THE PROBLEM WITH HOLIDAYS

Whilst you hum to the tune of "Let It Snow", this year, I want to play the Scrooge and walk you down a couple of things that is wrong, can go wrong and will go wrong.

Now why would I want to ruin your festive season to be merry? Well because there are things that you may need to watch out for.  I have yet to see this season celebrated with minimalism, it seems when the Christmas holidays come in, people tend to go on Maximum Overdrive. (thanks to Stephen King). And yes, the weather outside is absolutely "frightful"! Unless you have missed the holiday shopping bizarre sales!

Oh, so you missed that? Well I hope you are not amongst the few who expect that the season to be merry is also the time to put on your most comical smile and pretend that you are indeed a nice person, when deep within your core, you are reeking with contempt and arrogance. Pfft! People, get real.

Often we feel compelled to be happy because everyone expects us to be. When you feel the exact opposite, do you ask yourself, "what the hell is wrong with me?". Honestly, the fact is, the Holidays can be the most stressful period of the year and for a whole lot of people in this world, the saddest time. "Holiday Blues" are real. Period. Sometimes, the season tends to bring memories, some unpleasant ones, of loved ones lost. A little compassion for those who relapse into grieving should be extended. Some people we know just need to heal, some take a longer time, a few bounce back quickly, and several more, stay scarred.

Plus, not only is it the season of EXPENSES OVERLOAD, it is also the season of RESPONSIBILITIES OVERLOAD! Crazy kids, obligatory parties directly related to obligatory gifts, house guests, menu planning and cooking, decorations, cleaning, money pressures, etc. etc. Look, maybe if you don't really want to, then don't. One of the worst things I have seen, is planning to be perfect this season, and if things do not go as planned, is blaming yourself for the failure, or worse, blaming others! If the economy and politics is disappointing and the government is such a let-down, why expect a perfect holiday?

You'll be surprised how happier you will be to choose only to do what you want to do and not feel obliged to have to do it. Trust me. I said NO to overdecorating this year, after all, I made a mess out of last year's "blinkers'" and I yet have to admit I haven't untangled the mess. Yeah, boo!

One of my all-time favourites, "going broke for the sake of happiness." Why should you yield to the pressure of spending beyond your means and accumulating large credit card balances? What is the point of buying expensive presents and losing track of actual expenses because of merry making? Even Santa Claus (if you believe there's one) has cut down on his reindeer headcount, and if he has to fly, he chooses the budget fare.

Well I'll be ... then you work your butt off for the next 11 months just to give yourself the license to go insane in your shopping with complete abandon once a year? If that gets you off, then fine, this is a free world. I hold myself completely free of accountability when your bills pile up and you jump off a bridge sometime before December 2012. (Mayan Calendar, hello?)

And just because, the season is a good reason to get together with family, do you really have to "open up unresolved family conflicts?" Oh this one just takes the cake. 

It's bad enough that they are all around, but you just can't help yourself, right? There's nothing more delicious than watching Old Divas in a cat-fight, or have an entire clan drive off in the middle of the holiday dinner with their kids in tow, some throwing tantrums as they haven't opened up their presents. There's nothing close to the fun and amusement one can get watching parents treating their adult children as kids, and kids completely ignoring parents' screams and yelps as they completely go hyperactive after tons of sugar overload! Ah, the whole thing is so seductive it's so boring if you are one of the few families I know without any dysfunction! Booyah! And I haven't even started on dessert, the wild gossip whispered around about who is doing what, with whom. and who is the latest to join the single parent's club or who has finally "come out"? I just love family get-togethers during the holidays. It puts Jersey Shore, Gossip Girls, True Blood and the Kardashians in one show!

I love holidays because every season enriches me as a person. That or it makes me laugh myself to tears until I pee in my pants. Maybe I should sound a little helpful so a few reminders wouldn't hurt this post.

1. Watch out for the burning Christmas Tree! It has been proven to be fatal.
2. Fireplace fire. Yeah, this can suck big time.
3. Pets getting ill, humans too. Over feeding. Or overeating. Same outcomes.
4. Kitchen accidents. Burnt cooking or under thawed turkey. Name it.  Murphy's law operates in the kitchen at full blast.
5. You are hosting and you get sick. Just don't get sick. Or don't host. 'Nuff said.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS PEEPS!