stress has not let up.

Adulting is hard

It’s especially difficult because I don’t have this disposable income anymore and I actually have to budget and save (which, fellow adulters, we should have been doing all along… Kudos if you have been) for things I need. Forget about things I want. I’m not writing this to make you feel bad or pity my poor financial decisions (pun intended) but we couldn’t afford a real tree this year or really any decorations. Oh well, we’ll get it all at a discount price after Christmas. Meanwhile people are spending heaps of money- money they don’t have- on material items and it’s starting to really make me cringe! I don’t even have money for a tree or lights and people are breaking their backs over which fake, plastic sewing machine they should get for their great granddaughter.

Things that aren’t worth the stress…

Nowhere in my life do I have time to get mad about waiting in lines. About a bag costing five cents. About someone cutting me off while driving. About Michael eating the rest of my chocolates (because he does that… Quite often). This may also, slightly, be a blog about work, but I’ve just been entirely immersed into this other side of the holidays I’ve never experienced before. At this point, the stressed out, panties in a wad customers outweigh the holly jolly people. And that’s not what Christmas is about! Damn, it’s like I’m Cindy Lou Who or something, but I just want to shout it from the rooftops! Let’s all agree spending every waking moment perfecting everyone’s gift and making sure we spent the same on everyone is entirely and absurdly unnecessary. It’s not worth the stress!

BUT, I digress, it’s not all bad

It’s not! My scrooge-ing is over. Here’s a few things that have carried my Christmas spirit when I have been unable to think about holiday cheer…

One lady came to my till asking if a senior would prefer Axe or Old Spice… Why, you may ask? Because she’s taking part in an adorable tradition I’ve never heard of until this year. Apparently London Drugs allows you to ‘pick a senior’- it’s like the Christmas Bureau, but for seniors. I die. So she’s picking up a few gifts, wrapping them up and making sure the senior she got gets to open a gift on Christmas. That person gets to feel a little warm and fuzzy inside because a stranger took the time out of his or her day to pick up a thoughtful and useful gift.

Another lady came through my till and we got to chatting about how people do spend too much on Christmas (us included) and I said I’ve been avoiding shopping at all costs. She agreed, we’re both trying to put it off. I said everyone this year is just getting one big hug, sorry, that’s all I have! Well, we practically said the same thing at the same time and shared our own little adorable hug. Because THAT, ladies and gentlemen is what the Christmas spirit is all about!

Yah, it’s nice to open gifts. But then what? Do you remember what you got for Christmas five years ago? I don’t. Ask me about a memory from five years ago at Christmas, I could probably tell you what everyone was wearing. Because it’s the people. The moments. And the time together that really matters.