Isn’t the holiday season wonderful? Don’t you just love the beauty of it all? Or actually don’t you secretly hate it and feel empty inside whenever you hear people singing Jingle Bells?
Maybe it’s just me, but I always get the feeling that those are the only two options. You can love Christmas/Hanukkah/New Years and the sweet spirit that comes with it, or you can hate it because it makes you feel cold and alone. Generally, I am totally on board with love it or hate it things. I am one of those annoying people who either loves or hates almost everything. But, um, when it comes to the month of December and the holidays that come in it…meh. I am completely apathetic.
Last year I was in Suriname for Christmas, and I spent the day hanging out with this random guy. At the end of the day I was like, “Hey, it was nice to meet you” and he was like, “I’m so glad we spent Christmas together.” Whoops. I had both forgotten it was Christmas, and forgotten Christmas was a big deal.
I got my haircut today, and when the woman with the scissors asked me if I like the holidays I shrugged (carefully). I just don’t care. And she looked confused.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m Jewish that I don’t care, though that seems plausible to me. I don’t feel left out at Christmas, it just doesn’t mean anything to me. And honestly, New Years? I can’t believe it’s a holiday that matters at all to anyone.
Whenever I meet someone who hates the holidays I want to be like, “Hey, come over on Christmas. We’ll play Connect Four and I will teach you how to make chili.” And whenever I meet someone who is crazy-go-nuts about the holidays I want to be like, “Really? You know Santa isn’t real, right?”
