Where DOES the time go? I can’t believe it’s been an entire week since my last post. My apologies. I hope to make it up to everyone with a fairly substantial post (unlike the quasi-posts/polls/links I’ve left as of late). Enough prefacing, here we go.
Why didn’t anyone ever tell me that my holiday-related joy would diminish in a seemingly linear progression inversely proportional to my age? (read: the older I get, the less joy I experience around the holidays)
It seems rather cruel to have let me stumble upon this fact myself. Someone should have warned me. I could’ve prepared. Now I’m just kinda saddened by the facts before me. There’s no giddy anticipation of what I’ll find under the tree (hell, I bought most of my own presents and gave them to people to give to me). Most of the things I’ll find under the tree I won’t have time to use. There’s no “magic” of Santa Claus and his reindeer or Frosty and his top hat. The weather has been as ugly as possible (even for the Lehigh Valley) with wind, rain and gloom replacing cool, crisp air and flurries. There’s no possibility of a “snow day” or an “early dismissal” so it’s hard to even hope for a White Christmas. There’s much more “I only need to buy X presents yet” and much less “I’m going to get X presents”. I can’t forget about the “I only need to work until March to payoff these gifts” instead of the “I’m not going to have to work until March with all this Christmas money”. I find myself looking forward to January and a new fiscal year as much as Christmas and the end of this one.
Maybe next year will be different. Maybe the depressing progression is cyclical and it’ll reverse someday.
What happened to the substantial part?!?
Posted by: Garrett at December 13, 2004 06:11 PMAh, damn clients keep calling at work ... take it or leave it ... better yet, post something on your own blog ... how about another HSC update?? :-)
Posted by: languorous at December 13, 2004 11:18 PMwell bah humbug to you then. the holiday season is not about getting gifts and money, that's why you are losing the spirit. its about spending time with your family and friends, its about good food and better wine, its about stinking christmas movies. so many people are grumpy this year, it makes me nuts. i love the holidays, probably more than i ever did before (right, except when i was 5 or 6 and santa came). people are in great moods, there are trees and lights everywhere, songs to be sung and good times. get over all this bah humbug tom. this is the time to be thankful for how great our lives are....not to feel bad that we are missing out on presents and money. hell, i have no money, and my present was a plane ticket home from my mom. i am still excited as anything that i get to spend the holidays in glorious allentown ;)
Posted by: Lori at December 14, 2004 05:50 PMTo perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year. ~E.B. White, "The Distant Music of the Hounds," The Second Tree from the Corner, 1954
I'm also finding it hard to get in the Christmas spirit (no Atheist jokes, please) this year. On my part, it's probably more because I'm so busy than anything else. Well, that and up until two days ago New York was still getting temperatures in the 50s. We've got to get some snow on the ground to get this holiday underway!
Posted by: Jason at December 15, 2004 11:56 AMIt is what you make it!!!!
Posted by: Jeff at December 15, 2004 01:37 PMI hear that Christmas spirit is positively related to victories in Halo 2....
Me and Gar are quite jolly as of late.
Posted by: Robb at December 15, 2004 11:50 PMI dont think that's true...Joe plays Halo 2 all day long, and is quite victorious. However, he too lacks the holiday spirit.
Posted by: Lori at December 16, 2004 04:33 PMUh-oh, sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one!
Posted by: languorous at December 16, 2004 05:40 PMSure, we'll happily beat up Joe in Halo2 until he's full of holiday cheer!
Posted by: Garrett at December 16, 2004 06:05 PMI don't know dude. I think he's gone mad. Halo to Joe is "saving the universe". He'll fight you to the death ;)
Posted by: Lori at December 16, 2004 07:10 PMFirst a serious response to the actual point of the message. Yes, I unfortunately agree with you Tom. And its a real shame because I think that given the chance, I would still feel just like a kid at Christmas time. But as I get older, I become more disillusioned by daily life, and how people totally distort the true meaning of the holiday. That and the fact that life tends to speed up at an exponential rate definitely makes it hard to appreciate Christmas. To me, Christmas is all about appreciating your family, friends, and loved ones. Its about appreciating the spirit of life. Something we should all do, year round. Now to respond to the part of the post dedicated to Halo 2 (as nearly every post is) hehehe Blue Team is really impressive given they play way more than red team. Tom doesnt even pick up a damn joystick but once a week. I dont play THAT much more. So what do you expect? I could put a feather in your cap, but Id rather put it where the sun dont shine. Anybody ready for MECH! :-)
Posted by: Jon at December 16, 2004 07:56 PMYes, that's right, this post was about Christmas cheer (or a slight lack thereof) and it's somehow turned to a "fight you to the death" comment about Halo ... try to focus here people :-)
Posted by: languorous at December 16, 2004 10:24 PMMaybe Santa can drop down the chimney and bring the Red team some game! (Oh, dammmmmnnnnnn!)
Peace be with you.
Posted by: Robb at December 17, 2004 01:52 AM