12/26/2011 The Day After

It’s over. Christmas is done for another year. I’m glad. I’m not a fan of Christmas. The commercial Christmas that is. I don’t like Christmas displays before the Halloween pumpkins are put away. I don’t like hearing Jingle Bells before we’re done with Over the River and Through the Woods…. I don’t like what Christmas has become. We, as a people, have gotten so far away from the reason for the season.

Its sad really. Families who can ill afford it spend recklessly to provide their kids with the latest toys and electronics because nowadays parents are even teaching their children to play keep up with the Joneses. Woe be to the ”un” or under-employed who cannot buy the latest and greatest for their child. The guilt associated this time of year can prove to be too much for some of them.

How did it get this way? When I was a kid you didn’t think about Christmas until just before Thanksgiving, if then. Stores kept their hours, maybe staying open late on weekends two weeks before Christmas and still closed on Sundays no matter what. Now stores are open till midnight or straight through to 5a.m. Christmas morning to get that last almighty dollar. There used to be Black Friday and now there’s that and Cyber Monday. Where does it all end? When do get back to the reason for the season? I am by no means saying gift giving is a bad thing, quite the contrary. Within reason. Within means. With thought to what you are buying and giving. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Yesterday we had dinner with about 385 others in the Friendship Hall over at the Mission Bell side. To be perfectly honest, we and a lot of others were disappointed. The turkey and ham were delicious but unless you were in the first two tables (think about 140 people) who were called to go through the buffet line, well, whatever was left was cold. It also didn’t help that we got started 15 minutes late. I think the whole serving process needs to be revamped.

After dinner Bob retired to his recliner and I went to our clubhouse for a rousing game of Mexican Train with Games Gang.

A nice Christmas Day I suppose, I just wish whole thing was different, perhaps back to simpler times.